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At times Graham regretted ever having made a deal with that guy. To be sure, there were definite advantages to the plan. Grimmaw pack would gain an alpha female, something they had never yet had. Still, engaging in business with Deacon almost made him feel dirty.
Finally finding the peace of mind necessary to retain his composure on the phone with someone he considered a cretin, Graham dialed the number. After a few rings, he allowed himself to hope that he was engaged in a game of phone tag and would have ample excuse to procrastinate the interaction further.
Much to his chagrin, Deacon picked up on the last ring. “Grimmaw,” he said perfunctorily.
“Deacon! I was surprised to receive your call. You said it was about the deal. You aren’t going to disappoint me. Are you?” He kept his voice upbeat to veil his threat.
“I am.”Well, damn.Apparently, veiled threats didn’t work on someone like Jonah. “The deal is off.”
Graham waited for further information that wasn’t forthcoming. “That’s it?”
“What more do you want, an apology?”
This guy is such a piece of work,Graham thought for the umpteenth time. “Nooo.” He drew the word out, attempting to keep his voice even and give himself time to calm down. “Something… of an explanation might be nice, however.”
“Like what? We had an arrangement and now we don’t. End of story. You might tell me what you plan to do now.”
Nothing ever prepared Graham for how infuriating it was to talk to that moron. He couldn’t understand how he had led a pack for as many years as he had. Then he remembered he led it through fear tactics.
“Deacon, I would love to understand where you’re coming from so I can reach a conclusion about how best to move forward.” His best diplomatic efforts fell on deaf ears.
“You only want to understand our motives so you can sniff out our weaknesses. That’s not going to happen.”
That conversation was more frustrating than any he could ever have imagined with Jude or even the most belligerent business contact. Business leaders could get hostile when they felt that someone who didn’t understand their passions was trying to edge them out of their corner of the market. Jude, on the other hand, would intentionally push his buttons because he thought it was fun to see Graham’s collected exterior crack.
Even attempting to calm territorial pack leaders was usually easier than dealing with Jonah. He had accomplished many successful liaisons with his ally packs in the past but never one this important to him.
For a moment, he allowed himself to wonder what would happen if he couldn’t get through to Deacon. He didn’t often allow himself to consider failure as a possibility, but there may not be a choice in this matter.
“I don’t know how to communicate to you that I’m not trying to attack you, Jonah. I truly wanted this deal to go through and I’m disappointed that it’s not, but I was under the impression you needed it as well.”
“Then you were mistaken. We were attempting to do a kindness for a smaller pack that was at a disadvantage, but there’s been a change of heart.”
Graham gritted his teeth. He didn’t like being referred to as disadvantaged, especially by someone he barely knew. Who the hell did Deacon think he was dealing with? “Okay, but why the change of heart?”
Jonah was giving him nothing. “There was just a change of heart! That’s all I can tell you!” he repeated, his tone escalating.
“Okay, I understand there was a change of heart, but whose?” Graham allowed him to lead the conversation in circles for a minute or two more, hoping to glean any iota of information about who Deacon had been planning to give to the Grimmaw pack, and who didn’t want her to go—and why. He got nowhere.
Inevitably, the insults grated on Graham’s nerves to the point that he could take it no longer. The tedium of crafting inane responses just to pump for more information became too much and he exploded.
“Alpha Deacon!” he exclaimed. “I won’t allow you to insult me further. You’ve proven yourself to be a complete waste of time and energy. Goodbye.” He hung up.
Almost simultaneously, he heard his front door slam. Rubbing his forehead to ease his blooming migraine, he stepped quickly down the stairs, taking note of the basket in the kitchen with a sinking heart.
He hoped Delilah hadn’t heard that conversation. Generally speaking, he didn’t mind it when people discovered his flaws because he had made his peace with them. Something about Delilah, though, made him want to present his best side at all times.
If she had heard the contents of his argument with Jonah, she would not have seen his best side. Allowing a rival alpha to verbally drag him on the stupidest of wild goose chases was not what he wanted her to see when they should be celebrating the company’s victory.
He opened the door to find a dumbstruck Jude standing on the stoop. “Was that Delilah?” he demanded. Jude confirmed it with a nod and Graham could feel his headache getting worse.
Why does everything always happen on a full moon?
Chapter 21
Delilah
Delilahbreatheddeeply,releasingthe stress of the day before opening the door. She held a basket of baked goods on one arm that had been hard-won and the taxi ride over had been less than pleasant.
