Werewolf CEO 2, page 10
“Yeah, well, only I can make that joke,” she huffed, but I knew she was just pulling my leg. “Let’s get going then. I suppose that super comfy king-sized bed will just have to wait a little longer.”
“Yeah, I suppose it will,” I chuckled. “In all fairness, we did rot in bed the other day.”
“And we deserved that and more!” Mia dramatically declared. “But it can wait. I can hunker down on that lovely new couch we just bought.”
“Try and get some sleep,” I said. “If you can.”
“I doubt it,” Mia snorted. “But I’ll try.”
I eyed her for a moment, and I could hear her heart beating faster than usual.
“You’re lying, aren’t you?” I asked knowingly.
“Yeah, I’m not getting any sleep while you’re out there,” my girlfriend admitted with a wince. “But if you really do end up in trouble… trouble you can’t handle, you have to tell us. We can help, Josh.”
“Alright,” I said with a sigh. “But only if it comes down to that.”
Mia held her pinky out to me with a small smile on her face. I held mine out as well, and the blonde hooked hers around mine and squeezed.
“You’ve pinky promised now,” she said. “That’s basically law.”
“Well, I am a law-abiding citizen.” I smirked. “Let’s get back to the gym so I can get this over with.”
“Whatever it is that’s waiting for you, at least it will give you some answers,” Mia said as she grabbed my hand, and I stuffed the letter into my pocket.
I unlocked the door with one hand and made sure it was tightly locked behind me. If they couldn’t get in before, I wasn’t going to let them get in now. There was the possibility of speaking to the security team downstairs, but something told me that whoever left the envelope for me wasn’t stupid enough to show his face on camera. Not to mention I was already planning on going to the location anyway, so I was just cutting out the middleman.
I made a speedy return back to the gym, and I dropped Mia off with a kiss goodbye. I could tell she didn’t want to let me go on my own, but there was no chance in hell I was gonna let her come with me to an unknown location in Leon Drake’s territory where it could be a deathtrap.
I was holding out hope that it wasn’t, but I wasn’t gonna be naive and think I had nothing to worry about. I had everything to worry about. Going there had more risks than it did benefits, but I was willing to face the outcome if it meant I could find out what the hell was going on and who was out to get me.
If it turned out to be Leon Drake who’d sent Carter after me, then maybe I could speak to him. Businessman to businessman, if you could even call him that. There might be other options other than violence, and I was willing to go down those paths so we could reach some sort of middle ground.
If it was the territory he was worried about, I’d happily step down. I was happy with my lot, as small as it might be, and I was more concerned with keeping my company safe than broadening my horizons by snatching territory up like it was the last cookie in the jar.
It didn’t bother me. And apparently I wasn’t as interested as Leon thought. Sure, I wouldn’t turn it down, but the chaos it had already cost me had really put me off this battle for turf.
I punched the address on the letter into my GPS in my car and let it take me down the backroad of Manhattan on the West Side. Mia was right, it was in the Meatpacking District, and when my GPS took me to the waterfront, I realized just how desolate this place was compared to the rest of New York.
It was super creepy driving down the unlit road next to the water, and the docks looked like sinister figures looming out of the dark sea. I kept a firm grip on my steering wheel to try and keep myself focused rather than letting my brain dream up unsettling things that would make me turn the car around and forget all about the address.
I needed to do this. I needed to see this through.
I had no idea why I was so nervous, but something told me it was because I didn’t have backup this time. I didn’t want my pack or my mate in harm’s way, but that also left me exposed and pretty defenseless if I was gonna take on a whole pack.
I just hoped this ‘help’ that Leon-- or whoever it was-- was offering was actually sincere. A parlay would be ideal, but I wasn’t gonna waltz into this joint and expect something like that.
In a way, the werewolf world was kinda similar to the business world. Fighting for retail and dominance for the consumers’ approval. That was familiar to me. Even before I was CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, I had to face some evil bastards trying to be better than everyone else. I’d even experienced that in college. So, while I wasn’t well-versed in werewolf politics, I was well-versed in business rules and know-how.
