Alpha Ascending

by Alicia Montgomery

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Is that it?” Sofia asked as they watched the uniformed police officers put the handcuffed Masters into the cop car. The mage’s face was stony, and he was silent the entire time, from the moment they restrained him until the officers arrived to read him his rights.

  Sharpe held his hand up, as he was listening to whoever was on the other line of his phone conversation. “Thank you, ma’am. Yes, we’re headed back now.” He put the phone back in his pocket. “Yes. They’re releasing Anderson now.”

  Relief washed over her like a wave. Thank God. Masters’s confession in front of two detectives was enough for the DA to drop the charges against Lucas. “And the captain?”

  “Critical condition, but the doctors are positive he’ll make a recovery.” It seemed Bushnell had been in an accident, and had lost control of his car while he was driving into the city. But she knew better. Speaking of which, she and Sharpe had yet to discuss what Masters was.

  “Sharpe,” she began. “About what happened in there—”

  “What is he?” he asked in a contemplative voice. “And what is Anderson?”

  She couldn’t tell him about Lycans, since she promised Frankie Anderson to keep their secret. But she supposed she didn’t say anything about mages. “I know this will be hard to wrap your head around, but magic exists. And Masters, he used dark magic to control you. Like he controlled Bushnell, which is why he was acting weird.”

  He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “If I didn’t experience it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

  “How did you break free of his control?” Even Masters had been surprised.

  “I … I don’t know exactly. Even though he controlled me, I could see everything that was happening. It was like a rope was wrapped around me and I just imagined peeling it off me.” He shrugged. “I thought my head was going to burst.”

  “We can’t put the truth in our report,” she said. “We already know Masters is guilty. But if we expose what he is—”

  “His lawyer could plead insanity or say we were the crazy ones,” he finished. “We’ll keep that part to ourselves. If he does expose himself, then it’s our words against his, and no judge will believe magic exists.”

  “I—Oh, shit! The necklace!” She had been so preoccupied that she just tossed it aside. She and Sharpe ran back to the apartment. Crawling to where she last saw it, she searched for the necklace, but didn’t find it. They turned over the entire room, but there was no trace of it. “Motherfucking hell! Where could it have gone?”

  “Maybe someone snuck in and got it,” Sharpe guessed. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. It’s not like it’s going to help our case against Masters.”

  True, but that evil necklace was out there, somewhere. She had to tell Lucas. Lucas! He would be out any moment, and she wanted to be there to see him. “Let’s go back to the station. We can get our stories in order on the way.”

  As they drove back to the precinct, they decided on a modified version of the story. Masters exposed himself by slipping up about Dixon’s head injury and had no choice but to confess. He tried to escape and Sharpe drew his gun, but the shot went wild. Sofia then tackled him, and they subdued him together.

  As they approached the station, she saw the familiar town car waiting outside, Reyes already by the door. Sharpe had barely stopped his car when she flew out. Lucas was already out the door, surrounded by two men in suits, Zac, and Astrid. His clothes were rumpled, and his stubble was now thicker and covered half his face.

  “Lucas!” she called, her heart bursting with emotion at the sight of him. “Thank God—”

  His mismatched eyes went dark, like a sudden storm forming over the ocean. “Did you come here to stop them from releasing me?”

  She skidded to a stop, as if an invisible barrier stood between them. “Lucas? What’s the matter?”

  “What’s the matter?” he snarled. “Was this your plan all along? Were you building your case, hoping to entice me to confess by sleeping with me?”

  His words were like a thousand knives, cutting into her skin. “No,” she croaked. “You can’t believe—”

  “I heard every word your captain said.” His mouth pulled back into a tight line. “About how you did a good job gathering the evidence.”

  “No! I swear I didn’t do anything!” She managed to grab onto his lapels, but he pulled her hands away, his fingers digging into her wrists so hard she knew they would bruise. “Lucas, you’re hurting me.”

  “You deceitful bitch,” he spat. “I never want to see you again.”

