Page 14 of Bodyguard Wolf's Fated Mate
My eyes were constantly moving from him to the window. It was a direct line of sight and anybody worth their marksmanship would have a clear shot from 300 yards away.
They could easily use the cover of the trees to make their escape after putting one between his eyes.
"She's just going to have to buck up. There are a lot of influential people coming to the party. It's a chance for me to network with some of the movers and shakers in this town. A lot of deals are made socializing during celebrations and events. The preparations have already been made. She signed off on everything. There was nothing I didn't consult her on." He protested the need for a more intimate gathering.
The crowd would make her feel an itch she couldn't scratch all night long. Midnight would come faster than expected. Nobody could be there when she finally learned to accept the wolf into her life.
The first hunt was the most important, and I was going to be there to teach her the ropes.
The price for the celebration was thousands and thousands of dollars. It seemed like a waste of money for a party, but nobody was asking for my opinion.
Her scent came into the room before her. This vision in a white terry cloth robe cinched at the waist came strolling in with her hands in her pocket. Her shampoo intoxicated me, but it was more of a combination of her natural scent and chemical additives.
"It looks like somebody came home early for a change," she addressed her father in a casual, noncommittal kind of way.
I thought for sure he would play along and give her positive reinforcement.
"I was sick and tired of the posturing. If I stayed any longer, I would have screamed and throttled somebody. That wouldn't be good for business," he told her the truth without mentioning her birthday celebration.
It was being held in a fancy hotel in the middle of the urban jungle. That would not make a good hunting ground unless she had a taste for human blood. That was the one thing I had to avoid at all costs. The first 24 hours were crucial.
"You always get this way. Try to relax a little and take your mind off of business. Getting rid of the tie was a good start. Go upstairs and change into something more comfortable. Join me at the pool. The temperature is perfect. Don't let their stubbornness ruin your day," she said without having a temper tantrum about his lack of fatherhood skills.
They treated each other like colleagues instead of father and daughter. It wasn't my place to say anything, but I could sense she wasn't very happy about his dismissive attitude. She could see he was running hot and wanted to do something to diffuse the situation before it escalated.
I stepped away to get in contact with Mercedes. She was a recent hire from a rival pack, but she had sworn her fealty to us. It was primarily what was considered a mutual transfer. They received somebody from our camp in return for somebody from theirs. It was basically a way to keep tabs on each other without being intrusive.
The phone rang a few times before she finally picked up. "I hope this is important. You are interrupting my spa day. You have no idea what I had to do to get reservations for this place. Being pampered is a luxury."
"I just wanted to give you a heads up. I might be sending you to work out a deal. Nothing is concrete, but I suspect you'll be on the first flight out later today. Pack a bag and be ready to leave at a moment's notice," I said in my business tone without making it personal, despite knowing her father and his influential role within the pack.
There was a momentary silence before she finally spoke. "I'm always prepared for a last-minute trip. Send me the particulars. You might want to consider accompanying me. It would be a good chance for you to see me in action. That's if you can get away for a few hours. Let me know as soon as you can. I will need a packet," she referred to a detailed dossier on everybody involved in the deal including social habits and business acumen.
"I'm already compiling everything you need to know. Let me get back to you. Enjoy your spa day. Don't get too complacent. I might need you for something else." I hinted about the beast but was reluctant to share anything more until absolutely necessary.
"It sounds juicy. I'm already salivating," she said, before ending the conversation with the dial tone screaming in my ear.
"…to hear it. You are my daughter and with that comes a responsibility to keep your nose clean. The last thing I need is more headaches. Don't do anything embarrassing. It will reflect badly on me. You represent this house with everything that entails. Remember that before you decide to make things difficult for me," Jules said with his nostrils flaring.
"I haven't touched the stuff in weeks. I don't know why you are getting your feathers ruffled. I just mentioned I need a refill on the sleeping pills. You wanted me to keep you informed. That's exactly what I'm doing and yet you chastise me for keeping you in the loop. You can't have it both ways."
"I don't want to hear this. I don't understand why you need them. Don't I give you everything you need and more? You should be sleeping like a baby." He threw his hands in the air and walked out of the room.
"Don't walk away from me. We are not finished with this conversation," she said before pursuing him, but I was standing in front of her to prevent her from getting into it with her father.
My hand pressed against her thumping chest to prevent her from navigating around me. "It's not you talking. The wolf can be rather obstinate. It lives for confrontation and will pick a fight by using your voice. It loves nothing more than a heated argument to get its blood pumping a little bit faster."
"These are things I should know. It might be a good idea to have you write down these little tidbits of information. If you are going to teach me what I need to know, the best way to do that is with cue cards. Don't stand in front of me." She breezed past me with a cold gust of air to send a chill down my spine.
A crack of thunder reported something of a weather anomaly. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The trees in the distance rustled. Somebody was moving within the canopy of leaves to get a better vantage point.
My eyes narrowed and I was able to ascertain a man dressed entirely in black carrying a very intimidating rifle with a powerful scope.
This was an attempted assassination.
CHAPTER 8
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