Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

N ow.

Bolt Varg leaned back in the new clients' conference room chair and tried to focus on the surrounding conversation. He'd just finished another case that required him to spend the last twenty-four hours on continuous surveillance. Going on thirty-six hours of no sleep, his brain didn't fire as quickly as normally. He'd told his boss and alpha, Arek Varg, to choose someone else for this meeting, but Arek had insisted he'd come.

Swallowing a yawn, Bolt tried to keep his eyes from watering. It didn't help that their room had floor-to-ceiling windows and that it was a bright, sunny day. The view revealed a glorious clear blue sky stretching across downtown San Francisco and beyond. Inside the room, the sun had warmed the air to a temperature perfect for a nap.

At least, his inner wolf thought so .

The beast side of him had curled up for a snooze a long time ago.

Bolt blinked rapidly and then studied the people sitting across from him.

Tore Lansford, the third, and his granddaughter, Regina Lansford, showed Scandinavian heritage in their light-colored hair and pale skin. Age had bleached Tore's hair a greyish white. Regina's was still pale blonde, probably the color her grandfather's had been thirty years ago or so. They both had similar facial features, high cheekbones, narrow noses, and full lips, but Tore's eyes were dark brown while Regina's gaze, directed at Bolt's boss, displayed a deep cobalt blue color.

Bolt saw flashes of anger and frustration in those beautiful eyes, but she betrayed none of those high emotions on her face. Instead, she looked focused as she listened to Arek list the facts of her situation and how their security firm, Heimdall Shield, planned to protect her.

With his blond hair and blue eyes, Arek looked as if he could be related to the Lansfords. But, considering he was over a hundred years old and a wolf shifter, as well, it wasn't very likely. As usual, Bolt was the only dark-skinned and dark-haired person in the room.

The wolf shifters in his pack were mostly of northern European heritage. But even among the other North American packs that he'd met, there were no other brown or Black people. Well, his twin had the same complexion as him, but Arrow didn't count. Not anymore. Not since he'd chosen betrayal over family. He forced himself to stop thinking about his brother. Going down that path led to nothing but hurt and heartache.

Focusing back on the meeting, he listened as Arek read aloud from the threats sent to Regina. His boss highlighted particularly nasty keywords that indicated the writer behind the many emails was the same person. Still, not a twitch could be seen on Regina's face or detected in her posture, although her eyes sparked at a few of the nastier of the threats. But it looked more like anger than fear. The lady had a temper but knew how to keep it hidden. He liked that about her.

She'd make a formidable poker opponent. Maybe Bolt should invite her to play sometime. Although born into a world of immense wealth, she could afford much higher stakes than Bolt. Not that he was poor, he did alright. Wolf shifters lived a long time, and he'd early on invested his winnings from the fighting pits wisely and now collected significant dividends. He wasn't yet in the billionaire league, like Arek, but he wasn't far behind either.

His boss continued to read threats to the Ice Princess, which was what Bolt had decided to call Regina Lansford in his mind. Both because of her coloring and her regal posture. And because she was fucking beautiful in a cold, hands-off kind of way. She was like a piece of art. Something to be admired but not touched. At least not by the likes of him .

"I urge you to take this threat seriously, Ms. Lansford," Arek said. Outwardly, he looked calm and professional, but anyone who knew him could hear the frustration in his voice. The growl of his wolf bled through, deepening his voice.

Of course, the two human clients did not know Arek well, nor did they know he was a wolf shifter. The supernatural people tried not to freak out the regular humans. Shifters, witches, and other special-abilities folks kept their special abilities secret.

"I am taking it seriously," Regina answered, but from the repeated flash of frustration sparking in those startling blue eyes, Bolt knew she didn't.

Inwardly, he sighed and exchanged a look with his Alpha. It wasn't the first time a client facing death threats preferred to deny the threat level.

At least her grandfather understood. It was the older guy who'd called Heimdall Shield. That much Bolt had snapped up as he'd skimmed the case file on their ride over from the Pack House in Marine.

His wolf snored loudly inside him, and Arek looked at him sharply.

Bolt shrugged. He couldn't do much about his inner beast wanting sleep.

The animal and human spirits were two different parts of himself—controlled by the human, mainly. But sometimes, his wolf got a little stubborn about what it preferred to do. Besides, this case seemed pretty straightforward. Later, he'd read the entire write-up of information that the Heimdall team had gathered, but he knew how to handle a standard stalker, even when it had escalated to threats.

Of course, a high-profile client always made it trickier since their media coverage made them recognizable, and they attracted attention wherever they went. A corporate client wouldn't be as much of a hassle as a celebrity, though. Bolt hated bodyguarding celebrities. Most of them craved attention and refused to cancel public appearances despite the danger they faced from some obsessed fans.

"Regina," Tore Lansford engulfed his granddaughter's hand with his. "If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me. Ease my worry."

The old guy played the emotional manipulation card well. What would it have been like for Regina to grow up not only surrounded by wealth but also by a family who cared about her?

