CHAPTER 464: THE POLICE CAN’T ALWAYS BE BAD

Stepping back into the mansion after any time away made Andrew turn his lip up. He had willingly agreed to step back into the mansion, but that didn’t mean he had to like being here. The place gave him the creeps. He knew only a fraction of the evil that had been attempted in this place and that little bit made him furious and disgusted at the same time.

The only good news was that the police were attempting to air out the mansion. With no one around and now a warrant in their hands, rushed by the higher ups who could smell blood in the water, they had now taken control over the mansion. Andrew wasn’t going to lie and say he really knew what that meant, he was just glad to know that if anyone was foolish enough to come back they would be able to arrest them on the spot.

Andrew didn’t always trust the authorities, but he knew that this was a level of evil that even they couldn’t ignore. So, Andrew didn’t have to worry about someone popping out from the family and attacking anyone. The police would be there every step of the way, as was shown by the fact that they had a police escort into the building and down into the lab.

Did it also feel like the police were there to keep an eye on them? Of course it did. Andrew wasn’t stupid. The police were there to keep everything bad from happening, and that included stealing documents or anything else that would help the persecute the Abraham family.

Did having a police presence mean that Andrew thought that the place was fully clear of anything dangerous? Absolutely not.

Andrew’s Mom had worked so damn hard to pave a path where they couldn’t touch her son. Andrew would argue to her own health’s detriment. There was no way she would have done something to such a level and so thoroughly without there being a reason for her to do so.

So Andrew had his head on a swivel as Thomas and the police officer stepped inside of the front doors of the mansion ahead of him. Andrew stayed back just so that he could keep an eye on Maxwell the longest before he had to focus. Maxwell, for his part, was chatting to his brother and Mom. It gave Andrew a sense of peace to see him interacting relatively normally in this terrible situation.

Andrew was looking forward to when he could go home and just hug Maxwell to him and inhale his scent. He might even make a little nest for himself. Who said that omegas had to be the only ones who got to nest? Andrew needed comfort, and being surrounded by Maxwell’s scent sounded like heaven right now.

Just observing Maxwell for a little bit made Andrew realise that he could breathe slightly better, and he thought that was the only reason. The police officer clarified for them as they were walking that the main areas, like the lower floor hallways and the upper level landing were clear of the worst of the heat pheromones, but it was still recommended that Thomas and Andrew should wear the mouth guards they had been provided.

When the police officer didn’t turn to go up either of the staircases and instead turning towards the lower right hallway, Andrew felt a tension that was in his chest fade. He didn’t realise how happy he was going to be that they weren’t going upstairs in any capacity. As much as he was able to handle the smell, that didn’t mean he wanted to.

Andrew did find it a little strange that they didn’t go through the doors right under the second floor landing, but no. That would have been too obvious of a place to have a secret lab. He should give them some credit. They had lasted this long.

Thomas stayed by Andrew’s side while the officer led the way. Andrew could tell that the older alpha was keeping an eye on Andrew. Andrew wondered at first if it was because he was worried that Andrew was going to have a reaction of some kind, but he quickly found out that wasn’t the reason.

Thomas was just concerned about the younger man. Andrew felt a swell of affection in his chest for the other man at that. Thomas had a hard time showing his affection outwardly, that was something that Andrew knew. Otherwise, Maxwell wouldn’t have thought that his family only tolerated him before Andrew came about. The stiff way that Thomas carried himself, the way he kept glancing at Andrew when he thought Andrew wouldn’t notice...It was so Maxwell coded that Andrew had to fight a smile in such a serious situation.

This was no time to be smiling like he wanted to, but there he was. He was finding that some habits were so hereditary in nature that there was no way to fight it. For the first time Andrew didn’t find that thought terrifying.

Andrew didn’t let Thomas know that Andrew knew what he was doing. At least not outwardly. He did make it more obvious that he was calm, relaxed, just disgusted. He watched as Thomas relaxed as well, and Andrew had to fight his urge to smile even more.

Andrew turned his attention to the long hallway that stretched before them. It was a straight line, going on for what looked like forever. The hall, like the other hallways in this nightmare mansion, were paneled with wood. Framed nicely in an older style. He was sure the colour had been updated, but that was about it. The wood floors underneath his feet were dark as well, covered by a relatively tasteful rug runner that ran the middle of the hallways. It gave the wooden floors a little peekaboo style.

