by Kim Schubert
Throwing myself into the car, I stowed my keys and phone and took the coffee Jerry gave me.
“You smell,” he commented wrinkling his nose.
I shrugged, rummaging in the paper bag he passed me. “No shower, hot sex, this is this stinky result.”
Finding a donut, I stuffed it in my mouth as he shook his head smiling, “You are lucky I have deodorant on me.”
Holding out my powered donut, I shook my head disagreeing with my mouth full, “Everyone else is lucky,” I informed him.
He dipped his head laughing, “So very true.”
“How did you end up driving me?” I asked, licking the powdered sugar of my fingers.
“Mark dashed out the door in an unfinished conversation so I was on my way to the meeting when Grams called panicked,” he informed me a trace of sadness in his voice.
“Everything okay?” I asked softly, slowing down as I pulled out another donut.
He shrugged, “I think so,” he answered, preoccupied with his thoughts.
I left him alone after that, he needed to think and focus on driving like a maniac to get us to the meeting on time.
Fifteen minutes later, I groaned when I realized it was nine a.m. and I had only slept for a few hours having been too preoccupied with Blake and his fantastic body.
Jerry pulled me to his trunk spraying perfume at me, making me use his deodorant, which actually smelled great, and applying mascara and lipstick.
Slamming the trunk, we took off at a run through the parking lot. “That’s all I have time for.” he informed me.
“More than I do,” I told him smiling as we dodged around a family. The parking lot was packed I realized looking around belatedly “There are so many people here.” I commented, skidding to a stop as we entered the air-conditioned building.
“All here to see the legendary Executioner,” Jerry informed me as Kass rushed us.
“Let’s get you on stage,” she hurried me along as Jerry and I both followed her.
…
Unlike the small private conference room of the Council’s meeting chambers, the damn shifters met fucking town hall style. Pack animals, I thought, shaking my head as I sat next to Logan under the intense stares from behind the folding table on the slightly raised platform.
Tapping my pen against my paper, I looked up at Alec who would announce each party over to my right leaning against a podium smooth talking an adorable shifter in a red skintight dress. I couldn’t help but watch their interaction, nudging Logan when he was too busy with his phone.
“What?” he growled at me not looking up.
“You should pay attention. Alec has skills,” I informed him in a whisper.
“Implying I do not?” he asked in a soft rumble setting his phone down, looking at me with a raised caramel eyebrow.
My grin grew wider. “If you consider snagging Lorraine a victory, than no you do not.”
He scoffed, trying hard not to smile at my well placed dig. It probably didn’t help matters at all that she was sitting in the front row glaring daggers at us. Was it wrong I really wanted to keep Logan smiling and laughing just to piss her off? Probably, but did I care? Nope.
Besides after last night, not even Lorraine’s underhanded tactics could put me in a foul mood.
“What about your skills?” he asked, looking back down at his phone.
“Legendary,” I answered easily, my confidence boosted after last night and this morning.
He barked a short burst of laughter before he remembered himself. “Not at all cocky are you?”
“Nope, I deal in facts and facts alone.” I answered him as Alec sent red hot away with a smile and a promise to call later.
Logan shook his head still sporting a small smile as Alec sauntered over, his ego boosted by the female attraction.
“Hey lady killer,” I teased as he puffed his chest out, polishing his nails on his navy button down shirt.
“Don’t worry, Olie, there is plenty to go around,” he teased, flexing his bicep as he examined his nails.
I laughed, leaning forward, running my eyes over his highly desirable body, “Guess I’ll just have to take a number,” I said, sighing batting my lashes up at him teasingly.
Alec snapped approvingly, “Now that’s a great idea on organizing them all.”
Logan and I both laughed as Alec kept grinning like a fool. “You killers ready?”
I groaned, nodding feeling Logan’s good mood shutting down.
Alec watched the change but said nothing as he strolled back to his podium.
“Hello and welcome everyone to arbitration. Before we begin I would like to remind everyone to adhere to the posted rules out front.” Alec stated, taking a pause and meeting a few of the glares he was receiving with equal force until they submitted to him looking away.
“I didn’t have time to read the rules,” I whispered to Logan a little worried.
He turned to me, ducking his head down as we talked. “Don’t be an asshole,” he summarized as I laughed quietly. “For you, we can add don’t kill anyone.”
I laughed harder and Alec raised a questioning eyebrow at us as Logan cracked a rare smile, waving him on. Taken off guard by Logan’s sudden change, Alec took a moment to gather his thoughts before returning to the crowd.
“First case, Matt and Anthony please come forward,” Alec called out.
Matt and Anthony were not far from the stage stepping forward to the two separate tables with what appeared to be lawyers and their significant others, Matt’s daughter was also in tow looking miserable. I could relate.
Logan scented the air and I raised a questioning eyebrow, knowing his shifter senses would pick up more than my own did. He shook his head not meeting my questioning gaze.
With a sigh, I turned back to the lawyers. Whose bright idea was it to bring these asshole into the discussions? I already didn’t like this case.
Attempting to channel Grams as best I could, I put on a neutral, hopefully pleasant expression as Matt’s attorney took the floor.
