Wolfsbane

40. Overworked and not paid at all

"It always starts with public humiliation" Rory says, sipping absentmindedly on his coffee. Andrea stared at the paper cup, she was shocked he was drinking it at this hour. 

Rory was a health nut. 

Andrea placed her finger onto a new spot on the map. It didn't look very promising, they'd already exhausted that area. Still she couldn't think of anywhere else to look. Not a single place. 

Andrea turned to Rory, she pushed a strand of her hair off of her shoulders. 

"What do you mean?" Andrea said 

"One of the girls from my pack was taken a long time ago" Rory said, he placed his coffee cup down on the table. Andrea stared at it. She could do with a coffee as well. 

She'd been spending an awful lot of time with Rory. He would pop by once or twice a week to help with the search then he'd be on his way. She'd come to learn a few more things about him. Of course, they'd known of each other for years. They had one drunken hook up a few weeks ago, that was all. 

"What happened?" Andrea said, she stared into Rory's brown eyes. All she could see was the reflection of the dim light on his glasses. 

"She was stripped down, threatened with sexual assault" Rory said, he tapped his finger against his bottom lip which was what he always did when he was trying to recall an event. "Max always chooses to do it in front of a group"

Andrea shuddered. She was glad that Luca wasn't here. He had already broken enough pieces of furniture in angry rages. 

She couldn't imagine how Melody would feel. From what Andrea knew of the girl she was head strong, and very confidence. Confidence which at first had intimidated Andrea. Max Lim would have a hard time breaking that girl. Hell, Luca had a hard time breaking that girl. 

Before the event,Luca spent half of their meetings talking about her. He had always tried to play it off as annoyance but Andrea knew her brother too well. He wouldn't waste time discussing something that didn't matter. 

It almost hurt to think about those days now. Luca hadn't spoken to her in eons. 

"How is he?" Rory could tell that was what she was thinking about. It was incredibly obvious. There was one thing to think about. 

Andrea shrugged, playing her disdain off as nonchalance. 

"I haven't heard from him" She said "Not a phone call, not a text"

Rory gave her a sheepish smile. A smile which screamed Pity. 

She didn't need Rory's pity. She needed her family back, that included her brothers mate. 

The sound of a door opening diverted Andrea's attention. Her head whipped towards the doorway, whoever had entered would pass though, becoming visible for a brief moment. 

A figure stumbled in. Her brother. 

Andrea was on her feet faster than he could avoid her. She sped out into the hallway, blocking his pathway. 

He looked horrible. His under eyes were dark, his jawline was covered in stubble.Andrea wondered when he had last shaved. He held a disposable coffee cup in his hands, gripping it tightly. She could see something poking out of his pocket. A plastic bottle, with a white cap, perhaps?

Before he could make an excuse she reached for the cap, ripping it out of his pocket. 

"What the fuck Andrea!?"He yelled. Even his voice sounded raspy. Far too raspy. She could smell the faint scent of tobacco.