Werewolf CEO 2, page 19
“How the--” I cut myself off and covered my shock with a laugh. “Miss Hughes, there haven’t been any attacks on my warehouses.”
“You can call me Hallie, Josh,” she said with the faintest hint of a smirk. “I think it’s best we get on more familiar terms, seeing as I know your dirty little secret.”
“And what dirty little secret would that be, Hallie?” I asked carefully.
“Do you really want me to say it?” the brunette asked with an innocent tilt of her head. “You don’t need to pretend with me. I know everything. And I think your situation is more dire than you realize.”
Do you want me to intervene? Mia’s voice suddenly asked down the bond. I can tell her to leave and get the guard to escort her out.
No, it’s okay, I reassured my mate. I want to hear how much she knows.
Okay, but I’m still right here if you need me, the blonde said cautiously.
“I’m afraid you’re gonna have to give me more than that,” I said as I threaded my fingers together and rested them on top of the desk. “I’m kinda in the dark here.”
“I’m onto you, I’m onto all of you in New York,” the reporter said confidently. “I have been for a long time. Your parents refused to speak to me. I don’t know how they knew about my ulterior motive, but they did.”
Shit. If they’d kept her at arm’s length, then I should have, too. But Ali hadn’t recognized her, and neither had Mia. So that meant she’d tried other means of getting an ‘interview’ with my parents.
“Again, I’m not entirely sure what it is you’re referring t--”
“You’re a werewolf,” she said bluntly.
Her heartbeat remained consistent, and there wasn’t a single ounce of fear in her hazel eyes as she stared at me. It felt like I’d had the wind knocked out of me as she said my biggest secret so brazenly, like it was nothing. Like it wouldn’t completely destroy my reputation in New York and bring down god knows how much shit on us.
“Werewolf?” I scoffed and sat back like I thought the idea was ridiculous. “I think you’ve been watching too many teen movies, Miss Hughes.”
“You don’t need to patronize me, Mr. St. James,” the reporter said with an overly sweet smile. “I’m not here to expose you. On the contrary, actually. I’m here to offer you help. A ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ kinda deal.”
“And I should entertain this ludicrous accusation, because…?” I asked as I kept my cool. “To give you a headline that pays the bills for the rest of your career?”
“Like I said, I’m not here to expose you, this is my own investigation, completely outside of the Times,” she explained. “I want your help, and you’re gonna need mine if you want to stop whoever jacked up your car.”
I shuffled in my seat a little. This girl clearly knew something, but I couldn’t exactly just go along with it and let her in on my biggest family secret. She thought she knew the truth, and I couldn’t do anything to validate that.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t try and get more out of her.
“You said something about the ‘situation’ being more dire than I realize,” I said as I carefully chose my words. “What do you mean by that?”
“So you’re confirming that you’re a wolf?” The reporter suddenly perked up, and her hazel eyes sparked with hope.
“I didn’t confirm anything,” I warned. “I’m entertaining you. So, what situation are you referring to?”
Hallie’s shoulders sagged in defeat as she sighed and rolled her eyes. She put her pen back into her notebook, and then she shoved it back under her arm before she begrudgingly rolled her head to look back at me.
“Increased violence in the city, more than there has been in the last thirty-five years,” Hallie said in an eerie tone. “Not to mention more and more missing persons cases by the day. The NYPD has put it down to economic factors affecting the city, but I know they’re wrong. This is something to do with werewolves, and I can’t exactly go into the office saying that without being put in a straightjacket.”
There was no way it was Carter contributing to the rise in missing persons cases. Betas couldn’t turn humans, only Alphas could.
“How recent are these missing person cases?” I asked carefully.
I’d eliminated Drake, and we knew he was kidnapping people and forcing them join his pack, so why the hell would it still be going on? Or at least enough to grab the attention of a reporter from the New York Times.
“It’s been consistent,” she said. “And that includes today.”
Drake was gone, which meant it had to be Leon. Although I don’t know why he’d want more runts to fill up his fighting den, especially considering the fact he was planning on leaving the city after this whole mess was dealt with.
“So, that’s why you’ve come here,” I said. “Because you think I can help.”
“I know you can help,” she said firmly. “If you just drop the act and talk to me, then we could do something about this.”
“What makes you think I can do anything about missing person cases?” I asked. “Hallie, I’m the CEO of a drug company, not Batman.”
“You have money, and you have power,” the brunette drawled. “Exactly the same as Batman, St. James. The only other thing you need is the courage to do something about it.”
“Right,” I snorted. “Okay, Miss Hughes, I think that’s enough for today--”
“Have you ever heard of the Guild of the Silver Claw?” she asked before I could get another word out.
“Guild of the Silver Claw?” I repeated with a confused frown. “A bit on the nose, don’t you think?”
“Enough games, Josh, this is serious,” the brunette pleaded. “I think they’re the ones behind all of this. I don’t have much information right now, but I need you as an ally if I’m going to find out more about them.”
Whoever this ‘Guild of the Silver Claw’ was sounded pretty damn serious, if she was telling the truth. But she’d have no reason to lie about something like this. After all, she was right about me being a werewolf, and she had figured that out on her own, so who was to say that she hadn’t figured this out, too?