  “Lucas, please! I didn’t do it, I swear. I love—”

  “Don’t you dare!” His voice thundered, and she flinched visibly. “Don’t you even try to say those words.” He pulled her closer and whispered low. “And if you tell anyone about us, I’m going to crush you. I’ll make sure you won’t even find work as a meter maid, then destroy your grandfather’s restaurant.”

  His threats had their desired effect, and she nodded meekly. He let go of her wrists, then turned away and marched into the car. Reyes scowled at her as he held the door open. She could feel the tears burning behind her eyes, but she refused to let them form.

  Despite the fact that her heart felt like it was being crushed under an eighteen-wheeler, she still wanted to protect him. The mages might still be out there, and they had the necklace. “Astrid!” she called out as the young woman was about to enter the town car after Lucas.

  Zac stepped protectively in front of his mate, his blue eyes like shards of ice. A snarl left his lips and she wanted to cower back. “You have to listen to me,” she began, very voice shaky.

  She whispered something to Zac. “Go to Lucas,” she said. He looked like he wanted to argue, but when his wife flashed him a meaningful look, he held his tongue.

  “Two minutes,” he warned before walking away from them.

  When they were alone, the Lycan spoke. “You heard Lucas.” Whiskey brown eyes were flashing with barely contained anger. “I won’t let you hurt him.”

  “I’m trying to protect him!” She fisted her hands at her side. “I swear I wasn’t investigating him for Fraser’s murder. I already suspected he was being framed.” But that didn’t matter because Lucas really believed she lied. “It was David Masters. He was trying to frame Lucas. Masters is a mage.”

  Astrid’s expression turned from anger to shock. “His assistant?”

  She relayed to Astrid what happened with Masters. “He used a necklace to control my partner and my captain.” Hopefully she wouldn’t ask about Sharpe, as she would hate for him to lose his memory.

  She looked like she was processing the information, but finally, she spoke. “I’ll relay it to the appropriate party.”

  “Astrid … please.” She was grasping for words, her emotions in turmoil making it hard to form a thought. “Just … take care of him.”

  An inscrutable look passed over the other woman’s face. She nodded and then turned on her heel.

  Sofia stood there frozen in her spot as she watched the town car drive away. Her heart felt like it was ripping in two, and she couldn’t breathe. He thought she had betrayed him. They had been arguing about Caroline before he was arrested. And then those words Bushnell—no, it was Masters—said had been the last nail in the coffin.

  She stumbled back, her knees like jelly. Lucas’s expression of pure hate would be forever burned in her mind. She had tried to tell him she loved him, and he rejected it. And then he threatened her family …

  “Easy, Detective.” Sharpe’s lanky arms caught her before she fell back.

  The words were stuck in her throat and she let out a pathetic cry.

  “You should get some rest,” Sharpe whispered gently. “Do you want me to take you home?”

  She nodded weakly. “Yes, but not to my apartment.”

  He guided her back to the car, helping her into the passenger seat. She murmured the address she knew by heart, and he didn’t protest a
t the distance or the traffic building up at the Queensboro bridge, but just drove her to where she wanted to go.

  They stopped outside the familiar building, the cheerful mural of blue domes greeting her. But she didn’t feel anything. She grew numb on the ride over, her heart’s defense mechanism so she wouldn’t feel anything. Just like when her mother died.

  She didn’t even know how she had gotten out of the car or trudged into the restaurant. Pappoús looked up as he wiped up a table, his face turning bright as he saw her. “Sofia! What a nice surprise.” He put down the rag and walked over to her. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you, and you haven’t been answering.”

  And then, the dam of emotions broke. “Pappoús,” she bawled as tears poured down her cheeks, and she collapsed into his arms.

  “When will you stop moping like this, Sofia?” George Selinofoto asked. “Isn’t it about time you go back to work?”

  She raised her head to look at her father from where she was lying facedown on the mattress. “Are you kicking me out?”

