All the jokes died when the headquarters came into view. “What was the names of the people we met?” “Bertha was the toad of a woman in the front. Isaac Burish is the Chief of Operations… or was when you get done firing him.” Vincent shrugged.“Firing him?” “We talked about this. We need a completely different staff. That means you need to fire him and take over it all.” Vincent looked at me like I was crazy. “Why do I have to do it?” Rolling my eyes, the limo pulled up to the front. Betha and Issac were standing out front. Their smiles looked forced. “That’s what happens when you own a company. Suck it up.” Vincent spit before opening the door. Somehow, I flipped him off before Ethan pulled my hand down. “He really isn’t as bad as he looks.” Jolene whispered. She was trying to hide her smile. “He’s an ass but does have a nice side.” I whispered before Ethan pulled me out of the limo. “Mrs. Anderson! It’s so nice to see yo…” Isaac hurried to shake my hand but stopped when he saw
“Maybe they are pointed at the enterances?” Nox tried to rationalize it. “Maybe…” I whispered, but I tried to access the feed. It wasn’t hard to access it. However, switching it over would be more difficult than anything else. “Can you do it?” Vincent’s voice was quiet, but it was demanding. “Give me a minute.” I spit back out at him. This was a deligate mission. If I did something wrong, it would tip them off. Still, I wasn’t sure they wouldn’t notice, regardless. My heart was racing. All I could think about is if I messed it up, what would happen? So many men’s lives were at risk over this. This would be easier if I knew if someone was in front of their moniters or not. Assuming they were, I needed to gain complete access. That way, when I flipped it over, the confimation button would should up on my screen. Opening my laptop, I logged in. Going to their account, I gained remote control over the system. Back on the desktop, I started adding the upgrades to the system. It was a
“The fuck do you mean?” Vincent was close to pulling out his hair.“They found me and tried to kick me out….” Exiting out of the account, I pulled up their park account. “What are you doing?” Nox sounded calmer than I expected. “Deleting their service so they can’t use it.” “Smart.” Jolene sounded as calm as Nox. It took me a little longer to delete it than I would have liked, but as soon as I did, I was able to pull back up our feed. “Where is everyone?” I whispered.“They are inside.” Ethan whispered. No one spoke. All eyes were looking at each angle, wating to see if anyone was coming out or get any idea of what was happening. Every now and then, someone would come running out. It might be one of us or one of theirs. “I don’t like this,” I said, finally. “Like what?” Ethan asked.“Not being there.”“What is the plan for this building?” Nox asked. He sounded distracted, like he only heard part of what we were saying. “We need to clear the building and lock it down. This needs
Ethan balled up his shirt and put it over his nose. Axton and I watched as he gently stepped around each person, looking for any signs of how they died. The flies were insane, signalling they had been dead for at least a week. The way their bodies were bloated and discolored was another sign. “There is a white dried film over their lips.” Ethan said. He got on eye level with a cup before standing up. “I bet they were all poisoned. Maybe took a toast as a group and drop dead?” Ethan surmised. “That looks likey.” Axton agreed. “Go find Vincent and tell him to call in his people to work this scene. We need to know how and why.”“Ethan, these are humans. We have to call the human police.” There was no way we could cover this up and keep this private. Ethan looked stressed. “Just go get Vincent.” Axton nodded and went up the stairs. “Ethan…” I was shocked. “Grace, listen. I know we should call the police, but we can’t let our war get on the human’s radar.” “Their families will know
“I won’t bring it up again.” Jolene was looking between Nox and Ethan. Her eyes landed on my face and grimaced. I wanted to strangle Nox. Blood filled my mouth from piercing my tongue with my fangs. Thankfully, the door opened and Vincent got back in. “They will be here in two hours.”“That is quick.” Nox looked surprised. “Not really. I had them ready to go in case this happened.” “You were waiting for this?” Nox looked skeptically at Vincent. Vincent didn’t seem phased. “Last time we were here, our father got killed, and we were kidnapped. Excuse me for being prepared. I suggest you reroute your focus on the actual problem.” After a quick glare, he got back out of the vehicle. Nox didn’t even look phased. “What now?” “Grace, you need to shut down everything. We need to move all this to our pack. Can you change locations so services will continue, but it’s not coming from this building?” Ethan asked. “I mean… I could, but I don’t want that to be our packhouse. However, we need
For the next two hours, we stood around and waited. Ethan had to play tetris to get the computer stuff in the trunk, but otherwise, we have just been sitting around. “Where the fuck are they?” Ethan growled at Vincent. Vincent looked just as annoyed, but then the sounds of helicopters were heard in the distance. “About fucking time.” Vincent groaned. I was sitting on the curb, lost in my own thoughts, when Jolene sat down beside me. “I’m sorry about Nox. He has a hard time trusting people. It’s honestly not you guys.” “Well, don’t all guys have a fault?” I tried to give her a small smile. “What does a perfect guy even look like?” She smiled at me and nudged me with her shoulder. “Still, I’m sorry.” We grew silent as the helicopters landed. We watched as multiple men got out and carried bags of equipment to the front door. Some looked very professional in a white zip up outfit. “Ethan, we need to keep this on the down low. If someone was to see this…” I said in the mind-link. H
