Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Cora--
As it turns out, I shouldn’t have been all that intimidated by any hypothetical security measures. There’s a corridor leading out of the parking garage that is clearly monitored by cameras, and even I can hear the lock that’s disengaged manually from the other side. It makes me wonder why they didn’t go with the latest and greatest tech when they basically have Oliver’s entire company on retainer. I guess that’s a question you’ll have to ask him. I haven’t actually been here before.
Suddenly, the comfort I took from Landon’s presence starts to recede. If I don’t have to worry about being poked, prodded, weighed, and measured, I can handle most non- hostile shifters on my own. On top of that, Landon doesn’t even know what we’re walking into any more than I do. I keep chafing under the implication of his supervision, but we don’t have time to have that fight again right now.
The previously locked door swings outward toward us, and behind it is a male shifter built as much like a tank as Hammer, but with darker hair and blue eyes. He’s got some scruff around his jawline, implying that he’s either been on shift for a long time or he’s been out of the military long enough to loosen up on the grooming habits they required. I know for a fact that Hammer shaves every single morning just after he brushes his teeth. This man might leave it a day or three before he picks up his razor again. “Blaze,” he grunts, which I assume is his name because of how he twitches his hand toward his chest, “now follow me.”
Blaze– whom I immediately nickname Brick Wall in my head– pivots on his heel and starts walking the opposite direction. The massive stick up his ass has me leaning toward a long shift rather than time out of the military– I bet he’s just been awake long enough to want to take it out on everyone else. I don’t like it, but I understand it. Landon’s shoulders shake next to me as he tries to hold in his laughter at my inner commentary. Stop being so funny or “Brick Wall” will think I’m crazy.
I make a silly face at him, amazed that I feel light and free enough to do so. I would have never been caught dead contorting my face like this a year ago, even in the privacy of my own apartment. That sounds more like a you problem than a me problem.
Landon reaches out to pinch my ass, but I guess we’re being too noisy or smelled too much like what we are thinking about because that’s when Blaze decides to turn around and walk backward ahead of us like a tour guide. “You’re here to see Alpha?” His words sound like a statement, but he looks at us expectantly like he just asked a question. The impression given is that he can’t understand why we would be here to waste his Alpha’s time when we’re obviously unprofessional and juvenile.
I should have made you stay home. I think to Landon as I school my features into bland professionalism. Landon jumps in. “My mate is our pack’s investigative researcher and your Alpha wants her to explain her findings on a specific issue more fully.”
Blaze’s eyebrows twitch in a grandiose show of surprise. “She needs to work on her reporting skills, then. Information is useless unless it can be properly conveyed.”
He has no idea, I realize. It never occurred to me that the individuals of James’ pack– or company? – would have no reason to know every little thing that the Alphas get into. They have their own targets and assignments and I wasn’t one of his. Goody. “I fully agree, Blaze. All information should be properly reported.”
Landon rolls his eyes beside me, making Blaze glance between the two of us suspiciously before he lets us into what is clearly a private elevator set aside for James and his guests. We don’t have time to have THAT fight again right now, either.
Eyeing the camera in the elevator, I think my reply. You know my stance on this. I think it’s the smarter, safer way to live from here on out. If you could just be visible enough, you could become nearly untouchable.
Blaze pushes a button for us, then steps wordlessly out of the elevator to go back to whatever he was doing before letting us in. Maybe door duty, maybe something else and he’s just the only one that isn’t too lazy to check it.
All I know is the floor numbers are going up and up ever so slowly as we ride the elevator and all the arguments I was anxiously picking with Landon to deflect my nervousness– and its true target– are falling away. Most of them are things I’ll have to discuss with Landon, yes, but none of them are all that important right now. Right now, the most important thing is making sure I don’t make myself look like an idiot for this meeting and relay whatever information James needs from me. Easy enough.