15

I might have had the 4 th off from work, but there was so much to do for the pack that I didn't have a second to relax really. I interviewed six different prey shifters for the position that I had talked with Reagan about. They were all refugees we'd allowed into the pack who'd been staying in Greece.

Three would work well, and I was tempted to hire them all.

Honestly, I was.

The twins could use one. So could Simone now. And Brett with all of the additional houses that I had added.

Basically, everyone needed more help and to not be broken.

Plus, I needed someone to handle this program I was initiating with the trade school. We had gobs of interest, and after talking with the Alphas under me, we were going to limit it to a hundred the first semester.

We were also going to have a waitlist for those interested and who got their credentials together and application to the school ready. That way if someone didn't meet the requirements or bailed on the program, someone else could step in and take the opportunity. Twenty from NYC and New Jersey, twenty from Sioux Falls, twenty from Chicago, twenty from Milwaukee, ten from Grand Rapids, and ten from Des Moines.

I was the Alpha of them now even if I was pretty hands off with how their Alpha had been running things for a long time. But he only wanted to be the Alpha another ten years maybe, so… I was the big boss and they were a part of this.

We really needed to stop expanding. That was the answer, but everyone needed us to. It just seemed like so much could fall apart and fast if we weren't careful and that worried me.

A lot.

That had distracted me a bit the whole day and then during work Wednesday. It was hard not to and to know what the hell to do about it all. I didn't want to let anyone down, but knowing it could lead to my death and the deaths of people I loved if we messed up… It was a very sobering situation.

I had to slap my game face on after work to have dinner with the judge and the attorney clerking for him. I drove out with my security and the SAiC working the case with me.

"You seem distracted, Chief Thomas," the judge said in greeting, his tone concerned and not biting.

The SAiC snorted but then apologized. "The chief handled so much on the way here that my head is spinning, Your Honor. Our whole building is being updated and—I have officially decided I never want to be division chief and run an office. Ever."

"I didn't want to either," I snickered, shaking my head and glancing at the judge. "I'm fine. I didn't get the day off yesterday and have been trying to figure out how to delegate some more. I'm about to be in over my head and…" I shrugged.

He studied me another moment and nodded. "If you would take a bit of unsolicited advice." He didn't wait for me to answer, not that I would have told him no when I wanted his assistance for this to run smoothly. "From what even I know, the Dorcuses have a very large family. You probably have a lot of wise aunts, uncles, and cousins who have years on you. Utilize that."

I blinked at him for a full minute. "Thank you. Really, thank you. That might be the piece I'm missing."

He nodded. "We all need the outside viewpoint, and I do judge situations for a living." His lips twitched, clearly having used that line many times before and liking it.

But he was good at it. Maybe not his rush to judge me, but he was a clean judge and efficient.

He'd also changed his mind about me after getting the rest of the information he'd needed, so I could let his original behavior slide.

And the man was good at using what he had to work with—hiring for sure. He picked an amazing attorney to clerk for him. I couldn't even hide how impressed I was at how much the man had for us in less than forty-eight hours.

The judge smirked as he looked over the menu.

"Can you be in charge of recruiting for the FBI if you find such gems?" I asked him, glad when he chuckled and took it as the intended compliment.

We'd picked the Japanese steakhouse because we were able to secure a private dining room. We informed the restaurant that we didn't want the show though, so if they could just cook it like for normal tables not at the bar and bring it, that would be great.

Right as I thought the server would be coming in to take our order, one of my detail did instead.

"I apologize, Mistress, but Nikos's team just got the call that they need to head out," he told me, glancing at his phone. "There needs to be some juggling done with the teams, and they wanted to make sure you saw it before they flew out."

I frowned and apologized as I looked at my phone. "That's fine besides Orson. He just got back from a flight. No, that's—tell Brian we need the exception for a non-FBI pilot to get them there. Ask one from Helmer's team or the ancients on loan. Or we get an FBI pilot from the normal division. They don't normally need ten for each assignment. I doubt this one."

