Chapter 6: A Key

Carl poured another drink and leaned back against the kitchen counter.

Across from him, Jack sat at the island, scrolling through his phone.

Neither of them had spoken for several minutes, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. They were both thinking about the same thing.

Finally, Jack looked up. “So.”

Carl glanced at him.

“The boy, what's up with him?” Jack asked.

A faint smile touched Carl's mouth. “Mani.”

“You're sure that's his name?”

“No.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Carl took a slow sip of his drink. “He's had more names than I care to count.”

“And he looks exactly like Eliot Hargrove.”

Carl's smile disappeared. “Very much like Elliot Hargrove.”

Jack set his phone down. “When I saw his picture earlier, I did think his face looked familiar. Turns out he's a perfect copy of the Hargrove heir.”

Carl walked over to the table and dropped a folder onto it.

Jack opened it.

Inside were photographs of Mani; dancing, walking through the streets, entering the club, shopping inside a market… then there were photographs of Eliot Hargrove.

The resemblance was unsettling. Same face, same eyes, same build. Even their expressions could have been mistaken for each other.

Jack slowly closed the folder. “That isn't a coincidence.”

“I know.”

“But it's also strange. You think the Hargroves know?”

Carl shook his head. “If they did, Mani wouldn't have been wandering around. The boy grew up on the street.”

Jack leaned back. “So what are you planning?”

Carl's eyes settled on the folder. “At first, I thought he was just a witness. Now I think he might be more useful than I thought.”

Jack waited.

Carl smiled. “Much more useful.”

He walked toward the window.

The city stretched beneath him, lights scattered across the darkness.

“I've been trying to get into the Hargrove vault for years.”

Jack's expression sharpened. “And you think the boy can get you inside?”

“Not directly.” Carl turned around. “But he can be a key.”

Jack studied him. “The Hargroves won't just let him in just because he looks like their Elliot. How sure are you that they won't kill him?”

Carl's smile returned. “Well, their Elliot is missing. They're going to want answers. They'll want to know what happened to Eliot. They'll want whoever was with him before he was shot.”

Jack's eyes narrowed. “Mani.”

“Mani.” Carl walked back to the table. “They'll find out about him eventually. And when they do, they'll assume he's connected to Eliot somehow.”

“And they'll take him?”

“I intend to make sure of it.”

Jack gave a quiet laugh. “You're going to hand him over?”

Carl's expression hardened. “Not exactly.” He tapped the folder. “I want Mani inside the Hargrove house.”

“And the vault?”

“He'll give me access.”

Jack stared at him for a moment… then he understood. “You're going to use him.”

“Obviously.” Carl picked up his glass. “The question isn't whether I'll use him, using him is the whole point of taking him in the first place. The question is how much use I can get out of him before they realize what he is.”

Jack smiled. “And what exactly is he?”

Carl's gaze drifted toward the stairs. “A boy who has no idea how valuable he is.”

There was a pause.

“There's one problem,” Jack said. “You want to send him to the Hargroves.”

“Yes.”

“But you don't want to lose him to them.”

Carl's jaw tightened. “Yeah, I don't want that.”

Jack leaned forward. “You don't just want him as an informant.”

Carl's eyes narrowed. “I want him to remain mine.”

Jack stared at him..Then he laughed. “That's going to be difficult.”

“Why?”

“Because if the Hargroves take him in, they'll dress him up, educate him, spoil him, and surround him with everything he's never had.”

Carl's expression remained blank. “And?”

“And you need to make sure he doesn't fall in love with that life, else he'd forget you. If he forgets you, he wouldn't remain loyal to being your informant.”

Carl frowned.

“Right now, you're just the man who saved him. And you didn't even do a good job in painting yourself a savior, you fucked him for saving him.”

“I get you, but he needs me.”

“That isn't enough.” Jack stood up. “You need to make him feel like he belongs here.”

Carl scoffed. “I don't have time to play house.”

“Then make time.” Jack walked toward him. “Give him access to the house. Let him wander around. Let him see everything. Take him into your mother's library.”

That caught Carl's attention.

Jack continued.“If he's the kind of boy who likes books, it'll be an instant win.”

Carl thought about it. “Mani reads. Surprising, but he does. I checked his house after he ran off, he had books.”

“Then use that.” Jack picked up his drink. “Take him shopping. Let him spend.”

Carl's lips twitched. “Spend what?”

“Your money.”

“He'll spend too much.”

“Let him.” Jack shrugged. “Buy him things he would never dream of owning. Clothes. Shoes. Whatever catches his eye. Take him somewhere expensive and let him order whatever he wants.”

Carl stared at him. “Why?”

“Because you want him to understand what life with you could feel like.” Jack's voice became more deliberate. “Show him an easier life. A safer life. A luxurious life. Give him things he's never had and make sure he associates them with you.”

Carl slowly nodded.

Jack continued. “Don't make it obvious.”

“I know.”

“No, you don't.” Jack smirked. “You're terrible at pretending to be normal.”

Carl glared at him. “You're one to talk.”

“I'm not the one trying to seduce a homeless Omega into becoming emotionally dependent on me.”

Carl's eyes darkened.

Jack laughed. “I'm serious.”

He set his glass down. “Behave like a husband, and he'll slip into a wife role.”

Carl considered that.

Jack continued. “Cook for him sometimes. Take care of him. Let him think he can ask you for anything. Give him access to your life.” He paused. “Make home feel like a person.”

Carl's gaze shifted toward the city view.

“Manipulate him into liking you.” Jack's voice lowered. “Make him feel at home with you.”

Carl's fingers tightened around his glass.

“And when we send him to the Hargroves, he remains yours.”

Silence settled between them.

Carl looked down at the folder again.

Mani's photograph stared back at him. A strange boy with too many names, a boy who had survived by becoming whatever the world needed him to be.

Carl knew exactly what kind of person that made him; adaptable, lonely, easy to manipulate if you knew what he wanted.

And Mani wanted something very simple: a place where he could belong.

Carl smiled. “I can do that.”

Jack nodded. “Good.”

Carl closed the folder. “There is one more thing.”

Jack looked at him.

“I want the Hargroves to hear about him, but I don't want them hearing it from us.”

Jack understood immediately.

Carl leaned back. “Send someone.”

“What kind of someone?”

Carl's smile was cold. “A convenient bystander. Someone who saw their precious heir chasing a strange boy before he was shot.”

“And what do you want the witness to say?”

Carl's eyes gleamed. “Tell the Hargroves about the boy their heir was chasing.” He lifted his glass. “And make sure they believe the boy deliberately led their Elliot into harm's way.”

Jack smiled. “Consider it done, Boss.”

Carl turned toward the window.

Mani was in his mansion, unprotected, and completely unaware that the man he'd been relying on had already decided where he would end up next.

Inside the Hargrove house.

Inside their secrets.

And eventually… inside their vault.