6. Rikkart #2
The Collective’s headquarters was in the largest of our cities, Riga.
The art nouveau buildings and cobbled streets gave it a very eastern European feel.
In contrast, the young population kept the city alive and full of eclectic bars and nightlife.
The Collective was housed in one of the most ornate buildings, which they’d restored it to its former glory after the last major war.
The driver dropped us off outside the front steps to The Collective headquarters, and we all piled out of the car.
Happy to be done traveling for a while, I walked up the steps and into the busy lobby.
Not only did headquarters serve as the “home” of The Collective’s leadership, but it also served as a place to conduct day-to-day government business, one of the most important of which was documenting the werewolf population.
Details on every new werewolf needed to be cataloged, and if anyone was going to try and change another, they had to go through the proper channels.
Since the transformation was such a risk, we wanted to make sure the individual was fully aware of the potential repercussions.
Of course, to the outside world, this was just another government building dealing with housing issues for immigrants.
Tav led the way through the security check and to the private elevator that would take us to our offices on the top floors.
The guard by the elevator nodded to us as we entered, then hit the button to shut the doors for us.
The last thing we needed was for someone to take the wrong elevator and become informed of our existence.
“The rest of the leadership asked that we head straight to the boardroom. I know you both must be tired and sick of travel, but you might as well get this over with now,” Tav said, giving us an apologetic look.
“It’s fine. I figured they would want a report. The more we know, the faster we can figure out what the hell is going on,” I said, patting Tav on the shoulder.
I’d known Tav and Darius for most of my life, having met them at one of the many Collective meetings and dinners over the years.
They were the only ones close to my age out of the current leadership, which helped our gravitation to each other.
I wouldn’t say that I was as close to them as I was Koit, but we all got along well, and for a bunch of alpha wolves, that was all one could hope for.
The elevator doors opened and revealed Darius leaning against the wall, waiting for us.
Darius was the epitome of a rich CEO—custom suit, flashy watch, and shiny shoes.
He also spent an inordinate amount of money keeping his dark hair perfect, never allowing it to be out of order.
Today, though, his perfect hair was mussed as if he’d been running his fingers through it constantly.
His cream shirt was rumpled, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.
He must have had one hell of a night to look like that.
“Rough night?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“No worse than yours, I’m sure,” Darius said, pushing away from the wall.
“Care to fill me in on how I ended up in London at the same time as Vadik?” I asked, following him down the hall to his private office.
Once we were all inside, he shut the door and sat in his seat behind an opulent desk. I would have said he was compensating for something, but I knew better. Shifters weren’t shy about being naked.
“It would seem that one of my contacts was bought off by our Russian friends,” Darius said, pouring a glass of brandy and looking at us to see if we wanted one.
I waved my hand, passing on the offer. “Do you know who, or does that not matter now?”
“Oh, I know who it was. Sadly, he won’t be giving anyone any information ever again,” Darius said, looking me in the eye with steel in his gaze.
Darius was a much better friend than foe.
If you decided to cross him, then you were going to face the consequences.
For most, that meant a swift death, but depending on your crime, it could end up being much worse.
Darius managed his pack the same way; he was fair and giving, but betray that trust, and you were dealt with harshly.
“Tav said that you have information about a girl. I didn’t even know the ambassador had a daughter,” I said, moving on.
Darius set down his drink and started typing on his computer, pulling up a profile and flipping the wide screen for us to see.
Just when I thought there couldn’t be anything more to make this situation worse, I got punched in the gut.
The face staring back at me was none other than the woman who’d saved Koit’s life.
We had to save her, that was no longer up for discussion. I owed that woman a debt, and I was going to repay it by saving her life, whether she knew it or not.
“Rik, what’s the matter?” Koit asked me. “Do you know her?”
“Yeah, we both do. She’s the one who stitched you back together,” I said, unable to take my eyes off her photo.