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“Vince does what he wants, always has. Besides, Sal won’t say shit to him about having his own pack. He’s been with Sal for a decade. Vince took him in when Sal was ousted.”
That, I hadn’t known.
“So, there’s loyalty on both sides.”
“As long as it’s advantageous for Vince, sure. Loyalty is one word for it.” Lex shook his head.
“Any last words of advice?” I knew I had the element of surprise. Vince had no idea I could go into beast mode now, but that didn’t mean a dozen silver bullets wouldn’t take me down.
“Yeah, don’t piss him off.”
We stopped at the security gate, having walked a half block up the street from where we’d parked. It wasn’t the kind of arrival I was used to, but Vince wouldn’t be paying attention to how we got there, and there was nowhere else to stash Charlie and Levi but in the SUV.
“Names?” A blond burly and bearded guy barely looked up from his computer. He had no visible weapons, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t armed.
“You know who we are, Teddy. Stop being a prick.” Lex reached past the window opening to smack the guy upside the back of the head.
Teddy grunted but still didn’t look up from his computer. “Fuck, dude, you almost screwed up my mission.”
I craned my neck to see his screen. “What level are you on? You make it to the three-headed witch yet?”
That got Teddy’s attention. “Fuck no! Shit!”
“She’s tough but not unbeatable. Use your shield as a weapon. It’s got something in it that she’s allergic to.”
“Thanks, man.” Teddy flicked a button and the gates slowly started to open. “Where’s your car this time, Lex? Roll it into a ravine?”
“Yeah, something like that.” Lex reached past the window to swat Teddy again. “We took an Uber, smartass.”
“Vince is by the pool out back.” Teddy rubbed the back of his head. “Go straight through the main foyer to the hall on your left. That’ll take you to him.”
I clocked three werewolves, armed—two on the door and one just turning the corner toward the side of the house. While the driveway wasn’t long—it only took us a few minutes to walk to the house—it was plenty of time for security to check us out. They didn’t seem bothered to frisk us or anything, our reputations had likely preceded us, anyway. We weren’t really the type of werewolves to carry, since our bodies were our weapons, so passing through the main door was anti-climactic.
The house was from another time, a century or more old and dripping with charm that I wouldn’t have expected from a slick guy like Vincent was reported to be.
It was classy with its wrap-around porch, red brick and black shutters. I could see myself lounging on the two-person swing that hung just off the main entrance, sipping bourbon, enjoying the sunset with Charlie curled in next to me.
“This way,” Lex said, pulling me out of my daydream. I pulsed my calm assessment of the property to Charlie, and she pulsed me back. We’re good.
The inside was a stark contrast to the outside, which was a damn shame. Vincent had completely gutted the old-world charm of the place, obviously taking down walls and making the interior like a modern steel and glass monstrosity. It was a blasphemy. If I had a place like this, I’d preserve as much of the history as I could.
We exited to the back where a wide patio stretched in both directions, surrounding a huge crystal blue pool, complete with a waterfall.
“Welcome, welcome!” Vince was lying on a lounge chair in the sun, his oiled-up body glistening in a way that made me want to gag.
He had very tight, very minimal swim shorts on that left nothing to the imagination.
This was what he wore to a business meeting? Somehow not totally surprising but definitely not what I’d been prepared to see.
“Grab a seat,” Vince waved to the shaded table on our right. “Tell Mani what you’d like to drink while I go get dressed.”
I inwardly sighed. I didn’t think I’d be able to take him seriously in his pool wear, but I badly wanted to snap a picture with my phone to show my guys so I could burn their retinas, too.
Mani came and went, drink orders taken then delivered. I opted for a mojito, while Lex had a beer.
Vince came back in a pair of white linen pants and a blue short-sleeved shirt that was unbuttoned to his waist.
He looked like a gigolo, about as smarmy as Charlie said he’d be.
