Werewolf CEO 2, page 20
“Squabble’s something an old-timer would say,” Matt mumbled into the lip of his bottle.
Dean’s chocolate-brown eyes darted to Matt with a glare, and I spluttered on the sip of beer in my mouth. Matt raised his hands up in defeat and flashed the bartender a toothy smile, but I knew it was all in good fun. Dean shook his head and mumbled something about ‘kids these days having no respect’ as he shuffled off to the back of the bar.
Dean was right, though. We really were like brothers. We used to get mistaken for siblings when we were younger because of how alike we looked. Matt had the same dark hair as me, only his was way more curly than mine. We were also the same little shits growing up, and we’d wreak havoc wherever we went. It had gotten to the point where we just stopped correcting people.
“So… this reporter knows the truth about you?” Matt muttered as soon as Dean was out of earshot.
“Yeah, and she came in pretty hot about it,” I told him with a sigh. “A lot of shit’s gone down since we last talked, Matt. A lot of serious shit.”
“Tell me about it, bro,” the curly-haired human said as he leaned his head on his hand. “I’m all ears.”
I managed to hold back choking on my beer again as Matt mimicked Dean’s words, and I quickly composed myself and started to relay all of the events that had unfolded with Carter and Leon.
“Jesus Christ, can you ever catch a break?” Matt asked as I finished the story.
“Apparently not,” I snorted. “I’m just glad I’ve got Mia.”
“And Emily now,” Matt teased. “Hey, if there’s another hot single werewolf out there that you don’t want, let me know.”
“Shut up, man,” I said as I playfully shoved his shoulder. “You couldn’t handle it.”
“Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you try it, right?” my best friend asked with a smirk. “Truth be told, one of my lady friends told me she was getting engaged last night.”
“Where was this one from?” I asked as I swigged my beer.
“Japan,” he said with a deep sigh. “It was a fling, but I am in dire need of some female attention.”
“We’ll find someone for you, bro,” I said with a reassuring clap on his shoulder.
My mind wandered to Amy, the Beta in my pack. She was cute, but she wasn’t my type. I saw her as more of a little sister, if anything. Matt, on the other hand, would probably fall in love at first sight with her.
“Okay, enough about my failing love life,” he said as he perked up again. “Back to your little wolfy predicament… I wish I could offer some good advice, but I feel a little lost here, man. I mean, I’m only a human.”
“You’re my best friend,” I corrected him. “Any advice from you would count a hell of a lot more than some random werewolf.”
“That means a lot, Josh,” Matt said as he pretended to well up and wipe a tear from his eye. “So, so much.”
“Alright, that’s enough of that,” I said as I hooked my arm around his neck and rubbed my knuckles on his head.
“Hey, Josh, I was meaning to ask you something!” I heard Dean call as he came out of the backroom and walked back over to us.
I quickly released Matt’s head before he could see us, and we both comically straightened our postures and took a long swig from our beers. Dean paused in front of us and raised a skeptical eyebrow, but he shook his head after he decided not to bother with asking.
“What did you wanna ask me, Dean-o?” I asked politely, and I felt Matt kick my foot under the table.
“How are you getting on with the gym?” the bartender asked with a smile. “Ron’s been wonderin’. Well, he’s been wonderin’ when he has his brief moments of consciousness.”
“Shit… how bad is the tab?” I asked with a wince.
“I don’t think you wanna know,” Dean said. “But don’t worry, anytime he’s on the brink of taking it too far, I cut him off.”
“Okay, good.” I sighed in relief. “I don’t wanna be the reason that guy gets sent to the hospital for alcohol poisoning.”
“Trust me, kid, Ron’s got a stomach of steel,” the bartender reassured me.
“Hang on… gym?” Matt asked as he looked between Dean and me in confusion. “You’ve got a gym?”
“Well, I’ve refurbished it into a…” I trailed off as my eyes darted to Dean. “A home for some people who didn’t have a place to stay.”