And I may have to use that now in order to keep the peace.
The red dot signaling my destination flashed as I neared a decrepit-looking building on the waterfront. One street lamp flickered and buzzed and illuminated the damaged building that looked like it was barely holding itself together.
It looked like it used to be a warehouse of some kind, maybe for fish from the docks. As I pulled the car to a stop a little ways away and got out, I could hear the sound of shouting and jeering coming from inside.
It didn’t sound violent. In fact, it sounded like a group of guys watching the Super Bowl or something. I frowned in confusion as I neared, and I could smell the thick scent of alcohol and sweat drifting from the old warehouse.
There were a few motorbikes parked on the side of the building, and I could spot a few old-looking cars a little further down the road. Whatever this place was, it sounded like a hangout, and I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
I slowly edged closer to what looked like an entrance. It was hard to tell from how dark it was, and the entire building sort of blurred into one black slab against the pitch-black sky. There were no stars out tonight, and the moon was nowhere to be seen, so there was no additional light apart from the broken street lamp. Even the lights from the city couldn’t help me since I was so far out.
I kept my hands at my side, ready for an attack at any moment. I prepared myself to shift as I edged closer and closer until I could make out a rusty door and door handle against the blackness.
The rabble inside were still shouting and cheering at something, and as I pushed on the door, I could smell the faint scent of iron. Blood. My curiosity got the better of me, and I slowly pushed the door open, only to squint at a sudden burst of light.
The inside of the warehouse was wayyy different than the outside. It was still a decrepit building. I could see the roof panels hanging on for dear life, and there was water dripping from holes in the roof, but there were party lights strung from each corner of the room that illuminated the space in warm orange light.
There were about forty men in here all cheering and yelling at two shifted wolves in a makeshift wrestling ring in the center of the room. The two fighting were giving each other hell, and I could see one of the wolves was a huge unit of hair while the other one was a lot smaller and looked more like a rat.
Us werewolves had a small variety of forms we could take, depending on if we were an Alpha, Beta, or Omega. Betas and Omegas remained mostly humanoid when they shifted, except for some wolfy traits like ears, fangs, a tail, etc. Alphas could half-shift, too, but they were always bigger and more muscular. Alphas could also fully shift into an actual wolf, and Supreme Alphas, like yours truly, had an elite form, which was basically just a roided up version of the half-shift.
Both of the wolves in the ring were in their half-shifted, humanoid forms, but judging by their size difference, one looked to be an Alpha while the other was a Beta.
Whenever the big one would miss a hit, the crowd would boo, but when he did land a tremendous slash to the little guy’s face, they would jump up roaring.
No one seemed to notice my arrival, most probably because they were too engrossed in the fight going on. Either that, or they just didn’t care.
To my immediate left was a makeshift bar made out of three barrels with a polished surfboard for a bartop. Behind a greasy-looking bartender was an old apothecary rack filled with odd-looking bottles of mystery liquid.
I started to slowly walk toward it in the hope of asking the bartender about the letter, only for me to stop dead in my tracks at the sound of my name.
“Joshua!” a voice called out to me among the general rabble, and I whipped my head around to see an older-looking guy making his way through the crowd and over to me with a wide smile. “Didn’t think you’d show up.”
He was wearing a white tank top with a red and black flannel on top. He wore dark blue jeans and brown cowboy boots that stopped mid-calf, and I was surprised he didn’t have a cowboy hat on to match. Instead, he had his light gray hair on show that looked windswept and cut off just above his shoulders, and it matched his scruffy beard.
His face looked aged, like he’d seen a lot of things in his life, but there was a strange handsomeness to the stranger. He must have been a hit with the ladies back in his prime, and if his strangely attractive looks weren’t enough, his confidence and swagger would be.
