Chapter 33
I rode the elevator to the top floor of the complex and called Ronan. He answered after the first ring.
“Joslyn. How can I help ye?”
“I am on the sixth floor; I just got off the elevator. I am going to my apartment. You can meet me there; I want to discuss the upcoming events and get your thoughts.”
“Me office is next to yer’s—for future reference. I will be at ye apartment in just a moment.”
“See you in a minute,” I said, ending the call.
I reached my door just as Ronan exited his office. I waited for him to catch up and we entered together.
Setting my phone onto the dining table, I retrieved two bottles of water from the fridge and handed one to Ronan. I noticed that Ronan was gawking. I didn’t say anything or even react. Did I honestly expect him to just stop finding me attractive? That would be unrealistic.
“Would you like to give me all the worst-case scenarios? I sort of want to be prepared for the worst just in case that is what happens.”
He took a few moments to gather his thoughts before he responded—which I appreciated.
“The practice dat ye are trying to put into place can potentially bring de races together. It could also cause discourse within de races when dey don’t agree on de issue.
Ye ‘ave to rely on de other leaders keeping an open mind. If dey don’t process de information de same way dat ye do?
Ultimately, dey are not human, and de train of thought is not de same. ”
“So basically, you think I’m gambling,” I responded.
“Ye are definitely taking a gamble, but I also think ye will solidify relationships and gain trust and respect. I think it’s smart—ye are smart.”
“Good, that is what I was shooting for,” I said appreciating his ability to see the big picture. “So how do you think this is going to play out?” I asked him.
“I’m not exactly sure ‘ow it will go. Dey may be more inclined to believe Scott because Alexander’s version seems more farfetched. He would ‘ave to ‘ave help; how would he convince vampires to help ‘im kill another vampire—as a ‘uman? De notion sounds slightly skewed.”
“Well, I don’t think that Alexander is going to know the answer to that, and I doubt Scott is going to offer up the information—especially, since he is maintaining his innocence.”
“So, dis isn’t a court of law, it really seems to be whoever can be de most convincing is going to win.”
“Well, I was sort of hoping that while one of them is convincing the other would come across as a liar. I know—easier said than done.”
“I guess we are going to ‘ave to just wait and see what ‘appens. I think it’s too late to change yer mind now. I just wish ye would ‘ave talked to me sooner and trusted me to do me job. Maddox ‘as a role but advising ye in dis area isn’t supposed to be one of dem.”
“You are speaking out of turn, Ronan. I wish that I could have trusted you to do your job too. This is your final warning. Maddox hasn’t advised me.
He did what I asked him to do—without questioning me.
That is something you should try to emulate going forward.
If you must know, Alexander wasn’t willing to meet with us if you were there. Can you elaborate on that?”
“Dat is what Maddox told ye, right? Are ye sure he was telling ye de truth? Besides, even if he was telling de truth and Alexander didn’t want me dere, den why?
Why didn’t he want me dere? He was scared I would see through ‘is bullshit? It seems off dat I was de person dat couldn’t be present.
Was it because I was human?” As Ronan spoke, I could see the pulse through the vein in his neck; he was visibly upset.
“Because I am not? You are rapidly approaching the point of no return, and I highly suggest you remember who the fuck you are speaking to. Did you forget that Alexander has my cousin? I was not about to play with Charlotte’s life to avoid bruising your ego.
I’m not sure how Maddox felt about it because he kept it to himself; but that is how I felt about it. ”
I didn’t mean to sound so harsh but as I was speaking, I started to get more irritated. I was getting tired of these men and their fucking egos.
“Sometimes it isn’t about you Ronan. Pretty much all of the decisions that I make have nothing to do with you. I’m not sure why Alexander didn’t want you present, but I will make it a point to find out.”
“I understand dat not everything is about me. Of course I do; are ye joking? Being dere when ye met wit him is literally me fucking job. Maddox’s job is to protect ye; I should ‘ave been dere to give ye feedback and to ‘ear things firsthand.” This was getting exhausting, and I was done with the conversation.
“Look, if I make a decision, I don’t expect to be questioned. I have reasons for everything that I do, and unless questioning me is part of your job—which I highly doubt it is, you also need to learn when to shut up. Are we clear?”
“We are,” he responded, looking slightly defeated.