“Josh is a proper philanthropist now, Matty,” Dean said with a wag of his finger. “Spending his money on helping others, just like his Pop.”
“Well, I for one wanna see this place,” Matt said as he put his beer down and crossed his arms.
“Sure, we can go over there,” I said with a shrug and pulled my wallet out to pay my tab. “I gotta warn you, though, it’s not… fully furnished.”
“Did you manage to get it cleaned up alright?” Dean asked as he took away our empty beer bottles.
“Yeah, we got a cleaning crew to come out, and they did a great job,” I said as I fished out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to the bartender. “We managed to get some furniture in there, too.”
“That’s great, Josh! Honestly, I thought Ron was just gonna let that place fall apart, but I’m glad you’ve managed to do something good with it.” Dean flashed me a genuine smile. “If you need any help getting furniture, give me a buzz. I’m sure that someone here will have something to sell or give to you.”
“Thanks, man,” I said as I slipped my wallet back into my pocket and stood up to leave. “I’ll let you know.”
“Take care, you two,” the bartender said with a wave, but then he pointed a finger at us and narrowed his eyes. “And stay out of trouble.”
“Who, us?” Matt asked with a gasp of fake outrage.
“We’ll try,” I chuckled as we started to leave, and I nudged my friend with my elbow. “You know he means you, right?”
“Yeah, well, if Dean knew half the shit I know about you, he’d be talking about you, too,” Matt teased as we headed back out into the street. “So, where is this place?”
“A couple of blocks away,” I said and stifled a laugh as Matt’s shoulders dropped. “Matty, it’s like ten minutes.”
“I know but… now I’ve had alcohol…” he pouted and rubbed his stomach for effect.
“Come on, jackass,” I drawled and started to pull him along with me.
We eventually made it to the den after a lot of complaining from Matt about walking in the heat after drinking and just waking up, but when we stopped in front of the huge red-brick building, he immediately shut up.
“Damn.” He whistled. “‘Rickman’s Gym,’ huh?”
“Not anymore,” I said with a smile.
Hey, guys, I’m coming over with a friend of mine, I quickly said down the bond as we approached the front door. He knows about us.
I could hear the sound of heavy breathing and the sound of the springy mat of the wrestling ring in the center of the room bouncing, and I pushed open the door first so Matt didn’t have to.
My face lit up as soon as we entered the room. Luke and Amy were fighting in the ring while Finn and Katie were giving each wolf pointers. They had hardly noticed our arrival, which allowed us to watch and admire the two Betas putting up a pretty good fight against each other.
“Luke, your left flank is open!” Finn shouted. “She’s gonna take advantage!”
“Amy, take advantage of his left flank!” Katie shouted over the top of him. “Watch for weak points!”
Amy successfully dodged Luke’s next punch and then slammed her fist into his left side. The spiky-haired Beta grunted as he fell to the floor, and Amy pinned his arm down with her knee and raised her claws above her head in victory.
“I win, little brother,” she said with a victorious smirk.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Luke batted her away before he clutched at his side. “Jeez, did you have to hit me that hard?”
“Carter’s pack won’t pull punches,” Katie warned him. “You need to feel the threat of being hurt in order to learn how to fight properly.”
“Oh, I feel the threat, alright,” he grumbled and begrudgingly took his sister’s outstretched hand. “And so do my ribs.”
“Yeah, you’ll get over it,” Amy teased before her head suddenly snapped to look at us. “Oh, shit, Josh! We didn’t hear you come in.”
“You were too busy kicking ass,” I said with a proud smile as Matt and I walked further into the room. “I think it’s understandable.”
Amy blushed as she looked right at Matt, and she bashfully tucked a lock of her platinum-blonde hair behind her ear. I turned to see my friend staring at her with his mouth wide open in shock, and I nudged him with my elbow to snap him out of his trance.
