Chapter 4 #3
“You should have seen her,” said one.
“Did you fuck her good?” said another.
Cole kicked the door open more fully and walked in.
The disruption silenced the men.
I followed into the room behind Cole.
It was a small space, only one narrow window near the ceiling.
It was cracked open, and I could see wisps of grey smoke and noticed that one of the men held a short cigar in his hand.
He was pale, with reddish-blonde hair and a weak chin.
His cheeks were red, and a glass of clear liquid sat in front of him.
He wore a dark blue suit, and his tie was loose and undone at the collar of his shirt.
The other man had darker features, brown skin and hair, and he wore a suit too, grey, but his tie and pocket handkerchief were still in place.
The second man stood as Cole entered and jumped forward with his hand outstretched.
Cole set the glasses and water down on the table.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you again. I’m sorry we arrived early; there was a mix-up with our schedules,” he said, his eyes glancing to the bottled water. “We thought, given the location, that this was a less-than-formal meeting. I hope you don’t mind us having a drink?”
“Not at all,” Cole replied.
The room contained only a booth table with seating that fit perfectly into the square space.
I noticed the walls were covered in acoustic foam, and when I looked back at the door, a thick, quilted blanket-like material covered the back of it.
The room was designed to keep noise in. I realised this was where private meetings took place; the kind of meetings you didn’t want to risk being overheard.
Cole waved her hand for me to slide along the booth, opposite the men, and she followed, sitting next to me so close that our thighs touched.
The redhead reached his hand across the table. “Oh, forgive me, I’m Tanner Mercer, and this is Levi Sterling,” he said.
Cole didn’t shake his hand; instead, she opened the bottle of water and poured me a glass.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Why did Jerome send you two?” she asked.
Tanner pulled his hand back like it had been slapped, holding it in his lap, and opened his mouth to speak, but just made a strange noise in his throat.
“I’m head of operations, and Tanner is head of commercial; together we have a complete understanding of the business. Jerome knows us, and he trusts us to be here in his place,” Levi answered.
Cole poured herself a glass of water.
“Do you know why we arranged this meeting?” she asked.
“You’re concerned about the stolen goods?” Tanner answered, but it sounded more like a question than a statement.
“We know it’s bad publicity, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure nothing of the sort happens again.
That’s why we’re upgrading our fleet with superior armoured panelling and military-grade tyres.
The insurer is covering the loss. We understand that such a high loss can shake confidence, but it shouldn’t shake faith in Sepher Logistics.
We’re going to bounce back stronger than ever,” Levi continued.
“I’m not concerned about that. I’m concerned about the issue at the new warehouse,” Cole said.
Levi scratched his neatly trimmed beard.
“What do you know about that?” Tanner asked in an anxious tone, and he quickly brought the cigar to his lips.
“Sandstorm Credit House is unconcerned with whatever grey area of business Sepher Logistics operates within. What we are concerned with is the resulting collateral shortfall,” she told them.
“There is no shortfall,” Tanner replied with an exhale of smoke that made me cough.
Cole reached out and took the cigar from Tanner’s hand, stubbing it out on the table in front of him.
“I don’t tolerate lies,” Cole said coldly, and the half-smoked cigar rolled back and forth on the table.
“Collateral at a value of $15 million was agreed. The recent… incident within the new warehouse and resulting damage and loss of uninsured goods, coupled with the loss of two new fleet vehicles and goods receivables as a result of such a public embarrassment, has brought our estimates of the total value of collateral down to only $12 million.” She leaned forward, her elbows on the table.
“I know that the listed items lost during the warehouse raid last month were not the true loss. Maybe Sepher Logistics knew, maybe not, but you’re on the line for a large sum to some rather unsavoury characters.
Perhaps Jerome thought Sandstorm Credit House was the easiest of his debts to ignore.
I could understand his confusion and ill-informed conclusions, but sending you to lie about the situation in his place—that’s an insult to me personally. ”
“We haven’t meant to cause you any offence,” Levi said quickly.
“I wasn’t lying; it’s just need-to-know,” Tanner added.
“Your largest creditor isn’t a need-to-know?” Cole asked.
The door opened before Cole could continue, cutting the tension in the air, and Frankie walked in, carrying a tray with two plates.
Burgers. I could smell them immediately, and my stomach twisted with hunger I had been ignoring.
