"Cassie? This weekend, do you think we can get the next book?" Sam asked, holding Cas' hand as the two of them walked through the parking lot. Earlier, Sam had finished the large book the two had been slowly going through.
"I don't know. We'll have to see if Dean has anything planned."
"Okay. Do you think Dean would like pasta for dinner?"
"I'm sure he'll love it. Do you want to help me?"
"No. I want to read my new book."
Cas chuckled. He should have known that was how the conversation was going to end. He would have to thank Lisa for taking the pup to the school library to get a couple of books before the librarian left for the day. His feet hurt too much to take him like he usually did.
Cas opened the back door and waited for Sam to strap himself in before getting into the driver's seat. He could now go out and about on his own since he felt more comfortable becoming mated and Amara getting on Lucifer's case about being overprotective. He tried to argue with her, but she just gave him a look before he ran away with his tail between his legs. It was nice to do things on his own again without the alphas hanging over his shoulder.
Cas pulled into the driveway when his phone incessantly when off. It had done so many times on the drive, but Cas refused to take his eyes off the road. Turning the engine off, Cas picked up the phone before getting out of the car and making sure Sam got out as well.
"Hello?"
"Cassie!" Gabe's voice came through the phone. "Why weren't you answering your phone?"
"I was driving with Sam in the car."
Sam looked up at the sound of his name before continuing his trek to the front door.
"You need to turn on the news," Gabe said.
"I'm just getting home. I would just like to relax," Cas said, unlocking the door and resetting the alarm.
"Cassie, just do it. You really need to see this."
"Okay, give me one second."
Cas walked into the living room before grabbing the remote. He turned it on and typed the channel number for the local news station. The meteorologist mentioned that it would be a sunny rest of the week with little chance of rain.
"I don't understand what was so important about the weather," Cas told Gabe.
"Just wait."
Cas waited another minute before moving to scold Gabe for wasting his time when a woman popped on the screen with the breaking news banner running along the bottom of the screen.
"We are back with more updates to our breaking news story. For those who are just joining us, Naomi and Zachariah Novak, a very prominent couple out of the west coast, were arrested today a part of a series of FBI raids across the country. These raids were all coordinated at the same time, and there has been no official statement from authorities.
"At approximately 2 pm local time, we have footage of the two Novaks being escorted out of their home in handcuffs by two agents in full riot gear. Once taken away, more agents went into the home and were seen leaving with several boxes with what we assume to be paperwork.
"The Novaks are known as a very philanthropic couple who have donated their money to several causes and political campaigns throughout the years. Many of those politicians have made no comments thus far about their involvement with the family. Still, they have sent word through their publicist that they will be kept abreast of the situation as more details become apparent. Lawyers for the Novaks have also stated that this is a severe overreach of power. They are trying to do their best to get their clients out of federal custody by any means possible.
"Others a part of the series of raids earlier today have yet to be identified. All that is known is that they were arrested from many places across the continental US and seem to cross many socioeconomic backgrounds.
"What reporters did find interesting was that while the raids were occurring, there was no information being released about the Novaks four children: Michael, Lucifer, Gabriel, and Castiel. We can only assume what this means and their possible connection with their parent's potential crimes.
"FBI Director Hendrickson is scheduled to make a statement within the hour. Join us as we look at the live footage and are joined by a local legal professional, and we discuss the implications of what we are told. We'll be back in the half-hour. See you then."
Cas stood there, blankly looking at the screen. There seemed to be a buzzing filling his head before realizing he still had Gabe on the line and he was yelling at him.
"Cassie! Are you still there? Come on, bro, talk to me."
"Is... is it true?" Cas stuttered out.
"People have been talking about it for hours. I've wanted to call you all day, but Kali took my phone. Said you were working, like what I should have been doing. She's so mean to me."
On reflex, Cas responded with, "But you love her anyway."
"I do, but enough about me. I'm calling about you. How are you feeling right now?"
It was rare, but the concern was clearly seeping out of Gabe's voice. He usually kept airs of not caring; he knew when to turn it off.
Cas took inventory of what he felt. His heart was pounding, but he couldn't really describe what he was feeling. He sat on the couch and continued to stare at the television screen, which had turned into a fast-food commercial.
