Page 23 of New Blood

“Expertise,” Byron grumbled.

Jude looked at the young hothead. “Let’s start with you, Byron. Which of the Gallagher businesses are you involved in?”

Byron tipped his chin up. “I’m running the Bail Bonds companies,” he emphasized.

“Good. How many are there?”

“Three in San Francisco, two more in Oakland, one in Sonoma County, and one in Napa County.”

“I’m assuming that you have managers who run the day-to-day there?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Jude nodded, then motioned to Wendell, who stepped forward. “Byron, I want you to show Wendell the ropes. Introduce him to the managers and show him what you do.”

Wendell’s no-nonsense attitude would be just the right antidote for Byron’s hotheaded personality.

Byron jumped up. “What? So you can replace me?” He pointed to Wendell as if accusing him.

“Rest assured, I have no intention of replacing anybody. You’ll remain in charge of the Bail Bonds business as long as you wish. But I want my team to understand the workings of this pack, and that includes its businesses.”

“Whatever!” Byron shrugged and tightened his jaw.

“Good. Then that’s settled.”

He shifted his gaze to Eve, who sat in a comfortable armchair, her arms crossed over her chest. She raised an eyebrow when their eyes met.

“Eve, I’m guessing you’re running the Equestrian estate?”

“What tipped you off?”

“I might have heard somebody mentioning that you’re good with horses.” The truth was that he’d read it in the report that the Werewolf Alliance had sent him. In fact, he knew exactly which family member ran which business. But he found it prudent to make them think that they were the ones who decided to tell him about their jobs. He’d experienced that pack members shut down when they had the feeling that the enemy—which they probably still saw him as at the moment—already knew everything about them.

“Yes, I breed horses for the pack. We’ve won a few awards nationally.”

She shrugged as if it wasn’t important, even though Jude knew that she was extremely proud of her achievements. He’d seen photographs of Eve next to her prize-winning horses in the foyer as well as in this very room.

“That’s excellent.”

Now would be the time to tell her that he would like her to show him the equestrian estate, but he decided otherwise. There would be plenty of time to get to know Eve better. He didn’t need to be the one to stomp around stables and horses.

“Please take Ransom to the equestrian estate and show him around. He’s good with horses, so that’ll be a plus.”

Eve’s chin dropped before his eyes fell on Ransom, who shot him a what-the-fuck-dude look. Only then, he remembered that Eve and Ransom had clashed the previous night and taken an instant dislike to each other. But he couldn’t assign anybody else now, or he would look weak and indecisive. What was done was done. They would just have to get over it and make it work. At least, Ransom didn’t have to mate with her. How difficult could it be for the two to spend a day together at a horse ranch while talking strictly about business?

Before anybody could protest, Jude continued, “Thaddeus, which business do you run? The vineyard or the shipping business?”

“Shipping,” Thaddeus said, his voice calm and pleasant, a neutral expression on his face, though his hands weren’t idle. He was fidgeting. “But I ran it with Cameron. But now…” He shrugged. “We might need to hire another manager.”

“I understand. Why don’t you take Mason along and explain the business to him, and then we can see who might be best suited to help you on a permanent basis, if that’s what you want.”

Thaddeus nodded. No protest, no change in facial expression. Jude couldn’t help but feel uneasy around him. He was hiding something. Nobody had such an even-keeled nature, particularly not after what had happened in the last couple of days. The one person who would be able to figure out what made Thaddeus tick and what secrets he was hiding was Mason. He had a knack for getting close to people despite their best efforts not to reveal their innermost thoughts. There had been moments in his own life where he’d found himself confiding in him even more so than in his own brother. Mason had that effect on people.

“Storm, that alright with you?” Jude asked, glancing at his cousin.

“Sure thing.” Mason nodded at Thaddeus. “Can’t wait for you to show me around. We can leave right away, if you want.” He glanced back at Jude. “As you know, I’m not a fan of meetings.”

“Your choice,” Jude replied, knowing why Mason was doing this. He, too, had noticed Thaddeus fidgeting, feeling uncomfortable in the meeting. By voicing what Thaddeus didn’t, Mason was trying to gain his confidence.