Page 48 of Escalating Alpha

“Yeah, very clear the enemy you made today, Thomas.”

I blinked at him. “I’m sorry, did you introduce yourself to me or give any pleasantries or did you basically bitch I wasn’t here faster like you whistled for your dog when I landed? Yeah, I started this. All me.”

I was being a bitch and we all knew it. I was talking to one of their brass. Not at the very top but someone running a division and cushy job.

So what? They wanted to treat me like dirt, then they got the same back.

I waited until we were loaded into the local FBI vehicles the division chief provided before I looked at him that I was ready for an explanation.

I needed it to get started on what came next.

But also, I needed to know how badly I had to spank him.

12

He sighed. “I didn’t fucking know what was going on, Thomas. I swear it. This wasn’t our fuckup or trying to handle non-human cases. Ijustfound out this morning. I’m the one who reported it directly to Galvin because I knew it would be a mess that the local PD hid four supe deaths. I get he’s under a lot of stress but…”

I snorted. “He didn’t wait for the full story. Yeah, we’re used to that.”

He snorted next. “We’re good. I just talked to you last week. I would have told you if I’d known. He’s pissed I didn’t know sooner. How could I? If they’re not sharing information with us—I don’t have enough of the budget I need already. Does he want me to send agents to snoop local PDs that they’re really turning over what they should?”

I snorted. Yeah, that wouldn’t do much besides make things worse. “You guys don’t have a good relationship with your PD?”

He let out a small growl and scrubbed his neck. “It used to be better, but one of the newest lieutenant colonels was big on the former president’s agenda. Off the record, I have a feeling this was without the commissioner’s knowledge. He’s—I can’t see him pulling this shit.”

I nodded. We had rogue anti-supe—even anti-federal—in CPD. There was no getting around it. People had their own agendas and used their power for them.

“Perez and I have six months of our costs now even with the upgrades and renovations. We’ve cut so many bullshit costs and corners getting rid of dead weight and finally handling so much we all know is crap. I’m hopeful with theglaringproof that it will get better,” I told him, seeing the frustration and burnout I knew well.

“Yeah, but that’s only for when our office gets overhauled. We’re far down on the list. They took forever to do it, and now they’re not really doing another one until they give your place a while to work. I don’t get that or—”

“That was smart so it didn’t fall apart,” I sighed. “And given how we raced to do it—once it’s really going, it will go fast down the list. It should be two months per office.”

He couldn’t hide his shock but then sighed. “Supes. You have supes involved.”

“Yes, ones I know personally and are fine being the flooring and painting elves who help us but cannot be fucked with or bullied. They cannot be. So part of this was to show how well things went so hopefully a lot of chiefs care more about that than bullying vampires or being pissed us supes are in their hallowed halls.”

“Or start rewarding those of us who work well with your office,” he bit out. “We’ve always handed over what we should and—stop giving the problems so much attention and reward those who deserve it.”

“Preaching to the choir, man.”

We were quiet for a bit, but he broke the silence right before we reached where we were going. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this and your SAiC couldn’t just handle it. I didn’t deny her information. I didn’t have any to fucking give.” He nodded whenI did a double take. “The local supes called us and finally told us what was going on. That’s how my morning started.”

“Wolf Alpha?” I hedged.

“How did you know? He seems to have a real hard-on for you,” he worried.

“Yeah, I know,” I sighed. Heavily. “I might be the Alpha of the wolves soon if he doesn’t pull his head out of his ass.”

“Maybe you can get the others in line. I don’t like to listen to rumors, but even I hear all of the time that they’re involved in stealing this and that.”

“We’ll sniff around while we’re here, but I doubt it. You don’t even know the mess and bullshit that’s dumped on us just for being supes.”

“Or people assume they’re supes because they’re criminals,” Emilio added from the passenger’s seat. “We see that all of the time in Chicago or when I worked for the council. People completely sure they were reporting vampires and they were human. They assumed supes because they were bad guys.”

“Yeah, that actually seems likely around here,” the division chief grumbled.

Lovely.

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