“What was on the site?”
“It was one of those cloud storage places where people upload their files. I spent twelve hours translating documents.” Gem rolled into Wyatt’s office and spun around. “It looked like a bucket list.”
Wyatt stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles. “What are you two talking about?”
Gem hopped up on his desk and sat down. “Ivar’s wish list of things he wanted to accomplish.”
“You mean the manifesto?” Wyatt squeezed a stress ball. “That was a twist I didn’t see coming.”
I walked around him and sat in the other leather chair. “How so?”
Wyatt used the heels of his black cowboy boots to turn his chair toward me. “It was a detailed plan toward world domination.”
Gem swung her feet. “And it included getting rid of organizations like ours. There was also a list of what I believe are bounty hunters.”
“I recognized a few names,” Wyatt added, reaching in his drawer for a box of gumdrops. “Some of them were crossed out, and when I checked my sources, they were reported missing or dead. Seems like his plan was already in action.”
I tapped my fingers on the armrest. “Well, I guess if you want to rule the world, you have to get rid of any perceived threats.”
Wyatt pried open the box. “Sounds like they were starting at the bottom and working their way up. Smart thinking. Most of the higher authorities in different cities rely on third-party organizations. If someone targeted bounty hunters and groups like ours, the only protection lawmakers would have are a few Regulators and Enforcers. And let’s face it, if there was an uprising, most of them would either flip sides or go home to their families. There isn’t a Breed army, and even if there was, who would they fight for? That’s like having a world army.” He tilted the box and poured the colorful candy into his mouth.
Gem studied her silver nail polish. “If their plan is to rule North America, they obviously recognize how dangerous factions like ours are. I’m weary of all these egotistical immortals who think they can run things better. Why don’t they go live on their own island and fight each other first?”
Wyatt snorted. “We could charge money on a pay channel.”
“I’m serious.” Gem hopped off the desk and rolled toward the L-shaped black sectional. “Do they really think they can do it better? I mean, who cares if you’re the ruler of everything? What’s the point if you throw the world into chaos, wage war on humans, and ultimately cause the shutdown of civilization? Who do they think runs all the power plants, water treatment facilities, and designer clothing stores? Their plans always involve revealing our world to humans, thus waging war.” She plopped down on the square ottoman and adjusted her pajama bottoms, which were twisted around her skate at the ankle. “Their days of pizza delivery would be over.”
Wyatt set his candy on the desk. “Stop bumming me out.”
I rolled my chair to the vending machine and noticed the potato chips were fifteen dollars and the oatmeal bars only fifty cents. “Does that mean we also have to hunt down the men doing their dirty work?”
Wyatt stood and stretched his back. “Usually if you cut the head off the dragon, all the limbs just flail. I didn’t see a list of assassins, so we don’t know who’s working for him or where they are. Not our problem. Once they stop getting paid, they’ll go away.” Wyatt picked up the box of candy. “At least now we know they’re up to something.”
Harley skidded into sight and bounded into the room like a cannonball. Wyatt turned and stiffened. Harley immediately sniffed his crotch, causing Wyatt to fall back into his chair. But Wyatt missed the edge and fell on his butt when the chair rolled back. As soon as Harley realized candy had scattered all over the floor, he went to work. So did Wyatt, desperately raking the gumdrops away from the hungry dog.
When Christian appeared in the doorway, I noticed a crease in his trousers where Kira had ironed them. I admired the tight fit of his black Henley while Wyatt and Harley were engaged in a game of real-life Hungry Hungry Hippos.
Despite the sexy way he leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms, the sheepish look on his face revealed he wasn’t feeling too great about his impulsive and reckless behavior the night before. Knowing how hard Christian could be on me, I knew he would be twice as hard on himself. It wasn’t worth reprimanding him in front of the room.
I gestured to Harley. “I’m glad to see you two are getting along.”
Christian pulled up his sleeve and revealed a healing bite mark. “I wouldn’t go that far, but at least he’s not chasing me across damnation.”
Gem squealed when Harley tackled her with kisses. She wrapped her arms around his hulking body. “He’s so lovable! I want a dog.”
“No, you don’t,” Wyatt interjected, scraping the last of his candy back into the box. “The barking, the pooping—chewing up all my electronic equipment. If you want a pet, get a horse. At least they’re useful.” He sat up and put the box in his drawer. “And by the way, who put the severed hand in the bag of onion rings?”
Gem gasped and jumped to her feet. “You didn’t throw it away, did you?”
He took off his hat and raked his fingers through his hair before putting his hat back on. “No, but you scared the ghost out of me. I’m gonna have flashbacks every time I eat onion rings.”
She hooked her fingers around Harley’s collar and rolled alongside him when he started trotting to the door. “It was the only place I could think to put it since Kira doesn’t cook all that junk food. She leaves your stuff alone, so I thought that would be the best hiding spot.”
Wyatt shivered as he sat down. “A little heads-up next time would be nice. You also might want to put it in a plastic bag. It has breadcrumbs all over it, and I almost emptied it into the deep fryer.”
“I wonder what’s for dinner tonight,” Christian said darkly. “Perhaps she already cooked it up at lunch. Imagine the mortifying shame of it.”
Gem rolled out of the room with Harley. “I’ll take him back to Crush, if you don’t mind.”
