Fuck no.“Please tell me you spoke to Cece and Tristan at least? Please tell me you haven’t been on your own through all this?”
“I couldn’t tell them,” Billy cried. “They were so proud of me when we met, and then when the messages came… I felt like it was all my fault, and I wasn’t good enough for you.”
Cord felt as if he was going to throw up. “Babe, Billy, please listen to me. Who sent you the messages? Were they all from the same number? What was the number they came from?”
Billy rattled off a number Cord already knew by heart. “That’s good, babe, now tell me, when did they start coming? When did you start getting them?”
“Six hours after you left here. About nine o’clock in the morning.”
When I was in my lecture at HQ.“And how long were you getting them? One day? Two?” Cord’s phone hadn’t worked for two days.
“All three days. I got one five minutes ago, just before you called. More images by the looks of things. I haven’t looked at them yet.”
Billy wasn’t lying. He was too upset and too decent a person to do that. Cord looked at his own phone screen which showed three bars of signal. Then he looked down the hill where the motel was.
“Babe, listen to me, please. I haven’t had phone signal in two days, and from what I understood, neither did anyone else in my team. But one of my team members has the number you’ve just told me.”
“How could that be? How would someone in your team have my number unless you gave it to them?”
“You’re registered as my next of kin with HQ, Billy,” Cord said gently because the last thing he wanted his mate thinking about was his death. “Any number of people could have access to your number from there. I think someone, the same someone whowas sending you those pictures, has been blocking my phone signal. You learned about coding and communications. Is that sort of thing possible?”
There was silence for a moment, and then Billy said, “If someone knew your number and your mobile carrier, then technically, yes, they could do it. There are blockers – they’re like a small black box, about the size of a cigarette carton, and they can be programmed to block specific phones or signals from specific carriers.”
“That’s good, Billy. Thank you. Now I know what to look for. Babe, I hate to ask, but I need you to find a way to transfer all of those messages you’ve received into a draft email for me. I’ll give you an address to send it to when I get home, and I truly hope you believe I am coming home to you.”
“Is your job finished? Did you save the omegas?” Billy’s voice still sounded sad, but Cord could tell he was trying, and in that moment, Cord felt that was more than he deserved.
“Not this time, babe. But thanks to you, I think we’ve solved another problem this team has had for a while. I have to take care of things here today, and then I’m coming home. I don’t care if I have to run on all four feet from the west coast to Frankton, I am coming home, you have my word.”
“I thought you were going to Burton? That’s what you told me and where the messages said you were.”
“Another fuck up I’ll get to the bottom of before I get back to you, but Billy,” Cord closed his eyes. He hadn’t wanted to say the words until his mate was back in his arms, but he had to. “Billy, I love you. I know that’s hard to believe right now when you’ve had three days of absolute hell, but I love you with all that I am, and if you can’t believe me, then please look inward and ask your precious wolf about my feelings, because our animal sides knowthe truth of our connection, even if no one else does. Will you do that for me?”
There was a moment’s silence and then Billy said, “I wasn’t going to do this. I said I’d always be supportive of your job, and I really want to be because I know you help omegas who’ve had a hard life. But I think, as your omega, I need for you to come home. Now would be good, but soon is fine.” The tears were still in Billy’s voice, and Cord nodded, even though his mate couldn’t see him.
“I’ll bring you a large hot chocolate for breakfast tomorrow morning. One way or another, I’ll do it.”
Another moment of silence, and then Billy said, “I believe you… mate.”
Clutching his fist to his chest, Cord blinked away his own tears. “Thank you, my precious mate. Please get some rest. Speak to Cece and Tristan if you feel up to it. I really would prefer you not be on your own today. But I’ll see you in the morning, for sure. I love you, Billy. I won’t let you down.”
The moment Billy disconnected the call, Cord shifted again, snatching his phone up with his teeth as they ran back the way they’d come. His wolf was incensed, ready to tear strips off the man who’d caused his mate so much pain, and it took Cord a moment to shift back into his human form when he got back to the motel room. Bullet, Blade and Razor were waiting for him.
As he got dressed, Cord told his friends what he’d learned from Billy. “We’re all on the same carrier, which is why we didn’t know it was happening.”
“I’ll fucking kill him myself if that blocker thing is found in his room,” Bullet snarled. “Billy is the sweetest, most innocent and genuine omega…”
“But how are you going to find out if it’s him?” Razor broke in. “Rapid keeps trying to get into your bed, man, he’s not going to invite you into his. He never has anyone in his rooms.”
Cord showed his teeth. “That asshole took pictures of me and him back when we were together. Intimate pictures that I didn’t consent to or was even aware of. He sent them to my mate as if those were actions we were engaged in now. I’ll knock on his door, but that’s as far as my courtesy goes. If he won’t let me into his room, I’ll smash it down and pay for the damages.”
“We’d better come with you,” Blade said, getting up from where he was sprawled on the bed. “You’ll need witnesses if you’ve got a hope in hell of getting home by morning.”
“As soon as I get my phone back, I’ll start calling around for a plane or a helicopter,” Bullet added. “If HQ won’t send you back, we’ll organize it ourselves.”
“Find me a plane and I’ll fly us,” Razor added. “Fuck this. I don’t know if this is all Rapid or if it’s HQ mucking us about as well, but you need to get home to your mate, C. That’s a rescue I can get behind.”
And that support right there was why Cord hadn’t even considered leaving the team when he’d met his Billy. His alpha teammates were the closest thing to family he had, and he’d never let them down. They always had his back.
