Page 26 of Flight of the Omega

XI

So. the boss’s kid, huh?”Burr’s voice was a low rumble, accusatory. He was standing in the hall, arms crossed, like he’d been waiting for Jack. His sharp eyes tracked Jack as he whirled, frowning.

Jack studied the foreman for a minute, the way he was leaned against the wall, the play of shadows over his face. Then he said, “Dunno what you’re talking about.”

Burr snorted and pushed away from the wall. “All right then,” he said, slowly approaching Jack. “We’ll play it your way.”

He stopped, his boots clomping on the worn, wooden floorboards. “The hell you been doing for the last two weeks, huh? You think I didn’t see you rolling in late, ditching work early?”

Jack stumbled back a step, surprised by the note of anger in Burr’s voice.

Burr tilted his head. “You don’t wanna show up and do your job, I can find someone else who will, hm?”

Jack felt heat creep into his cheeks. “It’s not that—”

“I’ll ask you again, then—what the hell have you been doing these last two weeks, Jack? You know the birds don’t take care of themselves. You can’t be taking off, holing yourself up in some nest.”

Jack frowned. “I didn’t hole up in some nest,” he replied. “I’m not hiding. I been down to the kitchen every day, every meal—”

“But you can’t stay down at the barn to do your job. You know how many times you were late? Duckie says half the time you came down, got food, came back upstairs here.” Burr glanced toward the closed french doors at the end of the hall. He nodded at them. “That’s where the boss’s kid is staying. What business have you got with him? Business that’ll take you from your job at all hours?”

Jack didn’t know what to say. Did Burr know? Probably; Jack admitted he was dumber than a fence post most of the time. Burr had known JP and Cerulean were one and the same. He’d been surprised Jack hadn’t figured out it.

But that probably meant Burr knew JP was an omega too. And if he admitted he’d been with JP, that was probably tantamount to admitting they were sleeping together.

“No business,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve been sick. I’ll get back to work, right now.”

Burr lifted his brows. “That ain’t gonna make it right,” he said, his voice low. He took a step closer, tilting his head again, like he was sizing Jack up for a fight. “But that’s the best you’re gonna give me for now, so I’ll take it. But the truth always comes out, Jack, and then you’ll be sorry you lied.”

With that, Burr turned and walked off, his footsteps echoing down the hall, nearly drowning out his hollered, “See you in the yard!”

If Jack was ill at ease for the rest of the day, he didn’t think he could be blamed. It felt like Burr was watching his every move, just waiting for him to trip up again. It was nerve-wracking, and Jack hated every minute of it.

Things got worse at dinnertime though, because JP, for whatever reason, decided it would be a good idea not only to make an appearance but to sit right beside Jack. Worse yet, he was talkative. And handsy. He nudged Jack a few times, barely took his eyes off him. Jack could feel Burr staring at them from clear across the cafeteria. He wondered if JP had any idea how much shit they were in. He didn’t doubt Mr. Crane would blow a gasket about the help messing around with his little boy.

It struck him then that he didn’t even know how old JP was. That thought made him more uncomfortable.

Wasn’t like he could get a word in edgewise, though, not with JP babbling about the Rose Plate and the food and anything else that seemed to cross his pea brain. It was painfully obvious to Jack, and it had to be painfully obvious to everyone else who was sitting there, that something fundamental had changed over the last two weeks. Formerly sullen JP was now light and bubbly, largely owing to Jack’s presence. That was almost invariably how Alerian omegas acted around their mates, particularly right after they’d had a heat. Supposedly, they experienced a lot of … well, Jack would call them mushy feelings. It made them ready to accept help from an alpha when it came time to brood eggs.

Jack’s appetite deserted him, and he glanced sidelong at JP. JP didn’t seem any stranger to heat or having a partner during heat, not that it had been a good experience for him. He had to realize how he was acting. He’d likely acted this way before.

Jack caught Burr’s eye, saw the lead hand grin at him, like he had damning evidence that Jack had been diddling the boss’s kid. Jack harrumphed, then turned to glare at JP. “The hell are you bothering me for?” he grunted, turning as mean a look as he could on the omega.

God, it hurt to watch JP wilt like that. The smile melted right off his face; worry lines sprang to life, and grief invaded those golden eyes, the light going right out of them. “Sorry” was all the omega said. He turned back to his own plate, eyes downcast. Then he grabbed the plate and shuffled down to the other end of the bench.

Jack had mostly finished his own meal. JP hadn’t shut up, so the omega hadn’t eaten much at all, but Jack had been ravenous after working twice as hard all day under Burr’s watchful eye. He got up shortly after, took his dirty dishes to the bins Duckie set out for collecting them.

He glanced over his shoulder once on his way out. JP was still just sitting there, head down, hands in his lap, staring at his plate like he didn’t even know what food was anymore.

Much as he wanted to go back, Jack couldn’t risk it. Instead, he forced himself to march out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

The next day, JP sidled down to the stables—something he hadn’t done unless he was in feathers—while Jack was working. He leaned against the fence and watched Jack in the pen.

Jack was working with Blue, whose leg was slowly healing. She was still in a splint and her walking was mostly hopping, but she was getting around quite well. Jack was pleased with her progress.

He tried to ignore JP, since Burr was nearby, and Amanda was going to be along in a few minutes to check Blue over.

Blue, however, had a different idea. She squawked with indignation, then flapped her wings furiously and charged the fence. It would have been terrifying, except she was mostly hopping, so she looked ridiculous.