  “No, Sofia.” George let out a deep sigh as he sat down on his daughter’s bed. “You know you are always welcome here.” He placed a large hand on her shoulder. “But you’ve been here for a week. You haven’t left the house, gone to work, talked to anyone.” When she arrived at the restaurant, she gave them an annotated version of what happened with Lucas.

  “I don’t want to do any of those things.” She pressed her face to the pillow. “I just want to be left alone.”

  “I know, baby. And I’m sorry.” He tipped her chin to the side to face him. “But you have to at least get out of this bed.”

  She didn’t know if that was possible. Her bed was safe and warm, and anything outside of it was … not. After what happened with Lucas that day, she just didn’t want to face the world anymore. Even taking a step out of bed to go to the bathroom felt like a chore. All she wanted to do was sleep and forget. Forget about Lucas and his mismatched eyes. And all the times they made love. And the hateful expression on his face when he called her a deceitful bi—

  “At least you haven’t lost your appetite.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “In fact, you’ve eaten so much lately, you might eat me out of house and home.”

  “Dad,” she whined.

  “It’s okay, I’m just glad you’re still enjoying food.” He chuckled. “Though with your appetite, you’d think you were pregnant or something. Your mother was the same.” The mattress rose when he took his weight off. “I’ll bring you some food from the restaurant tonight, okay?”

  “Thanks, Dad,” she said. As soon as the door closed behind him, she flopped onto her back. Of course, her mind began to drift to Lucas, so she quickly shut it down. Instead, she thought about her job. She had cashed in as much vacation time as she could, but she knew she would have to go back on Monday.

  Sharpe had been nice enough to keep her updated on what was happening at the station. Bushnell was recovering but would be out of commission for a couple of weeks while he healed from the injuries from the accident. One of the more senior lieutenants, Jameson, was acting captain for now, and according to Sharpe, was doing a decent job at least.

  Winters also called her once over the week and relayed some messages from the D.A.’s office. The attorney assigned to Bianchi’s case was freaking out because she hadn’t been answering her messages when the trial was coming up in two weeks. She asked Winters to relay to them that she was still going to testify. However, she didn’t tell the D.A. or anyone about the two men who had attacked her in her home. The crime scene had been cleaned up, and she would have to make a report and expose the Lycans. Attempted murder of a police detective would have been a nice addition to the charges, but she already knew Bianchi would be going away for a long time.

  She didn’t ask about Masters, but Sharpe assured her that their case was solid, and he was currently still locked up. However, he refused to talk about what happened, not even to defend himself or deny the charges, but it looked like he would be pleading guilty to avoid a long trial. She wondered if his associates had anything to do with that, but she didn’t really give a shit as long as he rotted in jail.

  It was almost ironic now. Her job was her life, and she always thought she would feel unfulfilled if she wasn’t a detective. But right now, it didn’t seem to matter. She felt empty and hollow, and so broken, but she just didn’t know how to fix it.

  Her stomach growled. Apparently, her body thought food was the best way to fill her emptiness. And to think she’d just had lunch. God, she would get fat if she kept eating this way. Her hand went down to her stomach. Dad would have to roll her out of—

  “Oh. No.” She sat up so fast, a wave of dizziness passed over her. It couldn’t be. They had been careful. Except those last couple of times at the ranch. All it takes is one time, her high school health teacher had said. But surely, it was too early for her to be showing signs of pregnancy?

  Hopping to her feet, she began to pace. Only one way to find out. She grabbed her coat and put her shoes on, then went to the pharmacy around the corner. Thank God her dad was at the restaurant, because then he didn’t see her zipping up the stairs with a bag full of pregnancy tests.

  She tried reading the instructions or figuring out what the day of conception could be and when her next period would be, but she just got so confused that she bought a bunch of them.

  She ran straight to the bathroom, not wanting to wait much longer to take the tests. She took all five brands. And each one of them had the same results.

  Pregnant.