For the next two hours, we stood around and waited. Ethan had to play tetris to get the computer stuff in the trunk, but otherwise, we have just been sitting around. “Where the fuck are they?” Ethan growled at Vincent. Vincent looked just as annoyed, but then the sounds of helicopters were heard in the distance. “About fucking time.” Vincent groaned. I was sitting on the curb, lost in my own thoughts, when Jolene sat down beside me. “I’m sorry about Nox. He has a hard time trusting people. It’s honestly not you guys.” “Well, don’t all guys have a fault?” I tried to give her a small smile. “What does a perfect guy even look like?” She smiled at me and nudged me with her shoulder. “Still, I’m sorry.” We grew silent as the helicopters landed. We watched as multiple men got out and carried bags of equipment to the front door. Some looked very professional in a white zip up outfit. “Ethan, we need to keep this on the down low. If someone was to see this…” I said in the mind-link. H
“I’m not sure. I think Ethan is going to want to watch it burn.” Sighing, I just wanted to leave and never come back. “Doesn’t mean you have to stay,” Vincent said without any shame.“I know, but I’m not leaving without him.”“Smart.” Vincent looked back at his men, that were getting closer. He looked back at us. “Who is with your men?” Nox asked.Vincent glanced at him. “John.” Looking back at me, “make yourself comfortable, then. It’s going to be a long night.” Nudging me, he waited until I smiled at him before he walked inside. “Why are you keeping the bodies in his pack?” Nox asked. Jolene instantly slapped him. “What? I’m just curious!” “Dad upgraded all the morgues and labs. They have to newest state of the arc technology. I bet it’s more impressive than the federal government.” “Damn.” Nox seemed impressed.“Dad didn’t want to rely on anyone.” I wasn’t sure why people seemed surprised by this. I didn’t know anyone that gave off more of I-don’t-need-anyone-else type of perso
“CHRISTIAN!” I yelled back. He laughed, as that was our thing. Ethan set me down when we got to the top. Christian instantly wrapped his arms around my legs. “I missed you! You are getting so tall!” “Hey, sis.” Vincent walked up to me with his arm out. With my belly, I could only do a side hug these days.“How is my little nephew doing?” Vincent shook Ethan’s hand. “Very happy where he is at.” Vincent has been a little of a recluse this last year. Finding out the truth, being a full-time day and looking for a beta has kept him from coming around as often. Fortuantly, everyone has sympathized with him. They have really accepted him into our friend’s group. However, Roxie and Zoey are on a kick to find him a mate. Vincent game me a smile and scooped Christian up. “Let’s go inside or we will miss the party.” Ethan held the door for us before quickly resuming his spot next to me. The moment we walked in, my breath was caught in my throat. It was just like I imagined it to be. A larg
1 year later“Grace! We got to go! Everyone is waiting for us!” Ethan was standing at our bedroom door. “I’m COMING!” I growled back. My swollen belly was ready to pop at any moment. Our little baby boy was loving kicking his mother in the lungs so much that he refused to leave. “I can only move so fast!” “You are the most beautiful pregnant person…ever.” Ethan smiled at me as I walked out of the bedroom. The stretchy black evening gown clung to my body, really making my stomach look much skinner than I felt. From the back, you would never know I was pregnant, which confused me. My belly was very round, like a ball. “This is all your fault.” Rolling my eyes at him, I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Ethan walked over and gave me his arm. “Thank you.” “Just think…” Ethan patted my hand. “…. you get to do this many more times!” Looking up and glaring at him, “I will kick you in the nuts and end all of that.” Ethan laughed at me. I doubt anything would hurt his m
By the time we made it to the club, I had taken a few more shots, and the buzz was going. The club was bouncing. Music could be heard from outside. There was a line down the sidewalk and neon lights were flashing all around. This was the vibe that I was hoping for. “Ethan, I want to check on the computers. With everyone here, I haven’t actually got to see it yet and I want to check it.” I had to shout since the music was so loud and we weren’t even inside. “Grace, you are a little drunk….” Ethan raised his eyebrows at me. “Please? I’m not going to touch it. Just want to make sure it’s okay.” Grabbing his arm, I put on my most pathetic face I could.” “Fine…” Ethan rolled his eyes, but smirked. Wrapping his arm around me, he lead the way inside. “Callie, get everyone situated with drinks. We will catch up.” Ethan instantly lead me away to his office. It was more packed than I had ever seen it. Granted, I had only been here like three times, but this was packed. More than once, we g
