Werewolf CEO 4, page 9
“Lady Dame, I had no idea you weren’t a real Alpha,” I said. “And I’m sorry he insulted you in my building.”
“I’ve heard such vitriol numerous times in my life, Josh,” the old wolf said with a weak smile. “After my husband died and left his territory to me, I was given the title of Alpha. For a small amount of time, only my men respected it. I had to prove myself, despite having helped run our territory for years and years. It has been some time since my ability has been questioned, but that is how I know August is truly desperate.”
“Desperate for what? Shutting himself out?” I asked in confusion.
“Desperate to get away from his mistakes,” she said gravely. “And this mistake will haunt him for the rest of his sorry life.”
“Amen to that,” Grizz mumbled under his breath.
“But, now that that worm is out of the room, shall we sign the treaty?” she asked. “Chen has written it up. You will recognize some of the terms from the original treaty, but he has added the new ones covered as well as the stipulations.”
Chen passed the piece of thick parchment across the table to Stefan first, who quickly read over it and passed it along to Tony, who did the same thing.
“Looks good to me.” The old Italian nodded and passed it to me.
I turned it so Mia could read it, too, and I was pretty happy with how everything was worded, so I slid it over to Victor. The gray-haired wolf took a little bit longer to read it as his eyes darted back and forth over and over again, but after a minute, he passed it to Grizz.
The werebear barely even glanced at it before he slid it back over to Lady Dame and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
“It feels good to be back in the game,” Grizz said with a wide grin. “Been too long since we were all on the same page.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Logan,” Lady Dame said as she pulled a fountain pen out of her pocket and signed her name elegantly on the page.
Then she twisted off the bottom of the fountain pen and revealed a small needle sticking out of the end. She pressed her thumb into it, and when she pulled it back, there was a small red bead of blood. I watched as she pressed her bloody thumb against the parchment beside her name and left a red thumbprint behind.
She passed the parchment around again, this time with the pen, and each of us took turns signing our names and stamping our thumbprints against the old parchment.
After it returned to Lady Dame, she had Chen roll it up and put it inside a metal cylinder.
“I will make copies for you all to have in your respective dens,” Lady Dame said. “This one shall live in my home. Are there any issues with that?”
“No, ma’am,” Grizz grunted out. “None at all.”
The rest of the treaty packs remained silent and shook their heads, and I leaned forward in my seat now that the big business was out of the way.
“I’m glad that’s done,” I said. “But there’s something I need to make you all aware of now that we’re all together.”
“What is it, Josh?” Stefan asked with a hint of concern as he leaned forward in his chair, too, and rested his elbows on the table.
“I went to Arlo Whitlock’s watch shop this morning, and I managed to find a safe hidden in his office,” I said. “In it was a laptop that had video logs of him dosing himself up with whatever it was he’d taken in Central Park.”
“Shit…” Stefan trailed off. “You mean that wasn’t the first time he’d used that stuff?”
“Not to that extent,” I said. “He’d been slowly increasing the amount he was taking to get his body used to it. Apparently, the slower the increase, the more control the person has over their own body and powers.”
“And how is it you know that?” Lady Dame asked with a hard swallow.
There was only one way anyone could know that information, and that was if it had been tested on other people beforehand.
“Wolf trials,” I said with a wince. “Z-TECH has been testing this on people.”
“Goddamn it,” Tony mumbled under his breath and put his head in his hand. “Arlo, you son of a bitch.”
“Arlo was just the benefactor of this sick business,” Mia said. “We believe the person behind it is someone called Mitch.”
“Ring any bells?” I asked the treaty pack leaders. “Have your packs ever come across any issues with someone by that name?”
“No, never.” Stefan shook his head. “No one’s dumb enough to try.”
“And whoever this is, is certainly not dumb,” Lady Dame said. “They’re hiding like rats. And they have been for some time, it would seem.”
“Yeah, the video logs go back a few months, but we don’t know how long Z-TECH has been a thing before that,” I said. “By the sounds of it, this Mitch guy has been biding his time, just like Whitlock and Russo.”
“And when Arlo needed an army and had a fat stack of cash to throw, Mitch got the opportunity he’d been looking for,” Mia added.
“This is bad,” Grizz said with wide eyes. “Real bad.”
“So, Arlo wanted to use whatever serum he used on himself to build himself an army?” Tony asked.
“That’s what we could gather from the videos,” I confirmed. “We might have taken out the Guild and stopped what they were planning, but Z-TECH is still out there.”
“And they may yet finish what Arlo started,” Lady Dame said with pursed lips. “It would seem our momentary peace is soon to come to an end.”
“We got a sample of the serum, which is being tested in our labs,” I said as I looked to Victor for confirmation.
“That’s right,” the gray-haired wolf said after he cleared his throat. “We’re hoping to be able to manufacture an antidote to reverse the effects the serum has.”
“A good step in the right direction,” Lady Dame said. “I fear we may need plenty of antidotes before this is over.”
“Especially considering these guys are still in the dark,” Stefan said. “All you’ve got is a name?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “But I’ve come across someone who I believe could be Mitch recently. He showed up to my public speech the other day and had us running all over the Financial District.”
