Mated To Magic (Stark Creek Shifters Book 1) by Barb Shuler (novels for teenagers txt) 📗

back of my neck. “It’s a damn good thing your wolf is as fast as he is…”

I went inside the building and walked over to the bar. I was really contemplating moving just one bottle. I wanted to test Jayden’s eye for detail, but after last time, I decided not to push my luck. I did go around and get a bottle of water for me and Liam from the fridge that sat under the bar top.

“You tell Mia about the new office yet?” Liam asked, taking the bottle of water.

“No, I want to surprise her. I think she’ll like this setup. We’ll always be close, but not right up her ass. It gives her the space she needs to do her business stuff while we do ours.”

“It’ll be cool to have an actual office this time around.”

“I agree. Come on, we need to check the cameras one more time. This place is opening in an hour and I don’t want to be in the girls’ way.”

“You’re just scared Jayden will scalp you for messing with her bar setup.”

“It’s so hard to not move something.” A laugh escaped and Liam just shook his head.

“You’re as bad as Max with your death wishes.”

“Maybe, but I keep my life interesting.”

We headed through the back halls to what had quickly become his office and checked the monitor placement and angles. Everything looked great. With a final nod, I went back to Mia’s office and took a seat on her couch. My laptop was all I needed to work. In a few days I would be able to have everything finished, ready to open, and I could show it all to her.

I was going to skin this human alive, slowly, making it as painful as I could. He just wasn’t getting it that this was not how things were going to be done here. If I face-palmed myself, would it be wrong? Rude, maybe?

“This is the one you ordered; I have the slip here.”

I leaned over the big, ugly ass desk that he was trying to deliver and shook my head.

“Look at the slip again. It says oak, with the cabinet hutch. This desk,” I emphasized the wood by tapping the offending piece of furniture, “is cherry and has fucking cherubs on it. Who in their right mind wants something like this? I want my clients to feel comfortable when they come into my office, not like they’re stepping into a haunted mansion.”

“Sir—”

I didn’t let him finish before I snatched the order slip from his hand. A growl escaped when I saw the order notes. Order changed to the “Cherub Awaits” desk style by Sy, the assistant to Mr. Reed.

I was gonna kill him. What. The. Fuck?! I leveled the guy before me with a look.

“Take it back and bring me what I originally paid for. No one is allowed to change my orders but me, so this piece of shit goes back.”

I walked out of the office, down the hall and back to the main space, where I paced. Killing a cop was a bad idea. Killing a cop was a bad idea… It was a bad idea, right? No matter how satisfying it may be.

As I paced, I talked myself down and had almost decided it would be bad to kill him. Almost. We’d not seen him for the last three weeks or so, not since I tossed him out of Mia’s club. I loved the fact that I got to do that, too. I knew that mangy bastard was up to no good. I just hated that Mia was upset about it. He’d hurt her. For that alone I should skin him too.

My pacing stopped when Liam came in, his face drawn tight.

“What? Are the girls okay?”

“Everyone’s fine, but we need to talk.”

“Talk and walk, I need to get back over there before Mia realizes I’m gone. I’m not ready to show her the big surprise.”

Liam and I locked the doors on the way out. The delivery guys were loading up that ugly ass desk. Fucking cherubs. Seriously. Motherfucker was asking to die.

“So I found out something.”

“What? Are Max and Kody in trouble again? The last time you came to me about something, the two of them had torn down a ball pit at a kids’ play zone during a game of tag…”

Liam snorted and shook his head. “No, this is something serious. It does involve people we know.”

“I’m already on the edge of sanity and wanting to kill a cop. I’m not sure how much else I can handle before I lose it. Fucking Sylvester, asshole.”

We stopped outside the back door to Mia’s club. The bar had been busy when I’d left and the noise from inside was a lot louder now.

“Well, just let me tell you and you can take this and do what you like.”

With a nod I put my finger on the scanner, entered my code, and stepped inside. I greeted Guillermo and went into the office.

“Seems our friend, and I say those words loosely right now, hasn’t been completely honest. He’s not here by the means he said he was.”

I leaned back against the desk, my head tilted slightly. I could hear Mia on her phone in her office. My girl was always working. Liam sat at the desk and I turned to take a seat in one of the chairs.

“Are you talking about Sy? I know why he’s here. He wants my girl. That’s not happening!” A growl ripped from me, loud enough that I heard Mia pause mid-sentence. I took in a deep breath and met Liam’s gaze. His dropped a second later.

My fucking wolf was gonna make me stab him too. I shook myself, my eyes closing as I rubbed the back of my neck.

“I’m sorry, continue.”

I kept my eyes averted. I wasn’t here to show dominance or to be an asshole, though it seemed to be a permanent state of being lately. I was here to listen to a friend tell me