I was intrigued, and if I played my cards right, I could find out more about this Guild and still keep her in the dark about my heritage.
“Listen, Hallie, I…” I trailed off with a sigh. “This all sounds crazy.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” she scoffed. “I can’t go to anyone else about this. But if I just keep my mouth shut while innocent people are being kidnapped, or worse, then I won’t be able to sleep at night.”
She seemed genuine. Her pretty ruthless approach was drenched in the need to do good, and I liked that about her. Her heartbeat had remained consistent when she said she wasn’t planning on exposing us, so I was inclined to believe her. I still didn’t want to reveal all of my cards right now, but I needed her as a way of getting information.
“Look, I’m not saying I believe in any of this,” I lied through my teeth. “But if there really is something going on in New York, I’ll try and help.”
“You will?” Hallie asked as she blinked in surprise. “Y-You’d do that?”
“I guess you can call me Batman,” I teased with a wink. “If you find anything else on this ‘Guild,’ give me a call. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Shit, thanks,” she said with a breathless laugh as she pulled out her phone and passed it over to me. “I thought you were gonna shut me out like your parents did.”
My heart ached a little at the thought of them ignoring this problem. If they’d listened to her, would things have worked out differently? Would this ‘Guild,’ if it existed, even still be here if Jasper and Mary St. James had gotten involved?
Would they still be alive…
I shook my head at the thought of all of the ‘what-ifs’ and passed my phone over to Hallie so she could put her number in while I put mine in hers. I put the contact under ‘Bruce Wayne’ and watched as her face lit up when I passed her phone back to her.
“Well, Bruce, thank you for your time.” She smiled as she stood up from the chair and made her way over to the door. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Sure thing,” I said as I rose up out of my own chair. “And, for the record, I’m not confirming anything.”
“Understood, Josh.” The reporter nodded with a smirk before her eyes trailed across the paintings hung up in the room again. “There really is some unique decor here.”
Hallie sighed as she looked at each piece before she looked at me again, and the knowing smirk on her face almost got me riled up. She wiggled her fingers at me in goodbye before she walked out of my office, and she said goodbye to Mia before she allowed the guard to escort her back to the elevator without a fuss.
I kept my eyes trained on her the entire way back, and when she turned around in the elevator and met my gaze, I swallowed hard at the smirk still on her face. She waved again just as the elevator doors started to close, and I let out a long breath once she was out of sight.
“Sooooo,” Mia began as she came out from behind her desk and into my office. “How did that go?”
The blonde leaned against the doorway with her arms folded and a knowing smirk on her face. I let out a breathy laugh and tousled my hair as I tried to process what the hell had just happened.
“That was… interesting, to say the least,” I said. “How the hell did she know about us?”
“Reporters,” Mia sighed as she walked fully into my office. “They always find a way.”
“Have you ever heard of this ‘Guild of the Silver Claw’?” I asked.
“Never.” My mate shook her head with a frown. “Sounds pretty serious, though.”
“Yeah, it does,” I agreed. “Do you think they could be the higher power Leon was getting at?”
“If they’re real, quite possibly,” Mia said as she cocked her head thoughtfully. “Maybe the board will know something about them?”
“If anyone will, it’ll be those guys,” I said. “But that’s gonna have to wait. I need a break. She really caught me off guard.”
“And really turned you on, apparently,” my girlfriend giggled. “Where are you gonna go?”
“Is it too early for a drink at Josie’s?” I smirked.
“It’s never too early for a drink at Josie’s, Josh,” the Omega said with a wink. “I would offer to come with you, but I’ve got a lot to do today.”
“I’ll give Matt a call, I’m sure he’ll be around,” I said as I fished for my phone. “He’d never turn down a free drink at Josie’s.”
“Even on a weekday?” she asked.
“Especially on a weekday,” I snorted.
I flicked through my contacts and smiled when I saw Hallie’s name in there. Then I scrolled down until I found Matt’s name and immediately clicked it. It rang for a few seconds before I heard the sound of shuffling.
“Unghh, hello?” Matt’s sleepy voice asked.
“Did I just wake you up?” I asked with a laugh.
“Maybe,” he grumbled. “What can I do for you, Sir Josh?”
“Well, my squire, I was wondering if you would like to partake in a flagon of ale with me at Josie’s,” I drawled in a regal accent.
I heard Matt scrambling around, followed by a thud.
“Ow,” he groaned. “When?”
“As soon as you can pick yourself up off the floor,” I teased.
“I’m there,” my best friend immediately said. “Just… let me find some clean clothes.”
“Sure thing,” I said with a playful roll of my eyes before I hung up.
“So, that’s a yes?” Mia smirked.
“A big yes,” I said as I made my way over to her so I could kiss her goodbye. “Same thing as yesterday, okay? Don’t leave here unless it’s with me.”
“Don’t worry, Alpha, I won’t disobey orders.” The blonde winked, and I felt my dick twitch a little at her words. “I’ll see you later tonight.”
“I mean… I could always just stay here with you… alone in my office… and then--”
“Go and meet your friend, Josh!” Mia giggled as she playfully shoved me out of the room. “There will be time for that another day.”
