Joshuatsked. “Are you positive they’re dead?”
I pointed to the balcony windows. “No one could survive that blast.”
“What if there were people in this world who are magical?” He crossed his arms lazily over his chest and rocked back on his heels, enjoying the sound of his own voice. “What if immortals are walking among you?”
He was officially off his meds.
I snorted. “I’d say show me proof. In business, I only deal in facts, not in fantastical fantasies.”
A small, delighted smile graced his lips. “I like how you think. I’m glad I had the foresight to know you’d want that.” Joshua snickered to himself, a joke unknown to me, as he pulled a disc from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He prowled like the predator he was to stand before me and held out the disc, waving it ever so slowly back and forth in front of my face. I watched the disc with furrowed brows, contemplating my next action. He crooned, “I know you’re curious. Take it.”
My lips straightened into a thin line and my brown eyes peered up into his. “I know a hoax when I see it.”
“I’m sure you do in your profession.” More waving of the disc, now even closer to my face. “I assure you. You’ll want to see this. Imagine the views you would receive on your dark channel from breaking a story about magical beings living in this world. It sounds crazy, but with the right proof, you’d make enough units to rival King Corporation.”
My curiosity sank farther into my gut, spurring me on. I was sure his theory wasn’t correct—I mean, give me some fucking credit—but there could be something else to it. Perhaps this man didn’t understand what he had witnessed. “If I watch it and want you to leave, will you do so?”
“Absolutely.”
I snatched the disc from his hand and turned my chair back around to face the blank hologram that was already waiting for me. I tapped on my computer board, entering all my passwords again, my system having logged off without use for three minutes—another safety feature I had installed. I waved the disc in front of the neon cuffs that had appeared, then handed the disc back to him.
A simple tap on the file that had downloaded showed me a picture file and a video file. Without looking back at him, I asked, “What do you want me to look at first?”
“The photos. I don’t think you can handle the video yet.”
I huffed but clicked on the photos as he suggested.
“Start at the beginning,” he said.
“Already on it, but what the hell am I looking at?” I mumbled and squinted at the hologram picture. I zoomed in and shook my head softly. “Are those animals in the wild?”
“Not exactly.” His lopsided grin sent chills down my spine. “Keep going.”
I flicked my gaze to the screen. Caution almost kept me from doing as he had ordered, but my curiosity won out. I waved my hand from right to left in front of the image. A new picture popped up, this one even more unbelievable.
I swiped again.
And again.
Again.
I swallowed hard, unable to look away from the current picture.
“This has to be fake.” Though it didn’t look like it to my trained eye.
“I assure you, it is not.”
My blink was slow. “What do you want for this? How much?” It had to be my soul. These photos were worth that much. And I hadn’t even gotten to the video yet.
The thunder of his deep chuckle made bile rise in my throat. “You’ll owe me a favor.”
I hated owing anyone anything. Especially, the deranged.
I drummed my fingers on my table, thinking. “Let me look at the video first before I make up my mind.”
In silence, both of us watched the video.
Men shifting into animals. Those animals playing in a forest—roughhousing, for lack of a better description. Animals shifting back into naked men. Not only that, but these men were the most influential and wealthy people in the world. The deceased Godric King was even on there. These…things…ran our world!
