Chapter 12

Twelve

Rumor is you can sell things for a commission.

Who this?

Adrian allowed himself a smile.

U know who I am

He just needed to dangle his wormy hook a little.

And I don’t believe you want to sell

“Fucker.”

I don’t want to, asshole. I have to. There was a big boom at my apt.

well, run to the new boss and blow him

been there, done that. U want the code or not? U have 10 secs before I go somewhere else and u can fuck off

I want it.

Score. He was setting the hook. “He wants it. How much do I ask for?”

“Well, I bought the company for a lot of millions…” Symon grinned. “But crimes like this tend to be quick and dirty. A couple hundred thousand?”

“No. Don’t go too low. Ask for ten million.” Quin sounded so sure. “Let him barter you down, sure, but ask high.”

Adrian’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. You wrote this code. You’re not just some corporate raider with no connection to it. He needs to believe you’re emotional.”

“Okay. I can see that.” Adrian tapped away.

10 Mil

No fucking way

it’s worth 10x that u know it

He just had to set up a meeting. That was it. Just a meeting.

Not to me. I just want a clean copy. You can sell it to as many people as you want. 2 mil.

He almost dropped his laptop. Holy shit.

“What? What is it?” Symon asked, and he met those beautiful eyes.

“He just wants a copy. He’s offering two million dollars. What do I do?”

“Say yes,” Rian said. “We’re just drawing him to a meeting. Tell him you don’t want an electronic payment. You want to meet with him.”

“He won’t be suspicious?”

“How techie is he?”

“Not at all, as far as I know. He’s a salesman.”

“Tell him you need cash to get out of town,” Quin said. “That you’re scared of Symon’s pack.”

“I can totally do that.” He grabbed his laptop and typed in,

You got it. Where do we meet?

What do you mean meet?

You know, meeting that thing that two people do when one of them is going to hand over $2,000,000 and the other one is going to hand over stolen code?

Adrian had to admit that this was really, truly kind of a powerful position to be in. He wasn’t sure he liked it. But it was good to know about himself—whether or not he could do this.

I’ll wire you the money. U send the code.

Adrian shook his head.

No. I do not think so. I have to get out of town. Do you think that the pack won’t hunt me down once they find out what I’ve done? I want cash. And I want it now.

I have to meet with my buyer first.

Fair enough. Will an hour work?

Adrian could almost feel Carl’s panic through the computer. It was literally a palpable thing. He was glad. Fucker. He deserved it.

I can do an hour

Where? I’m downtown.

Meet me in the park in front of the Science Museum

cuin60

“He wants to meet in the park by the Science Museum in an hour.”

“We can be there.” Quin slid out on the highway and picked up speed.

“So, what do I do? What do you need from me? What am I supposed to do?”

“Your job is done, baby.” Symon stroked his arm. “You did great. The rest you leave to us.”

“Really? I did a good job? Do I have to meet him?”

“No. No, he’ll be there, and we’ll see him before he realizes he didn’t see you. We have the texts as his intent to buy.”

Quin scoffed. “I don’t intend to take him to the police.”

“Just don’t get hurt. I—You’re—we just started. Please don’t get hurt.”

“I won’t. I’ll toss Quin in the way of his claws.”

He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to laugh, but Rian did, so he grinned. “Okay.”

“Hey!”

“The leather jacket will protect you, right?” he dared to tease.

“Yeah, yeah. That and Rian when I use him as a shield.”

“Ah, brotherly love,” Rian said, rolling his eyes at him and Symon in the back seat. “Do you have a big family?”

“No. No, not at all.” He was a loner, no question.

“Well, welcome to ours then.”

He blinked hard, not with confusion this time, but with emotion. “Thanks. That’s— thanks.”

Symon rumbled softly, stroking his back. Easy, mate. All is well.

I know. I do. I worry about you, but I know. And your brothers are sweet.

Oh now, don’t go too far. But they do accept that you have my best interest at heart.

I do. So quickly, so wildly—you call to my soul.

I feel the same.

“Are you two making googly eyes? Focus, Symon.” It wasn’t long before Quin was pulling off the highway in Denver and heading toward the downtown museum area.

Adrian could feel the mixture of apprehension and excitement from the brothers, and it made him queasy.

Symon pressed his hand. It will be fine. There are enough of us to take on a cat.

I’m here too. If you need me. I won’t leave you unprotected.

I know that. And I love you for it. But I want you to try to stay down and wait until it’s absolutely necessary. I might get distracted worrying about you.

That’s fair. He understood that, 100 percent. He would be smart, but he wouldn’t let anyone hurt Symon.

He would fight for his mate, just as his mate was fighting for him.

“Okay. We’re almost there,” Quin said. “Everyone on alert.”

“He doesn’t know you, Quin. Can you head out, let us know what you see?”

“Sure, Sy. I can play drunken asshole number two, no sweat.”

“Good man. You know what he looks like?”

