Page 12 of King

Sloan’s icy stare locked onto him, but Jared seemed oblivious or just used to it. He started to kick his feet up onto the desk, only to pause mid-motion when Sloan’s glare turned deadly.

Jared took the hint, placing his feet back on the floor.

“Let me guess, you spent it here glaring at the paperwork and scaring off anyone who dared to wish you a Merry Christmas?” Jared just didn’t know when to shut the hell up. “Did the fax machine survive the holiday, or did you kill it?”

There were times he hated the asshole, and this was one of those times. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes, trying to keep his anger in check. Becky was visiting her son for the holidays, which Sloan was more than okay with. He had decided not to go because of the workload on his shoulders, but now, staring at Jared, he wished he had gone. “Jared, I’m not in the mood for your shit.”

“Shocker,” Jared said with a grin that quickly turned into a frown. “Our Mates are worried about you.”

Sloan groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face as if that would erase the annoyance creeping up his spine. “Fuck,” he muttered. “I don’t have the time or the patience for this shit. Tell them to worry about something or someone else.”

“Easier said than done.” Jared snorted. “They all asked you to spend Christmas with us. Which you declined.”

“Thanks for the recap, Jared.” Sloan bit out, his voice cold.

“When’s Becky coming back?” He gestured vaguely around the office, his lips curling into a grimace. “And I don’t just mean to town. This place is a fucking wreck.”

Sloan also glanced around his office and knew Jared was correct. This place was a disaster, but he would never admit that to Jared, the fucker. He’d rather swallow glass.

Jared leaned forward, crossing his arms on the desk. “You need to make this right with her, boss. Take my word on that. Plus, mypaychecks have been late twice now, and mine isn’t the only one. We all know she was the glue holding this shit together.”

Sloan’s temper flared, and he opened his mouth to tell them exactly where they could shove their opinions, but Jared cut him off with a raised hand and an exaggerated sigh.

“Fair warning, boss,” Jared said, his voice carrying that annoying mix of amusement and pity. “The Mates have been plotting. And you know what that means. Resistance is futile when they decide on something. They’re already planning to drag Becky back into the office whether you or she likes it. When the Mate’s plot, shit happens.”

Sloan stared at him, his face an unreadable mask, though his grip on the armrests of his chair tightened. “Is there a reason,” he began slowly, “you all think my personal life is any of your fucking business?”

“Technically,” Jared said with a shrug, “it’s not just your personal life. Becky kept our shit running smoothly, too. So yeah, we feel that it is our business. You know it’s bad when I’m asking for more structure.”

“Jared, you wouldn’t recognize structure if it punched you in the fucking face,” Sloan grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

“Maybe not,” Jared shot back, “but I know when my paycheck is late. And I know when our fearless leader is on edge and boss, you are on the fucking edge.”

“Then maybe you assholes shouldn’t be pissing me off,” Sloan growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Did you ever think of that?”

“We just want Becky back, and we know you do too. Our Mates mean well,” Jared added, standing up with a stretch. “Just don’t say you weren’t warned.”

The asshole was right. Becky was the glue that held this chaotic circus together. Without her, everything was fucked up. Not just the late paychecks, the misfiled paperwork, the mountain of tasks piling up, or even the fucking fax machine from hell. No, it was more than that. Becky calmed him. Or at least as much as anyone calmed a man like him. Sloan was a work in progress, and he knew it. But with Becky, the progress didn’t feel quite so...impossible. From what he had just heard from Jake, things felt really impossible.

“Have you talked to Jake?” Sloan asked, abruptly switching gears as he opened a drawer and grabbed his wallet and keys.

Jared leaned back in his chair, brow furrowing. “No. Why?”

“They found the kid,” Sloan said, his tone flat but edged with tension.

Jared sat up his mood doing a one-eighty. “Joey?”

“Yeah.” Sloan nodded grimly. “And Daniel’s back.”

The corners of Jared’s mouth twitched into a small, wry smile. “You don’t sound too thrilled about that. I bet Duncan and Pam are excited.”

Sloan’s eyes narrowed as he tucked his wallet into his pocket. “I wouldn’t count on it. I don’t think Daniel’s here for a family reunion. He walked into the hospital knowing things no one else had figured out about Joey’s disappearance.”

Jared frowned, the weight of Sloan’s words sinking in. “What exactly does he know?”

“More than he should,” Sloan muttered as he approached the door. “I’m heading to the hospital now. If what Jake’s told me is right, this is going to make the demon crisis look like a goddamn garden party.”

Jared let out a low chuckle, following behind him. “What the fuck do you know about garden parties?”

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