Page 13 of There’s a Way (Mythic Beast #2)

Micca

I was doing laundry when my phone rang with the Drake ringtone, meaning it was likely work related.

I was surprised to see Nathan, one of the two owners, was calling me, and I was more than a little alarmed when he told me, “Aaron and I are on the way to your place. Can you clear us through the gate?”

“I can make it happen. What’s up?”

“We need a face-to-face with you, preferably sooner than later. Is now not a good time?”

“No, it’s fine. It might take me five or so minutes to get through to whoever’s in the control room.”

“We’re ten minutes out.”

When we first moved in, Razor bought property just under a mile from the MC’s neighborhood.

It’s on the approach road getting there, but wasn’t originally inside the gates.

Over the years, the MC has bought every house except one on that road, and the gate now encompasses us.

The only couple left are in their seventies and have no intention of leaving the house they’ve lived in for over fifty years.

They liked the idea of being behind the gate, though, which means now I have to let the MC know when I have company coming.

My car goes through, but if I’m in a Drake-owned vehicle, I have to get the control room to let me through.

Matty can contact the control room because he has the RTMC’s app on his phone, but since Drake Security has access to my phone, I can’t have the bikers’ app on it.

Not sure what’s up with that, but it means I don’t have a direct line to the control room.

I texted Matty and Brain that Aaron Drake and Nathan Pierce were on their way to see me and would need to get through the gate, and McGyver called me a few minutes later. “Everything okay?”

“I assume it is. Nathan called me and didn’t sound pissed, but I don’t know why they need to see me. It’s probably something work-related though, which means I won’t be able to talk about it.”

“I’ll let them through when they arrive. Do you want me to send someone to be there with you?”

“They’re my bosses. I don’t need protection from them. Thanks for offering, though.”

“Razor would probably be there regardless, if he and Matty were home.”

They’d stayed in Atlanta to spend a couple of days with Bud and Nicki, and I chuckled. “Probably, so it’s just as well he isn’t. Thanks for looking out for me.”

I hung up with him and checked to see what text had come in while we talked. It was Matty, asking what was up.

No idea. Maybe something about my leave of absence?

Text me when you know.

If I can.

Right. Of course.

I looked around my front room and decided it was fine, and I double-checked my fridge to see what I could offer them.

When they arrived, I invited them in and said, “Can I offer something to drink? I juiced a whole bunch of carrots this morning, and I have orange juice, beet juice, and water. No beer right now. Sorry.”

“Carrot juice? Beet juice?” Aaron asked.

I shrugged. “Gabby told me she juices carrots for herself, and they seem to chill her grizzly out so she triples what she juices these days so she has enough to give Horse, too, so I figured I’d try it.

Turns out, she’s right. It’s kind of like it grounds the human parts of me and sends the bear packing.

My bear likes blueberries but isn’t a fan of carrots. ”

Nathan smiled and it seemed genuinely friendly. “I’m glad you and Gabby have gotten closer. Any control issues lately? You seemed fine in Atlanta, though I guess you had some trouble getting backstage?”

“Not trouble, I was never in danger of losing control, but a few minutes of quiet helped me regain my center, and Dawg realized what was going on and got me into Will’s dressing room.”

Aaron walked towards my seating area but didn’t sit, and I assumed they didn’t want anything to drink, so I invited them to sit. The old ones are big on the traditions of hospitality, and that means if it’s a friendly visit, they won’t walk into someone’s house and sit unless invited to, usually.

“Please, both of you, have a seat. I think it’s fine to skip the other niceties and get down to business, which I’m assuming is why ya’ll are here.”

They both sat, one on the sofa and another on the loveseat, so I sat in my favorite snuggle chair, but upright, not nestled in.

“From a purely business perspective,” Nathan said, “a forensic specialist with celebrity status isn’t as valuable to us as an unknown.”

My stomach sank into my feet, which made my bear try to come out, but I pushed her down and shook my head.

Why hadn’t I considered this? Much of my job meant going to places where bad things had happened and gathering the minutia that could tell us who’d been there and what, exactly, had transpired.