"I will communicate that with Chief Havers," he accepted. "My understanding is the same and soon they will be four teams of five instead of two of ten." He apologized again and ducked back out.

I went to set my phone down but flinched at what I was scenting. "You both should be better educated. ‘Mistress' is like Master of the City or coven. I have a coven of vampires under my pack. The Chicago vampires are under me as well. I wear many hats."

The judge opened his mouth but then closed it. "I apologize. I thought Master, like Master of the City, was a unisex term." He cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed. "They might want to think about that given the context of the other term. I know it's being weaponized against you by certain parties, the First Lady included."

I sighed. Heavily. Great.

"That's actually not a bad suggestion," I admitted, texting Apollo that I wanted to bring something up with him later when he had a chance. The server came in before I could say anything else, and I nodded for them to all go ahead.

"I am old school, Chief Thomas, the lady orders first," the judge corrected.

"Thank you, but they always assume I'm ordering for the table when I go first and then there's confusion," I explained, glancing at the server. "And I'm picking up the tab with the other tables—"

"And the five gentlemen at the counter. Yes, I've been informed and that your order won't be a joke, you really will eat it all and the extra orders to go," she said, her tone amused. "Whoever called into the reservation made it clear when they spoke to the manager and to be polite to you so there wasn't a repeat of some issue."

I snickered, not even sure who it was but knowing what they were referring to. "A server called me a disgusting pig for all I ordered for myself and said he would vomit if he had to watch me shovel all of it in my mouth before demanding he switch tables with someone." I nodded when her mouth dropped open. "Yeah, it was fun."

"How much could it have really been?" she whispered.

"A lot for what a human was used to but honestly not remotely as much as I have eaten," I answered. " But I had just finished a two-hour intense weight session to push my limits, then a marathon-length run as my wolf shifting back and forth every mile which most shifters can't do."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter what you were doing. It's like those jerks who come in here and order for their dates and get them salads. This crap has to stop. It really does." She smiled at me. "You order what you want and I know it's for you, not the table, and I'll be impressed you can eat it all, do all of that, and still look fabulous."

"Thanks," I chuckled before proceeding to order more than all three humans could eat in an entire day. I shrugged when the two sitting across from me couldn't hide their shock. "Being a supe is expensive."

"Food seriously has to be most of the paychecks of the supe division," the SAiC muttered. "That's why some of us get so annoyed they get paid less and still jump in to keep us safe. Those APOT vamps are always jumping in and immediately need food to fuel up and get paid crap." He shook his head in disgust.

"They don't care. They just want to not be hated and stop getting crap for being so old. Or talked down to so much when they are so old." I left it at that and let them order as well. I kept my menu for what I would need to order to-go when it was time.

Once the server left, the SAiC filled in the attorney clerking—since he was already cleared by the ancients as clean—and I looked over what I was given. I realized after a few minutes that it left the judge to sit there with his thumb up his ass basically waiting for food.

"I apologize," I muttered as I kept reviewing, not really sure what else to say.

"I asked to be involved knowing that I wouldn't be getting my hands into much," he said easily. "I did want to bring up that I'm on a two-week vacation the week after next. I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse."

Shit, I hadn't known that. I stared blankly at what I'd been looking at and then pulled out my phone for my calendar. "Blessing. You can use that to push a few things around especially if any more evictions come up on your calendar for this trailer park. If they get put back on, that could tell us a lot."

"Smart," he praised. He left it at that a few minutes but then cleared his throat, waiting until I glanced up at him. "I didn't tell my wife why, but I mentioned that I met you at the courthouse and she was right—as always—and you were—that I was wrong about you."

My lips twitched. "Glad she's a smart one. We always need that in our lives."

"That we do," he agreed, accepting the poke. "She wondered—she wanted—apparently, there is quite the waiting list for…" He cleared his throat again.

I sat back in my chair and chuckled, shocking him. "She wants you to use the connection you now have to me for something, and you're so honorable you've never done that before. Wow, that's—I'm the same." I nodded when he seemed suspicious. "I recently forced a SAiC to be a witness that I wasn't abusing my badge so crap didn't hit me later.

