"I want to come with you," he pleaded.
I'd known he would. "No, omega. You need to take care of our children and stay safe. Remember, you promised."
His eyes shone with tears. "You promised too."
If I never saw my omega cry again, it would be too soon. "The guys aren't answering. Maybe they've got him, and the fire is unrelated or was on a timer or something. I don't know. I have to figure it out. The outer houses are lower members in the pack, people that should be thought of first in these moments but aren't."
Phin's lip trembled, but he nodded. "I understand. Go. We'll be here."
I kissed him, swearing that the next time I did, this would be all behind us.
First, I just needed to figure out exactly what all this was.
Chapter Twenty
Phineas
Nash and Aver left in a flurry of excitement that made the silence after their departure that much more noticeable. We'd diapered and clothed my babies. My babies. That would take some getting used to. Nana had helped give them their first meal, and then both had gone right to sleep.
"I should go," Julie said for the thousandth time. I had vague memories of the woman rubbing my feet. Riley had explained what had happened to me and how instrumental she'd been. Maybe my alpha was too kind to say the same to me, but I couldn't wait to say I told you so. At least, I couldn't until Riley had gone into what Nash had revealed about his suspicion around my chat friends.
He thought Chuck and Charles were the same? For that to be true… well, I'd have to be oblivious on a scale it didn't feel comfortable pondering. How could I not have picked up on something it had taken Nash only months to work out?
Because I'd assumed their intentions. That was why. I didn't fact-check everything they told me. I didn't even remember their real names half the time. Bun was always reminding me she was called Ana in her real life.
"We're needed here, and there's no one here to drive you anyway," Nana told Julie.
Julie's spine stiffened. "I can drive, Nana Walker."
"Really? I've never seen it happen. I didn't know."
Julie's cheeks went pink.
"We should all stay here," I said, checking once again that Madison and Patrick were both still breathing. I wasn't sure why they wouldn't be. I only knew I was compelled to check every other second. "Nash and the others will do their job better knowing the ones they love are safe." I had to believe that because if I didn't, I might jump right in the car with Julie.
Oddly, Julie didn't fight me. She looked down, tears falling to the carpet. "The ones they love," she whispered. Clearly, she didn't count herself as one of those people.
"I found it," Riley said, pulling Wyatt's computer over on the ottoman so we could all see the screen. "This is when Nash infiltrated your chat group. And this is Chuck saying that phrase."
"When Nash did what now?" I waved my own question away. That wasn't important right now. A years' long friendship built on lies and deception was. "Let me see that." I scrolled farther, to more recent conversations, but there was nothing that struck me as odd. It hadn't then; it didn't now.
The oddest thing for Chuck to do was when he freaked out on me a while back. I opened our PMs, scanning his apologies before noticing the green dot next to his name indicating he was online at the moment.
"You guys, Chuck is on. The man Nash thinks is Charles. He's online right now." The others circled around the couch as a car drove up outside. I closed my eyes, listening to the hum of the motor. "Paul's here." And he needed to have some work done to his car. That thing sounded like it was on its last leg.
Riley went to greet him, filling him in on all that had happened, including what we'd discovered.
"Congratulations! They're both perfect!" Paul slipped into the half circle that had formed around me. "He's online, you say?"
If there was one thing that could be said about Paul, he caught up on a situation really quickly.
I frowned at the screen. "Should I message him? If he's not Charles or the arsonist, it can't hurt. Not if we're slick about it." I tapped my fingers on the keys without pressing them enough to register.
"If we think he's dangerous, you shouldn't," Julie said. She'd gone through her moment of panic, and now she was solid again. I was liking Julie more by the second.
"But if this gives us information that can help them…" Riley had the phone to his ear. In the midst of everything, he'd been constantly calling Branson and Wyatt's phones, with no answer. That was his mate missing, after all. He kept a stiff lip, but he couldn't block the panic shining in his eyes.
"What are we discussing here? Sending this man some kind of message?" Nana asked, sounding like she'd stepped out of history.
"Don't worry, I have an idea." I typed quickly and sent the message before anyone could persuade me not to.
"What's up?" Paul read the message I'd sent.
I looked over my shoulder at him. "This way, if he isn't the arsonist, it won't seem suspicious."
Paul didn't look like he saw the beauty in my plan, but that didn't matter because the three dots appeared, letting me know Chuck was saying something.
ChuckShurley: Nothing much. You?
I groaned. That wasn't exactly the full and complete confession I was hoping for, but now that I'd started, I had to keep going. "I'll tell him we just had dinner."
"I'm failing to see how any of this will help," Nana said. She lifted Patrick when he began to fuss and rocked him in her arms.
I picked up Madison. She wouldn't like laying without her brother. "I don't know. I thought maybe he'd say something again that would help us."
This had been a stupid plan, and what if Chuck and Charles weren't the same person? Then this was a stupid plan and a waste of time.
"He's typing," Paul said.
We all waited with bated breaths. He'd probably tell me something about a new tax trick he'd figured out. He'd been on me to get started on my taxes for weeks. But, when the message finally populated, it didn't have anything to do with taxes.
ChuckShurley: I suppose you want to know why Wyatt and Branson aren't answering their phones?
The blood drained from my face, and Nana snarled.
"Wyatt?" Paul growled. "What is he saying about Wyatt?"
"They both went to pick him up," Riley told him. "I'd say this is your proof, Phineas."
How nice it must have been for the others to retain the ability to speak at a time like this. I read his message again like I was trying to figure out how to read it in a way that didn't confirm my friend was actually not a friend at all.
My fingers rested on the keyboard, but I didn't want to type anything back. I didn't want Nash to be gone so soon after I'd delivered our babies. I didn't want Wyatt or Branson in trouble. And I didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of me.
I'd gone so long without thinking about it—that curse that had followed me for my life. Could my curse have a name? Was it Charles? Why?
That ended up being what I typed.