There was so much to do when they returned to civilization, Eric was grateful they'd made a prioritized list.
1. Pick up a rental car at the airport. Paul asked Eric to drive first since his license was expired and he was out of practice. He'd get back into the driver's seat soon before Eric gave birth and needed a chauffeur.
2. Drive-thru McDonald's. Eric's craving for fast food after seven months in the wilderness was monumental.
3. Settle into the Airbnb they'd reserved a short walk away from campus.
4. Drive Paul over to pick up mail from the mailbox service center nearby. Eric waits in the car.
5. Return home to rip open packages searching for the maternity pants Eric ordered ahead that were not made of furry sea creature.
6. Set up Paul's new notebook computer, also ordered ahead along with new cell phones for both of them.
7. Check up on their surveillance.
8. Walk over to the campus together to check Paul in for the summer semester and try dinner at the cafeteria.
9. Get a good night's sleep because the next morning is...
10. Visit the obstetrician who will send Eric out for blood tests, ultrasound, a pre-birth tour and admission paperwork session at the hospital, and back again for a group childbirth class in the evening.
11. The next day, buy wedding rings and nice clothes.
12. Get married at the courthouse.
13. Fancy dinner to celebrate.
Somewhere in the middle of their planned day for medical appointments, Paul's step-mother arrived. She chartered a private jet and brought a contingent of 4 bodyguards along to beat down the door of the asshole's family vacation home, forcibly removing her son from his mate. Separating mates was a serious thing. The police were called.
While a contingent of officers was en route to the scene, Paul escorted Eric into the police station to present their evidence and his testimony. The detective who interviewed them contacted his fellows at the scene to give them further instructions. The domestic disturbance was the excuse they needed to enter the home, and Eric described for them exactly where they would find evidence of the family's perverse hobby.
The younger son was not as savvy as his parents probably would have been about keeping the police from taking a closer look, but they hadn't arrived yet. He was all alone, anxious after being separated from his mate, and then arrested for conspiracy to commit murder, among other charges. This opened the house up to closer scrutiny and Paul was able to point them to a secret room he'd seen the son enter once during his surveillance. The fact of their surveillance they kept to themselves since it was inadmissible. Paul said Eric told him about seeing the dad use the secret entrance.
There was no video coverage inside the room because the security company didn't know it existed. Paul and Eric were gambling that it would contain the rest of the evidence they needed. Videos from all their subjects. Hair they'd clipped and saved as souvenirs of their victims. Photos of the helicopter drops in the wilderness the pilot sent as proof that he'd done his job. It was better than they'd hoped.
The rest of the family was already on their way up with another young man. They were arrested at the airport and he was detached from them and informed of his close call.
It was all accomplished rather quickly. The helicopter pilot was arrested as soon as he returned to town as well, and they didn't need to bargain a reduced punishment for his testimony. The younger son had already turned on his family.
He wanted his mate back. He couldn't live without him. He knew what they'd done was wrong but he was a kid following his family. If they were willing to let him be with his mate he'd give them everything they needed to put the rest of the family away for the rest of their lives.
Much to her chagrin, Paul's step-mother was also being detained. Her son was an adult and could not be forcibly separated from his mate. The son was receiving counseling to determine whether he'd willingly mated or might have been forced, but it looked to be consensual, and he was already pregnant.
Paul wanted to walk away and let the police settle everything. But he kept replaying the surveillance footage from the moment his step-mother broke in and separated the pair. Seeing the anguish on both boy's faces he could feel it...the pain of being torn apart, and as he looked at Eric and felt his heart swell, he knew he needed to do something.
For the first time in his adult life, he called his father. He held Eric's hand as he listened to the phone ring.
"Yes," an older man's voice answered. This was his private cell phone so he didn't offer any more solicitous greeting.
"Hi, Dad. It's Paul. Do you know where your wife is?"
"Of course I do. She's chasing one of the brats to Alaska. What I'd like to know is where my oldest son is. I saw the stock report. I'm quite impressed. You didn't wait to inherit and got a controlling interest all on your own. I'm curious what you plan to do with it."