I couldn’t do that if people recognized me.

“What does that mean? Am I going to lose my job?”

“I don’t think it’s that drastic,” Aaron said.

“Worst case scenario, you’d be primarily lab geek and work in the office, but we wanted to get to you this morning because, so far, all the images of you online show you with dramatic makeup and in sexually provocative clothing.

You look completely different without makeup while wearing the work clothes we assigned you. ”

“If you wear actual Drake clothes,” Nathan said, “rather than the more fashionable all-black outfits you frequently wear, no makeup or just minimal, with your hair up, I don’t think anyone’ll recognize you.”

Wearing my hair up was part of the Drake dress code, and he was right that I’d bought a whole bunch of fashionable black clothing rather than wearing boring black pants with one of the black shirts Drake had given me when they hired me.

I’d bought all work appropriate stuff, but not the same uniform as everyone else.

“We wanted to get to you before someone got pictures of you without the dramatic makeup and provocative clothing.” Aaron leaned forward a little.

“This means anytime you’re seen with Lord Byron, or can be in any way associated with him, you’ll need to be in all that makeup with your hair kind of crazy, and a similar outfit. ”

I nodded. “Yeah. I can do that, I think.”

“If they get a shot of you without all the sexy stuff,” Nathan said, “we can come up with a disguise for you to wear when you work, but it’ll be a pain in the ass and we’d prefer not to.”

Aaron shrugged. “Fifteen minutes to glue some latex pieces on and even everything out with makeup, likely something you can do in transit. Maybe put you in a hat. Not the end of the world, but as Nathan said, it’ll be better if we don’t have to resort to that.”

“While ya’ll are here, what can I tell Will about my job?

He already knows I’m a lab geek who works for you, and he knew all that before we met after the concert because we have mutual friends.

At the party, a reporter or influencer or whatever tried to make me think she knew I worked for Drake.

I told her, on camera, that her information was incorrect, but she kept digging until Cora took her shirt off and started dancing on a table.

” Which reminded me. “I need to talk to the bikers about sending her a thank-you package of steaks.”

“Already handled,” Aaron said, “but we sent her two live sheep.”

“Where is this headed with Will?” Nathan asked before I could respond to the live sheep comment. “Quick fling, or do you think it’s more?”

“I’m treating it like it could be more. It might end up being a quick fling, but I like him. I mean, Will, not Lord Byron. Also, I already know Davy, since he and Matty are friends.”

“You’re seeing him again tonight?”

I stared at them, wondering how they knew, and Nathan said, “His security team has to plan for his outings. Will’s usually good about giving them a heads-up and rarely asks to go on spontaneous trips.”

“Do you know where he’s taking me?”

“Governor’s Mansion.”

“But you can’t…” I stopped talking. They only serve dinner for guests of the B&B, but I was guessing Will could get reservations regardless. “Okay. Thanks.”

Nathan grinned. “I’m happy for you, and I hope it works out, but we need to have some communication before big events. If Mac, Ranger, or Panda sees a potential problem, they’ll talk to you about it. You open to that?”

I nodded. “Absolutely. I know I’m ultimately responsible for myself, but it’s a bit of a relief knowing they’ll keep an eye out as well.”

“You’re a valued employee,” Aaron said. “You’ve easily fit into all the teams you’ve worked with, enough that so many of them request you, we frequently have to disappoint them because you can’t be two places at once.”

“Tonight,” Nathan said, “you can verify to Will and Davy that you work for us in reality, but for security reasons, on paper you work for another lab. Let’s not give further details just yet.

We’ll talk in three to six months, and if things are still working out, you can tell us what you’d like to share, and we’ll discuss what you can tell them of those things. ”

“The process to get clearance is complicated,” Aaron said. “So don’t make promises about when you’ll be able to tell them.”

I nodded. “Thanks, guys. You’re being more than fair, and I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you before going public with him. At the time, I was mostly just thinking that I’m not in the habit of hiding who I am, I mean, minus the whole bear thing, because I have to hide that.”