“Did you see his face?” Tony asked.
“No,” I sighed. “But he’s taunting me. He slapped some weird drug tab on my neck and gave me the worst night’s sleep I’ve ever had.”
“Sounds a bit personal,” Grizz grumbled. “Did he go after anyone else?”
“No, just me,” I said. “And you’re right. It does sound personal.”
“Well, you were the spearhead for taking out the Guild,” Stefan pointed out. “I suppose it makes sense that he’d want a bit of revenge on the guy who cut off his main source of income.”
“I think it’s more than that, though,” I said and shook my head. “He lured us to an alleyway, and there was a message written on the wall. ‘No Rest For The Wicked.’ The nightmare I had was playing on every worry buried somewhere deep inside my brain. If the Guild had won, if Arlo’s psycho plan with Z-TECH went through. And my parents’ taunting me from the grave for failing.”
“Oh, Joshua,” Lady Dame said in a hushed tone. “Your parents would be proud of who you have become, and what you have done.”
“I know.” I nodded. “But I still feel like it runs deeper than me cutting off his investor.”
“I’ve gotta say, as ruthless as we bears are, toying with someone’s mind like that seems like overkill,” Grizz said. “What do you need us to do, Josh?”
“Be on your guard,” I said. “And keep ears out for anyone going by the name Mitch. Whoever it was that turned up to the press conference the other day was hooded and lurking, but he wanted to be seen. If it isn’t personal, and he comes after all of us, that’s what you need to look out for.”
“Understood,” Antonio said with a firm nod. “I think it’s time we all up our security.”
“Indeed,” Lady Dame hummed. “We all need to provide some wolves to protect the shared territory, too. Patrols and lookouts in every section. If Z-TECH was working with Arlo and Hamish, it only makes sense they would have free reign of their territory.”
“Good point, Lady Dame,” Grizz agreed. “We would have heard something by now if they were conducting business like that on our turf.”
“I can cover the Financial District and the Upper West Side,” I said. “Victor, can you get some guards sent out?”
“On it,” Victor said as he pulled out his phone and started typing away.
“I can send men out to the Upper East Side,” Lady Dame offered.
“The bears can help you, Lady Dame, and cover Upper Manhattan, too,” Grizz said.
“The Garcias can keep watch of Harlem,” Tony said. “No one will be sneaking past us, let me tell you.”
“I guess that leaves Washington Heights for me,” Stefan said. “Consider it done.”
“Then I suppose that’s it,” I said with a fleeting smile. “It’s good to know we’ve all got each other now.”
“Z-TECH don’t stand a chance of slipping through all of our grasps, Joshy boy,” Grizz said with a toothy grin.
“He’s right,” Tony said. “We’re not going to be blind anymore.”
“No, sir!” Grizz shouted and beat his fists on his chest. “The treaty packs are back!”
“And better than ever,” Stefan added with a smirk.
“And we have Josh to thank for that,” Lady Dame said as she looked at me with a soft smile. “To new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings,” I repeated her words. “And to finally putting an end to what Arlo Whitlock started.”
“Hear, hear,” the treaty leaders said in unison.
I looked down at my thumb, which I had pricked to sign the treaty, and I ran my finger over the dried blood. The small hole had vanished, leaving only the metallic-smelling crust behind.
We were bound now.
And we were going to see this thing through.
Chapter Seven
“Well, I believe we have covered all we need to,” I said. “I’ll get Victor to find us a shared space as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Josh,” Lady Dame said as she slowly stood up from her chair on shaking knees.
“No worries,” I said as I walked over and offered her my arm.
She took it with a warm smile, and I started to slowly walk her out of the meeting room and toward the elevator. Chen followed close behind like a guard dog, and I saw her wave her hand at him in warning to back off a little.
“What do you think is going to happen with August, Lady Dame?” I asked once we were in the hallway. “I mean, I don’t think that meeting could have gone worse in terms of reconciling with him.”
“There was no chance for reconciliation with that worm, Josh,” the old Asian woman said plainly. “He will keep to himself, and he will watch as we all flourish and thrive, and he will come crawling back.”
“You think so?” I asked in surprise. “August strikes me as the type of guy who’s wayyy too proud to do something like that.”
“I have known that man for far too many years,” Lady Dame said with a sour look on her face. “Trust me, he will see the error of his ways. And it will be up to us to decide if we want to forgive him.”
I pressed the button to call the elevator up and stood in pensive silence with Lady Dame. I didn’t know if I could forgive August for what he’d done. If refusing to fight wasn’t enough, he’d just insulted pretty much all of us in that room. But he’d gone in on Lady Dame, and for no good reason. The shit he’d said wasn’t something you could easily forgive and forget about, and I wondered if Lady Dame would let something like that slide if he did come crawling back.
“All will be revealed, Josh,” she mumbled and snapped me out of my thoughts. “In good time.”
I nodded and released her arm as the elevator finally arrived, and Chen took my place.
“I hope your lab can produce an antidote soon,” she said as they both stepped into the silver box. “I have a feeling we will be needing it.”