  A calmness came over her. Frankly, she thought she’d freak out more at the news. She was having a baby. Lucas’s and hers. A million thoughts ran through her mind. Would it be a boy or a girl? What name should she pick? Would it look like her or him? Maybe a dark-haired little boy with blue and green eyes.

  Tears prickled at her eyes—whether they were sad or happy tears, she wasn’t sure. Maybe neither, and this was just her being hormonal. Oh, God, she was going to have a baby. Her hand crept down to her stomach. Still flat, but it was incredible to think there was life growing inside her.

  She fell back on the bed. Lucas. She wanted to get over him as soon as possible, and the only way to do that was to never see him again. But now she would be forever linked to this man who despised her. He had to know about the baby, of course. That was the right thing to do. But would he even want to see her?

  There was still time yet. For now, she couldn’t stay in her old bedroom and mope all day. There was so much to do and plan, and she certainly had no plans of getting fired. It was time to rejoin the world, for her baby’s sake.

  Sofia went back to work that following Monday, determined to get her life back to normal. A week had passed, and so far, so good. Well, as normal as she could, anyway, in her condition. She must have only been two weeks along when she took the tests. Maybe there was something in Lucas’s Lycan biology that made the pregnancy easier to detect. Not that her baby was going to be Lycan. But still, it shared 50 percent of Lucas’s DNA. All the more reason to tell him.

  But the thought of approaching him right now made her stomach clench. For one thing, she wouldn’t be able to stop from bawling. She had tried earlier that week. Gathering up as much of her courage as she could, she drove down to Fenrir to wait for him to come out. And when he did … she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing at her first glance at Lucas. It was funny, she almost didn’t recognize him. The dark stubble he didn’t shave off in Shenandoah had grown into a full-grown beard. His eyebrows slashed together in what seemed like a permanent scowl. Her heart leapt out and felt like it had been broken again. There was no way she was going to approach him, not when she couldn’t control her emotions. When she told him about the baby, she wanted to be calm and business-like. They were adults, and they could deal with this like grown-ups.

  “You feeling okay?” Sharpe asked as he stared at her from his desk. They were now officially partners, and she
was happy about that. He was a good detective, and she knew she could learn a lot from him.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” She grabbed a protein bar from her desk drawer. God, she was always so hungry. Dad was right about eating him out of house and home; she still went home to Queens because she didn’t want to be alone, plus she wasn’t sure what the state of her apartment was after the Lycans cleaned it up. She didn’t get any angry phone calls from her super, so it must be okay.

  “I need to check on a source.” Sharpe stood up and put his coat on. “Wanna come along?”

  “Nah, I need to finish up some stuff.”

  “If you need to talk—”

  “I know,” she said in an impatient voice. “Sorry.” She didn’t mean to snap at him, it just came out. She was tired. So fucking tired of her life being in chaos. “Go on, you don’t want to keep your source waiting.”

  The hours crawled by, and Sharpe hadn’t returned. She didn’t really notice, seeing as she was busy with her own workload. She was getting ready to leave for a late lunch when the phone rang. With an annoyed grunt, she picked it up. “Selinofoto.”

  “Is this Detective Selinofoto?”

  “Yes, this is she. Who is this?”

  “I … I can’t tell you.” The woman on the other line sounded scared. “But I have a tip for you.”

  “Ma’am, we have a tip line for things like this.”

  “Please! I was told you could help me. It’s for a case you were working on. Prelevic.”

  She searched her memories. It rang a bell … human trafficking case? That had been at least a year ago, and Johan Prelevic was still awaiting trial. “What about Prelevic?”

  “He still has girls locked up. New ones,” the woman said. “I have the address.”

  Sofia really wanted to go to the burger place around the corner and have a double cheeseburger, chili fries, and a strawberry milkshake. But if this tip had any merit, then it might mean saving a lot of girls. Just an initial look around couldn’t hurt. “All right.” She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen. “Where is it?”