Page 16 of The Sea Witch’s Son (The Villains of Wolf Hollow #1)

Chapter 15

MARLIN

Finley explodes in a blaze of fury.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Spittle flies from his lips and lands on the collar of my shirt. I reach up and flick it off.

“I do not recall making a joke.”

“You can’t use Melody as the rookie challenge.” His boring brown eyes are alight with a mediocre fire, “That’s degrading.”

I sigh, adjusting the cuff of my sleeve, “It is degrading to bother her with your pesky personality and yet you insist on doing so. Your challenge is by far the easiest to complete, so I believe a thank you is in order.”

He stares at me, “You can’t pass a no touching rule like it’s the fifth grade.”

“Did I say no touching?” I shake my head with a laugh, “Slip of the tongue. I meant to say no touching, no speaking, no approaching my little saint for the rest of the semester. Look in her direction, breathe in her personal space, and you are off the team. Plain and simple.”

“I didn’t have you pegged as a man who panicked at the first sight of competition.”

I flick a glance at him, “Are you the competition? If so, that is quite disappointing.”

Finley clenches his jaw, looking like a bad tempered chihuahua. I smile, giving his leash one last tug.

“Stay away from Melody and you can compete in time trials this Friday.”

I’m dangling the bait above his nose and he knows it.

“Understood.”

My smile widens, “I believe you’re forgetting something, rookie.”

Finley grounds his molars, burning a hole through my skull with his glare.

“Thank you, Captain.”

“You are very welcome.”

Sebastian is barely holding back his laugh when the rookie walks away. I turn to the handsome Jamaican with a smirk.

“I think he took it well.”

A shit-eating grin splits his lips, “You’ve always had a knack for getting under their skin.”

“Mm, I rather enjoyed that interaction.” I cast a glance in his direction, “Do you think he’ll last the week? ”

“Most of Finley’s events are this Friday, so most definitely. But after that...” Sebastian shrugs, “It could be an exciting semester.”

“It already is.”

My conversation is interrupted by a text message buzzing through my phone.

CALISTA: Meet me in the winter gardens.

I sigh, putting away my phone, “Keep an eye on Finley for me. If he gets within ten feet of Melody St. James, I want to be informed immediately.”

“Of course, Captain.”

If only everyone was as obedient as Sebastian.

Calista is typing on her phone when I arrive. Her heels are perched on a wrought iron chair, the red soles glinting against her dark leather pants.

“You summoned me.”

I tuck my hands into my pockets, leaning back against the stone wall. The winter gardens are a glorified greenhouse, with rose bushes lining the pathway and vines creeping up the trellises surrounding the entrance.

“I did.” She doesn’t look up from her phone.

The obvious power play has me letting out another sigh. Calista knows I do not appreciate my time being wasted and yet she insists on testing my patience.

“My little saint will be crossing the campus in ten minutes and forty-three seconds.” I pause, suddenly noticing the crease between her brows, “Should I be planning to intervene on her next campus stroll?”

“Let’s set your little plaything aside for a moment.” Calista purses her lips, the bright pink colour rather tame, “We have a bigger issue at hand.”

My eyes flick around the courtyard, “No brawn today?”

“Gus is busy collecting intel for me. Though I have a feeling he might need your help.” Green eyes flick to mine, “Someone has been stealing from us.”

“Impossible.” My response is immediate.

“I thought so too until the numbers from the last shipment came in.”

I walk over and pull the chair out from under her feet. Settling myself down, I unlock my phone and pull up the latest financial dataset.

“Accounts payable and accounts receivable were balanced as of midnight Friday night. All transactions were cleared and directly deposited into the offshore account.”

“These came in this morning.” A ping sounds as the email gets sent to my inbox, “Take a look at the output numbers.”

I open up the spreadsheet and study the numbers.

Once a purchase is made through the app, the purchaser information is collected and stored on a database I manage back home. After twenty-four hours to ensure the payment has been approved, the money is sent to an offshore account and the sales are funneled into this spreadsheet which calculates gross profits .

I’ve already created an algorithm to automate most of the calculations. A quick peruse confirms nothing went astray on that front.

“Did one of the delivery boys fail to deliver a shipment?”

I zoom in on the numbers. Each one is divided into sections, the various costs of business subtracted from the net revenue at the bottom. All of them have a number except for one.

“Based on the time stamp, all of the boys delivered their shipments on time and on schedule.”

“So, someone stole the shipment after it was delivered.” I read the list of purchasing names, “Who submitted the complaint?”

“Leon, of all people.” Calista rolls her eyes, “As if the face disfigurement isn’t enough. He had to go and whine about a pound of missing coke.”

I grimace, thinking about the ghastly scar, “Did he receive a replacement?”

“I delivered it to him myself. The missing drugs aren’t the issue.”

Something fierce and unhinged crosses Calista’s otherwise beautiful face. I watch her toy with the sleeve of her leather jacket, playing with the blade stashed inside.

“It’s the disrespect.”

She nods slowly, tapping the end of a painted claw against the table, “They didn’t just steal from us. They stole from the Dragon.”

Amusement and a small dash of concern streaks through me.

“Does she know? ”

“Not yet. But when she does there will be blood to pay. Mother is not known for being merciful.”

A gross understatement, to be certain.

I set my phone back down on the table, “How would you like to proceed?”

“Gus is running through the delivery boys who were working last Friday night. If nothing turns up, we will extend it back into the weeks prior until the culprit is found.”

“What about the suppliers?”

“I am taking care of those.” She leans back in her chair, “If it happens again, we’ll know for sure it was someone involved in the supply chain. And if not...”

“It could be anyone.”

“Precisely.” Green eyes sweep down my pinstripe shirt tucked neatly into grey dress pants.

“I need you to shut down the app for a few days and run a full diagnosis. I’ll cover the missing revenue.” She clicks her tongue, “I know how much you hate getting messy, so you’ll be on standby for the physical side of things.”

I smile, “You make me sound delicate.”

“When it comes to your precious dress shirts, you can be quite sensitive.” Calista sighs, “Though I suppose all men have their weakness.”

“It would be no fun if we didn’t.”

“True. Very true.” She casts a sly glance my way, “Do you still have that little notebook of yours?”

“I never leave home without it. ”

Calista throws her head back and laughs. The cackle sends a flock of birds soaring overhead, their shadows dancing across the green space. I watch the tattoo slither beneath her leather jacket, the dragon laughing right alongside her.

“You might get the chance to play in the field after all.”

I meet her wicked gaze with a grin, seeing the same thought flashing through her eyes.

Give them something to fear.