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“You can dish it out, but you have a hard time taking it.” Another fake laugh. But there was no hiding the fact that her voice was shaking. “You can’t possibly think you can come in here, threaten my livelihood, and leave like nothing happened? Not a chance.”
I’d have to talk to Hugo as soon as I was done here to make sure my folks had a security detail. There was no way I’d be able to sequester them in The Village because they were in danger and then convince them this was the place they should be putting down roots.
“Marissa’s in trouble because of you. She doesn’t think it’s worth confronting you because she knows you’ll never let her outshine you. That’s what this is about, isn’t it, Suzanne? You can’t stand to pass the torch.”
“There’s room for both of us to be successful.”
I put my hands on the desk and leaned forward. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly. Yeah, I was getting a little too close for comfort to the thing Suzanne feared most. The truth. “Then find your own thing. There’s a whole world of scandal out there. You don’t needThe Mating Game.”
“I don’t, but the viewers want someone to tell the truth about the show. You know, the scoop?” She grinned.
“Have you read our show forums?”
Her eyes widened for a split second again. I would put money on the fact the forums kept her up at night.
“I’m a busy woman with a show to run. I don’t have time for online chat boards.”
“Then let me tell you about our viewers. They’re fiercely protective of all the major players on the show. If you do anything to hurt any of them, you won’t have to worry about a shifter attack. They’ll make sure you’re ruined for good.”
She shook her head. “If the show fails, it won’t be because of me. I guarantee it.”
“The Mating Game’s not gonna fail, Suzanne.” I stood tall and caught her gaze. All challenge. Oh, how my bear wished she were a shifter. “It’s time for you to stop thinking about the quick fix and start thinking about the future.”
I was done here. I put my hand on the door to leave.
“We plan to go forward with the lawsuit, Bjorn. Don’t think your little visit changed anything about that."
I turned and looked at her. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
“I want the Hudaknocker back. Not on stage, not in some deal where you make enough to buy a mansion. Hand it over, so I can give it back to the packs. If one of these rogue wolves you’ve invited into the mix wants Marissa to pay, the local alphas won’t protect your daughter. I will, but there’s only so much I can do against a ruthless pack.”
Suzanne couldn’t hide her shock at that visual. “So I should give it to you with nothing in exchange?”
“Your daughter’s life could be on the line.” I’d made myself more than clear. “What’s more important to you—fame or family?”
Her throat worked. “That’s a ridiculous question.”
“But you aren’t giving me a straight answer.”
“Fine.” She opened the drawer to her desk, took out a cloth bag, and handed it to me. “I don’t need the stupid thing. But it was sure fun watching a bunch of animals run around with their tails between their legs over it.”
I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of checking the bag, but I could feel the energy of the Hudaknocker through the cloth. I simply nodded to her and left.
The crowd in the lobby had thinned, but enough of them were still there to shout questions at me when I came out of the office. Stephanie waved to me from by the door.
We didn’t say anything to each other until we got back to the van.
“She gave me the Hudaknocker.” I lifted the bag, the distinct outline of the relic unmistakable against the cloth.
Stephanie raised a brow. “What did you give her in exchange?”
“Told her that she was putting Marissa in danger.”
“That was too easy.” Stephanie shook her head. “Are you sure it’s the real deal?”
“I can feel its power. It’s the Hudaknocker. But Suzanne’s still hiding something from us,” I said as I pulled out of the parking lot. “And the only way to stop her is to find out what it is.”
ChapterTwenty-Seven
