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“Eduardo?Are you with us?I’d like to talk about the fire that took out the back alley exit last night,” Konstantin, his boss and best friend, asked and Eddie nodded before the male Tiger continued with the meeting.
Sure.He was with them.Technically.
The fire had done minimal damage, and lucky for them, some guys from the local Shifter run fire station had been passing by and nipped it in the bud before it could get out of hand.Those bastards would be drinking at the club for free for the foreseeable future.
The Stripe Clubwas changing its focus, updating its theme, and getting an all-out overhaul.All things Eduardo was on board with.Yasmin, Konstantin’s very pregnant mate and wife, had recently become his partner in the business.
She’d been a dancer first, and her choreographed performances had been the most sought after in the entire club.The club was members only.They mostly catered to Shifters, though other supernaturals were welcomed for a fee, of course.Along with viewing performances by talented dancers, a member could dine on some of the finest, exotic cuisine prepared by Shifter chefs for those of their community with preferred tastes.
They were renowned for dishes not available anywhere else on the market, such as whale blubber confit, steaks cut from fresh fur seal, zebra, gazelle, elk, and more, not to mention the finest sashimi prepared by experts.Those meats not available on the human market were harvested from special ranches and farms dedicated to feeding Shifters and supes.
Entertainment was not exactly Eduardo’s purview.Come to think of it, neither was the food.Fine.He had barely listened to any of Konstantin’s speech, but was he to blame?At least he nodded when he thought it was appropriate, but the truth was he had allowed his thoughts to wander.
“Alright everyone.Good work,” Konstantin said as the staff got up to leave.“Eduardo, hold up.”
“Sure, Kon,” he grumbled, sitting back down.
Fuck.He really needed to get out of the city.His Bear was tearing him a new asshole, and he needed to let the beast out for a few hours.Some hunting or fishing in his fur would offer a little relief, or so he hoped.But not likely.
“Eduardo, I noticed you have been out of sorts for weeks now.Wanna talk about it?”the Tiger asked.
“I’m fine,” he replied, staring outside at nothing and everything.
Shit.He could hardly focus.His Bear was furious with him.Eddie knew it was a matter of time before he snapped.And when he did, he needed to be sure he was far away from everyone he cared about.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, man.”
“Look, Konstantin, I admit I was not paying attention to everything you were saying, but it doesn’t matter to me how you run this place.I head up security, right?And I promise you I can do my job.”
“Oh, so you don’t care about the rest of it, then?No feelings about the rash of fires across the city, or the fact no one knows why they started,” Konstantin asked, one eyebrow raised, and Eddie knew he’d fucked that one up.
“No!I mean, of course, I care, but I just, what I mean is what the fuck do I know about fires or dancing or cooking, right?”
“Nah, it’s cool.I got you.So, what I need you to do is go check the new Draco Fortis system we installed over by stages 2 and 3.Okay?”
“Yep,” Eddie said, grabbing his tablet.
He left Konstantin’s office, squeezing to one side as Yasmin returned from wherever pregnant females went to pamper themselves these days.She was positively glowing with love and radiant with it.
“Hello Eduardo, where are you going?”
“To check out some cameras for Kon.How you feeling today, Yasmin?”
“Great, thanks.This little cub is going to be a soccer player, I just know it.”
“Is that right?Well, I’ll be rooting for him in the stands,” Eduardo replied and grinned, turning to walk away.
“Hang on,” Yasmin said.“You know, I was just talking to Alina, and she said it’s been a while since you called.”
Eduardo froze.He did not want to get into this right now.Not with his Bear so volatile.But he would never disrespect Yasmin.Not only was she Konstantin’s mate, but she was a friend, and had proven herself loyal and a valuable asset to the club.
Easy, just go easy, he told himself.
“Is something wrong, Eduardo?”Yasmin added.She had her hand on the swell of her belly, and he tensed.
“Yeah, um, no, I mean, I’ve just been busy.And I figured Alina could use some time with you all, getting acclimated to the states and what not,” he muttered, not willing to give any more information than necessary.
“Moya lyiveetsa, are you coming upstairs, or shall I come down?”Konstantin opened his office door, his eyes zeroing in on his mate.
