Page 17 of Wolf's Whistle
“Don’t worry. Go about your day. I’ll have Edward call the precinct and if necessary, slap the detective with a harassment suit.”
“Thank you, Alpha. When Kasun refused to get off the stoop yesterday, Etienne had his Enforcers escort him back to the bar, but that’s all we did. After that Richard went upstairs, it took a half hour to pack up his things, and we left to go back to Etienne’s. You know what happened after that.” Julien paced his study.
At times like this, his wolf felt like he was caged.How did that detective dare accuse his Richard of murder? Not that the Serb didn’t deserve what he got.
“Don’t worry, I’ll have Edward interview everyone involved. I’ll let you know when he’s coming to see Richard, Julien. This is a minor annoyance.”
Thank the gods, The Alpha had his back, now he had to call Etienne and Julio but first, a light breakfast with his Mate. Julio and Etienne would be over for brunch. Maybe he’d wait to tell him then.
The elevator whirred. That must be Isabel with breakfast. He’d take the stairs and be up there before she got to the breakfast room.
He made it to the master suite just before Isabel. Richard was staring out the window at the street. “Are you ready for breakfast?” He stopped and watched Richard, and his heart turned over.
“I thought we were having brunch with Julio and Etienne.” Richard turned to him, cocking his head.
“We are, but not until ten. It’s only eight. I don’t know about you, but I could use a little food now.”
“I guess I am a bit hungry. I can’t understand why I’m so starved. Usually, I just eat a breakfast bar.”
“It must be all the excitement.”
“That’s true, it’s not every day you get accused of murder.” Richard gave him a crooked smile. “Or get engaged.” He chuckled. “I’m sure Bill Lutz is skeptical. I never even mentioned a boyfriend.”
“You can tell him that you preferred to keep your private life, private.” Julien took hold of Richard’s arm. “Come sit.”
“There is that…what did Armand say? I’ll bet he’s never had a new hire accused of murder before.”
“You’d be surprised. Here’s Isabel with breakfast.” She poured both men some hot coffee and fresh orange juice. His housekeeper put platters of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and potatoes on the table. The two men dug in.
“Are you sure Armand’s not angry?” A note of uncertainty crept into Richard’s voice.
“If he’s annoyed, it’s at the lazy police work of the Chicago detective, not you. Edward will take the statements and have them notarized and couriered to the detective, and that will be the end of the matter.”
During breakfast, Julien skillfully questioned Richard about his life after leaving Oswego, trying to find out more about his Mate. “Did you have many friends in Chicago?” Julien asked as he refilled Richard’s coffee cup.
“I had a few acquaintances, but the last real friend I had was Julio. I don’t come off as gay initially, but as soon as they found out in high school, their manner subtly changed toward me. It was as if it were catching, like a bad cold. When we first went out to the Chicago area, we lived in Wheaton, a small, conservative town an hour from downtown. It was much cheaper to live there than the other towns surrounding Chicago. I spent my last three years of high school in Wheaton largely ostracized by the local Christians for being gay.”
“What happened when you went to college?” Julien heaped another two pancakes on Richard’s plate.
“I had two relationships. We parted as friends but didn’t keep in touch. While I was in school, Dad had a mild heart attack, and the doctor suggested that he shouldn’t commute so far to work. They managed to afford a two-bedroom apartment in a decent section of town. Dad used the second bedroom as an office, and when I came home, the loveseat folded out into a bed. I got into MIT with a combination of loans, grants, and work-study. That’s why I was so up against it when you found me. I’m paying college loans with high-interest rates. The stipend that Armand offered me is a godsend. I can pay my loans and still eat.”
“You won’t be able to afford an apartment if you have loans to pay. Why don’t you stay with me while you’re finishing school? I’m at work most of the time, and you’d have Isabel and Marcel around to take care of things for you while you study.”
“That’s a very generous offer. I know I agreed to stay here temporarily until I got to know the city. It’s nice of you to make that arrangement open-ended. If I didn’t know that Julio likes and respects you, I’d have to refuse. But Julio is a pretty good judge of character, at least he used to be. Let’s try it for a little while and see how it goes. I know the city is expensive, and it would be stupid to refuse you.”
Isabel came up to clear the table. Julien handed her his plate. “Richard has decided to stay with us until he can afford an apartment.”
“Good.” She wagged her finger at Richard. “I don’t like the idea of you being alone in the city. Take what happened to Julio as an example. He was familiar with the city, and his building had a doorman who was supposedly there to prevent such nonsense. The boy almost died. You stay here where Marcel and Charles can keep an eye on you. Besides, Julien has three master’s degrees, one in electrical engineering, one in industrial engineering and one in mechanical design. I’m sure he could help you with your schoolwork.”
“What kind of master’s degree would you like to pursue, Richard? I have an engineering course catalog for NYU in the library. I know they offer a master’s degree in industrial engineering. That degree offers an interdisciplinary approach and is elective heavy so you can take courses in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and operations management.”
“I think the last two are of the most interest to me at this point in my career. I’ve done my time on the bench. I want to work for a company that unlike Switched Power doesn’t cut corners for a few more dollars in profit. I know Garou’s reputation.”
“I’m sure you were unaware of Switched Power’s reputation for shoddy workmanship when you agreed to work for them.” Julien patted his hand.
“I should have researched it more thoroughly, but my mind was on Mom and getting a job that could sustain us both. They offered me a good salary, better than the other firms in the Chicago area, and I couldn’t convince Mom to move.”
“I know that kind of stubborn. My folks live in a very expensive, very large, log cabin, but a log cabin nonetheless in the middle of the Oregon woods. Dad runs the family logging business. They come to see me when I’m in Redmond or I go and stay at their compound. All of the immediate family works in the business so they all live on acreage owned by the family.”