He was pretty muscular for a guy who looked to be in his late fifties, and I could see he had tattoos creeping up from his wrist all the way to his neck. His flannel obscured what they were, but they looked impressive from what I could see.
As he reached my side, the stranger clapped me on the back, and I could feel the sting from the slap even through my shirt. Then he slung his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to the makeshift bar in the corner of the room.
He smelled of whiskey and leather, and there was a strange earthy undertone to him I couldn’t quite place.
“Let me get you a drink,” he said as he tapped his knuckles on the surfboard, and the ‘bartender’ put a shot glass down and poured a clear liquid out of a bottle that looked older than me.
“Uhh, sorry, who are you?” I asked as my brain finally caught up and allowed me to speak.
“Leon Drake,” he said as he turned to me and offered me his hand. “Thought you already knew that, St. James.”
“Shit, I mean, I--” I struggled to form words, and my brow was furrowed into a harsh ‘V’ shape as I tried to comprehend what he’d just said. “What?”
Why wasn’t I on the floor with my neck wide open and choking on my own blood? Why hadn’t I been cornered by every bastard in this place as soon as I set foot in here? Why was he offering me a drink of all things?
“It’s a handshake, Joshua, it’s how we greet people we respect,” Leon drawled sarcastically and grabbed my hand.
I managed to shake it with enough firmness that I didn’t look like a total wimp, but I was still completely in shock at the nonchalant reveal of the guy who acted like he’d known me his whole life turning out to be one of my supposed enemies.
“Sorry, I just… I thought you wanted to kill me,” I said as I let go of his hand.
“Kill you?” Leon asked incredulously before he let out a sharp laugh. “Kid, if I wanted to do that, you’d be dead already. Now, have a drink.”
The casual Alpha passed me the shot glass, and the sharp smell of pure alcohol hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t help but wince and choke on a breath as he wafted it under my nose.
“Down the hatch, Josh, don’t even think twice about it,” he urged and set the glass in my hand.
It felt like a dad showing his kid how to drink for the first time, and I was struggling to understand why everyone was so scared of this guy.
I did what he suggested and tossed it back in one, and the liquid burned my throat on its way down. It dropped into my stomach like lead, and I had to really concentrate so I didn’t start spluttering like a damn fool.
“Thattaboy.” Leon clapped me on the back with a firm hand. “Like a goddamn champ.”
I figured it was best not to piss him off since I had just met him, so what was the harm in taking the mystery drink from him? Like he said, if he wanted to kill me, he would have done it already, and Leon seemed a little bit more creative than flat-out poisoning me in a dingy werewolf hangout on the docks.
“Thanks,” I said as I put the glass back on the surfboard and wiped my chin with the back of my hand. “So, what did you invite me here for?”
“Let me lay it out plainly for you, Josh,” Leon said as he leaned back against the bar. “I know you killed my son, and I know why. My son was a colossal failure. I left him this territory to prove himself while I was claiming more turf on the West Coast.”
“You have territory all the way out there?” I asked in surprise. “How do you control it?”
“It’s all about influence, Josh,” Leon said with a wag of his finger. “You gotta make people fear your name. You gotta make them worry whether or not you’re even in town, because then, even if you’re not, they’re too shit-scared to try anything.”
I swallowed hard at the prospect. I didn’t think I had that in me. I didn’t want people to fear me because I was happy with how things were. My father had never felt the need to make people fear him. If he had, Drake would have thought twice about attacking our warehouses, and he’d done that when Dad was alive.
“Territory is everything, Joshua,” the old Alpha said as his eyes squinted in thought. “Without it, an Alpha is nothing. My letdown of a son let all of this land go, and now he’s dead, and it serves him right. Because he let you take it off him.”
Jeez, this guy didn’t hold back. It was kinda jarring to hear him talk about his own flesh and blood like that, and I knew if my dad ever spoke about me like that to anyone, I’d be fucking heartbroken.
It’s a good thing Drake wasn’t alive to hear it.
