Chapter 17
Chapter seventeen
Back from the dead.
Roman
The phone call with Harrison hasn’t helped my nerves at all.
I had hoped he would have figured out something that could help us, but so far even the truth is escaping him.
Because can that tiny little thing we have held up in our home really be the one they call the Karma Killer?
Fuck, the woman is fiery for sure, but to take down a grown-ass Alpha at that?
No, there’s no way. But the anger, not rage, I saw in her green eyes was unmistakable.
This woman, Karma, as she calls herself, hates me.
The punch to the gut and the slash across my chest that still stings make that clear, but why?
That’s the question that’s been swirling around my head.
She knew me somehow, but she wasn’t familiar to me.
I suppose a one-night stand, but for her to be this angry about it is something else entirely.
Then there is her scent. Harrison said she was a Beta, but I’ve never scented a Beta who smelt this good.
Like sweetness and fresh wild roses. Once again familiar to a point, but then nothing.
Pushing thoughts of our newly unwanted companion out of my mind, I follow the girl who is leading me to Mr. X.
With the temporary dead end of finding who killed Miguel, I figured I would reach out to X and see if he would meet with me.
I was a bit surprised when he agreed, but Harris said he would consider it if it were me.
With each step, the bass from the club bleeds through the walls, heavy and alive. Out there, men drink and pretend they’re kings. Back here, real power sits behind a steel desk and watches the world move like chess pieces. Mr. X.
His club is a front for liquor, music, velvet ropes, and pretty girls. But beneath the flashing lights and VIP sections, deals are made that never see daylight. Weapons. Information. Favors that cost more than money. Mr. X is a man no one dares fuck with or fuck over.
And yet the man that you hear whispers in the shadows about has a soft spot for the girls who work for him. Every dancer. Every bartender. Every woman under his roof is untouchable. Which is why I respect him so much, and it’s also why I need this partnership to work out so badly.
The sexy nurse I’m following stops at an all-black door at the end of the hall.
Glancing over her shoulder, she eyes me like she is debating whether or not I’m worthy enough to meet with her boss.
Or maybe if I’m a threat. But she can rest easy; Mr. X makes sure every Alpha who walks through his door is checked thoroughly before entering.
After a moment she turns around and knocks three times before turning the knob and shoving open the door.
As I step forward, I swear I hear her mumble, "Good luck," but before I can question her, a deep voice speaks. “Roman Shaw.”
Taking a deep breath, I plaster on my ‘I’m here to do business’ face and walk forward towards where the man himself sits behind a large oak desk, looking like the king of this kingdom.
Shifting in his chair, he leans back and eyes me like he too is debating my worth.
I grind my teeth in irritation, pissed I have to take this and bite my tongue right now.
“X, thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I know the meeting with my pack brothers didn’t go as planned, and I wanted to be here, but other business came up. ”
X crosses his fingers and leans on his hands, elbows settled on the desk, as he hums in answer.
I go on to continue when he speaks first. "Roman, I’m going to be frank with you.
I didn’t agree to this meeting just because I think you are a decent Alpha unlike your father, but because I know you have something I care deeply about.
Immediately ice fills my veins, but I keep my expression relaxed.
I have no doubt he is talking about karma.
Deciding I might be able to get more information here, I play dumb. Brow furrowing, I ask. “I’m confused. What do I have of yours?” I need to play this carefully. X doesn’t play games when it comes to those under his protection, but answers are more important to me right now.
A small smirk tips up on his lips. “Is that how you want to play this?” His question sounds more like a threat, but when I don’t back down, his smirk shifts to a grin. “Very well then. You have Grim.”
“I do. But it’s not what you think. She was a witness to a crime.
A very important Alpha was killed in an alley a few blocks away.
His father is powerful and is looking for the man who did it.
He wants justice for his son.” X’s smirk is back.
“As you know, I wanted this meeting to come to an agreement. I plan to take down my father and his entire operation. I haven’t found proof yet because he won’t let me get close enough, but I think he is into deeper shit than we all think. ”
“Like?” The look X is giving me tells me he is well educated on my father, Wesley Shaw, and might even know more than we do.