I couldn’t even remember the last meal I ate.
I hadn’t eaten before Ashford’s poker game, being too nervous.
Now it didn’t matter how nervous or tense the situation was—I was starving.
Frankie placed the plates in front of Cole and me.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked Cole.
“No, thank you,” Cole answered with a polite nod.
“Can I get another drink?” Tanner lifted his glass, downed the clear liquid, and shook the empty glass at Frankie.
Frankie looked to Cole, who shook her head no.
“I guess the party’s been cut off, boys,” Frankie told him as she left.
The burger was huge, thick, with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and fries on the side.
I didn’t even think to wait for Cole’s permission; I was grabbing the burger with both hands and taking a bite before Frankie was even out of the room.
I groaned in pleasure.
“Is it that good?” Tanner asked.
I opened my eyes, which had shut in my enthusiasm, and swallowed what I was chewing.
He laughed nervously. “I like them loud too,” he said, speaking to Cole.
“What?” Cole asked, the word sharp.
“I just meant, she’s an omega…” Tanner said.
“He’s drunk and an idiot,” Levi interjected.
“What else is an omega for?” Tanner asked with a nervous laugh.
“Shut your mouth for once,” Levi snarled.
“Are either of you members of a Pack?” Cole asked, her attention on Levi.
“I’m Pack Hail, sir—I mean ma’am, sorry,” Levi stuttered.
“And you?” she asked, turning her eyes to Tanner.
“I, ugh, I’m not affiliated with any Pack,” he answered.
“How many generations?” Cole asked.
Not being a member of any Pack wasn’t unusual. The more we interacted and settled within human communities, the more wolves were born outside the Pack system; still, most maintained their membership, even if it was only in name.
“Since my grandfather,” he answered.
“What a shame,” Cole replied and she stood from the booth.
“Now, wait, what are you doing?” Tanner stammered.
Cole stopped directly next to him but spoke to Levi.
“Ensure that Jerome understands that his disrespect has been received. Payment is due by the close of business tomorrow, or Sandstorm Credit House will begin enforcing securities,” she said.
Then, without hesitation or fanfare, she gripped Tanner’s hair at the back of his head and slammed his face against the tabletop.
My plate jumped, and I flinched with as much force.
His head bounced up, blood streaming from a nostril, a cut across the bridge of his nose, and an open gash where a tooth had bitten through his lip. It was gore and horror, and the last time I had seen so much blood, it was coating my own skin.
“What the fuck!” he cried, spraying Cole with droplets of blood across her grey sweater.
Cole exhaled, as if everything happening was beneath her.
My chest was tight, crushed, and I couldn’t breathe.
Tanner wobbled to his feet, and Levi reached out to try to keep him sitting.
“Who do you think you are?” he shouted, spraying more droplets of red at Cole.
Cole gripped his shoulders and brought her knee up hard between his legs.
His knees bent inward, and he doubled over.
Then Cole brought her elbow down between his shoulders with a sickening crack, and he fell forward face-first against the ground.
Tanner groaned and cried on the floor.
Cole stooped low.
“Commercial naivety is forgivable. Disrespect within business matters is correctable. Insulting my omega, however, I find entirely intolerable,” she told him calmly before standing straight.
She turned to Levi.
“Take him and go,” she instructed.
Levi didn’t hesitate before he dragged Tanner up from beneath his armpits. Cole opened the door for him and closed it after he had dragged the beaten, near-unconscious Tanner from the room.
Cole lifted the edge of her sweater and scowled at the blood before her head rose and her eyes met mine.
“Harriet?” she asked.
I looked away from her to the blood on the table across from me.
I tried to speak, but made no sound.
“You’re shaking,” she said. Suddenly, directly next to me, within the booth. “Shh, breathe,” she instructed, taking hold of my shaking hands that I clutched in my lap.
I wheezed in a terribly shaky breath.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said softly.
“The blood,” I managed to speak.
I hated it.
I couldn’t look away from it.
Cole tugged on my hands, leading me out of the booth and then out of the room entirely.
With the door shut and the sight of the viscous red away, I felt the pressure in my chest lift.
“I’ll have Frankie make a couple of new burgers; we’ll take them to go,” Cole said.
“I don’t feel hungry anymore,” I told her.