Solace for Silver: Wolves of Solara Book 3

by Tran, Charlie

  "You're a part of them?!" I interrupted, but Glenn raised a hand, pressing a single finger against my lips to keep me quiet.

  "Our pack is full of outcasts. Wolves from other packs that were kicked out for being too weak or for disagreeing with their Alpha and going out on their own. None of the other packs gave us an opportunity to prove ourselves."

  "Why did it matter? Why do you need to prove yourselves better than everyone else?"

  Glenn shook his head as I pushed his hand away from my face.

  "It didn't matter to us. But to Declan? The man that brought all of us together so that we had somewhere to belong to? Until then, we had no purpose. A wolf without a pack isn't a wolf at all. So, we followed him. He inspired us, most of us not coming from well-off backgrounds. But he didn't care. He showed us how to make money and how to earn respect, even if it was only on the streets. And Leon was the best at it. He took the money Declan gave us and built this club, built a whole business on that white powder until he became Declan's right-hand man."

  He shuddered, now holding himself as his eyes fell shut.

  "But that wasn't good enough for them. They got too hungry for power and wanted to be the top dogs in the city. Declan was getting worried about getting caught selling drugs and turned to something more lucrative in the long run. He turned this club into a brothel while Leon began to sling his substances out of Club Mega. And anyone who ran up a debt was forced to work here."

  "But you were a part of their group. Why are you doing this?"

  "Because I loved Leon. Business was slow at first, you know? I started to do what I could here- cleaning, making it look nice for whenever business would pick up. But there still weren't enough people indebted to us for us to make even more money. So, some of us volunteered. We got a cut of the chance to sell our bodies, and with more bodies to sell, more money came in. I was just one of many. Most of the working boys here are actual members of the pack. They like the money enough that they don't care about sharing it with the rest of the group.

  "Soon, the prostitution money outearned the money from the drugs Leon sold. And he was getting reckless. He was always out late at night, putting whatever he could up his nose. Declan saw that. While he was gaining ties within the police, Leon was starting fights and getting us noticed. In a bad way. Even after I got pregnant with his child, he no longer cared about anyone or anything but his fucking drugs. He cared about it more than the money."

  "I'm sorry..." I extended a hand, but he slapped it away.

  "Things just don't change, and they got worse. Declan was out there making power moves and taking out other packs left and right. The Golden Dukes were just a stepping stone to gaining more power. And Leon couldn't get his mind off of anything but drugs. I don't agree with them murdering more and more wolves for that gain, but I have no say. Leon wouldn't listen to me anymore. And now," he gestured around us, "here we are. This is all we have left now that Declan is dead. And Leon is running us into the ground. He used to care, he used to love me and work harder than any other wolf I knew, but he's too far gone now."

  "But what about you? Do you still love him?"

  "No." His eyes opened, staring straight into mine. "I could never love someone who'd abandon his Omega and child like he did. I could never love someone who would lead their pack into the mud like this."

  "Do you feel any better, getting all this off of your chest?" I smiled at him genuinely, but he only shrugged, glancing back over his shoulder to check on Xander. He was still fast asleep.

  "No. I won't until all of us can be free of this hell hole. And now you're stuck here having to sell your body to the next man who wants you. But you don't seem so fazed, especially after your very first time."

  Glenn's discerning gaze trailed back toward me, his brow furrowed.

  "But it wasn't really your first time with that man, was it?"

  I gulped. "Excuse me?"

  "You were so nervous with my regular's friends. But when that first comer came for you, you didn't cry. You weren't upset. You were completely fine. That wasn't your first time with him, was it?"

  I bit onto my bottom lip. Was he accusing me of something?

  "Does it matter?"

  "No. I already spilled my guts out to you. Just an observation, since we're being honest."

  He stood up from the floor, wiping off his butt from the imaginary dust that was there. He kept this room spotless for his little tyke.