She always had a way of making things sound so ominous, but she was right. If we didn’t figure out an antidote soon, it was only a matter of time before Z-TECH started moving forward with their plans, and we’d be left exposed to be turned into beasts like Arlo Whitlock.
Lady Dame nodded at me one last time before the silver doors shut, and I walked back to the meeting room. The rest of the pack leaders were getting ready to leave, and I shook all of their hands as they headed into the hallway to wait for the elevator.
“Pleasure as always, Joshy boy,” Grizz said with a wide grin as he pulled me into him and slapped my shoulder. “God, it’s good to be back in a place like this. Makes me feel like a professional.”
“I can see you’re dressed the part,” I teased and pointed to his bare chest.
“What can I say? I hate suits,” the werebear snorted.
“I wouldn’t have you any other way, Grizz,” I joked and patted his hairy shoulder. “Take care, alright?”
“Same to you, Josh,” he said with a firm nod. “Gotta look out for each other now. These are strange and uncertain times--”
“You sound like a goddamn fortune teller,” Stefan joked as he leaned against the wall next to the lit up elevator button.
“Well, I’m not wrong!” Grizz protested and puffed out his chest.
“I never said you were.” Stefan shrugged. “I just think it’s funny hearing you talk so seriously.”
“Little pup, you’re asking for it,” Grizz said with a playful smirk as he stalked toward Stefan.
“Hey, now, I meant nothing by it!” Stefan played along and held his hands out in front of him in surrender.
“That’s what I thought,” the bear said with a triumphant stance.
Antonio rolled his eyes at their behavior, but he had a smile on his wrinkled face. He tapped me on my shoulder as he passed me and started to join them at the end of the hallway.
“Thanks for doing this, Josh,” he said. “We really needed it.”
“It was my pleasure,” I replied. “Take care, Tony.”
“You, too, kid,” the Italian said with a nod before he walked away from me.
That left only me, Mia, and Victor in the meeting room, and I waited until the three pack leaders were in the elevator and out of earshot before I let out a deep sigh.
“You okay, Josh?” Mia asked with a concerned frown.
“Yeah, I guess I’m just tired,” I said as I ran my hand through my hair.
“You did well, Josh,” Victor said as he stood up from his seat. “It’s no easy feat, creating a new treaty like that. Businessman or not, that requires skill and patience, and you did it.”
“Thanks, Vic,” I said with a fleeting smile.
“Go back up to your office and take it easy today,” Victor said as he put his hand on my shoulder. “There’s nothing that needs your immediate attention.”
“Alright.” I nodded. “I’ll take it easy.”
“Good,” the gray-haired wolf said with a small breath of relief. “I’ll see you two at some point, I’m sure. But until then, be safe.”
“You, too, Victor,” Mia said with a polite nod. “See you later.”
Victor walked to the elevator and got in without another word. Once we’d heard him get off at his floor, I reached my hand out for Mia’s and started leading us toward it, too.
I was completely out of it. I guess now that the meeting was over, all I had left to think about was the Z-TECH situation, and the lack of any leads we had. One first name was like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially in a city like this.
It all felt a little hopeless, but I knew we’d get to the bottom of it.
We had to.
I hardly even realized we’d made it back to my office, and Mia had sat me down on my chair and perched herself in front of me on my desk.
“What’s going on?” the blonde asked knowingly.
“Nothing, I just… feel a little lost, is all,” I said as I slumped down in my chair and put my head in my hand. “We don’t have much to work with right now.”
“For now,” Mia emphasized. “We’ll find something.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
“Josh,” my mate drawled and moved to sit on my lap. “We will find something.”
I sighed at the feel of her pressed against me, and my hands lazily gripped her hips. She looked down at me with those bright green eyes, and I could tell she was waiting for me to agree with her.
But I couldn’t. My mind felt like it was filled with thick fog, and I could barely even lift my head to look up at her.
Mia’s brow twitched as she noticed my shift in attitude, and she lifted a hand to my chin. She stroked the stubble with her thumb, and her other hand rested on my shoulder.
“We will find something, Josh,” she whispered. “I promise.”
I nodded and gave her a weak smile, but that only made her brow furrow even more.
“This is the part where you agree with me and say ‘yes, Mia, you’re always right, Mia,’” she said in a deep voice that was supposed to be me.
I let out a weak chuckle and leaned into her touch.
“Yes, Mia, you’re always right, Mia,” I copied her words. “How’s that?”
“You’re supposed to mean it when you say it,” she said with a cute little pout. “Is this seriously just because you feel like we don’t have enough to work with, or is it something else?”
“I’m just… tired, Mia,” I said again. “Tired and concerned about what will happen if we don’t figure out who’s behind this in time.”
“Then it sounds to me like you need something to take your mind off that,” the blonde said as her eyes darkened, and her hand started to slowly trail down my chest.
I felt my body jolt awake from the simple touch, and I swallowed the lump in my throat as I sat in anticipation.
“Like what?” I asked huskily.
“I think you know what,” my mate whispered into my ear before she playfully bit my earlobe.
I let my eyes flutter closed as she started to kiss along my jawline, and I tightened the grip on her hips as she slowly made her way to my lips. They were soft and tentative as she finally kissed me, and I let out a deep breath through my nose.
