Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Tyler pov

I peered ahead of me at the hotel room in front. I dove in, hyper-aware of the fact that I was in one right now. Anything could happen, and I was just banking on the fact that it was an open space, so the rogues weren't going to play a fast one on me. Still, I had to keep my senses open for any power play or any move that I wouldn't expect.

"Find the name of the person in charge, strike a deal with him, and if I can't, then assassinate him secretly," I muttered to myself, repeating the plan in my head. The second option looked rather tempting. Should I force myself to strike a deal? Who is he but a terrorist anyway? It would only come back to bite me.

I took a step out of the car and locked it, securing the keys in my pockets before heading over towards the main entrance of the hotel. During the ride, I had obtained all the necessary information I needed. I had a hotel reservation where the fellow would be meeting me in one of the private VIP booths.

Well, they didn't say it wasn't private for no reason. That means anything could happen, and I was at risk here. However, there were security cameras, so I could rest assured that I would still have some sense of security. I had already submitted my details to the hotel beforehand, so everything should proceed smoothly.

I entered into the large hall. There was a lounge area on one side and a receptionist at the front desk. I was about to head over to the receptionist for my reservation when a hotel attendant approached me instead.

"Mr. King," he said with a bow.

I raised an eyebrow. So they knew my identity here. Of course, there was nothing saying that the Mystic Pack didn't have ties with this hotel, but I wasn't really expecting it. I felt a sense of security knowing that I was still on my turf.

"My reservation," I said calmly to him.

He nodded like he had been briefed beforehand. "Right this way."

We took the elevator that led to the second floor where the private reservations were. He led me past a series of booths until we finally came to the seventh one. He stopped at the door and nodded.

"This is it," he said. "Your guest is waiting for you. Good luck."

I gave a stiff nod. They made it sound so easy. I waited for him to depart down the hall before stepping into the booth.

He wasn't kidding when he said my guest was waiting for me. A dark man with dark shades and a face cap sat across from the table, his fingers drumming on the table. He raised his eyes from his phone as I approached, so I had a clear look of the scar across his face, stopping just below his jaw.

He was dressed rather sophisticatedly with a red tuxedo and machine-pressed pants from designer brands, but what really caught my attention was the silver chain on his neck and the silver cross earring on his ear, almost giving him the appearance of a gangster from the '80s era—something that would be akin to a mafia boss.

"It's okay," I thought. "Deep breath." Refusing to let any hint of nervousness show—that would be a bad idea. Instead, I assessed him carefully, trying to figure out any loopholes that I could exploit. But I couldn't do that just by looking at him. That would be too easy.

"Tyler," I said, my face stone cold as I stretched out a hand.

He regarded me for a while with those grey eyes like he was equally making his assessment of me. I could feel the tension in the room. Boy, this was going to be a very long meeting.

"Carlos," he said, taking my hand and grasping it in a firm handshake.

Our eyes never left each other. We were strangled in thick tension. So this was the leader of the rogues, I thought to myself, my mind going through a lot of scenarios, making the information match with the newfound details.

Would he be easy for me to negotiate with, or would he prove rather difficult? Would I have to make him disappear? I could nearly see the gears turning in his head too. I immediately realized that he would be a fierce opponent, and I didn't have the powers that I needed. So in this battle, there would be a lot of casualties on my end.

Right now, I should focus on striking a deal with him, I thought, looking for the safest approach. Our hands finally let go. I drew a seat and sat down.

"I've already ordered," Carlos said, taking up the menu and pushing it in my direction, almost as if we were here for some casual meeting.

I frowned. Carlos said his eyes were still on his phone. I wondered why he would be so focused on the device during a mission. Wasn't he the least bit afraid that I would pull out my gun and end him in a moment of carelessness? Hardly five minutes, and this man was making me frown so much already.

I picked up the menu and went over the details. The hotel had a lot of specialties, I had to give it that. Chinese dishes as well as Spanish ones were mingled among the rest of the English dishes here. Unfortunately, I wasn't here to cruise and eat. I was here for business, and so I simply marked my choice and pushed the menu back to him.

He called for the waiter, who stepped in at the very next moment, almost like he had been waiting outside the door. The man took the menu.

"Your orders will be arriving soon," he said. "Enjoy your day." And with a bow, he stepped out of the booth. We were locked in privacy once again.

"Let's get down to business," Carlos said, slipping his phone into his pocket.

I kept my expression cold, knowing that the slightest bit of emotion could easily be used against me.

"Then you said I'm not a stranger to these kinds of meetings, given my openness to walk with but actually go well in my field. I hear that you have been causing a lot of trouble for us," I said, my voice stone cold.

Carlos gave a small smile. "Well, I wouldn't say that. After all, I could say the same for you."

I found myself wondering what to make of that. Carlos was hanging in the air, and I knew better than to take it for granted. It was like he knew something that I didn't. It was like I was playing a game of chess and I was already at a disadvantage. As though knowing this fully well, the corners of his lips twitched into a faint smirk.

Carlos leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming against the table. Even that action looked calculated, according to afford to slip not even for a second.

He was dangerous—not just because of his influence over the rogues, but because of what he possessed: Silver bullets.

My lips were etched into a thin line. The very idea of them made my skin crawl. They were a game changer, a declaration of war waiting to happen. All they needed was to be placed in the wrong hands, I thought, eyeing Carlos. Right now, he was the only person that had them other than me, and he didn't exactly look like somebody who was trying to avoid a war. Hell, he would welcome it with open arms.

I only had to worry about him because, luckily, I had already put measures in place to make sure that the weapons wouldn't get into any other hands apart from ours.

I adjusted my posture slightly, keeping my face blank as I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table. "Let's not waste each other's time, Carlos. You know why I'm here."

Carlos chuckled lowly, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Oh, I know exactly why you're here, Tyler. But I don't think you fully understand the situation you've walked into." He crossed his arms, tilting his head as if daring me to question him. "You want me to leave the Blue Ray Pack alone? Fine. You also want me to call off my men that are attacking your borders? I might consider that. But what's in it for me?"

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to remain composed. He wanted leverage. Power. Something I wasn't giving. "I'm offering you a chance to avoid unnecessary bloodshed," I said evenly, my tone devoid of emotion. "Your men might be loyal, but they're not invincible. A full-on confrontation with my pack wouldn't end well for either side. And don't forget that I'm the Lycan," I added, a glint flashing across my eyes. "A couple of shiny weapons won't give you the upper hand."