  "He's my mate," I said, blurting it almost out of nowhere. He didn't really need to know, but I felt it only fair to divulge a little bit after everything he had told me.

  Instead of spinning around in surprise, he kept his back toward me, his head tilting to the side with his hands planted on his hips.

  "I saw your marks on your neck."

  I subconsciously went to hold onto the small darkened spots on my neck, covering them with my hand.

  "But you never said anything about it before."

  "It wasn't any of my business." He looked over toward the clock on the wall, his eyes visibly widening, "Oh shit! We're running late! Come on, we gotta go get ready!"

  I put down the pipe from the hookah, blowing the smoke out toward the ceiling as I'd seen Jay and his still nameless companion do before. Glenn and I hadn't really done anything to pretty ourselves up for his companions since we were already nearly twenty minutes behind when we were supposed to be out there prancing around. And because of that rush, I'd put on shorts that were actually a bit too big for my friend and needed to keep my legs crossed to prevent my nuts from hanging out. How embarrassing would that be!?

  "I thought you weren't gonna come out tonight," X said to Glenn, running a hand along his shoulder. Glenn smiled, tracing a finger down X's chest in response.

  "Just had to take care of a few things, that's all. I missed you." I was trying not to watch, but it was crazy to me how easy it was for him to slip into his role. To become this hot seducer, twirling these men's whims around his little finger.

  I could never be that... sexy.

  "Why don't you take care of me next?" He grinned, leaning forward to place a kiss onto Glenn's forehead. "It is my birthday after all."

  "I know that, silly," Glenn smirked.

  "H-happy birthday!" I grinned awkwardly, only to receive cold stares from X and Jay. I leaned back against my seat, staring down at my lap and twiddling my thumbs.

  I could definitely never be as sexy as Glenn.

  "How about some party favors?" Jay broke the silence, reaching toward a small jeweled box on the table. It was the size of a ring box, but surely no one was proposing in this place. He pulled it forward, flipping it open with his thumb to reveal a small baggie inside.

  That powdered shit.

  "Praise Thor." Jay laughed, opened up the baggie and dropped some of it out onto the table while X took out a metal credit card from his wallet and passed it over to Jay. Glenn smiled, but I could tell from his face there was some tension there.

  "Oh, getting expensive tonight, are we?" he cooed, leaning against X who placed an arm around his shoulder.

  "You know it. Want a line?"

  "That's all for you, birthday boy. I wanna make sure I can keep my head on straight so I can please you tonight." He winked at X, who smiled even wider.

  "More for us."

  Jay was already in there, a dollar bill rolled up to his nose as he inhaled the first line before X could even lean forward.

  "Fuck, that's great!" He shook his arms and shoulders, passing the rolled bill over toward X. He elbowed me in the side. "What about you? Want some?"

  "I'm fine, thanks."

  "It's not like you have anyone you're trying to please tonight."

  "Well, it's not that. It's... ah..."

  "Whatever. You're both so boring. Reese?" The other man raised his hands up. "It's X's birthday, and we're supposed to be getting him fucked up, right?"

  "Man, you guys are so lame." Jay frowned, snatching the bill back from X's extended hand.


  Then I thought about it. The shining gleam in this Reese's pocket. And I had an idea.

  I took in a deep breath, leaned to the side and pressed my arm onto Reese's legs, drawing my hand up his knee to the very top of his thigh before fingering his belt loop.

  "It's the same as Glenn. I wanna stay focused so I can make sure your friend has a good night." I stuck my tongue out at Jay. "Don't be mad because you don't have anyone to entertain you yet."

  Glenn leaned around X to give me a shocked look-an almost disappointed look. But I had to ignore it for now. I'd explain everything to him later.

  "Well, shit. Reese hasn't had a night with anyone yet."

  "I-I'm okay. You guys have a fun time, and.."

  "I insist. I'll pay for it, in fact, even if it is my birthday. It's gonna be hilarious for you to actually have a night with one of these whores, hahaha."

