The peace and the quiet was great for calming down. I hadn’t realized how tense I was. I’d started to relax a little with Alex over dinner the night before, but that was trashed almost immediately.
Now I felt better, when Adrian came down he handed me another card. “Come by next week, there won’t be a party, and come to the side door. You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to, but we can just do this again.”
I chuckled, “Is this another one of those orders?”
“Do you need it to be?” He asked with a smile.
I shook my head, “I’ll be here.” I tucked the card into my pocket, “I might have to reschedule if I get a job or something between now and then.”
He nodded, “Of course, you can call the number, we’ll get you set up.”
“Thanks.”
“Anytime, Nox. Abby’s found a good friend in you. Will too, I like him.”
“He’s a good guy for a blood sucker?” I asked playfully.
He laughed, “He’s a good guy for anyone. So is Alex.”
I sighed, “I won’t meet up to his guy.” I said as I headed out the doors to the side.
Adrian didn’t say anything, “Dom is expecting you in 30 at Bonnie’s.”
“Thank you for that too.” I said.
“Anytime.” He smiled and shut the door behind me.
I wasn’t far from Midtown. It felt like I knew my way around here so much easier than Harlem. I knew there was a pizza joint around the corner that served a great margharete pizza. I knew that the bar two doors down was a gay bar. And I knew that the coffee shop inside of the AU building had the best dark roast. But I didn’t like their coffee in general.
And just like I knew all that I knew Bonnie’s served Pumpkin pie year round. I wasn’t hungry but I couldn’t resist a slice of pumpkin pie.
There was a group of men standing outside of the diner as I opened the door. They looked tough – very gangster. I knew Dom was early. The glared at me as I passed through the door. There was a bald man sitting at an empty table – the whole diner was cleared out except for the waitress. I smiled at her, “Can I get a slice of pumpkin pie and black coffee?”
“Sure things sweatheart.”
I took a seat across from the big burly man. He looked at me blankly. We stared at each other for several long minutes. Long enough for my coffee to arrive, and long enough for the man to finish his steak which had been rare.
“I’m Nox.”
He only nodded so I went on, “I don’t know what beef you have with Will, but is there anything that will make you leave them alone. They aren’t hurting anyone.”
“They aren’t hurting anyone?” He growled. “Except that I told the vamps to stay away from the wolves.”
“Abby isn’t even your wolf.” I said flatly. “She belongs to Rider.”
“All wolves in Manhattan are mine!” He growled, “That’s the way it should be.”
“Why?” I asked. “Split the territory. There are three of you, I think there is enough space for you all. New York is a big place.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Then just leave them alone, it’s not that hard. We don’t live in a feudel state where who you marry matters.”
“It matters in this world.”
“So you married your what? alpha female.”
Dom growled at me, “I didn’t marry my mate, she died. Killed!” He growled and I felt like he was directing it at me.
“I didn’t kill her did I?” I asked concerned he knew me and I was a bad person.
He blinked at me and then frowned, “No. Someone else did.”
“What I do to you?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“So you growl at everyone?”
The men around us giggled softly to themselves. One of them said outright, “Yes.”
“I think they like you. You say what you think.”
“There is no reason not to.” I smiled. “I have nothing to hide.”
“Where did you learn to fight?”
I shrugged, “I don’t know. I just went with it.”
“You wiped the floor with my men.”
“I just went with it.”
“I’ll order my men to leave Will and Abby alone if you do a few things for me. You seem capable enough.”
I laughed, “You need someone they don’t know?”
He nodded, “And smart too. Yes. There’s a girl across the street, I need her out of there. One of my boys was stupid and now I need to fix his mistake. Get her out and I’ll let Abby and Will be. But I can’t guarantee you that the vampires will let it be.”
“I’ll deal with the vampires later. What’s the other things?” I asked. My pumpkin pie arrived and I started to scrape the filling from the crust with a strange look from Dom.
“I want you to go up against my guys. I want to see how good you really are.”
I shrugged, “Okay, I can do that. Just tell me when.”
“Tonight sound good, 9pm we have a sort of fight club.”
I nodded, “Okay.” I guess I can make it if I’m not dead.
He laughed, “I doubt you will be.” He dropped a hundred on the table, “Tip and yours. I’ll see you tonight.”
He was followed out of the diner by three men I saw and one from the back. And all the men from the front left.
The Mind of Nox 