“What do you have that is the best with crab?” Theresa thought for a moment. “Try the crab trio. There are three different ways crab is cooked. I think one is the crab alfrado, a mushroom stuffed crab and just steamed crab legs with a pepper, garlic butter to dip it in.” “That sounds perfect.” “Great. Would you like your legs already de-shelled?” “Yes, please.” I said right as the guys came back. “I’ll have a crab cake, please.” Jolene smiled at Theresa. Theresa returned the smile. “For you two?” She looked at them. “Seafood fried roll.” Ethan sighed and downed his drink. “I got another round coming.” She said instantly. Ethan nodded and put his arm back around me. “What did Vincent say?” I asked Ethan in the mind-link, so I didn’t hear what Nox, Stella or Rif ordered. “Well, turns out they were all people that went missing states away. None were from the same state, but they were all scholars in hacking or something cyber. Vincent thinks Zach or Derek had placed them there
Just as Ethan stood up, we arrived at the restaurant. I couldn’t help the sly smile that spread across my face before bitting my lower lip. “Let’s go,” Ethan said before clearing his throat. He gave me a little nudge to get off the bus. “Where are we?” I asked as I stepped off. Ethan was quick behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist. “This is one I have wanted to bring you to since I met you. It’s a very upscale seafood place. I know your favorite food is crab and I think they will have what you want here.” Ethan smiled down at me.“I love this place!” Callie squealed. “Their lobster is absolutely amazing!” “I’ve never been here!” Zoey grabbed Leo’s hand, and they started the train to the front doors. “We have a reservation. It’s under Boone.” Callie yelled from the back. By the time we walked in, the hostess walked off from the front. Zoey turned and smiled at us. I couldn’t help but look around. There was a massive sword fish mounted on the wall. The lighting was low, dark
After the house burnt down, we had to transport everyone back to their respected packs. However, all of our friends had to come back one last time to our pack and gather their belongings. Since they were already here, we had one last night together. Ethan set up a romanic evening that ended with everyone at the club for a night of dancing. All the girls were in my bedroom getting dressed. Callie had on a champain squence colored dress. It volumized her breast with a completely open back and only strings tolding it up. Her ass was about to hang out, but she looks amazing.Zoey had on a similar colored dress, but the top was more of a bra. Her stomach was open to a skirt that sinched at the side. Roxie was wearing a scarlett red dress. With long sleeves, the top was just enough fabric to cover her tits. It was an open stomach, but one side went down to a skirt that went to her calf. The other side had a slit that went to her hip, completely exposing her very toned legs. Stella was wea
Vincent turned and looked at us. “Let’s go home.” He whispered and walked past us. Christian was clinging to Vincent like his life depended on it. “Keep your eyes closed, bud.” He said as he walked out of the house. We all followed him. The battle was over and our warriors were collecting the dead. In the front was Derek’s body, Zach and Adaline. There was a rather large pile of men off to the side and a more respectible line of men that were ours. Leo was barking order with Damon, but Stella caught my attention. She was standing over Derek’s body with tears running down her face. Walking out of Ethan’s arms, I came up to Stella. She met my eyes before looking down again. “W-what happened?” I hesitated before speaking. I wasn’t sure how this was going to impact our friendship. Though it had already been rocky as it was. “Grace?” Rif walked up behind Stella. Putting a hand around his waist, he nodded. “Whatever it is, just tell us.” I knew I had everyone’s attention at this point.
Grabbing a lock of hair, I twisted it in my fingers. “You know Vincent, she used Derek’s weakness and let him believe for three years that he betrayed you.” Vincent’s hand wrapped around his neck. He squeezed hard enough to make her hurt but not enough to stop the breathing. “What should I do? Kill her or put her in my dungeon to years’ worth of torture?” “I’m sorry! I can turn my life around and be the mother that Christian deserves. I only ever wanted to be a mate to you.” She batted her eyelashes at Vincent. His grip tightened around her neck. “Nothing I do will be enough. It won’t be enough to vengue Derek, my dad or the years of head games you put on our son that I’ll have to fix.” Tighter, he squeezed until his hand started shaking. “I regret ever sleeping with you, ever touching you, or even meeting you. The only good thing in my life is Christian. I’m going to take your body and make a mockery of it. You will be an example of what it means to cross me. I’m more powerful than
Ethan, Vincent, and I just stared at her with our mouths hanging open. “Derek thought he betrayed Vincent. He did everything to keep Vincent out of danger and keep his kid safe and you were playing him.” My anger was rising as her words sank in. “You let Derek live with this weight on him for years.” Adaline shrugged. “Who is Derek to me?” She mirrored those words, knowing it was going to get under my skin. “Now, my child is an heir to not only the mafia family, but to a very powerful wolf pack and a blood relative to a very profitable security business.”“You never wanted me to create a program. All this was a lie to get the three of us here.” The truth came crashing down on me.Marco pointed his gun at me. “You are a very hard person to get ahold of. I told Zach to kidnap you by any means needed. He almost got you fucking killed. I’m happy you survived, but yes, however, Ethan was only part of it because he mated to you. I just wanted Vincent and you.” “Your dad was incredibly ann