"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said a little too sternly.

"Now you're still playing games," he said, unhappy with me. "We have it all on tape. What happened to him?"

"Why do you want to know?" I asked.

"I only want to know what happened to him, and if he's all right," he said. "Where is he?"

I refused to say a word, which agitated him, but he was good at keeping his cool.

"Look. We can do this the hard way if you want, but I'm not leaving until you tell me what happened to him."

"If you're so interested, why did it take you a whole week before coming to see me?" I asked, trying not to get angry at him.

"Because I was sure he'd turn up in a hospital where we could take care of him," he said. "But he did not, and I was forced to come to you, which I was trying to avoid to protect your privacy."

I snorted at his reply, shaking my head. "You could've just let it go."

"You know I could not. I've seen footage of the kid. He's in dire need of help. Where is he?"

I let out a sigh and looked away from him. This... No matter how much I hated the thought... This was my chance to do the kid a big favor. He'd be better off with Tom. I'd known him for decades, so I knew he'd take good care of the kid. He'd make sure the boy ended up in good hands and got all the help he needed.

"He's upstairs," I muttered without looking at him.

"How is he?"

I shook my head. "You're right. He needs help. I can't... I can't do much for him."

"Maybe we can," Tom said. "I'd like to see him."

I stayed still a moment longer, my alpha raging at me, and my heart bleeding.

But it was the right thing to do.

I forced myself up and gestured for him to follow me. I had to push myself to take every step up the stairs and to the kid's room. I stopped behind it. I didn't want to open the door.

That was my kid... My baby boy...

But I couldn't be selfish.

I knocked on the door, then opened it carefully. I tried to smile when I saw the kid perking up at the sight of me. Francis sat under the window but stood as soon as he noticed I wasn't alone.

"Hey. There's... There's someone who would like to meet you," I told the kid.

The boy turned timid, but he nodded carefully. Probably because he trusted me... I opened the door and stepped in with Tom and his bloodhound following me.

"This is Captain Tom Hale and his...?" I glanced at him.

"My partner, Apollo," Tom said with a kind smile, watching the kid. "You look better than I expected."

The kid's posture was still dropping, so I made his way to him. "It's all right. These two are the good guys. The real good guys. They help people."

He kept his eyes on these two strangers while he got out of the bed and partly hid behind me. I took his hands in mine and waited until he looked at me, then smiled at him.

"They want to help you," I told him. "They can help you better than I ever–"

He shook his head, his fear growing worse. He took a strong hold on the front of my shirt and glued himself to me.

"Hey, it's all right. It's all right. You don't have to be afraid of them," I said, suddenly in tears.

He needed to go with Tom, but how could I force him to leave...?

"They can do so much more for you," I said.

"We have all the resources to help you," Tom said, taking a few steps closer. "We have helped countless of people, victims of criminals. We'll make sure you'll make a full recovery and have a normal life. A good life."

The kid stared at me, his blue eyes scared and pleading. I couldn't... But I had to, for his sake.

"I know... I know... But I want what's best for you," I whispered. "I can't give you that."

The first set of tears landed on the boy's cheeks. Seeing them shattered my heart. I pulled him into a hug, unable to do anything to ease his pain.

I turned to Tom, who showed no emotions as he watched us, waiting for me to break this boy and force him to go with them.

"Captain..." his bloodhound suddenly murmured, and when Hale looked at him, he shook his head a little.

"You'd leave him in the hands of the mafia?" Tom asked him, his tone neutral.

"Yes, sir."

Tom hummed. "On what grounds?"

"Because I know that look, sir," the hound said, and turned to him. "This man would die for him."

Tom's expression softened. The look these two shared was so tender it was clear that they were partners in more ways than one.

"Good observation," Tom said, and turned to me. "My partner believes you deserve a chance, and I agree with him. Don't fuck it up."

"But I can't give him the life you can," I said.

"I'm sure we can arrange something that doesn't require him to leave your care," he said. "He is doing much better than I expected, so you are doing things right."

I let out a long breath and turned to look at the boy. He sniffed hard, his eyes still pleading for me to let him stay.

"If that's what you want," I said, still on the verge of tears. "Of course I want you to stay with me. I'm just scared I can't give you a good life."

"Boss?" Francis said, and I turned to him. "Just shut up already."

I snapped my mouth shut, probably for the first time ever listening to someone else's order.

Then Francis turned to Tom. "If you actually want to be helpful, we could use a hand trying to locate this kid's family. We've had zero luck. Maybe you can find something?"

The kid was shaking his head the entire time Francis spoke. I frowned at him.

"No?" I asked. "You don't want to find them?"

He shook his head again, his eyes turning sadder right before he looked down.

"Are they...? Dead?" I whispered.

He nodded.

"Is there no one out there?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"Oh, my baby boy... I'm so sorry," I said, hugging him tightly.

"Don't worry, kid. We're your family now," Francis said, his tone sad as well.

"Yes, you're one of us now," I said.

"Just... Don't make him do any crimes, okay?" Tom said. "Or I'll have to intervene."

"Deal," I said, then pulled back to see the kid's face. "I'm sorry I made you upset. I thought... I thought you'd be happier without us. And me."

He shook his head, then hugged me, hiding in my arms.

"I'm sorry, baby boy," I murmured. "I won't hurt you like that ever again."

"I think we'll show ourselves out," Tom spoke. "I'll be in touch."

“Sure… And… Tom?”

He stopped to wait. I bowed a little.

“Thank you,” I told him quietly.

“Any time, old friend,” he said softly, and they left.

"Tanya's probably waiting for me at home, so I'll get going as well," Francis said.

"All right," I said.

"See you later, Boss."

"See you."

I held the kid for a long, long time after that. My emotions were all over the place, and it took quite a while for us both to calm down. I hummed gently in his ear, rocking him slowly until his breathing was steady and his body soft again.

"I'm sorry, baby boy," I said one more time, brushing his hair.

"Rene."

I froze at the sound of the smallest whisper.

"What...?" I asked, pulling back to see his face.

He smiled a little and touched his chest. "Rene."

"Rene," I repeated with a smile. "That's a beautiful name for a beautiful man."

His smile turned shy, and he lowered his gaze. I continued to stare at him for a moment longer, then pulled him back into the hug.

"Rene..."

My Rene.