"It wasn't even outside of regs, but I felt like crap dragging him into my personal anything. Especially when he didn't like me. It felt… Icky. It felt like something I shouldn't do. But I've been asked to do the same, and it never bothered me to cover someone. So yeah, we're a lot alike." I smiled at him. "Ask. I won't be upset. I also have no problem turning people down."

He seemed to accept that and nodded before telling me that his eldest daughter had had some serious struggles with conceiving and carrying a pregnancy to term. It was a bit of an overshare before he even got to the IVF treatments and then the multiple miscarriages, but finally it seemed this pregnancy would have a happy ending.

She was eight months into it and the doctors were really hopeful. It was going to be their first grandchild, and after everything, his wife wanted to go all out, completely over the top with the baby shower. I listened to all of it as our appetizers and drinks were brought in.

Well, our drinks, but my appetizers really even if I was more than willing to share.

"I'm thrilled for your family, but I'm at a loss how this could involve me, Your Honor," I admitted when he was winding down. I flinched when the SAiC chuckled, but the attorney looked as if I was a bit dense.

"If you had any clue what she juggles, you'd never—seriously, we all say constantly that her life is exhausting," the SAiC defended.

Then it hit me and I sighed. "No, it's more—people think I'm the gatekeeper of more than I am. You want something for the baby shower that I don't actually have my hands in or—you want to have the baby shower at the club?"

"Oh, heavens no," he whispered, looking like he was almost offended at the idea.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "We have a few really big chefs that people freak out over. Our dining area is rented out all of the time for baby showers and they don't do the show or anything."

He looked properly chastised and apologized. "I would never have thought of that. When you put it like that, I am silly."

At least he apologized well.

And then he just blurted it out. He wanted help getting seafood and the waiting list was too long, plus since it was wedding season, the flowers were ridiculous and special orders had to be bigger.

I nodded as he spoke and pulled up the number I needed on my phone, holding up my hand to him when he went on. "I need your wife's name and number. The reason my mind doesn't go to this is because I don't handle any of this." I nodded when he seemed hesitant. "I don't own the seafood farm. I simply loaned the money.

"It would take a while to explain pack protection and the symbiotic relationship between supes but yes, I can make this work because I'm Alpha. Simone's bistro is no problem at all. I am part-owner in the greenhouses but again, I have managers. But yes, they will make the exception if I put in the call, but your wife will have to pick it up.

"That numbers thing is because delivery is with the order and—we're stretched too thin because of the season. So give me her name and number, and I'll hook her up with my life manager, Vinn, who will make it all work for her, but she still has to pay. Of course. But make it exceedingly clear that this is my personal—PA doesn't cover it. Life manager. This number does not—"

"It's not given out like the manager of your club or anything else, yes, of course, that makes perfect sense," he agreed, clearly understanding. "I will make that abundantly clear to her."

"Also—and I mean no disrespect, but you were a bit prickly to me when we met. Vinn has been through—she needs a gentle touch. She's a very gifted woman but has had a rough go. I don't allow my people to be roughed up, especially when others are asking favors from me."

Again, he nodded, hearing the warning clearly. He promised that he was the prickly jerk of his family and his wife was a doll, a nervous mom mostly.

"Is your daughter still on her feet or is she on bed rest? Any complications or…" I accepted his phone with the information and texted it to Vinn saying I'd explain it to her later.

"No, she's fine," he hedged.

I nodded and gave back his phone before writing down Nina's information and handing it to him. "She's not just some witch, but an elder and extremely talented. She might not be able to do anything more than the doctors can, but when I have an issue or worry we might, she is who I go to. If I was in your shoes and it was my kid, I'd talk to her. I have."

"Your son," he hedged, giving me a curious look.

I nodded. "He is a huge target. He has magic on him to help just in case. I won't say more than that, but he also has a fairy nanny and guards. You know why."

"Your money alone, but yes." He shook the paper. "Thank you. I will—there's no harm in asking, and if it's someone you trust—"

"She's one of the reasons I survived my abduction. I was dead. I was dying coming off that plane and it was a miracle I survived. Nina and Dr. Sloan pulled off a miracle. A few from what I know."