Paul took a deep calming breath before he answered. "I wanted to get a bit of your attention and it seemed the only way to do so. You left a murderous woman in charge of my upbringing and she fed you lies about me so I had to get some distance and find a way around her influence to meet you. Do I have your attention now or do you still think I'm an irresponsible boy who misbehaves at school and will never be a suitable successor?"
"It doesn't matter what I think. You have the controlling share so you'll be choosing my successor. I didn't know you were interested."
"I'm not. And I won't need to be for a while. You're a long way from retirement the way your wife goes through money. I think you need to keep a closer eye on her."
"Oh?"
"Yes. She's trying to kidnap her adult son away from his reciprocal pair."
"And why is that?"
"Originally, because his family is new-money, but now they're going to be no-money as their assets are seized and handed over to compensate the families of their victims. His mate is cooperating with the police so he can get a lenient sentence. He's going to have nothing when this is over but his education, his mate, and their child."
"What do you want me to do?" Paul's father wasn't successful without reason. He knew where this was going.
"I believe he's penitent and he's learning from this. He'll be good to his mate and their child. But he'll need a job to support them. Give him a chance, for your grandchild's sake." This speech exhausted Paul. He didn't want to have empathy for these people but he couldn't sleep well if he did nothing.
"Is that all?" His father asked.
"No. Rein in your wife. She attempted to poison me when I was home for school holidays. I have evidence. You might one day become dispensable to her as well. I don't care who you have take over your position. I'm happy to be a quiet stakeholder. But you could tell her that when you die I'll be stepping in long enough to thoroughly investigate. And if she helps you along at all she'll be ineligible to inherit a cent.
"And if I somehow die before you, my mate has been instructed to break your company apart and sell the pieces. Mom's money will be held in trust for our child. You'll never see a penny." That was it, all Paul had to say. Eric squeezed his hand as they waited for a response.
The line was quiet for a moment. Paul's father was shaken. He didn't know about the poison. He knew his second wife was ambitious, but murderous‽ This was the reason his eldest son disappeared? His voice was slightly tremulous when he finally spoke. "Will I ever see you again?"
There was another long silence as Paul considered. He didn't need to hide anymore, but he also didn't have any remaining filial feeling for the father who'd neglected him so completely. "Come get your wife. We can have dinner tomorrow at the Pump House in Fairbanks at eight. I'll make a reservation for four."
"I'll be there." That was all. The line clicked and presumably, his dad went to pack.
Dinner was incredibly tense. Paul's step-mother held her head high but kept her mouth shut. His father ignored her and greeted them with all the surface sincerity of a practiced business host. He was good at it which made it difficult to discern his real feelings. Paul insisted his real feelings didn't matter so long as he understood the situation between them clearly. Paul was out of practice with social situations but his stoic disapproval came across as intimidating to his step-mother and he congenially reflected his father's behavior back to him.
This was the same restaurant Paul took Eric to a few nights before to celebrate their marriage. He'd been playful and romantic. This was item number thirteen on their "to-do" list so they'd joked about things going horribly wrong but they'd all gone just right.
This night was completely different. Eric felt the stares as he waddled in before he saw them. Paul's parents quickly recovered but he knew he was a shock to them. At least he wasn't wearing the furry seal skin pants anymore, though they'd been comfortable in the end.
Eric couldn't get used to the tension. It made him fidgety. "I need to use the bathroom," he said, popping out of his seat and nearly toppling the chair. He leaned over and kissed Paul on the cheek as he always did when they passed by each other in the cabin, before heading off. He didn't see the shocked faces of his in-laws behind him.
"Is he...did you find a reciprocal mate?" His father asked.
"We were never apart long enough to test that before we mated," Paul answered.
"But...," his father began.
"But he loves me as much as I love him," Paul filled in. "So we're happy together. We have no plans to disrupt your lives," he continued, looking directly at his step-mother until she finally met his eyes. "We expect you won't interrupt ours." He saw her shiver as she understood the threat.
"You're really not interested in the business?" His father asked, sounding disappointed.
"Oh, I'll keep an eye on the financials. I pay attention to my investments. But whatever else I do, I'll be working remotely."
His father looked speculative. "That's a shame. I'd rather like to see what you could do with it, now that I've seen how much you managed without it."