“Uhh, hi, sorry, I’m Josh-- I mean, I’m Josh’s Matt, friend–” he stuttered, and I had to smother my laughter with my hand. “I’m Josh’s friend, Matt. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Amy,” the Beta introduced herself with a giggle. “This is my brother, Luke.”
“I’m Katie,” the ginger Beta said with a short nod.
“Finn.” The large ex-bodyguard raised his hand up in the air in greeting.
“Klaus,” the quiet Beta who was sitting reading a book on one of the couches said and raised up his hand, too.
“Well, it’s great to meet you guys!” Matt said with a nervous laugh. “I’m uhh, I’m just a human. But I’m not gonna tell on you. I mean… I don’t even know who I could tell. I’d probably look like a lunatic. A lunatic talking about wolves--”
“Matt?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re rambling,” I said with a smile.
“Yeah, I am.” The curly-haired human sighed. “This place looks great, though. I don’t even wanna know what it looked like before you got involved.”
“No, you really don’t,” I chuckled. “It was a fixer-upper, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, and you weren’t kidding when you said this place didn’t have much furniture,” he snorted. “Where’s the pool table? The mini bar? The goddamn TV, Josh?”
“Those are still in the works, but I can get Mia to order some things online,” I said.
“You can’t expect these guys to hang around here all day and not play video games,” Matt scoffed.
“I think training is more important than that right now,” Katie said as she raised an eyebrow.
“But… a video game console would be really cool,” Luke quickly added. “You know, for after we trained.”
“After you train,” Katie enunciated and gave Luke a sharp look.
“Yes, ma’am.” Luke saluted the ex-veteran, which made her crack a smile. “Anyway, is there any news about Carter?”
“No, Matt just wanted to see the place, so I thought we’d swing around,” I said. “How’s the training going? Apart from what I’ve seen already, of course.”
“It’s going really well,” Finn said with a nod. “Katie had us up at six AM. Sharp.”
“Yeah, it felt like a military drill,” Luke grumbled under his breath and awkwardly scratched his neck.
“I told you I’d whip these guys into shape, and that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Katie said with a proud smile. “Drake never cared about my military training. In fact, he never bothered to find out. But I knew it would come in handy. And I knew you’d give more than two shits about it, Josh.”
“You’re a good fighter,” I praised. “Drake was an idiot for overlooking that.”
Katie’s pale cheeks flushed pink, and I could see her eyes twinkle as they filled up with tears, but her brief moment of emotion was gone in an instant as she cleared her throat and straightened her posture.
“Hey, Josh?” Matt said, and I could see he had a mischievous look in his eye.
“Oh, god, what?” I asked.
“I bet I could take you in the ring,” he said and pointed to where Luke and Amy were still standing.
“You’re kidding, right?” I laughed. “I’m a Supreme Alpha, Matt. I’d crush you.”
“Okay, well, let’s make it an equal playing field then.” The curly-haired human shrugged. “No wolf form. Just two bros hashing it out.”
“‘Two bros hashing it out,’” I repeated with a raised eyebrow. “Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Matt?”
“Shut up, just get in the ring,” he said with a grin and rushed over to the ropes.
Luke slid out in one fluid motion, but Amy remained as Matt climbed into the ring.
“Good luck,” she said sweetly. “You’re gonna need it.”
Matt’s dopey grin fell as she slid out of the ring, too, and he was left standing there with wide eyes. He really had no idea what he was asking for, but I was gonna go easy on him. I could tell he was probably doing this to impress Amy, and my first guess had most definitely been right.
“Alright, Matty,” I said as I cracked my neck from side to side before I slid into the ring. “Let’s see what you got.”
“Yeah,” Matt chuckled nervously and put up his fists. “But for real, no wolf form.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said with a wink before I swung my fist out at him.
Matt managed to dodge the blow, but only just. In retaliation, he tried to kick my legs out, but I sidestepped out of the way, which made him lose his balance. I gave him a minute to get back on both feet before I lashed out again.
I was going easy on him and purposefully pulling my punches, so when my fist made contact with his side, it was more a light tap. Matt stumbled regardless, and he staggered into the ropes.
