Reed’s mouth opens, but no sound comes out.
“Forgive me.” I pull my phone from my pocket and tap the screen to check the time. “I think my brain’s running on fumes, it’s past noon already and I haven’t eaten much, so... may I ask what you mean by that exactly?”
Jake maintains a serene, practiced smile, his hands resting on his wooden beads. “Of course, my friend. Basically, making all these expedited adjustments takes time and expertise. And time, well... time isn’t free.”
Bram stares at him. “Are you out of your mind? So you do have space and you’re trying to squeeze more money out of an unfair situation?”
“I am just offering a solution, bro.” He rests a hand near the desk phone. “But if you continue to flood my lobby with this hostile energy, I will have to ask security to handle you.”
The air goes thick as Reed’s hands curl into fists and Bram lifts his chin, dropping a hand to his belt.
Shit, of course these shitheads are ready to scuffle.
“Ahem.” I lift a hand to each of my brothers’ chests, easing them back a step. Then I unlock my phone, still in my hand, thumb open an audio file, and angle the screen toward the owner. “Would you still keep the same opinion after I post your ‘solution’ on social media?”
Jake pales. “What is that?”
“Audio proof,” I say, “of you trying to extort an omega for cash after she was the victim of fraud.”
The color drains from his face, leaving him chalky under the warm lights. He looks at the phone, then at the two massive alphas ready to dismantle his lobby.
I tilt the screen toward him, offering an easy smile. “Do you have more to say? I’ve got thirty gigabytes of storage left if you’d like to tell us more about ‘equivalent exchanges’.”
Jake swallows hard.
“I... suppose,” he stammers, his voice barely above a whisper, eyes avoiding ours. “We could do a... gesture of goodwill.”
“And we’ll gladly take it,” I say, my smile still on.
“Well.” He arranges his face into something approximating a smile. “I’m glad we’ve reached a mutual... understanding. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a meditation seminar to prepare for. Chloe will see to Ms. Sae’s reservation.”
He glances at Chloe, who is frozen behind her monitor, then quickly heads back down the hallway.
I look at her. “When you call Ms. Sae with the good news, would you mind not mentioning we were here?”
“O-Of course,” she stammers, her fingers already flying across the keyboard.
“Have a blessed day,” I tell her with a wink.
When we step out of the lobby, the silence rushes back in, broken only by the crunch of gravel under our shoes.
Reed lets out a sharp breath and claps a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Quick thinking back there with the recording, Ash. I was about two seconds away from tossing him in his own waterfall.”
“Yeah,” Bram says. “Even though recording him without consent is technically illegal. You took a hell of a risk, Ash. But... well done.”
I stop walking and look at Bram, then Reed.
“What recording?” I pull my phone out of my pocket, wake the screen, and hold it up for them to see. “That’s a recording of the broken tractor engine from three months ago.”
Reed stares at me for a beat, then a bark of laughter escapes him. He throws an arm over my shoulder, pulling me toward the parking lot. “Well done, brother.”
“How the hell did you know he’d buy the bluff?” Bram asks as we walk.
“Simple,” I say. “The fish bites the bait, not the hook.”
“I think you just channeled the owner’s frequency there, brother.” Reed claps a hand on my shoulder, laughing.
“Namaste, the fish bites the bait,” Bram adds, pressing his palms together and bowing.