He thanked me again and then we focused back on work, the men snagging a few appetizers, but it was completely fine. I was halfway into the thick file of what the attorney had already pulled when my blood ran cold. I was about to shake it off because the name wasn't a strange one or—Butler was a super common last name.

There had to be a lot of them with the same first name.

Except I flipped a few more pages and found another name that was probably common… But together as mother and stepson wasn't so common.

"Chief Thomas?" the attorney said, his tone making it clear that it wasn't the first time he'd spoken.

The door opened quickly and two vamps from my detail came inside, glancing around looking for a threat.

"This just became personal for you, didn't it?" the judge asked, putting the pieces together fast. "Your face suddenly drained of all color and your security came bursting in here, so they sensed a change in you."

"Maybe," I admitted. "Marie and David Butler aren't rare names—there's probably ten of each in Chicago, but together and…" I flipped a few pages to check something, slowly bobbing my head. "That's about the right age for her. Yeah." I set everything down and rubbed my eyes. "I have to check my DCFS file when I get home."

"You shouldn't have that, Chief Thomas," the judge said, his tone ice cold.

It was the attorney clerking for him who jumped in before I could. "And I've always had a serious problem with that." He nodded when the judge did a double take. "That's—we believe in transparency. Everything filed and public records. You grant access to sealed records because people have a right to know who works for them and more. You believe this."

"It's illegal to hide my medical records from me or anyone," I added. "I can have every record—credit filing—anything with my name or social security involved but not my records from when I was in the care of the government as a child? You have to see how incredibly shady and flawed that kind of thinking is, Your Honor."

"You're right," he accepted after a moment. "I do. It's not what I normally deal with, and I didn't think of that." He opened his mouth to say more, but I cut in faster.

"I obtained it through the proper channels." I bounced that around. "Technically. Some strings might have been pulled behind the scenes, but—the fact that was needed disgusts me. The Navy was able to get it because I was deemed high-risk, but I couldn't even have it."

He studied me closely. "Off the record then. How did you get it?"

I shrugged, not thinking it was his business. "The Navy realized how much of an asset I was when I kept tearing through language classes in college and acing everything. I was brought before someone high ranking and they wanted me to work with intelligence. I made it clear to consider that, I wanted intelligence as well. On myself."

And I wouldn't apologize for that. Ever. The fact I had to fight for my DCFS record was a joke.

I glanced at one of the guys on my security and switched to French. "This just became personal. I need your team ready to get to work and I might cover my eyes for a bit. But I need this woman found and information on this guy. I'll play it straight with him, but—I need help with this."

He dipped his head to me. "Whatever you need, Mistress. I also just received a call from Councilman Dubois. There is an update on the vampire transfer situation. The council will probably be stepping in, and if Chicago is available, the council hopes that Master Noah will accept the vampires."

I practically said all of the cuss words in French and several other languages. "I'll speak with Noah, but I hope there will be a conversation had with either the councilman and these possible transfers or at least Goran that they're super dead if they even think to pull a fast one. That we don't play Caesar in Chicago and rip hearts out if people even think it."

He nodded. "I'm sure that can be arranged. He wants this handled quietly. Apparently, you've done them a favor by quietly letting them know there was a problem."

"There's always a fucking problem for me to handle," I grumbled. "Okay, after we're done here. Give Noah the heads-up. Thank you." I sighed when they left and rubbed the bridge of my nose, flinching when I remembered that I wasn't alone. "I apologize."

"It's fine. Obviously, it was bad news," the judge muttered, wanting to push but probably knowing it was over the line.

I opened my mouth but then closed it. "Some days I just want to remind people that I'm only thirty and to stop asking me to clean up their damn messes just because I'm powerful or rich or I can . And I don't mean just supes." I snorted, yeah, the FBI was one of the worst culprits of that.

I shook off my mood and we finished the dinner meeting, glad at least that we were all on the same page and moving forward with it all.