Page 33 of Fixer
He frowned.“That seems…”
“What?Unethical?Criminal?”I put a little bite in my voice, because that was how the job went, being a Fixer.The Alpha said, “Get this done,” but they and the pack didn’t want to know what we did to achieve those results.I’d done far worse things than blackmailing a crook.
“I was thinking more along the lines of difficult,” Wade said mildly.“Complicated.”
“Ah.No, in many ways it’s more straightforward.I’ll have to see if what we’ve found is enough, if I can’t get better leverage.”I’d print out the pictures, enlarge them, and read them, then do a deep dive into Misters Rosswurn and Quentin.
“Can I help?”
“Do you know how to develop film?”If he did, I could dig into the other stuff faster.
“No.Sorry.You could teach me?”
“Sometime.”I liked the idea of guiding Wade through a new skill.Another new skill.My ass clenched in memory of the last excellent talent I’d taught Wade.“Not instantly, though.”He wasn’t trained for the sneaking around I planned to do, either, so this venture into the city would be all mine.“See if you can find out when the next city council meeting is.Mina might know.I’ll get her to contact you.The mayor and his cronies will need approval for this change of plans.Hopefully, we have until the public unveiling to convince them this grift is a bad idea.”
“That’s logical.”
I pretended the note of approval in his voice didn’t warm me down inside, and put the car in gear.
We arrived back at Wade’s and I parked a block away, but hesitated.I didn’t want to assume my welcome was unlimited.“I could let you off here.Head down into the city now.”
Wade growled deep in his throat, then blinked and glanced away.“Sorry, but no, what kind of tomfool idea is that?Get some sleep at my place.Drive in the morning.”
That was reassuring.I reached over and rubbed his knee.“Just sleep?”
“If you’re too tired.”
“I’m almost never too tired.”
A smile bloomed on his face.“Good to know.Neither am I.”
Chapter 10
Wade
I woke wrapped around Dustin in my bed.The taste of him lingered in my mouth, a bit stale and yet my dick hardened approvingly.I forced myself to let go and climb off him.He smiled, something soft and hazy in his expression that I’d never seen from Dustin.
Then his gaze sharpened.“Right.Time to get moving.”He bounced to his feet, ducked around me, and headed for the bathroom.I thought about asking to join him in the shower, but heard the lock click, so okay, maybe not.
We ate a fast breakfast, and by six-thirty, he was out the door and on the road, planning to return Mina’s key before heading to Chicago.The apartment felt much bigger and quieter without his presence.I inhaled, savoring the scent of him lingering on the air.He hadn’t brought much to begin with, so his shoes were gone from the closet, he’d stuffed all his clothes in his pack and slung the bulky sack over his shoulder, leaving nothing behind.I wandered through the living room, the bedroom, the bathroom, and pretended I wasn’t searching for some affirmation that Dustin would be returning.Except I really was.
All I found was his toothbrush, a spare of mine I’d opened for him, sitting in the cup by the side of the sink.Even I wasn’t delusional enough to believe he couldn’t abandon a twenty-five-cent toothbrush.
To take my mind off things, I got out my knives and some blocks, and set about replacing a few of the items I’d sold at the craft fair.If three of the holiday ornaments turned out to be burly wolves, that was purely coincidence.
My phone rang shortly after noon, and I grabbed the receiver, but the voice on the other end was Mina’s, not Dustin’s.“Nothing unusual in the office today,” she told me.“Your friend asked me to check when the next planning meeting is, and they have it scheduled for Friday, three p.m.The road expansion is on the agenda, but it’s been on the agenda every meeting for the last five months, so that doesn’t mean much.”
“Thanks,” I said.“You’re a big help.”
“My father wants to stay in his apartment.I’ll do what I can.”
I hung up and dithered for a bit.I didn’t want to be out if Dustin called, but how likely was that?Even Dustin the Fixer would need more than four hours to work miracles.I slipped on my shoes and headed out.
Mrs.French heard my door and popped her head into the hall.“Hey, Wade.Any word on you-know-what yet?”She gave me an exaggerated wink.
Expecting any of the residents to keep secrets was clearly futile.Luckily, what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, so I just said, “Working on it, ma’am.”
“You’re a good boy,” she told me.“By the way, my bedroom window’s jammed shut.Not a problem right now, but in a month or two it’ll be getting warm.”