  X stood up abruptly, pulling Glenn with him. I followed, grabbing Reese by his hand and dragging him behind.

  "I'm serious, I'm fine. Y'all have fun, and I'll hang with Jay and.."

  X ignored him, waltzing up to the bar as he seemed to do every other night with Glenn. He tossed his credit card at the attendant, the powder residue still clinging to the edge of the metal.

  "Two rooms tonight, my man." He grinned, and we took the men to the working rooms. My heart was racing as I did.

  I hoped I was making the right decision.

  I shut the door behind me, swallowing a lump that was starting to form in my throat. How was I gonna go about this? What was I gonna say, and how would I start this off without implicating myself if he wasn't who I thought he was?

  When I looked toward him, he was scanning the room with a nervous look in his eyes-at least the part of his eyes that weren’t totally obscured by his mask.

  "Reese, I-" I began to speak, but he quickly interrupted.

  "Listen, I can't do this. I'm sorry if I'm wasting your time, but I really cannot do this. I just wanted a good time with my boys, not this."

  "I don't wanna do anything either," I reassured him, only to receive a relieved yet confused stare.

  "Then why are we here?"

  I made sure the door was locked before stepping closer to him, my hands clasped together in front of my chest as I stared up at the towering man.

  "I saw your badge. Inside your jacket."

  His brows furrowed, and it was almost a glare that he gave me before he took a deep breath, his shoulders visibly relaxing as he exhaled.

  "So what? You're gonna say something to the rest of them? Is that it?"

  "What? No! I-"

  "If you blow this for me, I swear to God, I don't know what my superiors will do."

  "Listen!" I snapped my fingers in front of his face as he started to get anxious, bringing him back to the conversation at hand.

  "I want to get out of here too. They're forcing most of us to work here, okay? We're not all a part of this fucking scheme."

  "You... You're not? I thought all of you were in on this."

  "No. Not even remotely close." Thank God he was actually a cop. Or detective. Or whatever! "There's some of us in the back that he keeps in cages. And if we don't do what he says, he'll kill us!"

  "Who?"

  "Leon. He's the leader of the Grey Brotherhood."

  Reese stood there stupidly for a moment, unable to wrap his mind around what I was telling him, based on the look he was giving me.

  “Please. You have to help us.”

  “I can’t believe you saw my badge. Who else might have seen it?”

  “Focus! No one else has, or they sure haven’t acted like it if they did. We need you to help us. Please, get us out of this place.”

  “We...” He began to rub his hands across his chin, only halfway paying attention to what it was I was saying. “We were already planning a bust soon.”

  “Soon? How soon is ‘soon’? It’s not fast enough. The more time that goes by, the more wolves will die here. You honestly have no idea what it is that Leon is capable of!”

  “Hey! Don’t tell me how to do my job!” he barked back.

  “I’m not... I’m just scared.”

  “This is my first time on a case like this. If you tell anyone about this or warn anyone about what’s coming, you’ll be stuck here. Okay? None of us will be able to get you out or help the others. So you cannot tell anyone. Got it?”

  I nodded, moving away from him as he started to pace around the small room. “When… When are you going to do this?”

  “Next week. At least that was the plan. I’ve already collected enough evidence against them to make a case, but it wouldn’t hurt to have more.” He tapped at the button on his shirt. As I leaned forward, trying to get a better view, I could see it now. The small black gleam that wouldn’t be noticeable if it wasn’t pointed out to someone.

  “A camera.” I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face at the sight of it before it quickly fell away. “But they were working with people within the police force. Detective Evan. Did you hear about him?”

  Reese frowned, going back to scratching at his chin again. “I did. He was found slain in a manor just outside of town. We had suspected something was not right with him, the corrupt bastard. But… hey. How did you know about him?”

  Shit.

  “That Declan man-it was his house he was found dead in, right? That’s Grey Brotherhood territory. I... I overheard someone talking about it here.”

