Page 101 of Big Bad Bully
Once the guard swipes his card to allow us to go upstairs, Thaddeus faces the man and stares deep into his eyes. The human goes still, a deer frozen in headlights.
“Hand me the keycard,” Thaddeus orders. The man does so.
“Good boy,” Thaddeus purrs. “Now listen, you’ve decided this job isn’t for you. You’re going to quit and follow your dreams. What is something you’ve always loved to do?”
“Surf,” the human answers.
“Excellent.” Thaddeus instructs the human to pack up his life and head to San Clemente, California. “Go.” The human turns like a robot and heads out of the building.
I’ve never watched a vampire glamour a human, but it turns my stomach to watch.
It’s necessary, though.
“He’ll be happier,” Thaddeus says, as if he can sense my discomfort. He shakes the keycard, a knowing smile on his face, and saunters off. He’ll take care of the rest of the security team. There will be no one left in the building but the people who called for the hit on Aubrey.
No one to hear them scream.
The elevator drops me off at the C-suite. I exit, noting every detail about the room. We’re in a large open space that showcases the amazing view of the city. There are six guys here milling around–the founders and CEO team. Two of them are at a foosball table, playing while their friends watch. Three of them are drinking beer, and one is eating barbecue potato chips–I can smell it. There are a few more scents layered in. Someone is smoking weed, and one of the guys has sweated through his deodorant. There’s also a bitter tang that tells me they’re sampling harder drugs like cocaine.
Finally, one of them notices me and strolls over. He’s an Asian guy, almost as tall as me, and his eyes are a bit glassy.
He spreads his arms in welcome. “William White, right?”
I raise my chin, but don’t bother greeting him. My wolf and I are both ready for violence.
If this guy tries for a handshake, I’ll end up breaking his hand.
“Man, it’s so great to meet you. We’ve all been looking forward to it, right, guys?”
The other guys cheer.
These are the men who tried to take Aubrey from me. If I hadn’t been a wolf with razor sharp senses and heightened speed, the bullet would’ve found its mark, and she would’ve died in my arms.
It’s unthinkable.
They will pay.
I just have to keep control a few minutes longer, long enough for Thaddeus to clear out the security team.
“So great to meet you, man. So great,” the guy in front of me keeps saying. He’s definitely on something. We actually met briefly at the gala when Aubrey’s mural was unveiled, but I’m not going to remind him.
Behind us, the elevator dings, and I tense because I don’t know who might be coming up behind me. Did Thaddeus take care of the rest of the security?
The doors open, and Brick walks out, followed by Nickel, Jake, and Vance.
Brick smiles at me. His eyes glow, and his fangs are longer–his wolf is out. “You didn’t think you’d be doing this alone?”
Relief rushes through me, followed by gratitude. My pack brothers always have my back. Even my alpha is here on the night before his wedding. I hold out my hand, and he clasps it. I use our connection to pull him closer and speak, so only a shifter can hear, “They went after Aubrey. I want them to suffer.”
“Agreed.”
“Uh, guys? What’s going on?”
I paste a bland smile on my face. “I was so looking forward to meeting with you, I brought my whole team.”
“Wow, that’s great. So great.” He waves a hand, inviting us over by the foosball table. “You want to talk business or IPOs or something?”
“Or something.” I give the CEO a real smile, one that shows my fangs, and he takes a step back. And then I pull off my shirt.