Beyond that, there were no doors on the right side of the hall, telling Andrew that the hall was pressed against the exterior wall. That was proven correct by how many windows were on the right side, and how many doors were on the left.

Since the place had been scanned and checked, most of the doors on the left hand side were open, showcasing little snapshots of what the rooms were at a first glance. Andrew saw lots of offices, bedrooms, and several unused rooms. The fact that there were unused rooms just told Andrew that the wealthy lived a completely different life compared to the one that Andrew did.

The rooms got less and less frequent until they got to the dead end. It had a slightly different appearance compared to the rest of the wall panels. It was a larger panel with slightly newer looking wood, but Andrew wouldn’t have noticed anything strange about it unless someone had pointed it out to him.

Thankfully, it was found, and it was Kim that had found it. Without her knowledge of these older style mansions and the inner workings of true alpha families, Andrew wasn’t sure that they would have found it.

Also because Kim had poked at it, the panel was slid back revealing a secure door with a pin pad. That was one of the perks of having wooden paneled walls, Andrew guessed. The ability to hide these kinds of areas. There wasn’t even any change in the wood or carpet that ran the length of the hallways, nor did there look to be any scratches on the walls beside the secret door. It looked as if the hallway just ended in a dead end.

Thomas gave a low growl and Andrew looked at him in surprise.

While Andrew knew that Thomas was an alpha, the man had done a rather good job at not coming off as intimidating because he was an alpha. He was intimidating because he was Thomas Beckett, but right now? That was a distinctly alpha thing to do. Something an alpha could do when they were annoyed and upset.

"Are you okay, Thomas?" Andrew asked him, noticing how the police officer with them glanced behind them, keeping an eye on them while he worked to undo the pin. He appeared to have some kind of tool to help him that Andrew hadn’t noticed ahead of time. Thomas sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I’m fine. Just...frustrated. I can’t believe these fuckers. I knew they were bad, obviously, but this is just...my father knew better, you know?" Thomas said, throwing a quick glance towards Andrew before turning his attention back to the paneled wall. A few quick, short beeps sounded and everyone held their breath to see what happened. The officer stepped back from the door before the door opened illuminated a set of stairs leading down.

None of this felt familiar.

"That’s a bit surprising." Andrew told him, and Thomas gave him an annoyed look.

"Why is that surprising?" Thomas asked and Andrew gave him a smile.

"Well, I would have thought that someone like your father would have wanted to make his...products close by." Andrew said and Thomas gave him a slightly disappointed look.

"Andy, you do know how dangerous it is to make most of the products that he sold, right?" Andrew shook his head. Andrew tended to be a participant, not an expert in those kinds of things. Or, he used to be.

"No, I have no clue." Andrew told him and Thomas stared at Andrew for a moment before he sighed.

"Right. You were sheltered in a weird way. Alright, we’ll discuss this more after we’re done here. For now, let’s check this other hellhole out together." Thomas muttered, looking like he’d aged 5 years in only a few hours. Andrew was sure he looked the same way. He nodded to Thomas’ words, turning to the police officer.

In the time that Thomas and Andrew had been chatting, he’d been working on getting the door open. He’d also been speaking quietly into a walkie talkie all the while. Andrew and Thomas had ignored the sound of him doing so, giving the man some privacy. With the door being open now, Andrew could see what he’d used to get the pin pad to release the door lock.

It looked like a weird metal box that he’d somehow hooked up to the pin pad. Andrew was smart, but he wasn’t tech-savvy in this way. It kind of looked like...a metal monster that was sucking the life out of the pin pad. He was sure that wasn’t what was happening, but it was interesting nonetheless.

"Everything’s sorted?" Andrew asked the officer when he was done speaking into his walkie talkie. He nodded.

"Everything is safe, sir. Just radioing in to the others to let them know I’ve opened the door permanently. Once we’re done down there, our team will be going down to document everything." He told them. Thomas seemed to understand the meaning of his words, while Andrew just stared at him.

Why the hell wasn’t the team coming down with them?

Andrew went to ask, but Thomas spoke up for them.

"Perfect. Are you leading the way or shall I?" Thomas asked and the officer adjusted his vest slightly.

"I’ll go first sir. While things might be clear, this area could still have unknowns." Thomas nodded, and when Andrew and Thomas shared a look after, Thomas raised a finger to his lips. Andrew didn’t like it, but he followed Thomas’ lead. He was sure he’d understand in a minute.