Page 26 of SaaS & Class

“I’m going to get him some water,” Dylan announced as he ran back out.

Taal knelt in my line of sight. “Talk to me. Did you smell him just now?”

I swallowed and nodded, unable to speak.

“Ok… I want you to listen to me. Can you do that?”

I nodded again.

“Dylan thinks he knows who he is, unless somebody else came in after he left. If it’s who Dylan thinks it is, then we know where he is… or at least have his phone number.”

“R-really?” I croaked, my throat parched.

Taal took my hands in his. “Dylan had a meeting while you were out. He said the alpha got fidgety every time the AC kicked on. You know how it blows your scent into his office because of how it’s laid out. Then he talked to Amelia after this alpha left. He’d been asking about food and deliveries, saying something smelled good.”

“Y-you think…”

He nodded. “I do.”

I started to rise. “Where?”

Taal pushed me back onto the chair. “You’re in no shape. I don’t know if you can even walk through the lobby right now. Give yourself a minute.”

“But…” I needed to find Dylan and ask him where my mate was.

Dylan came back into the server room and pressed a paper cup of water into my hands. “Drink.”

I didn’t want to, not when I was so close. But I drank the water anyway.

“There were no deliveries,” Dylan told Taal. “Brent was the last non-employee in and out of the building. He has to be the one.”

“His name is Brent?” I asked.

It was Dylan’s turn to kneel in front of me. “I think so.” He took a deep breath. “Adam, I don’t know if he’s your mate. The signs are there, but I could be wrong. I want you to promise me that you’ll keep that in mind.”

I nodded. “I will.”

“Take another minute to catch your breath. I propped the front door open, so hopefully his scent won’t be as strong in the lobby. I texted when I was getting your water. He’s within walking distance.”

“Really?”

He smiled and sat cross-legged on the server room floor. “While you recover… I’ll tell you what I know.”

He paused, then started. “I received a call on Monday from a local high school technology teacher. He wants us to give presentations to his classes about how what he teaches is used in the workplace. I think he’s your mate, but I also think you are the best person to give these presentations—at least the first one.

“He said his students are used to apps and things like cloud storage, so don’t understand why they need to learn some of the fundamentals. But you know the apps and cloud stuff inside and out. You know where it fails. The kids probably think that anybody telling them not to use apps are people who just haven’t kept up with technology. But that’s not you. I’ve watched you recommend an app for one client, then turn around and say it’s not robust enough for the next. You know their place in the ecosystem. I can’t think of anybody better to help bridge that gap.”

“So he wants me to talk to his students?”

Dylan smiled. “Yes, and in case he’s not your mate… you now know why I want you to talk to him. This is a good thing to do either way, and you’re still the best to give that first presentation. I asked him to stay close because I think he’s your mate, but I would have asked you to talk with him either way.”

“Two non-client meetings in one afternoon?” I asked.

Dylan smirked. “Sorry. But I decided it was worth the chance. I’ll get you pizza if I’m wrong and you end up in another meeting instead of his bedroom.”

“What if it ends up being both?”

He laughed. “I guess I need to find a pizza place as good as Slice of Heaven.”