“There better be,” I said as I pointed my finger at her and started to walk toward the elevator. “I mean it.”
“I know you do, hot stuff.” My mate winked at me again as I got into the elevator and went straight down to the reception area.
I texted Roland to come and pick me up and drop me off at Josie’s. My car wouldn’t be done until later tonight, which meant I was back to having my own personal chauffeur.
Roland was a big bald guy who always wore black glasses and a black suit. He looked like one of the Men in Black, but he was probably cooler than any of those guys put together.
He pulled up within a minute of me sending the text and greeted me with a small smile and a wave.
“Good to see you again, sir,” he said as I hopped in the backseat. “So, Josie’s?”
“You got it, Roland,” I said as I buckled up. “Thanks again for taking me.”
“Of course, sir,” the driver said like it was obvious. “It’s my job.”
I made idle conversation with him on the way up to Josie’s bar, and it was nice catching up with the guy who’d driven me around for a large chunk of my time here at Lunar Corp. I still remembered how shocked I was that I’d been given my own personal driver who showed up in a black Mercedes in front of my shoddy little apartment on my first day.
How times had changed since then.
We arrived at Josie’s in no time thanks to Roland taking a few backroads to avoid the traffic, and I thanked the guy as I got out and told him I’d call him when I needed to be picked up.
Matt was already outside of the bar waiting for me, and as soon as he spotted me climbing out of the car, he perked up and waved his hand rapidly.
Matt was my childhood best friend, and we were honestly closer to being brothers than friends. We hadn’t seen much of each other over the past few years, since he’d gone traveling around the world, but he’d recently come back home to New York after my parents died. He wanted to be there for me, and I appreciated it more than he could ever know.
Plus, having someone from my old life with me now made me feel more at ease. Like I hadn’t completely changed.
“There he is,” he said as I approached him, and as soon as I was close enough, he pulled me into a tight bear hug. “God, you smell so rich.”
“Dad’s cologne,” I chuckled as I pulled away and clapped his shoulder. “You look like you just woke up.”
His unruly hair looked even more messy than usual, and there were light purple bags under his eyes. He had a disheveled anime t-shirt on that looked like it had never seen an iron, and he wore black cargo shorts and black sneakers without any socks on.
Yeah, he’d definitely rushed out of bed to get here.
“Hey, I tried!” the curly-haired human protested. “My sleep schedule has been anything but normal the past few days.”
“Back to your nocturnal habits already, Matty?” I teased as we started to make our way inside.
The smell of alcohol and sweat was already strong, and it flooded my nostrils the moment we opened the door.
“You know, I’ve spent months living on a different continent, I think I can be let off for a lapse in sleep schedule,” he defended himself and puffed out his chest.
“Shut up, man.” I chuckled and slung my arm around his shoulder. “Dean-o!”
The old bartender perked up at my calling his name and almost dropped the glass he was cleaning as he spotted us. His wrinkled face lit up, and he quickly put the glass down on the bar before he raised his arms up in the air.
“Hey, there they are!” he called out.
Some of the patrons nursing their drinks looked over at his sudden loudness before they quickly went back to drinking. It wasn’t too busy, which made sense given the time. Around five locals were hunched over in different corners of the bar, and there were a few unfamiliar faces chatting away with each other at a few of the tables.
“Good to see you, Dean,” Matt said as he led us over to the barstools in front of said bartender. “How have you been?”
“As young as ever,” the bartender said and cracked his back for effect. “What can I get you, boys?”
“Two beers, please,” I said as I sat down next to Matt. “Put it on my tab.”
“You got it, kid,” Dean said before he reached into the refrigerator and pulled out two green bottles. “So, what’s the occasion?”
“I needed a break from work,” I said as I pulled the cap off the bottle myself. “Today was a little… stressful.”
“Wanna share?” the old man asked. “You know me, I’m allll ears.”
“I know you are, Dean, which is why I’m very reluctant to tell you anything,” I joked. “We had a reporter come in today to ask some questions about the company. And let’s just say she was a little ruthless.”
“Oh, shit, did she ask about your parents?” Matt asked with wide eyes.
“Yeah, among other things…” I trailed off and shared a brief look with Matt, who immediately understood what I was getting at. “She was hot, though.”
“Well, I suppose it wasn’t all for nothing then.” Dean winked and passed Matt the other bottle. “God, what I’d do to look like you again, kid.”
“Are you telling me you don’t get flirted with by old-timers, old-timer?” Matt teased the bartender.
“Never joke about the guy pouring your drinks, son,” Dean said as he reached for the glass he’d been cleaning when we arrived. “Rule number one.”
“He’s just pulling your leg, Dean,” I chuckled. “Matt’s upset because he had to leave all of his lady friends halfway across the world.”
“You make it sound like I’m lying!” he protested.
“Oh, no, I believe you,” I drawled, but I couldn’t fight back a smirk. “Definitely.”
“Jerk.”
“Asshole.”
“God, I forget how you two act like brothers,” Dean laughed. “Excuse me while I go and find something to do behind the bar so I can get away from this squabble.”