“Thank you for seeing us Logan and Olivia. I am David Acker council for Matt and his family,” announced the tall dark haired shifter as he began pulling papers from his briefcase.
“Why do you allow lawyers?” I asked in a low voice, certain it carried as David’s movements slowed slightly.
He shrugged and said, “It provides comfort to some people have representation.”
I wanted to tell him that having an attorney or not did not change nor influence how I was going to view or decide the situation and that everyone should put their funds to a far better purpose. Amazingly, I kept my mouth shut.
David launched into colorful, manipulative, double speak and I struggled to pay attention. I was going to need more coffee. The one thing I was able to discern from all the jumbo was contract dates and I jotted those down.
Logan seemed to keep up with what was happening easier than I did and his detailed notes confirmed it. I sunk lower, feeling inadequate and unintelligent, the shifter nation had put their trust in me to be able to help guide them and I couldn’t understand one attorney.
Blowing out a breath, I pushed that fear down deep. I could do this. Before Grams had taken over the reins on day to day basics of the Council, I had run it. I could do so again.
Okay so the basics were Matt had land that Anthony wanted, Anthony was behind in payments, the land value had increased therefore payments had increased.
One of the most valuable tools I had learned from the Council was the importance of listening. I had a much higher chance of my, or rather our judgments being accepted if the parties involved felt we had actually heard them clearly.
It was exhausting trying to pay attention, especially running on limited sleep.
David eventually finished leaving Anthony’s council to stand forward. “As David said previously thank you both for seeing us, my name is Ron Thomas council for Anthony and his family.” Ron began to dismiss points from David and I fel
t a headache beginning in my temples.
Still I managed to pay attention enough to confirm the dates David had given, and catch the main points. David alleged the contract did not allow for changes in the payment and that he had paid in full for the land.
I rubbed my neck and Ron stepped back, both attorneys looking smug and it annoyed me.
I waited a breath for Logan to speak up, before I began questioning them.
“Where is the original contract?” I asked, tapping my pen against the paper.
The attorneys balked, but Ron was the first to recover. “It was a verbal agreement.”
“Seriously? The humans have figured out one thing: verbal contracts are idiotic,” I informed the room.
“Matt, step forward and succinctly tell me what you understood the contact to be,” I warned, not needing any additional lawyer double speak.
Matt stepped forward and a cold pit formed in my stomach, my instincts screaming I didn’t like this guy. I watched him closely looking for a reason why. He was well dressed and well groomed, but something in his eyes unnerved me and gave me a slimy feeling. Maybe I had just been playing with snakes too often, but he made me uneasy as I shifted in my folding chair.
“Anthony was to make payments every two weeks for a year for the property, if the property went up or down in value it would be reflected in his payments,” Matt answered a smug smile on his lips.
“Thank you. Anthony?” I called him forward, “Same question.”
Anthony growled low and Logan raised an eyebrow before he got himself under control. “I agree with everything except the for the fluctuation in the payment schedule,” he said.
I nodded, looking to Logan.
“What were the payment amounts or is there a payment record?” Logan asked.
Good question, I swung my head back to the men in front of us. Both men shifted uncomfortable, “The payments were made on the first and fifteenth of every month,” Anthony hesitated, throwing Matt a look of pure hated, “for ten thousand dollars each.”
Logan and I both rocked forward, alarmed by the amounts. “Where is the land at?” I asked shocked.
Matt began to fidget before he answered, “That’s not important. What’s important is that he has not made the payments for the increase in the land’s value.”
I laughed outright. “I don’t remember asking for your opinion on what was important,” I informed him, needing to take him down a few pegs.
His eyes glowed, jaw tense before his attorney stepped forward. My eyes didn’t leave Matt’s in an open challenge until his attorneys body blocked him from me.
“Where is the land?” Logan asked Anthony.
Anthony couldn’t look at us, looking down and shaking his head, his composure breaking.
“We are missing something,” I said to Logan loud enough to be heard by those in the back.
I took another look at those assembled in front of us. Matt’s wife was a beauty complete with blond hair, blue eyes, and a rocking body. She sat smugly near her husband, her arm casually draped over her daughter’s shoulders.
Their daughter looked miserable, arms firmly crossed under her chest, shoulders hunched, and her blonde hair hiding her face. She looked up abruptly as her father growled something to her, pure fear flashing in her eyes. The kind of fear that gave off a scent, I inhaled deeply as Logan followed suit.
“Do you smell fear?” I asked, my eyes not leaving the girl, whose hair looked mildly greasy in contrast to her perfectly applied make up.
“No,” he muttered, “Something smells wrong.” He offered.
“I have a hunch as to what we are missing,” I said, standing up moving off the raised platform. Ignoring Matt, I pushed him out of the way, bending down to his daughter. She watched me, from eyes that had seen too much and had been strong for too long. I recognized the look from my kids I rescued.
I reached out to her left eye, smearing her make up, “Do not touch her!” Logan bellowed, coming to my side. I turned to him, shocked at his outrage only to find Matt about to land a painful blow to the back of my neck.
Logan used his body to push Matt away from me, neither of their eyes leaving the other.
“Continue, Olivia,” Logan instructed.