Bolt ignored the stab of slight envy that accompanied the question in his mind. He might not know who his parents were, but he had a family. His pack was his family, even if they weren't blood-related. And he again refused to think about his one true family member. That wound never seemed to heal, but he tried not to let it fester, at least.

Instead, he turned his thoughts to who the ice princess's stalker could be. A disgruntled employee? A spurned lover?

His wolf growled low at the thought of Regina having lovers.

That was new.

Arek shot him another frown, which Bolt ignored.

It didn't matter who stalked the beautiful Regina Landsford. The Heimdall Shield team would figure it out. They always did.

The woman in question sighed. "Grandfather, I know you think you're doing what's best for me, but this is going too far, even for you. There is no way I can do my job if I have to be under surveillance twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week." For the first time during this meeting, her face lost its composure, and frustration furrowed her brow.

"It's not just about you," Tore said. "As the CEO of Lofn Wellness, you also need to think about your board. Our board." He patted her hand, but she pulled it away, a flash of hurt flickering so quickly in her eyes that Bolt wouldn't have caught it unless he'd been watching her closely. He doubted anyone else had noticed.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice rose. Clearly, this was a sore enough point if even the ice princess couldn't keep her emotions in check.

Tore turned and faced her directly. "Any threat to you is a security risk to the company. One little whisper about instability, and you can say goodbye to taking the company public."

"You're exaggerating. How would a few dumb letters addressed to me jeopardize our IPO?" She shifted in the chair. "Maybe the stock price will open a little lower, but our results will speak for themselves, and the price will soon stabilize at the appropriate level."

Arek leaned forward. "That's what you could expect a few years ago. But these days, as the CEO, you are associated with the company's brand. The initial public offering isn't only about the company starting to trade on the stock exchange. It's also about you representing—even becoming the icon—of the brand." He tapped the table for emphasis. "The most successful companies in today's business climate are the ones who put a person behind the brand. People want someone to relate to. Someone to admire. That's what makes them trust and buy a product or service."

Tore Lansford nodded. "And think about what's happened to the stock prices of companies when their CEOs were accused of harassment or embezzlement. Today, even a misguided social media post can create turmoil in the stock market."

"You can't seriously compare me receiving these stupid messages to some male CEO sexual predator." The Ice Princess's voice turned as cold as Bolt's nickname for her. "Those people did horrible things to their employees. I haven't done anything to deserve this harassment. "

"Of course not," Arek said quickly. "You absolutely do not deserve this. However, those examples demonstrate how the current social climate doesn't distinguish between executives and the companies they represent. To the public, the two are the same."

Regina's eyes widened. The lady seemed finally to understand the severity of the situation. Bolt had skimmed the client file enough to know that she'd received death threats both in the mail and via email. The messages had been disturbingly specific about Regina's daily routine, so the perp had either stalked her for a long time, was someone in her social circle, or had worked—or currently worked—with her closely.

She sighed and leaned back in the chair. Her shoulders slumped. "Fine. What do you need me to do?"

Arek looked toward Bolt. This would be when he usually spoke up during a client meeting about the particular safety measures they'd put in place. He shook his head, however. He needed to read the file first before he gave his thoughts on how to protect this privileged princess. However, Ice Queen might have been a better title since she was the CEO and at the very top of the organizational chart, on the top of the throne of the company.

His boss flipped through screens on his tablet. "I have your schedule for the next month and noticed that there are several functions that involve large crowds. You need to limit those. "

Her eyes flashed. "The board insisted they're necessary because of the impending public offering. I wanted to skip them all even before the letters started arriving. What's on the calendar is the minimum on which the board insisted."

"Well, perhaps they'll change their mind once we tell them about the threats," Tore said.

Arek shook his head. "No, we don't want them to know. Not yet."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Aren't we obligated to tell them?"

Her grandfather patted her hand. "Eventually, we must. But I'm guessing Mr. Varg wants to rule out each of the board members as a suspect before we do."

Arek nodded.

"They're going to catch on that something unusual is going on if I show up with an entourage of bodyguards at each event. Especially if they're built like you." Regina gestured toward Bolt and Arek with one eyebrow quirked.

Bolt looked down at his body and then exchanged a look with Arek. What was wrong with the way they were built? Maybe they carried a little more muscle than the average human male, and okay, since they were both an inch or two over six feet, they were a little on the tall side, but other than that, he could pass for an average man any day of the week. He did pass as a human male .

A smile played in the corner of Arek's mouth. "Don't worry. I have a plan that will keep you under constant protection while nobody notices."

Bolt sat up a little straighter. That was new. Why hadn't his boss mentioned this on the ride over?

Arek's security plans were impressive and innovative, but even for him, a completely undetected surveillance team would be a feat.

"How?" Tore Lansford asked.

"Bolt will pose as Ms. Lansford's fiancé." Arek grinned.

Both his inner wolf and Bolt jerked to full attention.

What the fuck did his boss just say?