“I memorized the pics, yeah.” Quin coasted to the most crowded area of the parking lot. This part of Denver was never fully dead. “Cover me, Ri.”

“I got you.” Rian pulled a heavy sweater on, which made him look softer and more bulky.

He slumped down, hiding in the shadows of the back seat. “This is wild. You guys be?—”

Quin slipped out of the car, and Adrian noticed the interior light didn’t come on. Neat trick.

Rian gave them a wicked grin in the rearview, then did the same, waving one hand.

Symon stayed with him, sitting back in the shadows, watching everything from the car window.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

“I’m pissed off. Someone wants to harm my mate.”

He poked Symon’s leg. “They want to hurt mine too.”

“Yes, but I think Carl blames you very personally for the fact that he hasn’t been able to get what he wants. I want to chew him up and spit him out.”

“Yeah, I want him to go away. I just want to have a life with a rhythm again. It’s hard to be floating around like a chicken with its head cut off.”

“I know.” Symon didn’t look at him, but he felt that hand press his. “I hope you want to make a new routine with me.”

“I hope you want the same thing,” he whispered. “I want to be with you.”

“I want you too, love. I tell myself I’m not wolfy, but you make me want to claim you. To mate you so good you never leave me.”

“That sounds…delicious.” But first they had to focus on getting Carl.

“It does. There he is.” He felt Symon tense, and then the pressure seemed to grow inside the car. He got the feeling Symon was communicating with his brothers.

“Are they okay?” he whispered. He wanted to hide, but he needed to protect his pack—whether or not it was his yet.

“They will be. I just wanted them to know I’d spotted him. Quin will move in and distract him.” Symon vibrated, and he could tell his mate wanted to be out there, working with his brothers, keeping them safe as they kept him that way.

He saw Carl then, and his stomach turned. The man was really ugly somehow. Like he had an aura of badness.

“Dammit, Adrian! Where are you?” Symon heard the son of a bitch even through the closed windows.

I can go out there if I need to.

No. Symon held him close. No, Quin is closing in.

Adrian heard Quin singing at the top of his lungs, stumbling around and making a ton of noise. It was a little hilarious, honestly, and more than a touch impressive.

Rian was moving in from behind Carl, and he could tell the moment Carl knew he was had. He whirled toward Rian, and Quin rushed at him from behind, and Symon slid out of the car with barely a breeze in his wake.

Adrian stashed his laptop under the seat and grabbed his phone. He probably should dial nine and one.

He held his breath, watching as Quin took Carl down, but he was surprisingly strong for such a doughy-looking guy, twisting hard and tossing Quin off.

Everything stopped when Carl pulled out a gun.

Adrian grabbed his empty laptop bag, slipped out of the passenger side, and then stood up. “What the fuck? You brought backup?”

“Are you kidding? Like I was going to trust a fucking wolf. And I was right, wasn’t I?” Carl sneered at him.

“Who are these two assholes that you brought? I told you I was coming! You’re just a prick! You are a hateful piece of shit!” He was screaming now, hoping to confuse and distract Carl for the brothers.

“What the fuck?” Carl actually backed away from him. “You’ve fucking lost it.”

“You burned down my apartment! You are a BAD KITTY!”

This was actually cathartic.

“Of course I am. Give me the laptop, Adrian.” Carl’s hand was starting to shake, and he kept darting glances at Symon and his brothers.

“You cheated. You brought wolves! You know I’m a solitary wolf! You CHEATED ME!” He threw his head back and howled, the wolf in him demanding to be let out.

And that startled Carl enough that he lowered the gun, and that was all it took. Quin took him down again, Symon kicking the gun away while Rian landed a hard blow to Carl’s chest, winding him. And in moments, Quin and Symon had him tied up.

“Who else is in on it with you, Carl?” Symon snapped.

“Fuck you!”

“No.” Adrian growled, storming over to pop Carl in the jaw. Hard. “Tell him, you fuckmonkey!”

“Your mate is a scrapper, Sy,” Quin murmured.

“I know.” Symon gave him a look that warmed him to his toes. “I adore him.”

“Rah, fucking rah,” Carl spat.

Quin hauled him to his feet. “Give me five alone with him in the car. I’ll find out who he’s working with.”

“Works for me. Start with his balls.” Adrian was done.

“I will.” That grin was more than wolfish. It had an edge of crazy that Carl clearly feared.

“No! No, just call the damn cops. I’ll name my buyer. The only person working with me is Henry Gaines.”

“The other two who walked out?”

“Just went to work for a competitor.” Carl shook his head when Quin reached for him. “I told you!”

“Call the police, baby.” Symon nodded to him. “Then go breathe a second.”

“Okay. Okay.” He nodded. God, he wanted Insomnia cookies. Now. He always turned to chocolate chips when his nerves were shot.

That and work. So he got in the car, pulled out his laptop, and set about layering in more security for the app. Someone out there was willing to pay big money for it.