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Driving to the homeless shelter, I feel prepared to get my hands dirty no matter how much that thought makes me shudder. What I’m not prepared for is to find the roof completely ripped off from the storm, as if it had been peeled away. My jaw drops when I step out of the car to see a huge cleanup. The structure still stands. However, the inside is flooded, and I groan with annoyance. Just what I need.
The storm is the worst we’ve had in years. The damage I can see on the main street is shocking enough, but this side of town seems to have taken a more brutal hit. It makes me wonder how Everly's hotel is. No doubt it will have been smashed by the wild weather too.
Walking over to one of the project managers, I find him ordering around his leading hand and a few supervisors, directioning them to designated, specific areas to start the cleanup. When he notices me, Bill turns around to face me.
“Alpha,” he nods, stroking his beard before twirling the end through his fingers. “So, do you want the good news or the bad news first?” he asks.
“Is there any good news?”
“There is. The building didn't collapse,” Bill states.
“Is that the good news?” I ask, and he laughs.
“Yep, now the bad news. This just added another month to the timeline and raised the cost.”
“Anything else?”
“Yep, the sewer overflowed out the back, and it seems the entire city's shit washed into the far playground in the rear,” he tells me. And there’s my queue to leave because… shit? Naah, I ain't touching, smelling, or going within the vicinity of the sewers out back.
“Got you some gumboots,” Bill says brightly, and I shake my head.
“Nope, just remembered I have an emergency meeting,” I tell him, and he laughs.
“I thought you were willing to get your hands dirty for once, Alpha?” Bill taunts.
“Importantmeeting,” I tell him.
“Yeah, with who?”
He knows I’m full of shit, no pun intended, and is determined to call me out on it.
“With someone important.”
“More important than the Blood Alpha?” he asks, scratching his chin and squinting at me. I swear he twirls that beard on purpose because he knows it irritates me. I want scissors to cut it off.
“Of course; far more important,” I tell him.
“Name?” he challenges, and his eyes crinkle around the edges while he watches me try to get out of helping.
“Luna!” I tell him.
“Ah, nice save, Alpha. I see, hiding behind our Luna now,” he laughs. “I'll be sure to tell her that next time I see her,” he laughs before motioning for me to go.
Yep—blood, puke, I can kinda manage those. Shit? Nope! I draw the line at fecal matter.
“I’ll be sure to send Marcus over. He would love to help,” I tell Bill as I climb back into the driver's seat. Marcus had called me early this morning when he was on his way to get Casey from Macey's. Zoe's heat had finished, although she would be remaining home today to rest. Marcus said he was ready to come back to work, and I now have the perfect job as my replacement.
“Siri, call Marcus,” I tell my car stereo as I pull away from the curb. Marcus answers as I pull into traffic and stop at a traffic light.
“Hey, what's up? I was actually about to call you,” he says.
“Can you do me a favor?” I ask him.
“Depends,” he says warily, and I try to suppress my laughter.
“I’m supposed to help at the homeless shelter, but something has come up. Bill needs extra men, so can you grab Tatum and a few others and go help him in the rear playground to help clean up?”
“Yeah, sure thing. Just give me an hour.”
