Chapter 3.2 A Leap of Faith Part 2

If Loki was this determined to not say where he was from, or who he was trying to escape from, that meant that Thor had to take a gamble on this omega. If he held true to his word to protect Loki, he could be putting himself and his men at risk. But he also knew that Loki being in his region of influence posed a danger, whether he was protecting Loki or not.

If members of Loki's old family were tracking him, that meant that Thor had two options: either protect Loki or tell him to get out of the states under his control. And Thor wasn't too keen on the second option. "I'll hold true to my word. I'll protect you."

Loki still didn't trust Thor, and although he was grateful that the alpha saved him and his son earlier, he was still wary. Thor was an underboss, and the absolute last thing Loki needed was to be dragged back into the mafia. "Why?"

"Because if I don't protect you, that still leaves my men at risk. If your family is attempting to track you down, that means that they are trespassing into my territory. If they do that and kill you, harm any of my men, or do any type of damage to any of the properties I own, they're risking a bitter feud. If I want to avoid this happening, the most logical choice would be for me to pack you up on the next bus out of state with instructions to never come back."

Loki remained silent, not knowing what to say. Right now he was at Thor's mercy, and he hated it, as he honestly didn't know what he was going to do or where he was going to go if Thor told him to leave. "I understand that I have no right to ask you for protection or asylum; especially as an outsider. If you would be willing to give me at least three months to save up money, my son and I will leave the region, and head somewhere else."

Thor didn't want Loki to leave, as he knew that once he did, he couldn't guarantee that Loki would be safe, or that he wouldn't be kicked out of that region too if they learned that he was an escaped mob member. "That won't be necessary, Loki. I will protect you."

The last thing Loki wanted was to be indebted to another mob, and he teared up, hating that his life was playing out like this. "I can't afford to be indebted to another mob, Thor. I just can't."

Thor began to think of what could be done, as his hands were pretty much tied. The only thing that he could genuinely do was make the promise to protect Loki personally and provide for him, without Odin's knowledge. Of course, this was a challenge in and of itself, and he thought long and hard about what could be done to protect Loki, without making Loki "sell his soul" yet again. "I don't know if I can protect you the way you need to be protected, without you swearing fidelity to my family."

Shaking his head, Loki let out a shaky breath, not knowing what he was going to do. "I can't do that." He looked back up at Thor then, the look in his eyes breaking Thor's heart. "Just give me three months to save up. I-I'll find another shelter, in a region not under your control."

This wasn't something Thor wanted, as he knew that Loki would spend his entire life on the run like this if he didn't find a way to help him today. "Give me three months, Loki. Three months to prove that you can trust me, and my word. In that three-month period, I'll set you up somewhere nicer than this, get you a job in a better area, and give you a stipend - just as if you were a member of my mob. In that three-month period, you'll get the full perks of being a member of my mob, without any commitment. At the end of that three-month period, you can make the decision about whether or not you want to join us, or risk being on your own. I won't force you to leave my region of influence if you choose to not join my mob, but… I can't promise that you'll be protected after this three-month period, either."

This was a more gracious proposal than Loki ever imagined being able to receive, and he stared at Thor in shock, terrified that this was too good to be true. "... You won't kick me out of your territory?"

"No."

"And you're willing to protect me for three months, and help me get on my feet? With no commitment or indebtedness to your mob?"

"Correct," Answered Thor, knowing that he would have to keep this a secret from his father at all costs. "What do you say?"

"I… I accept," Sighed Loki, knowing that he didn't have any better options. If he remained here and refused Thor's protection, he and his son would be at risk every day. If he accepted Thor's offer, then he would have a chance to save up even more money and live with protection, without committing himself to Thor's mob.

Thor was honestly relieved that Loki accepted his offer, as he could only imagine how hard Loki's life would be had he not done so. He knew that his offer was more than generous, but… his gut was telling him to help this omega, so he would do it. "I'll put you and your son in a hotel for the night, and meet with you in the morning to discuss things further. Unless… you want to stay here?"

Being put in a hotel for the night sounded nice, but Loki didn't want to intrude on Thor any more than he already was. "Sleipnir and I will just stay here for the night. Um… please come back tomorrow, when you have time. I'd like to discuss the terms of our agreement further."

Thor wasn't surprised or offended and understood that Loki was just trying to protect himself and his son, in the only way he knew how. "I will. I'll… see myself out, then."

Loki nodded and turned his attention to comforting his son, so Thor stood to leave, closing Loki's front door and sighing. He didn't know how he was going to keep this from his father but knew he didn't have a choice. If Odin ever found out who Loki was, Thor knew that the man would demand that he be forced to leave the region, and this was something that he would never forgive himself for.

He just couldn't understand why he was so hung up on the omega, but he was, and that was the most infuriating part of it all. He thought long and hard on his way home, wondering how this would all go down.

If Loki did end up joining their family, that would mean that there would always be the risk of a mob war beginning between Asgard and whoever Loki's old mob was.

He wanted nothing more than to shower or sleep, then, and pulled into his designated spot in the parking garage of his high-rise apartment building, heading upstairs to his penthouse suite.

Thor was surprised to see that the lights were on and frowned in confusion, as he was certain he'd turned them off before leaving. "Jane?"

"I'm in here, Thor!"

Following the sound of his girlfriend's voice, Thor was a bit confused as to why she was here in his home this late at night. "Don't you have work tomorrow?"

Jane stood up from the couch she was on, making her way over to the alpha. "The professor isn't feeling well, so the office is closed until further notice."

Humming softly, Thor loosened his tie, just wanting to get in the shower and climb into bed. "I had a long day. Excuse me."

Jane stopped him though, quickly reaching out to take his hand. "Is this blood?"

Thor looked down at his knuckles, seeing that his fists were a bit bruised and still coated with the blood from the alphas he'd beaten up. "I went to the gym and sparred today. It's nothing to worry about."

Smirking, Jane pulled him closer and stretched up to kiss him, amused with the alpha. "You sure you aren't a seedy man working for the underworld?"

Thor pulled his hand away, not in the mood for jokes. "I'm really tired, Jane. I'm going to shower and head to bed." He didn't wait for a response and headed to his bathroom, stripping himself of his clothing and letting the warm water of the shower wash over him.

He didn't know how he was going to keep what he was doing for Loki from his father, and sighed, leaning back against the wall of his shower. He was sticking his neck out for a literal stranger, a stranger that was mob affiliated with someone that was either an Underboss or a Boss, a stranger that could literally wreck his life, and everything in it, and… and he didn't care.

And that was strange.

Thor had been in the mob for as long as he could remember; it'd been his whole life. The Asgardian mob had existed since the conception of their country, and the mantle of "Boss" had been passed down from father to son since the beginning. Ever since the day he was born, Thor had known he would be a mob member. And the day he turned 18, he was formally inducted into the Asgardian mob, groomed to be the next boss.

He'd killed someone for the first time at 14, he'd been around blood and violence and desolate heartbreak since before he could walk, and one day, he'd just gone numb to it. The dead bodies, the murder, the prostitution, the drugs… they were all just everyday things in his life. No one was really important.

So to care this much for an omega, an omega that he barely knew, was confusing to him. There were hundreds of omegas in this city that were just like Loki, single and defenseless, and… and alone. And he walked right past them every day, without so much as a blink.

But when it came to Loki… there was just something about the man that made it impossible to ignore him.