With Caution

change anything. The fact that Dirk is at work makes it worse. You all have to leave. What if he comes by and sees all the bikes?”
    What if he did? No way in hell was Jake leaving Remi, knowing Dirk was out there.
    And if Remi thought otherwise, he’d lost his damn mind.
    The guys all got up and gathered around Matt, talking at once, but Jake tuned them out. “Remi, don’t do this.” He smelled tears, but Remi never let them fall.
    Blinking them back, Remi looked at the ceiling. “Sterling needs me.”

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    So do I. “So do we.” Jake pointed to their pack, his anger growing despite his promise to remain clam. Remi was being stubborn and he wasn’t thinking straight.
    Shaking his head, Remi went to the couch. “Get out.” He didn’t say it with much conviction but he dropped his head in his hands, dismissing Jake.
    Caught between the urge to shake the shit out of Remi and start punching things, Jake turned back to their pack.
    They stood gathered around the door, looking like they’d gone to a funeral. Matt was gone.
    “Where’s Matt?”
    “He went to go back and help Rhys,” Tank answered.
    If Jake hadn’t been so pissed at his mate, he’d have smiled. It appeared Matt had found something more important than his fear of Rhys. Jake bobbed his head. “Listen, why don’t you guys split for right now and let—”
    Dago was already opening the door, his head hanging.
    Fuck. Jake ground his teeth together.
    “Hi. We came to check on Remi, is he—” Gadget stepped in the door, Eddie on his hip. Frowning at the guys, he met Jake’s gaze. “What’s wrong?”
    “Remi wants us to leave,” Zack mumbled.
    The pack’s mood pressed in on Jake’s anger. He was starting to sense their depression, their feeling of rejection from their omega.
    Eddie squirmed in Gadget’s arms, making little grunting sounds, and reached toward Remi.
    Jake just stared. The boy’s hands weren’t twisted up in pain, his color was normal.
    Before, even when his arthritis wasn’t bothering him, he had a grayish cast to his skin.
    Remi had truly healed him.
    Jake smiled in spite of the situation. He couldn’t ever remember seeing the child do that, he always clung to whoever was holding him.
    “Shh…” Gadget patted his leg and hefted Eddie up higher on his hip.
    Jake held his arms out to Eddie.
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    Gadget frowned, but handed him over.
    Setting him on the ground, Jake let him go where he wanted.
    All the men watched. There were several soft gasps as Eddie ran to Remi. The baby wasn’t limping and favoring his legs like he normally did.
    Eddie stood in front of Remi for several seconds, waiting. When Remi didn’t lift his head, Eddie crawled down into Remi’s sight and peeked up at him. “Remi? Okay, Remi?”
    “What are you doing here?” Remi sounded surprised.
    “Come to see you.” Eddie climbed into Remi’s lap. It was awkward as little as he was, but he managed it nicely.
    Remi steadied Eddie on his leg. His eyes widened. Catching Eddie’s hands in one of his, he studied them. Tears ran down his cheeks and a smile crept over his lips. He glanced at Jake, then at their pack.
    Jake smiled back, aware of some of the guys tearing up. “We need you too, pup.”
    Eddie pulled his hands free and hugged Remi.
    Remi nodded. “I’m sorry. Please shut the door and come back in here.”
    “We’re going to go hide our bikes first. But we’ll be back if you really don’t mind,”
    Tank said.
    Remi hugged Eddie harder. “I don’t mind.”
    They all filed out the door, their unease gone.
    Gadget grinned. “Looks like we made it just in time.”

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Chapter Nineteen
    “They did cover for Dirk, but not for murdering Billy—”
    “What?” Remi stopped his pacing, his green eyes wide, his gaze boring into Rhys’.
    “Sorry, go on.” He continued to pace a rut in Jake’s carpet.
    “The story was that Dirk killed a pedophile who attacked the boys.”
    “He told them he killed an attacker?” Remi threw his hands in the air then let them fall. He gripped his hair, pulled, and made a sound caught halfway between a groan and a yell. “What the fuck? So these great wondrous civil servants took it upon themselves to play judge? Didn’t they think it was a little odd there wasn’t another body?”
    Jake watched his mate. Fearing for Remi’s safety was only half of his dilemma, albeit