"I don't know," Cas admitted.
"It's okay if you're feeling weird about it. I mean, they are our parents."
"No... That's not it," Cas admitted. "I'm excited, maybe."
"Excited? Why would you be excited?"
Cas opened his mouth to reply before remember that Gabriel didn't know everything yet. He didn't want to have his usually happy-go-lucky brother worry about something like this. It wasn't fair to him.
"Can we wait until the statement, Gabe? I really need to make dinner."
"Sure...," Gabe noted. I'll call you after. Give you time to get your thoughts together."
"Thanks, Gabe. I'll talk to you later," Cas said, hanging up without waiting for a response.
On autopilot, he went to the kitchen and put some noodles in boiling water. It was something that he didn't really have to think about it and would be over quickly. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed Sam hard at work on whatever work his teacher assigned his class. He strained the noodles and added the sauce before putting it off to the side and going back to the living room and curling into the couch with his phone gripped squarely in his hand.
He sat there mindlessly until the news station turned to an empty conference room with official emblems hanging on the walls with journalists filling the outer space of the room. There was general mumbling within the room that the cameras didn't really catch before a hush fell over the room. A dark-skinned man walked to a podium while a more petite woman with a stern look walked behind him.
"Good evening, everyone," the man said. "As you may know, I am Director Victor Hendrickson. I would like to get the public abreast of the situation earlier today before handing things over to DA Ellen Harvelle. After, we will answer any questions you might have that we can answer at this time.
"Earlier today, the FBI conducted a series of raids involving a human trafficking ring spanning the United States of which many omegas would be sold to alphas and betas across the country. From the information we've gathered, this current operation has been going on for decades. It might also have players outside of the states.
"We recently received arrest warrants for all of the players that we are in the know about. From the information we can find, we hope to fill in the gaps that we were not able to get through traditional police methods.
"This was done through the cooperation of the FBI and many local officials. Without that cooperation, it is quite possible we would still be figuring everything out. As the investigation is still ongoing, I will not be thanking specific people, but know that I'm thankful for all the hard work and dedication they have done through this trying time.
"Now, if Ms. Harvelle would like to say something," the man ended, stepping to the side, allowing the woman to take the podium.
"Thank you, Director Hendrickson. I would like to personally assure the public that I have been following the investigation very closely, making sure the evidence was ethically gathered, and there was no skirting of police protocol. Understanding the importance of a case such as this, the evidence is airtight and cannot be easily slipped out of. Also know, considering the charges, I am reluctant to give any deals that lessen the charges that each person rightly deserves.
"For the next month or so, we will be continuing to work with other agencies to finalize all of the charges and make sure that each of the defendants' constitutional rights is ahead. I imagine this will be a long and strenuous process. Still, we ask for everyone's patience while our justice system does its work.
"Now, we'll accept some questions."
Hands lifted up everywhere before Ms. Harvelle pointed to one of the journalists.
"Earlier, a prominent family was arrested throughout the raids the FBI conducted earlier. How were they connected with this trafficking ring?"
Ms. Harvelle nodded, listening to the question. "I cannot say much now, as we need to let to course of justice take place. We did not go into these arrests lightly and ensured there was sufficient evidence before bringing them in. As we do not want to be accused of swaying a jury, I will leave it at that."
"Director Hendrickson! You said earlier that this was a long case in the making. Is there any reason for this?"
The man stood back up to the podium. "Our human trafficking section works on what could possibly be thousands of cases a year. Some speculations are thrown up all the time. Still, we must verify any and all information we receive to test the validity of such statements. Without that, we do not have true justice. We evaluate every statement and get all the evidence before we take any action. That's what we do for all cases and what we did with this one."
Cas muted the television, not wanting to hear anymore. He wrapped his legs closer to himself. Did they really have all the evidence they were alluding to, or were they hoping that more people would speak up? Would he finally have to say something?
As Cas was stuck in his thoughts, we felt his hands vibrate in his hands. He looked at it and noticed that Gabe was calling him back. Maybe he would start with telling his story to someone he loved first before saying something to the entire world.