Page 86 of Breakneck
I was secretly hopingthe man would be busy, but no dice. Terry said that Conrad sounded excited to meet me.
Like most dragon alphas of proper descent, Conrad Roche was loaded. His house was more opulent than mine, looking like it was built early in the twentieth century. It had six mighty columns supporting a balcony on the third floor, a big park, and a circular driveway in the front.
We parked and stepped out of Terry’s car.
“Conrad said to go around the house and meet him in the back.” Terrance scanned the surroundings. “That way.” He pointed to a gravel path that led along the left wing of the building.
We walked through a Japanese-style garden with big boulders and round bushes sitting in neatly raked sand. The path narrowed, passing through thick shrubbery. Then a perfectly trimmed lawn opened in front of us, with sprinklers whispering here and there.
A large ancient oak grew in the middle, thick and sprawling, looking like something out of a fantasy saga. In the shade under the tree, we spotted a young, very pregnant omega lounging on a picnic blanket. Another omega, a little older, was lying by his side, petting the big, round stomach. He leaned down, and they kissed. Deeply. His hand sneaked under the pregnant boy’s shirt, to his chest, and…
Terry gripped my arm, squeezing hard. I tore my eyes away from the mirage and followed him around the house.
“Where the hell did you bring me?” I hissed.
“I’m wondering that myself,” Terry replied under his breath.
We finally found the patio after walking around a large man-made lake and getting lost in a rose garden. The alpha who greeted us didn’t look to be more than fifty, and had it not been for his wavy silver hair, I’d have guessed him to be even younger. I figured it must have been the mate.
“Conrad, this is Lothair,” Terry said, placing his palm in the middle of my back.
I almost swallowed my tongue. Seventy? No way this man was seventy years old.
“Lothair Courtemanche!” he enthused, and went for a full-on bro hug with a slap on my back that I awkwardly reciprocated. Now that I looked closer, he had deep wrinkles on his tanned face, but his body was packed with muscles, and his eyes twinkled. “I’m a great fan of your work.”
Somehow, I found that hard to believe. “Really?”
He laughed. “I don’t watch your movies, no, but I admire your blatant disregard for public safety rules. The base jump looked spectacular.”
I wasn’t sure if he was praising me or mocking me, but Terry was smiling as he nudged me forward.
“Please, have a seat. What can I get you? Coffee? Something stronger?”
“I’m driving,” Terry said.
Conrad waved his hand. “Pish. Let’s have some whiskey. What are the shifter perks for if we cannot indulge in nice things?” With that, he sauntered into the house.
“Why are you so careful with alcohol when you’re working?” I asked when Conrad was out of sight.
“While it doesn’t affect us, it can still show on a breathalyzer test.”
“Huh. I didn’t know that.”
He shrugged, giving me a small smile.
Conrad returned in a minute with a tray carrying three tumblers and a crystal decanter full of golden whiskey.
“Stuart will be here in a little while with your coffees,” he said as he put the tray down.
“Your mate?” I asked.
Conrad chortled merrily. “Oh, no, dear. Stuart is our butler. Eugene, my alpha, is traveling for business. But Tristan and Quinton are somewhere in the garden.”
When we stared at him dumbly, he grinned and put the glasses in front of us. “They are our omegas. Cheers, gentlemen.”
Right.I grabbed the whiskey and gulped.
Conrad hummed. “Gotta love the burn.” He smacked his lips and leaned back in his seat.
