Page 54 of Connected

He nods and takes a deep breath, then drains the last of the liquor from his glass. “You know, Rhys said we can use the limo if we want?”

“Oh, right… okay, sure. So where the hell is Rhys?”

“He had to go back to his office—some business he had to take care of.”

“Okay… well, I’ll just be five minutes then we can head off,” she looks at Darius and smiles.

“You know what,” Darius gestures to the exit, “I’m just gonna go grab a cab outside—I’ll leave you pair to it.”

“You sure?” Digby frowns. “Dee, are you, all right?”

“Yeah, I told you, I’m fine. I just… you know, had a moment—got to thinking about stuff—Isabella and the baby, that kinda thing. What went down in Mexico last week, got in my head—maybe a little more than it should’ve. All that stuff with the She-wolf, Eloise, losing her pup—I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

“Yeah, that sure wasn’t good. I’m sorry man, I know it must be hard losin’ a kid, but it’s not like you to dwell on the past. You sure there’s not somethin’ else you’re thinkin’ about?”

“No, no I’m good. But hey, don’t mention anything to Kat. I didn’t tell her the whole story, about Isabella yet.”

“Okay, sure thing. You sure you don’t wanna come back with us? There’s plenty of room in the limo.”

“No, I’ll let you enjoy the rest of your evening, after all, it’s a full moon, right?” Darius smiles. “Anyway, I could do with some air. Oh, and who was the asshole you had a problem with earlier?”

“I don’t know, never seen him before. Just some wannabee gangster tryin’ to act tough. This party was always gonna be a bad idea. Kat—being what she is—it’s too much temptation, especially on a full moon. Too many strangers thinkin’ they can take from this pack. He’s nothin’. Don’t worry, I set him straight.”

“Good. But you sure that’s all it was? Nothing you think we should be worried about?”

“Nah… Rhys sorted it and sent him on his way.”

“All right, then I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your night.”

“I plan to, don’t worry,” Digby smiles as he glugs back the last of his drink.

***

“Hey boss, so you wanted to see me?”

“Ah, Klaus, come in. Shut the door. So, did you find out who let that asshole into my club?”

“Yeah, it was uh… well, he was on… he was on Michael’s guest list. He was the one signed him in—a VIP.”

“Right, well I hoped you weren’t gonna tell me that—but that’s exactly what I thought you’d say. Klaus, you see those screens?” Leaning back in the large office chair, Rhys puts his feet up and sips some of the expensive whisky filling a crystal tumbler as he gestures to the bank of monitors filling the wall opposite his desk.

“Uh, which one Boss?”

“The one at the very top—the live feed from Noir—you see it?”

“Uh yeah. But, I thought Michael said there weren’t any cameras in there, in Noirs? I heard him say that the vamps didn’t like bein’ watched.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t tell Michael about the cameras, but I have plenty in there—in fact, I have them everywhere. You never know what you might need to see, plus it helps me to know who I can trust. Klaus, you’re a wolf—a stray without a pack—but yet you still know about loyalty. You’re personally aware of what happens to wolves when they’re not loyal, how a pack shuns them. But one thing you should always remember is shifters have no loyalty. You see that guy, the one talking to Michael? Do you know who he is?”

“No, not exactly. He’s new, but he has been in here quite a few times recently. He seems pretty polite, good manners, but I don’t know much about him. As you know, Michael handles the vamps—he must’ve been the one who okayed his membership.”

“Right. Well, from now on, I want you to keep an eye on him, do you understand? Oh, and Klaus, we didn’t have this conversation—it’s just between us. Am I clear?”

“Yes boss, I understand. Uh, Boss, Hudson’s waitin’ outside—he said you wanted to see him? You want me to send him in?”

“Yeah, send him in now.” He nods as he tops up his glass from the bottle on his desk.“Ah, Hudson. Come… Shut the door.” Rhys studies the large muscular wolf as he quietly closes the door.

Nervously Hudson then steps closer to the front of the desk. “Uh, so did I do somethin’ wrong, Boss? Is it because of that whole situation earlier, only that all happened way faster than I could do anythin’ to stop it. And before you say it, I know I need to up my game—behind the bar—that I’ve been chattin’ with the ladies a little too much and that I need to get back to hittin’ my targets. I’m gonna work hard on that and… hell, I’ll even drop my bonus this month if it will help cos, I know I—”

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