The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate (Jason and Laila) by Caroline Above Story novel Chapter 137

Laila’s POV

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Hank still seemed uncertain despite everything, despite that there was a child’s life on the line. Even with all the promised money, he didn’t like me. With that alone, he might turn me away just to watch me suffer.

But, after a long moment of seemingly internal debate, he shrugged. “I could use the money,” he said and opened the door to let me inside of his apartment.

Relieved, I stepped inside. Immediately, I regretted it. Hank’s apartment was rank, with dirty dishes on every flat surface and clothes all over the floor. His lights were on dim, with the glow of the television and his computer monitor the only true light in the space, casting everything in an eerie blue glow.

I could barely see what I was stepping on or over, which, from the smell, was probably a blessing in disguise.

Hank went straight to his computer, sat down, and started typing with a speed so quick, I could barely follow. Using keyboard commands, he made the screen flash through several different websites, occasionally with a black box appearing for him to write in commands. I didn’t understand any of it, but I tried to pretend like I did.

I didn’t want Hank to pull a fast one on me. This was a lot of money I was offering up. I worried Hank might just steal everything.

this had to

To my relief, he seemed to direct his computer toward what appeared like a marketplace. He scrolled through the listings a bit, and from what was on offer – blood for transfusions, exotic and illegal pets, calls for people to be harmed or worse be the black market.

“To find a donor match, we will have to post your kid’s DNA,” Hank said. “Else you’ll get a million guys who are worthless showing up expecting payment.”

“I don’t have anything like that on me.”

“Which hospital did you say she was at?” he asked.

I told him.

“No problem. Their firewall has had holes for years. I’ll just go in and grab the reference. One second.”

His fingers flew over the keys, and before I knew it, he was on the back end of the hospital database, search and finding Ava’s DNA reference.

“Child’s play,” Hank laughed to himself.

Moving back to the marketplace, he set up my listing, searching for a potential donor who could potentially be a match. The large amount of money I had promised would be delivered only if the donation proved successful and not before.

“Give me your phone,” he said.

When I did, he unlocked it even without me having to give him the code. I watched as he added his own phone number to my contacts, sent a message to himself, presumably so he also had my number, and then installed an unknown app.

“What’s that?” I asked.

‘Any inquiries about the listing will come to your phone,” he said. “Use this app. It will protect your personal data. If you are about to be arrest or something, smash the hell out of this phone, yeah? This stuff isn’t exactly legal. But you know that, or you wouldn’t be here.”

I did know that. As much as it made me uncomfortable to work outside of the law, I couldn’t be up on any kind of high horse about it. I needed to save Ava, even if I had to break the law to do it. I was willing to do much worse.

“Thank you, Hank.”

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“yeah, well. I’m not doing this out of the goodness of my heart.” He held out his hand.

I opened my checkbook and wrote him an amount that would empty my bank account for every penny except what I had promised as the reward for the listing..

After handing him the check, he grinned. Though his eyes darkened a bit as he told me. “Your know what I can do, and how easy it is to find someone to do my dirty work. I’m trusting that you know what will happen to you if this check doesn’t clear?

“It will clear,” I told him. Having seen some of those listings, I knew what could happen if that check bounced. It wasn’t going

1. to.

He nodded. “You can leave now,” he said, and turned back to his computer. He switched the screen over to some video game, a first–person shooter, and I saw myself out.

In the hallway outside of his apartment, I stopped and I breathed. It was shaky. Gods, I hoped I wouldn’t regret what I’d done here today.

I had no idea how I was going to survive without the money I had just handed over, especially with how much I owed Victor now. And with Ava’s rising medical costs.

Jason backing out of our contract couldn’t have come at a worse time.

But to save Ava… Yes, it was worth it. Even if I went bankrupt, even if everything else fell apart around me. If Ava was safe and healthy, I would be content.

Jason’s POV

Everything was coming together with the mating ceremony and the pack defenses. Alpha Dustin, for now, seemed to be backing off, and my pack defections were down. Perhaps I could weather this storm after all.

I only had to marry Brittany to do it.

Not an ideal situation, but if it kept the enemy outside of my borders, so be it. Marrying Brittany was inevitable anyway. What did it hurt to finally give in? Accept my fate. Be the Alpha my father and my pack – wanted me to be.

I tried not to wallow in misery over the course of my future. Tried to focus on work. I wasn’t terribly successful.

Which was why it was such a relief when Marcus came through the door with haste, looking like he had urgent news to share.

“Alpha!”

“What is it, Marcus? What’s happened?”

“We finally have a hit.”

All this time, even after discovering Vanessa wasn’t Laila, I had instructed Marcus and my assistants to continue our search into finding Laila and my daughter. Much of this searching was automated, with the computer peering into public files and scanning websites for any kind of a hit on either of them.

For Marcus to say this, he didn’t have to explain. I knew he could only be talking about our search for Laila or my daughter.

“Where?”

“A black market listing,” Marcus said. He’d been holding a print out which he handed to me now.

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