Page 2 of Dubious Match
“I’m sorry, it isn’t you,” I giggle. “I’ll be good, I promise. Please tell them that it’s going well. I’ve pooled my most eligible packs from my clientele as well as personally sent invitations around the city.”
“Well, what did you tell them? You’re a professional matchmaker, Hollis. Cold messaging people seems a bit below you,” Cian scoffs.
Sitting down I shake my head as he joins me.
“I have connections in this city, and my name still means something,” I remind him, pushing my hair over my shoulder. Ijust pulled it out of the claw clip I’ve had it up in all day, hoping that I was nearing the end of my long hours. My head is starting to hurt.
I changed my last name when I turned eighteen, but that doesn’t matter. Once a mafia daughter, always one. It’s why my business sometimes becomes a revolving door of mafia politics. The bottom line is that I’m a safe person for everyone’s romantic needs, and that’s important to me.
“I doubt anyone would say differently,” Cian agrees. “It just feels like a bold move for a dating mixer.”
“You know it’s more than just that,” I reply. “Emilia Richardson thinks she can fuck with the very reason we’re sitting here. Love shouldn’t be a business transaction or manipulated the way she is. It’s exactly the reason I started my business. My mixers are open to all vetted packs, meaning they aren’t rapists, pedophiles, sex traffickers, or anything of the like.”
“Killers are perfectly acceptable,” Cian chuckles.
“I think so. No one is perfect,” I shrug with a smirk. “People are starting to worry about her and her damn podcast. The idea that omegas should only join a pack for safety purposes keeps them small, malleable, and easily manipulated. It goes against everything I stand for.”
“I know. I really didn’t mean it the way it came out,” he says with a wince. “Please forgive me for sticking my foot in my mouth.”
“It’s a sensitive subject,” I say, waving my hand to dispel his words. “You’re perfectly fine. I sent out engraved invitations to packs in Minneapolis that I know are single, and may have an interest in finding their omega through the mixer. It was tasteful and discreet. I keep my ear to the ground for updates in people’s dating statuses, and I also used the Healthy Packs Registry to help.”
“I stand corrected,” he mutters. “You’re an evil match making genius, Hollis.”
Taking a mock bow, I shrug. “I’ve made a name for myself here, even if my surname is fake. I needed to separate myself from my family, Cian. You know how they are.”
“I do,” he admits. “I don’t see Annabelle and Paul very often, but I know they’re proud of you. You represent your family very well in your own way, and are always willing to help.”
“Are you here to kiss my ass, or is there a purpose for this visit?” I tease him. “If we’re going to be here a bit, I’m going to pour myself a drink. Would you like one?”
“God, yes,” he says. “I’m used to politely beating around the bush.”
“Don’t do that with me,” I mutter, standing and moving over to my portable bar.
Pulling it out, I open the ice box that I make at the beginning of the day for my water and manages to stay cold all day. This is where my omega traits lie. I need flexibility, function, and luxury in the small things in my life. Ice and whiskey makes itself into two glasses, and I pick them up to walk back over to Cian.
“Aisling has a short list of omegas that she’d like to be invited to the mixer if possible,” he says. “They’re at Omega’s Haven until the transitional housing is completed, and would like to begin looking for a pack.”
“That’s not a problem,” I say. “Do you have the list?”
Cian pulls out his phone and taps it. The buzz of my phone in my pocket tells me that he’s sent it to me and I nod in thanks.
“I’ll go through it and add their names to my list. They’ll have their own invitations as well,” I say. “Now, what else is weighing on your mind?”
“Life has just been hectic,” he grunts. “There’s always something new, and the closing of that sex club has made some waves. Aisling is struggling to ensure there’s enough room forthe influx of new people, which means I get grumpy when I don’t get to see my daughter.”
“I heard about that,” I say. “A mobile sex club is ingeniously evil. I’m glad it’s been dismantled, even if it means that our city is going to have an influx of new people, it’s not a bad thing. There are plenty of jobs to accommodate them once they’re ready for that step.”
“Yes, but that’s not the real issue,” he says. “I need you to keep your ear to the ground, Hollis. You hear things, whether it be on the dark web or through your clients.”
“Dark…” I trail off as I let his words flow over me.
It’s not a secret to certain people in the mafia that I am a very good hacker, but in return they keep my abilities under wraps. It’s how I was able to afford my business, and what is funding this mixer so I don’t have to reach out to donors and sponsors. I’m just too busy to go through the usual channels. I suppose you can’t take the illegal activities out of me.
“Why do you think I would hear something about freed ex sex workers on the dark web, Cian? What don’t I know?”
About a month ago, a club called Slick Dreams was raided by a group of mafia packs. The men who ran it were killed, and the omegas who were being forced to work there as sex slaves were freed. I’ve been listening to the trickle of news that comes through, but I haven’t seen Aisling recently to ask her about it.
I may need to insist on a coffee date soon.