  Smooth recovery. If Reese wasn’t looking directly at me, I’d give myself a pat on the back about now. Even if he did seem suspicious at my mention.

  “Anyway.” He cleared his throat, “We’re not gonna settle for anything less than taking these bastards down. No Grey Brotherhood fuck is gonna get in the way of that. I don’t care how much money they try to throw at us.”

  From the way he was acting, this man was clearly not used to the detective thing or the undercover operation thing. So self-righteous. What he was doing was good, but he needed to take it down a notch. And if what he said was right, if I was able to notice his badge, who’s to say that no one else had seen anything?

  “The raid is happening next Wednesday,” he spoke up suddenly. “Keep this between us until then. If there are any wolves at night in the cages, let them out if you can. If anyone shows resistance, we’re going in with SWAT. So it’s their lives if they do. Got it?”

  Again, I nodded, taking another step away from him as he palmed his forehead.

  “Now, when we walk out of this room whenever our time is up, we’re gonna pretend like we just had the best lay of our lives. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  “How much time is up by the way?”

  “We’ve only been in here for ten minutes. Another thirty or so to go.”

  “Damnit.”

  We’d have to sit in silence for as much time as we had left until someone came and knocked on the door to get us out. But after that, there was one more thing left to do.

  I had to tell Lucas what was going on.

  And I’d need Glenn’s help for that.

  15

  Silver

  The night came to a close without any suspicion from any of the other party members that were friends of Reese’s. When the door was knocked upon, we both left in a hurry, not too long after Glenn and X had retreated toward the main entry of the room, both of them bragging about their encounters. Even with the rookie attitude that Reese had, he was able to pull off the bragging rather realistically. I just hoped he'd keep up that facade and not give anything away to the rest of the guys. As activity at the club began to die down, Glenn and I headed back to our respective rooms and changed out of our work clothing into something more comfortable.

  As was usual for me these past few days, I'd been spending quite a bit of time with Glenn in his room rather than my own. It was always nice to have someone I could actually spend time with, and Xander was just precious.

  But this time, I had an ulteri
or motive for visiting him.

  I knocked and waited for him to answer the door.

  "Silver? You're here pretty early tonight. Xander is still up playing with his toys," Glenn said, surprised, as the door cracked open. I let myself in as he stepped away and closed it by leaning against it, my hand on the knob to lock it behind me. But I didn't move from that spot to my usual seat next to Glenn's bed. He stared at me in question.

  "Well?" he asked, placing his hands onto his hips.

  "Well, I've got everything figured out. And I need you to help me out."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Next week, we're going to be out of here, and I need Lucas here when it happens."

  Glenn rubbed at his eyes; he was clearly tired from staying up all night and doing God knew what in that room with his regular. But I needed him at attention.

  "What plan did you hatch while you were out there fucking Reese, huh?"

  I shook my head, a smirk forming on my lips, "No. We weren't. He's gonna be the one to get us out of here. But I'm not gonna leave this place with the cops. I need my mate to take me out of here when everyone is distracted."

  "Hold on. What the fuck? Are you saying Reese is-"

  "A cop. Yeah. And I need a way to tell my pack when they need to show up so they can smuggle both of us out of here. Do you want Xander and you to get locked up? You know people here will tell them that you're Grey Brotherhood. And you're my friend. I don't want you to get thrown away with the rest of these scum bags."

  "Well... shit." Glenn flopped onto his mattress and stared up at the ceiling.

  "I know I just unloaded a bomb on you, but the matter of contacting my pack is where you're gonna help me."

  "What am I supposed to do? I don't have a phone here."

  "No. But Leon probably does."

  Glenn's head tilted up, his chin resting against the top of his collarbones as he gave me a harsh stare. "And?"

  "And I need you to help me get it. That's the only way my pack will know when to come and how to rescue us during the commotion."