Page 24 of Bodyguard Wolf's Fated Mate
I had a countermeasure in place to make them regret ever putting a hand on me.
"I think we have a failure to communicate. We are not your enemies, but you insist on following orders without knowing where they come from. What you need is to be taught a lesson in manners, especially in front of a lady." I pointed my thumb to Mercedes, and she flippantly wiggled her fingers before the door closed.
A big man somewhat of a muscle meat head decided cracking his knuckles would intimidate me. His white shirt bulged with his overeager idea that being bigger made him better than others.
"This isn't going to end well for you. Look at your friends and make an educated decision," I warned with my eyes narrowed to allow the wolf some measure of control over the situation.
"You could've come quietly, but you had to make it hard for all of us. I hope you like pain. This is going to hurt you a lot more than it's going to hurt my knuckles." He swung and would have taken my head off, but the wolf in his infinite wisdom took gentle control of my body.
It moved gracefully underneath the extended arm. My reaction was to grab his hand and pull it down while at the same time thrusting my palm into his elbow at an awkward angle. The bone broke with a satisfying crack and his face changed until he became ghostly.
I brought my elbow around to strike him in the throat. It was enough to seriously bruise his vocal cords. He doubled over clutching at his throat, and I used his body to give me enough leverage to take out the remaining guard.
Both of my hands were on the bigger guy's back with my feet extended as far as they could go. His sternum was seriously affected. He came off of his feet with the telltale streak of shoe leather across the linoleum floor.
It was actually nice to stretch my wings and make sure that I was battle ready for anything. Five of the seven were unconscious. The other two, including the big guy, whimpered in response while assessing their injuries in a state of shock.
"Don't tell me I didn't warn you. Those injuries will heal in time. Let that be a lesson that outside appearances can be deceiving. Just because I'm wearing a $10,000 suit doesn't mean I can't beat the living hell out of you. Stay down if you know what's good for you," I said before turning around and going to the elevator that just opened.
I was a little perturbed to find a small rip in the sleeve of my sport coat. I prided myself on my appearance and this little imperfection tarnished my image. It was a good thing I wasn't a vindictive man. Somebody else might've gone back and made them aware of their faux pas.
I listened to the melancholy drone of the elevator music playing in the background of my mind. It was surprising to find there wasn't a contingent of guards waiting for me when I walked onto the main floor. Nobody seemed to know anything and wasn't even phased by a man dressed in a $10,000 suit walking with confidence past the reception desk.
The woman was chewing gum and her mouth gaped in stunned appreciation for my attire. The placard with the name Stuart Adams was embossed in gold italics.
"You can't go back there without an appointment," she stammered with her gum sticking to her teeth.
"That's very good. Just say that a little bit louder so everybody can hear you," I advised when I opened the door and closed it behind me to mute her objections.
"You can't go back there without an appointment." She repeated the same dire warning but this time a little bit louder.
"Have we reached a verdict?"
Mercedes was sitting on the edge of his desk playing with his cobalt blue tie. Her eyes were crackling with some sort of electrical discharge. Stuart had his mouth hanging open and his eyes glued to her cleavage.
"Mr. Adams has been very helpful. He won't have any memory of this after we are gone. It's too bad. I hate to do it, but the last thing I need is for my name to be on the tip of his tongue. This is what we came for. It's more than enough leverage to change their minds. Mr. Stratus will be getting a phone call later this afternoon to iron out the details. Let's go. My job is done here," she said matter of factly, and then she released the man's wrinkled tie before spinning his chair to face the view out the window.
She handed me a sky-blue flash drive.
It was too bad that I didn't get the chance to see her in action. There was no doubting the results when she showed me the damning evidence against the president of the company. He had done a good job of hiding his embezzlement,
I was already in the process of drawing up an anonymous email. We couldn't leave the same way. Mapping an exit strategy was easier when I knew my limitations.
We climbed the stairs by leaping each landing until we reached the roof. We crashed through the door and didn't stop until we were diving off the edge. My suit jacket became a casualty as it flapped in the air currents.
To the casual observer, it would look like a suicide pact, but we had far more respect for ourselves than that. There was no parachute to slow down our descent. We spread open our arms and used the wind currents in a way that was somewhat unusual and fascinating at the same time.
It was a matter of concentration without letting fear cripple us into making a mistake.
We landed with point-blank accuracy on the next building several yards to the east. My balance was a little off and I stumbled but remained standing.
Mercedes clapped and I looked back to see her leaning against the door to the stairs. "It's been quite some time since you have dusted off the old skills. You should always follow a daily regiment to the letter. I can work up something for you if you are interested."
"I'm not above learning new things. Go ahead and make something challenging, custom-made just for me. I'm sending the message to the president of the company. He is going to be in for a rude awakening when he sees his crimes right in front of his face. You are more than encouraged to take a vacation, but I could use a second pair of eyes. I will warn you this is something you have never seen before." I followed her down the stairs without even having to catch my breath.
"You had me at something I have never seen before. Color me curious."
CHAPTER 14