“You hit like a girl,” he mocked before he shot a quick look outside the ring. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Katie and Amy replied at the same time in a dry tone.
“I’m only using a small portion of my strength right now, buddy,” I said as I stalked closer to him. “Are you sure you want more?”
“Y-Yeah!” he called out as confidently as he could. “Bring it, St. James.”
“Alright,” I said with a shrug before I quickly darted out and punched his abdomen.
Matt spluttered on a cough but managed to get a hit on my face. It felt like nothing, and when I didn’t react, his eyes widened. He hit me again, but I remained upright and unbothered. But when he went to do it again, I grabbed his fist and swung him over my back.
He landed on the springy floor with a grunt, and I quickly pinned him down with my knees, just like how Amy had with Luke. I tipped my head to the side as I smirked down at my best friend, and I waited for him to catch his breath.
“So… not… fair,” he groaned.
“I went easy on you,” I whispered to him. “But I think you’ve impressed her, so you’re in the clear.”
“Really?” he asked as his eyes suddenly opened, and a grin made its way onto his face. “You think so?”
“Look for yourself,” I said, and we both turned to look at Amy, who was hiding her blush behind her hand since she’d definitely heard us. “Come on, let’s get you up.”
I reached down and hauled Matt off the floor with ease, and I helped him keep his balance. Then I clapped him on the back with a grin as he stretched his arms out a little.
“Nice job, man,” I complimented him.
“Yeah, you fought well for a human,” Amy said as her eyes sparkled with amusement. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Matt repeated her earlier words with a bashful smile.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I quickly pulled it out to see a text from Mia asking how it was going. I didn’t like the thought of leaving her at the office alone for two days in a row, so I slipped my phone back in my pocket and slid through two of the ropes to get out of the ring.
“Hey, guys, I’m gonna head off and get back to Mia,” I said to my pack. “Keep up the good work, though. You guys are really making progress.”
“We will,” Katie said.
“Matt, you coming?” I asked my friend, who was still staring at Amy.
“Huh? Oh, I’ll, uhh… I’ll think I’ll stay, actually,” he said as he snapped out of his daze. “If that’s okay with you guys.”
“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Amy immediately said, which earned her a jab in the hip from her brother. “What?”
“Right in front of me?” the blond Beta grumbled.
“Shut up, punk,” his sister hissed under her breath before she turned back to Matt with a sweet smile.
“You guys have fun,” I chuckled as I started to head for the door. “And don’t distract them for too long, Matt. I need them on their A game.”
“You got it,” Matt said with a thumbs up.
“Oh, Josh, we got a delivery this morning,” Katie quickly said before I could leave. “Some fancy guys in suits brought it in. It was wrapped up real tight, so we didn’t want to open it without your permission.”
“You guys don’t need my permission,” I reassured her. “Anything that gets delivered here is yours.”
“What is it?” Luke asked in eager excitement. “I thought it was a TV. Klaus bet an aquarium.”
“No, I didn’t!” Klaus called out without even looking away from his book.
“He really did,” Luke whispered behind his hand.
“Whatever it was has to be more fancy than an aquarium if the Men in Black brought it here,” Amy joked.
“That must be the painting I bought at the auction yesterday,” I said. “Feel free to hang it wherever you like.”
“You bought us a painting… from an auction?” Amy asked as her mouth swung open in disbelief.
“Jesus, Josh, how much did that cost?” Matt asked.
“Enough for it to be a collector’s piece,” I said with a smirk. “I thought it was very… fitting, for our little den here.”
“I’ll run by the hardware store and pick up some tools to hang it,” Finn said as he headed over to the door.
“You didn’t have to do that, Josh,” Katie said softly.
“I know I didn’t.” I shrugged. “But I wanted to.”
Finn and I left the building together, and we parted ways a little bit down the street. Then I texted Roland and told him where he could pick me up and waited for him to arrive.
