Matias held his breath. There was nothing else he could do, not if he didn’t want to be found. He hadn’t meant to spy on his mother and her boss, yet here he was, holding a sandwich and having to listen to what they were saying so they wouldn’t notice him.

“You already know they’re part of it,” Matias’s mother said.

“They’re my grandsons.”

“You never cared about them. Why start now? They can ruin everything, and I don’t want that to happen.”

There was a pause, then Mr. Long said, “I’m the one making decisions here.”

Matias could almost see his mother press her lips together. She no doubt had a lot to say, but she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t put her job in jeopardy. “Of course,” she agreed. “You’re the head of Purity. I would never dream of trying to step in. I just want to be sure you’re not acting too softly because they’re your grandsons.”

Matias bit his lower lip. There had been hints of his mother and Mr. Long working with Purity earlier in the conversation, but he hadn’t wanted to believe it. Maybe he should have. It didn’t make much sense when it came to his mother, but Mr. Long was different. He didn’t like Matias, even though he’d known him since he was a kid. Matias was pretty sure that if it were up to Mr. Long, he’d kick him out and never think about him again.

“Who they are doesn’t matter,” Mr. Long snapped. “It never did. If they don’t listen to me, they’ll pay for it.”

“They stood up to you the last time they were here.”

There was a slam, as if Mr. Long had hit his desk, which Matias thought could have happened. “They won’t for long. I’ll make sure they pay for that. How can they ruin everything like this?”

“They’re mixing.”

Mr. Long snorted. “That’s not what I’m talking about. Who cares? It’s not like they’re going to have children anyway.”

“Because their mates are men.” The disgust dripped from Matias’s mother’s voice.

He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes for a moment. He’d never come out to his mother, afraid of the way she would react. He’d known she wouldn’t accept it, and today was confirming that. She would hate him if she found out he was gay. Maybe she hated him anyway, considering how he was born and what he could do.

“I can’t allow that to be discovered. Can you imagine the scorn if someone were to find out?”

“I think people have already found out.”

“I’ll find a way to make them pay,” Mr. Long promised. “The attacks against them went badly, and we lost eight men, but we have others.”

“Not enough. We lost too many in the attacks on Henry and Edward.”

“Then recruit more. With what we’re planning, we’re going to need all the manpower we can get.”

“And I’ll help you as much as I can. I’m in this a hundred percent.”

They were silent for a moment, and Matias wondered if it was safe for him to sneak away. He was in the hallway just outside Mr. Long’s office. He’d been going back to his bedroom after getting a sandwich in the kitchen, and he’d noticed the door open. He’d been planning on walking by without stopping when he’d heard what his mother and her boss were saying.

When he’d realized they were talking about Purity and Mr. Long’s grandsons, he’d stopped. Once he understood how serious the conversation was, he’d known his mother would do something if she found out he’d heard it.

He couldn’t walk in front of the office. He could hear the sound of kissing now, and while it made his stomach churn, he knew they would be busy for a while. Still, he didn’t want to risk it, so he slowly walked backward until he was sure no one in the office would be able to see him. He dropped the sandwich he was still holding onto a table that was set against the wall. He wasn’t hungry anymore.

“We should take this to the other room,” Matias’s mother purred.

Matias grimaced, but he listened to her and Mr. Long leave the office. There was a small sitting room next to it, with a door between them, which meant they didn’t have to step into the hallway.

The door slammed behind them, and Matias took a step forward. He knew it was dangerous, but he risked a peek into the office. His shoulders slumped when he saw it was empty. Then he heard a giggle coming from the sitting room, followed by a moan. They were going to be busy for a while, yet Matias hesitated.

If he did what he was planning, he wouldn’t be able to stay. He would lose the one place he’d been able to call home since he was a child. He couldn’t stand by and do nothing, though.

He rushed toward the desk. He had no idea what he was doing, but at least he was doing something. He sat behind the desk, lost for a second before he gathered his thoughts. He opened the first drawer, snatched a new flash drive from it, and pushed it into the computer. Luckily for him, Mr. Long often had problems with the computer, and he always asked Matias to take care of it. Matias had never snooped, but maybe he should have.

He started now, clicking around on the computer, copying everything he could to the flash drive while looking at the documents on the desk. He doubted Mr. Long had anything important in plain sight, but he still grabbed a few things. He needed to get out of here now. The moaning was becoming louder, and he knew his mother and her boss were going to be done soon.