Page 26 of New Blood

“So, shipping, huh? What made you decide to work in that business? Or was it your father who chose for you?”

Thaddeus took his eyes off the road for a brief second. “Do I look like I’m interested in shipping?”

“Got it.”

Apparently, that had been the wrong question. So far he was striking out. He searched for other topics of conversation. Maybe talk about the car again? That seemed to have sparked some interest in the unreadable werewolf with the handsome looks.

“He thought it would make a real man out of me,” Thaddeus added after a long pause. He shook his head. “Working by the docks.” He huffed.

“Wouldn’t be my favorite place either,” Mason agreed, pleased that his quiet companion seemed to start opening up.

But he didn’t want to push his luck. He could just as easily shut down again. This wasn’t a race; it was a marathon. That thought actually gave him an idea.

“I would have loved to be a race car driver. Fast cars, even faster women. Yep, that would have been cool.”

Mason looked out the window, remaining casual as if talking to himself.

“Better than cool!” Thaddeus replied, his voice suddenly more animated. “Which car would you have chosen, a Ferrari or a McLaren?”

He looked back at Thaddeus. “That’s pretty much a toss-up. Both are excellent cars. I mean, Ferrari has a longer history in Formula 1 racing, and their style is unmatched. Look at it, it’s just a beautiful car, but McLaren is innovative and cutting-edge. And they’ve been catching up, making great strides in the last few years, given that they started out in racing two decades after Ferrari. And with the right driver, McLaren will outperform Ferrari in more and more races. You’ll see.”

“So you’d go with the underdog, McLaren?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call them the underdog.” He chuckled. “They’re both powerhouses. But you’re not wrong: McLaren has fewer wins under their belt than Ferrari. So, if you wanna call them the underdog, well, guess I’m rooting for the underdog.”

“Kinda surprises me.” Thaddeus shrugged.

“Why would that surprise you?”

“You’re working for the Werewolf Alliance. They’re not exactly the Mother Theresa of the werewolf world.”

Mason furrowed his forehead. For a moment, it had felt like they’d had a good conversation. So where had this snide remark come from?

“Nobody ever said we are. We’re making sure the werewolf community’s secrets aren’t exposed to the human world.”

“And you do that by being corporate raiders? Yeah, that’s noble.”

“You see us as an organization coming in to dismantle your father’s empire to put it in our pockets? Bro, you clearly didn’t listen when Jude told you yesterday what was gonna happen here.”

“Oh, I listened. And what I heard is that Jude will have the say about everything that goes on here from now on.”

“Like any other alpha would,” Mason ground out.

“By enriching himself, by stealing what is ours, what belongs to the Gallaghers.”

“Who probably fucking stole it from somebody else!” Mason snapped, glaring at him.

Triumphantly, Thaddeus pointed at him. “So you’re admitting that the Werewolf Alliance is stealing our assets!”

Mason shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I’m talking to a fucking juvenile! Let’s discuss that when you’re grown up!”

“How dare you!” Thaddeus spat.

Mason crossed his arms over his chest and looked straight out through the windshield. Well, that conversation had gone downhill fast. And he’d probably made it even worse by accusing Thaddeus of being a child who didn’t understand what was going on.

For a few minutes, only heavy breathing could be heard in the car. Mason was fuming. He’d never had anybody get under his skin so quickly with such catastrophic results. Jude wouldn’t be happy about this development. Somehow he had to fix this, or Thaddeus would be in trouble.

17