“I didn’t claim it, though,” I said. “I’m… I’m new to all of this.”
“Oh, I can tell,” Leon drawled with a chuckle. “And you’re right. You didn’t claim it. But there’s still time yet.”
“What are you saying?” I asked with a furrowed brow.
“I’m saying I’m giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, just like I gave my son,” the Alpha said as he pushed himself off the bar and started walking backward toward the ring. “Except I’ve got a feeling you’re not gonna let me down like he did.”
“What makes you say that?” I asked as I also pushed myself away from the bar and started following him.
The crowd parted silently as he walked through, and I didn’t miss the careful looks they gave Leon so they didn’t hit him before they went back to their cheering and rallying.
“I can see the potential inside of you,” he said as he pointed his finger at me. “The potential for ruthlessness. For the kind of tyranny that will put you on the map and make sure you stay there. You’ve got a killer in you, Josh, and I want to see it.”
Leon smiled widely and revealed his sharp canines that gleamed in the dim light of the decrepit building. Then his eyes flashed bright red before returning to their usual deep blue.
“Are you interested?” he asked as he held his arms out at his side.
“What about your pack?” I asked as I eyed the various ruffians surrounding us. “Surely they’d be a little pissed you’re giving your territory away to an amateur.”
“These guys?” Leon rasped out a laugh. “Nah, these guys aren’t my pack. They’re mostly friends, some acquaintances, some idiots who are gonna regret setting foot in here later.”
“Right…” I said as I eyed the Alpha and his off-putting smirk. “Say I was interested in your territory… what would I have to do?”
“Well, I hate to tell you this, Josh, but you’ve got competition,” Leon said as he walked over to the ring and rested his arms against the elastic rope. “That ‘Carter’ kid wants a shot, you know the one who left that message in your delivery truck? Heard he tried to run you off the road the other night, too. God, he’s a dramatic bastard, alright.”
So, it was Carter who did that. And he hadn’t been acting under anyone’s orders but his own. That did not bode well, especially considering it was almost impossible for a Beta to act on their own volition like that, especially after serving under an Alpha for so long.
If Leon wasn’t lying, and Carter had been plotting against us, then that meant there was no one to rein him in. He was a rabid dog off his leash, and he wouldn’t stop his attempts at killing me and securing his claim on Drake’s territory.
The only way to stop him was if I got there first.
“Isn’t he a Beta?” I asked. “Surely you don’t want to give that to him?”
“The kid’s shown initiative, and that’s saying a lot for a Beta like him,” he said with a shrug. “Plus, it’s not impossible for a Beta to become an Alpha. It just takes time, and a hell of a lot of willpower and strength.”
“Hang on, Betas can become Alphas?” I asked as my mouth hung open in shock.
“Sure can, but it’s damn near impossible to do,” Leon said. “If Carter managed to do that, I’d be really fuckin’ impressed, but I’m not hedging my bets on it. All I need is someone who can claim my territory and rule with the same force the rest of the Drake clan do.”
“Why are you giving it away?” I asked plainly. “I mean, why bother trying to find someone else when it’s yours?”
“I’ve got enough shit to deal with,” Leon sighed. “And enough territory in the West that it’s starting to get a little tricky managing it all. Don’t get me wrong, you say my name over there, and people shit bricks, but I want more of a firm hold on things over there. Manhattan’s a little beneath me now, so I need someone to run the shop while I deal with things over there.”
“So, it’s more like a partnership?” I asked as I tried to put the pieces together.
“Perhaps.” Leon smirked over his shoulder at me, and a shudder ran through my spine.
“Why me, Leon?” I asked. “I mean, I’m a St. James. I’m running my parents’ company that sells the medication to help werewolves from shifting involuntarily. Something your son certainly had a problem with.”
“Oh, I don’t care about that shit,” the Alpha dismissed with a wave of his hand. “Sounds just like the jackass to get hung up over something like that. And look where it got him. Rat chowder.”
