I smiled and nodded as the phone rang again, and Brandon’s jaw clenched. He gave another nod. “I’ll be fine.” I waved him off. “Go.”
He sighed and turned to leave, and I caught a glimpse of his screen. I smirked when I saw Shannon’s name flash over the display again. “I’ll be off. Have a good day, and I’ll come visit when I can.”
I gave a tiny wave as the door shut, and then I turned to look at Rick. “I’m at your disposal.” I smiled, genuine this time. But something had Rick upset. I could see it on his face. He took a deep breath and sighed as he looked at me.
“Follow me.” Rick brought me into a nice enough office. There were tall windows that overlooked the training ring where I could see Derek training with the warriors. I felt my stomach clench as he took his top off and howled. “Never mind the boys, girlie. They won’t help you here.”
I laughed the first of the day. “The boys won’t distract me unless you are talking about me criticizing their shitty training.” Rick turned to me with a soft smirk on his face. “My father would roll in his grave if I ever became distracted by shitty training and shittier men.” Rick looked at me for a minute and then nodded.
“Your father was a good man, and a better Alpha.” He pulled out my chair. “Now sit, I’ll get you logged onto the servers, and then I’ll see what you can do.” I sat, and we got to work. A few hours later, he looked at his watch and sat back. “Now that you’re logged in, I have a test.”
I sat back and cracked my neck. “Okay.” I turned my chair to face him. “What’s the test?”
Rick held up a finger and then walked out, coming back with a stack of papers. “This is the test.” He placed them down in front of me and I leaned in. I paged through the stack and looked up at Rick.
“This is…cat and mouse.” I looked back to the papers. “You want to play cat and mouse?”
Rick smirked. “I do.”
“Why?” I leaned back, tapping the page. “How long do I have to hide from you?”
He laughed. “You aren’t the mouse…I am.”
I sat back. “I have to catch you?” He nodded. “How long do I have?”
He smiled. “You have the rest of the day, IF you can catch me.”
I smiled. “Challenge accepted.” I bent over my keyboard. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Hold your horses.” He laughed. “I need thirty minutes to hide somewhere in the mainframe. I’ll send Alannah for our lunch, and I’ll hide while we eat. When we are back, you can come find me.” He seemed very giddy.
“You’re excited?”
He nodded. “Honestly, I am.” He pointed to the computer. “I’ve watched you navigate the systems, and I think that you might have the skills to give me a run for my money.” He knocked on the desk. “Now, read the rest of the packet. There is more information in there that explains the game more in depth. Like, what happens if you find me?” Then he turned away and left. But he came back. “Remember to give Alannah your lunch order? I just put mine in.” He grinned as he disappeared around the corner again. I just smiled.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Iwas digging into my second sandwich when there was a soft knock on the door. I looked up to see Alannah staring down at the floor. “Alpha Amy?” I put my sandwich down and smiled.
“Alannah, please. I am serious. You can just call me Amy.”
She shook her head. “Alpha Vince likes the distinction.”
I sighed. “Okay. What can I do for you, Allanah?”
She bowed again. “Alpha Brandon is here to take you to lunch…” Her eyes flashed in terror as she looked at the food on my table.
“Send him in.”
Brandon came in a few seconds later but stopped short. “Oh…” He looked back and I heard Allanah running back to her desk. “I didn’t realize you were already eating. I wanted to take you out for lunch on your first day.”
I smiled and winked. “I’ll have to reschedule. Maybe we can go tomorrow. Today, I have a date.” I rubbed my hands together and checked the time.
Brandon furrowed his brow and walked over and sat down. “A date? With who?”
I looked up, surprised to hear the jealousy in his voice. “With Rick.”
Brandon’s mouth fell open. “You have a date…with Rick. Old man Rick? Seriously?”