“Now, would you like to share your thoughts on the other leaders?”
“I ‘ave all de time in de world to prepare ye to meet wit de other leaders within de organization.
I want ye to understand dat ye are de ‘ead of dis organization. Ultimately, ye are taking things in a different direction, and ye must be fully aware dat while change is necessary dere are also reasons why de original chain of command was in order and it worked.”
The weight of his words hung in the air. This is how the human race remained protected. Without everyone’s cooperation and desire to maintain peace, everything would crumble.
“I understand; I truly do but the time has come for everyone to have an equal say. Cryptids can be more dangerous, but humans tend to be more self-serving. The motives can be pure evil. As humans, we are weaker but complete control lying with one person doesn’t sound like the best option either.”
“What ye’re saying is dat humans ‘ave been de only living things dat ‘ave hurt ye. Let me remind ye that these cryptids are ‘alf human for de most part. Dey can be just as evil, sometimes more. Yer experience wit cryptids is relatively limited. So, yer assessment is sort of skewed.” He wasn’t wrong.
I knew he had far more experience than I did here.
“You are correct about that; no matter how much it pains me to admit it, you might have a point. We aren’t dealing with beings that run solely on instinct.
Well, I do appreciate you giving me your thoughts.
I am taking the weekend off and I will be back at work on Monday.
Maybe you should take a couple of days and go home. ”
“I have too much to get done. I will be going back to Ireland after de gala; leaving Friday morning.”
“Well, I hope you have a good weekend, Ronan,” I said, smiling at him as I rose from my seat.
“If ye need anything Joslyn, don’t hesitate to call me. I will be ‘ere whenever ye need me.”
He was staring into my eyes, and I could see the pain there that I had caused.
I didn’t know he was so invested, so quickly.
I had either lost my soul mate or dodged a bullet.
I would probably never know which one. Here I was judging him for getting attached so quickly and look at how I was with Maddox.
I needed to work on that; being so damned hypocritical.
Not to mention that we did know each other; even if it was when we were kids.
There was a familiarity that endeared him to me. He was the first boy I had loved.
I picked up my empty water bottle and tossed it into the bin. Grabbing my phone from the table, I walked toward the door with Ronan. He turned the handle and opened the door, holding it for me. I stepped into the hallway and turned to him.
“I guess I just temporarily made my apartment my office. I can’t go back into his office until it gets remodeled.”
“I’m sorry Joslyn. When it came to ‘is work, he ‘ad a ‘arder demeanor and dat was a man ye didn’t really know.”
He wrapped his arms around me before I could stop him. I didn’t want to be rude; he really was trying to be there for me.
“I was close to ‘im, and he softened whenever he talked about ‘is family. He lit up when he bragged about ‘ow smart and talented ye were.” I didn’t want to cry again.
I felt his embrace tighten and he whispered into my ear.
“He held a special place in ‘is heart for ye. He spoke about ye more than anyone.”
I heard the doors to the elevator open down the hall, and I tried to wiggle free from the embrace; praying that Maddox was not on that elevator. He didn’t loosen his grip until he was demanded to.
“Do you have a death wish Ronan? Let her go now. Maddox is on his way up here to check out the rooms for Alexander and Scott. He is running out of patience with you. Let’s not be stupid, shall we?”
He immediately released me as though he feared the tiny blonde. Or maybe he feared what she said.
“She was upset, and I was ‘ugging me friend,” he said defensively.
“That’s your story,” Bonnie retorted.
“Enough, it was nothing,” I said to both of them.
Just as I got the words out of my mouth the elevator doors opened again, and Maddox stepped out with two men in tow. As they drew closer, I could clearly see Maddox’s jaw flexing.
“Are you finished with your meeting?” he asked as he kissed my cheek.
“We just finished and ran into Bonnie in the hallway.”
He turned to her. “Are you ready for us to inspect the rooms?”
“I am,” she said, as she led the way past Ronan.
We spent the next twenty minutes examining each room while Maddox made notes and gave the two men with him specific instructions on what he wanted done.
These were the rooms that essentially needed to function as jail cells.
In the case of Alexander, his room would have to be reinforced.
Honestly though, it felt like it was based more on his willingness to be here—or die.
He could get out of the room if he wanted to.