Chapter Five #4
They would. Teddy, Matthew, and Moore would stay with most of the enforcers’ team at a distance.
Hansen wouldn’t, though. Using his cloaking ability, he would shadow Alan and stay close enough that if Victor tried anything, he’d be able to stop him within seconds.
If anything did happen, Teddy would also shimmer to Alan and get him back to Matthew.
Matthew hoped his own ability wouldn’t be needed during this meeting, but if he had to, he wouldn’t hesitate to use it to protect his mate.
Even though Alan would be facing Victor alone, he’d be surrounded by people to whom he mattered. Everything would be all right. It had to be.
* * * *
WORKING WITH ENFORCERS meant that they knew where Victor was at any moment.
Apparently, they had people spying on him, so they were able to tell Alan that Victor was still at the office and had been there for a few hours already.
That meant that Alan was able to get to the coffee shop early enough to find a seat and for Hansen to get into position.
Alan was a little freaked out at the thought that someone he couldn’t see was standing by him.
Hansen had explained what he could do and how he’d use it to protect Alan, and Alan was glad to have Hansen there, but it was unnerving.
Even though he had no idea where Hansen was or what he was doing, he could feel the man watching him, and it was weird.
Alan had grabbed coffee on his way in, which probably hadn’t been a smart decision because he didn’t need the extra caffeine.
He bounced his knee and glanced at the door.
Would Victor even come? Would he believe that Alan might go to the authorities with what he knew?
Well, that wasn’t hard to guess. It was the kind of thing Alan would do.
If anything, Victor would have a harder time believing that Alan would blackmail him.
It wasn’t something Alan would normally do.
But they didn’t need Victor to believe that Alan was here for that. They just needed him to talk. Alan hoped that seeing a friendly face would help with that, but there was no way for him to know.
He tensed every time he heard the door open, which was stressing him out. At least Victor wasn’t late. When he stepped in, Alan couldn’t help it. His body went rigid, and he considered running away. The coffee shop had to have a back exit, right?
A hand brushed against Alan’s elbow. He couldn’t see it, so he knew who it was. It was kind of freaky to know that Hansen was there, watching, but it helped. Even if Alan couldn’t defend himself, Hansen would defend him. Alan wasn’t alone.
Victor took his time. He always did. He’d once told Alan that he didn’t like being rushed because there was no reason to be, and Alan had found it quirky. Now, he found it annoying, and he scowled at Victor when the man finally made his way toward his table.
He’d stopped at the counter to get one of his complicated coffees first. He took a sip as he slid into the chair on the other side of the table, and Alan stared.
This man had been his friend just a week or so ago. Alan didn’t have a lot of those, and he’d been happy when he’d grown closer to Victor, even though Victor was his boss. He’d thought it meant something to the man.
It had meant something to Victor, all right. It had meant that he could use Alan to get rich from the torture and pain of other people.
Alan briefly considered throwing his coffee in Victor’s face. He wanted to watch that smug expression on Victor’s face disappear. He wanted to get the man’s white shirt dirty. Instead, he wrapped both of his hands around his cup.
“You wanted to see me?” Victor asked.
“Not particularly, considering the last time I saw you, you tried to kill me.”
Victor looked around, but Alan hadn’t spoken loudly. No one had heard what he was saying over the noise in the coffee shop. Still, Victor leaned closer. “Did I?”
“You drove my car off the road. What were you trying to do if not kill me?”
“It was an accident. I was worried about you, Alan. I saw you run out of the office like someone was after you, and I worried because you wouldn’t stop. You know I care about you.”
Alan glanced down at his coffee. Did he really need to drink it? It would look so much better on Victor’s shirt.
Alan sucked in a breath. He couldn’t afford to make a scene. He didn’t think Victor would hurt anyone in the coffee shop, but he couldn’t be entirely sure. He couldn’t be entirely sure about anything when it came to Victor.
Victor wasn’t the man Alan thought he knew. He wasn’t a friend. He wasn’t a nice person.
He was a monster.
Alan was here for a reason. He was supposed to get answers, and he’d get them. He wasn’t sure how he’d do it yet, but he’d find a way.
“We both know you don’t care about me,” Alan said. “So don’t even try to act like you’re in the right here.”
“Is that a way to talk to your friend and boss?”
“I don’t think you’re my boss anymore, and my friend, well, I don’t think you ever were my friend. You used me. You used my work to get rich, and you never cared that people were being hurt. You don’t care about anyone but yourself.”
Victor leaned back in his chair. “Why should I?”
“Anyone with empathy would.”
“Maybe I don’t have empathy. Are you here to judge me, Alan?”
“I’m here to get answers.”
“Oh? I thought you wanted money.”
“I want both. I worked for you for close to a year. We ate countless lunches and dinners together. We stayed in the office until late, talking and planning and trying to help people. Forgive me if I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that all of that was an act.”
“Not all of it. I do care about you, Alan.”
Alan knew that wasn’t true, but Victor made it sound like it was. Hell, he was making it sound like Alan was exaggerating and like he’d misunderstood the entire situation, which wasn’t possible. Alan was sure of what he’d heard.
Victor had always been a smooth talker. He’d always known exactly what to say to get people on his side. Alan wouldn’t fall for it this time, though. He was here to ensure that Victor paid for the pain he’d caused.
“Why?” he asked. “You’re rich. Your family’s rich. You’re a shifter. Why would you want to sell people like you? Why do you need more money?”
“Everyone always needs more money. It’s what makes the world go round, isn’t it?”
“Just stop, Victor. Since you tried to kill me, the least you can do is give me answers. Once this conversation is over, you won’t ever see me again. I’ll take my money and leave.”
“How am I supposed to believe that? You could stick around and ask for more money. Like you said, I’m rich.”
Alan needed to convince Victor to explain himself.
He knew the man. He knew what made him tick and what would push him in the right direction.
“That’s not the person I am, and you know it.
I hate taking money from you, but it’s the only way for me to get out of this mess.
You have connections and money. I have neither of those.
If I want a chance at surviving, I need to go along with what you say. ”
“And you think that I want to give you money to keep you quiet?”
“Oh, I know you don’t want to give me money. If I’m going to leave the area, though, I need a way to start fresh. Unless you want me to stick around?”
Victor watched Alan. Alan had no idea what was going on in the man’s mind, and he didn’t want to know.
“Ask your questions, then,” Victor said.
“I already did. Why?”
“Why not? It was an easy way to make money. I already had access to the names the company was looking for. It didn’t take much effort.”
“You hurt people.”
“And? They’re not my people. Why should I care? I did what anyone in my position would have done. I worked with the winners, which in this case is the Glass Research Company.”
Alan leaned back in his chair. That was all the enforcers needed, wasn’t it? Victor had just confessed that he was working with the company.
That was why Alan wasn’t surprised when several people in the coffee shop got to their feet. Victor didn’t notice them immediately. He was focused on Alan, and Alan made sure to keep his expression neutral. He couldn’t continue doing so when the enforcers came to a stop behind Victor, though.
Victor noticed something was wrong. He frowned and turned, and when he saw the people standing there, he got to his feet. “Gentlemen,” he said smoothly, looking from one enforcer to the other. “What can I do for you?”
Dante was there, too. He stared at Victor as if he hated him, a feeling Alan shared. Alan stayed where he was, eager to watch Victor get what was coming for him.
“My name is Dante, and I work for the council. Can you please come with us?” Dante asked Victor.
Victor was silent for a moment. Alan didn’t think anything of it until Victor moved.
He didn’t move in the right direction to go with Dante or even to run. Instead, he jumped toward Alan, and the only thing Alan could do was brace himself for whatever was about to happen.