“Understandable,” Nathan said. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

They left, and I texted Matty. Just some stuff about dating a celebrity and how it might impact my job. Nothing big, and everything’s okay.

Good. Daddy says there’s another note for the control room about a Drake person picking you up?

Will and Davy are coming to pick me up for our date, and I guess his security will be driving us.

And that made me realize I needed a conversation with Will before I figured out what to wear, so I texted him, Just had a visit from my bosses. I need to check in with you on something. Probably needs a phone call.

My phone rang a few seconds later, and I explained the problem.

“Ah. Davy and I will be in disguise tonight, so I guess it’ll work for you to not be in all the glamour you’ll wear with LB, but hopefully more than your work clothes.”

It took me a moment to realize LB was Lord Byron. “Yeah. That works. Thanks.”

“Not a problem. I’m looking forward to our date.

No need to bring a toothbrush — I keep extra — but you might want a change of clothes for tomorrow, and hopefully a few more days.

Bring a bathing suit, too. Maybe we’ll swim.

” Before I could comment, he changed the subject.

“Do you have a preference on an honorific? Davy would like permission to address you as such from the start.”

“I’m not interested in explaining why over the phone, but Sir works for me.”

“Perfect. I’ll let him know, and I look forward to hearing your reasoning.”

I heard something outside, and headed towards my door to open it. Dozer was standing fifteen yards from the door, and I told Will. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours. I’m looking forward to spending time with you and Davy together.”

We disconnected, and Dozer said, “I stepped away from the door so I could hear you talking without hearing what you were saying. I was going to wait to knock once you were off the phone. Razor wanted someone to put eyeballs on you, to assure him you’re okay.”

I managed to keep from rolling my eyes, but barely.

I appreciate how protective the MC can be, but sometimes it’s a bit much.

“I’m good. When I went public with Will, I didn’t consider how it might affect my ability to do my job, which means I have to fly under the radar and not be noticed while I’m collecting forensics.

There’s a fix, thankfully, but they needed to talk to me about it sooner rather than later. ”

“Mostly, Razor just wanted to make sure you weren’t in tears while pretending to be okay so Matty isn’t upset while he’s supposed to be off having fun.”

I sighed. “I mean, it’s a valid concern, but I’m good.” He’s a wolf, which means he could scent whether I was lying or telling the truth. “Tell Daisy I said hi. I didn’t get to talk to her at the afterparty. Did she have fun?”

He smiled. “She did. Possibly as much fun as you, and I believe that’s saying something.

” He tilted his head enough I could see the wolf inside the man.

“I trust you around her now. I’ve watched you push the bear down plenty of times, and seeing how well you handled the crowds getting backstage…

I mean, it’s good Dawg got you a little breathing room, but you were fully in control. ”

My home is in the biker’s neighborhood, and before I’d been able to come back, the bikers with human ol’ladies had been clear that I wasn’t to be around their women without at least one brother present.

I didn’t blame them — an out-of-control grizzly can do a lot of damage in not a whole lot of time.

I’d passed the new Senatus’s brutal testing, but they needed to see my control for themselves.

I’d been allowed to ride in the van with the ol’ladies, but Angelica and Harmony had been seated between me and the humans.

“Thanks. That means a lot.”

He shrugged. “Far as I’m concerned, she’s safer with you than alone ’cause you’ll take care of any threat.”

“I’m just a lab geek. I’m not sure how much good I’ll do against bad guys. I know better than to show my bear to strange humans, because if I do, I’ll have to kill them.” Or pay a vampire to erase their memories.

“Most of our enemies aren’t human.” Meaning if humans weren’t around watching, I could go to bear and handle them.

I nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Thanks for your trust.” I hesitated. “And thanks for being good with Matty.”

Another shrug. “He’s okay, and I’m happy he and Daisy are close. You take care.”

He backed away and left, and I headed upstairs to figure out what I was going to wear tonight, and what change of clothes I should pack for tomorrow. How many days should I pack for?