Using my fingers, I rubbed the foundation off revealing a sick purple bruise around her eye underneath. I sighed, watching her bottom lip tremble.
“Stand up,” I asked, softly pulling gently on her hands.
Her mother latched onto her. “No, you demon bitch,” she hissed at me.
Her daughter flung herself up into my arms and I held her as the sobs began, holding her gently to me as I rocked her.
“Where else?” I asked.
Forcing her tears down, she turned hiccupping as I lifted the hem of her button down shirt up revealing thick cuts.
“Logan,” I said softly turning her back so that he and the crowd gathered could see.
Logan’s eyes darkened dangerously as he turned back to Matt telling him something I couldn’t hear, but renewed the daughter’s soft sobs.
The crowd was deadly silent, for a shifter in puberty not to heal meant that there was still silver shards from whatever he had hit her with in the first place. The silver would burn her, causing her endless amount of pain.
“She is my daughter,” Anthony finally spoke, tears and desperation in his eyes. “I’ve been paying them for her. There is no land. I just found out about her.” He whispered. “She kept her from me.” His body began to shift and his daughter threw herself into me.
“Keep it together, Anthony,” I warned not looking away from him. He ripped his jacket off, falling to his knees holding his head as the shift retreated.
The attorneys backed up slowly, lowering their heads to Logan. “We didn’t know,” they said in unison.
Logan looked at me, wanting my input, “I believe them.” I informed him.
Logan nodded, dismissing them, but still at odds with Matt.
“I didn’t know,” Anthony whispered, looking up at his daughter, “Amy, please believe me, I didn’t know.”
Amy shuttered in my arms as I blew out a breath. “I vote we kill Matt and his wife,” I told Logan who grinned like a fool, his dark eyes wanting to tear chucks out of Matt for not submitting.
His wife began sputtering and I ignored her. “I agree,” Logan hissed, ready to launch at Matt when I spoke up.
“Wait Logan, Amy, do you want to kill them?” I asked softly. I understood her position and I understood the need to inflect pain on those who had done it to you, to regain some small power over the situation. She nodded, hope and torment fluttering in her eyes.
“Logan, if I may?” A voice in the back said, drawing all our attention to his exceptionally large form. He lumbered down the aisle easily, his thick neck covered in tattoos along with the tree trunks of arms.
“Bear,” Logan acknowledged, hardly containing himself.
Bear placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder bowing his head as Logan’s attention was now on the larger man. “I’d like to teach her how to inflict the same pain they did upon her.”
“Please tell me you turn into a bear,” I asked with a half-smile.
Bear lumbered to me, people clearing out of his way as he reached out to my shoulder bending so that his massive forehead touched my own. I was shocked, glad I had something to do holding Amy who had grown silent. What he had just done in front of everyone was a huge sign of respect.
“Thank you,” I whispered as he stood back to his impressive height.
He squeezed my shoulder gently winking. Slowly as not to frighten her, he turned his dark brown gaze to Amy. She nodded pulling slightly away from me.
“Please,” she whispered.
Bear nodded. “If I may take them?”
Logan nodded as Anthony stepped forward reaching out to his daughter, she eyed his hand warily untrustingly. He gulped, pulling his hand back. “You have a place to stay with us if you want.”
Bear nodd
ed, putting an arm around her slight frame, “I will bring her back to you unharmed.”
“Thank you,” Anthony whispered as his wife moved to comfort him.
Blonde shoved me to the ground as she made an attempted getaway. From out of nowhere, another Bear look alike decked her, throwing her weight easily over his shoulder, before grinning at me. “You alright darling?”
“How have we not crossed paths?” I asked, shocked and starting up at him from the floor.
He smiled, ducking his head to Bear with an awkward shrug. “Fine go on, but I will figure it out.” I answered him, standing up.
He smiled again, following Bear out who also had Matt over his shoulder.
“I so want lessons,” I huffed as Logan adjusted his tie coming to stand next to me.
I groaned, looking back to the stage, “We need to get Anthony’s money back and get the bimbo’s and Matt’s assets set up in a trust fund for her.”
David and Ron both spoke up, “We can help with that.”
Logan took the lead. “I’ll expect perfection and a discounted rate for not brining this mess to us sooner.”
“Yes,” they both agreed instantly.
Anthony nodded his thanks, leaning heavily on his wife who sent me a tearfully grateful look.
“And here I thought this was going to be boring,” I told him.
Logan stated disgruntled, “You seem to bring out the excitement around here.”
“One of my many, many charms,” I informed him, rubbing the back of my neck as we both went back to the stage.
“Alec, what’s next on the list of fun and excitement?” I asked, rubbing my forehead exhaustion getting the better of me.
“Inheritance dispute,” Alec informed us, grimly calling up the next case.
Logan and I made it through the rest of the scheduled cases, taking a half-hour lunch break, where I ingested more caffeine than is recommended to make it through the rest of the day. Our nonverbal communication was flawless. He was able to read the twitch in my lip to the more obvious roll of my eyes.
I caught the tightening of his jaw from my side view and the clenching of his fist around the pen, which gave me notice when I needed to play the peacemaker for a change.