“We think he is kidnapping Omegas and running a breeding den of some sort. We’ve found little bits and pieces pointing in that direction, but we haven’t figured out where it all goes down.
We just know Omegas, and even some Betas, we assume, have been going missing for years.
I give X a look. “If we can get more proof, evidence my father isn’t the grand major everyone thinks he is, we can take it to the council and… ”
I don’t even get to finish my thought before X is chuckling.
“You think the council doesn’t know. That they aren’t somehow benefiting from your father.
You are a young Alpha, but you can’t be that stupid.
You’ve grown up knowing the type of man your father is.
” When he says it like that, yeah. We know there is a chance members on the council are just as dirty, but surely not all of them. Hopeful thinking, I guess.
“Look, we only took Karma because we need information she has. Unfortunately, she is a bit stubborn and is claiming she is the Karma Killer.” I chuckle to myself, but X doesn't; he actually looks a bit surprised. Coming back to that, I continue. "Plus, I wasn’t there when it all went down, but when I first met her, she said she knew me and then attacked me.” This makes X cock his brow before looking me over.
“Yet you still breathe." It’s my turn to be a bit surprised. At my look, he just shrugs. “I suppose if you already know, yes, Karma is the renowned serial killer going around taking out the trash.” I blink at his casual tone. “As for knowing you, that is her story to tell.”
So, X just confirmed that Karma is who she is claiming to be. Which is not great because she is who Arthur Cruz wants dead. A ghost of amusement touches his lips. “Let me offer you some advice.”
I don’t respond; I just wait him out.
“Be careful not to get on her bad side.”
That almost earns him an irritated smile from me. “Too late,” I mumble under my breath.
His fingers tap once against the desk before his eyes harden.
“That woman has been through hell. She’s fire and rage wrapped in skin.
You try to cage her; she’ll burn your entire world down just to watch it crumble.
So, if I were you, I would get on her good side before all hell breaks loose.
She’s been with you for a few days now, yes? ”
Knowing better than to lie right now, I nod.
Not liking how this entire meeting has gone.
“I see.” A frown tips his lips down as he thinks to himself.
“I would like to make you an offer, Roman. I like you. From what I’ve seen and heard, you are not like your father.
Which is a good thing for you. So, my offer is this: before you make any decisions on what to do with Karma, try to understand her.
She has good reason for what she does, and right now I think you and your pack might need her as much as she needs someone else in her corner. ”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask, feeling annoyed that X knows more about this situation than I do.
“That’s all you will get from me. Now I have another meeting to attend. I’m sure you can see yourself out.” And just like that, I’m dismissed. I don’t bother arguing with him. There’s no point. Plus, I still need to be on his good side when everything is said and done.
Turning on my heel, I head for the door.
“Thanks for meeting with me again,” I call back, and then I’m heading out.
Everything I hoped to figure out is still swirling in my mind.
Now I’m leaving with more questions than I had coming in.
Harrison better have figured out something by the time I get home.
I slow as I pass the bar, wondering if maybe some of the girls here would be more forthcoming, but I veto that thought when I see X exit the hall I just left.
I guess it’s time I head home and attempt another conversation with Karma. This one with fewer weapons.
The city blurs past me in streaks of neon and shadow as I drive. My knuckles tighten and release repeatedly against the steering wheel, but my mind isn’t on the road.
It’s on her. It’s on Grim. Karma. Over and over I try to focus on her features, her eyes, that red hair, and the tattoos I saw on her skin, but nothing, not even her delicious scent, rings any bells.
She is a complete mystery that leaves me wondering if I’m really supposed to know her.
I’m halfway home when my phone lights up on the dash. Private Number.
Of course. When it rains, it pours.
I let it ring twice before I answer through the car speakers. “Yeah.”
There’s no greeting. No wasted breath. “You’ve had almost three days.” My father’s voice is controlled, his tone low and cold as ice. The kind that means something ugly is simmering underneath.
“I’m aware,” I say even as I grit my teeth and tighten my grip until my knuckles turn white.