Big And Bad (Book Two)

Chapter Seven

 I walked into my dark bedroom quietly. It was 6:25 am, and Candy was still asleep. I kissed her on the cheek. She smiled. I grabbed my black backpack off the brown dresser.

The doorbell rang. I walked to the front door. Who would come here this early in the morning?

I opened the door. Merlot was standing on my front porch, drinking a cup of coffee. Oh my God. He should've came to my office instead.

"Good morning, Brandon."

"Our appointment is at 8:30," I said, putting the bag over my shoulder.

"Right. What time is it?"

"It's 6:25. Give me a minute."

I closed the front door and went into the kitchen. While my green cup filled with coffee, the front door creaked open. I let out a sigh. He couldn't be bothered to wait a minute?

When I turned around, the front door was open. Merlot looked right at me, with an obnoxious smile on his face. Oh my God. I put a black lid on the cup and walked past him out the door. He walked to his car. I got in mine.

For three minutes, I drank my coffee. The coffee made me more awake than I was earlier. Silence was what I needed before my shift started.

I drove down the street. Merlot was driving right behind me. The sun rose in the sky while I waited at a red light.

My phone vibrated on my lap. I was about to check it, the light turned green. I started driving again. Merlot was still behind me. We pulled up in front of the building.

I checked my phone. It was a missed call from Merlot. Why did he call me? Never mind, I'll find out later.

I got out of the car, and walked into my office. Shay wasn't at her desk. She probably got stuck in traffic. I entered my office, drinking coffee.

It was silent again. Until, a knock on the door broke it. I sat on the chair behind my desk. The clock on my phone said 7:10.

Since Merlot was already here, I might as well let him in.

"Come in," I said, putting my coffee down.

 Merlot opened the door and came in. He sat on the chair in front of my desk. I turned on my computer while he typed something on his burgundy Samsung. A wikipedia page for red wolves popped up. I didn't remember searching this at all. Shay and I weren't even here yesterday. Merlot nearly slamming his phone on my desk caught my attention.

"My people are on their way here."

"Who are your people?" I asked, chuckling.

"You probably heard of them."

He smirked deviously. What the hell was that about? He clearly knew something I didn't. I glanced at his phone.

He flipped it over before I got a chance to see the message. Damn. I kept a straight face and checked my emails. Nothing in my inbox stuck out. Then, I was back on that wikipedia page.

Last night's events crossed my mind. If Boone didn't open his big mouth, Maplé and Ash would've stayed oblivious. My phone vibrated on my desk. A message from Beverly appeared on the screen.

What was it like meeting the red wolves?

Of course, Boone told Beverly too. He was lucky I had a meeting here. I took another sip of my coffee.

The phone on my desk rang. I picked it up right away. Shay cleared her throat before she spoke.

"Mr. Gray, your new clients are here."

"Send them in," I told her.

I put the phone on the receiver. When the door opened, my heart dropped. Maplé and Ash were standing in the doorway. No way. There was no fucking way this could be real.

"What's wrong, Mr. Gray? You look like you've seen a ghost," Ash joked.

Merlot laughed. "Now that you met my people, let's get down to business."