Running with Rogues

CHAPTER 61 - WOLVES IN SHEEPS' CLOTHING

There's a guide up top if you get a little muddled later. I know it's probably been a while since you all read Luna of Rogues at this point. Despite my best efforts, it's another looong chapter, so make sure you have half an hour to spare and some snacks handy before you dig in :)

I was coming through the door as Charlie was coming out of it. We had to do an awkward little shuffle to get past each other. I didn't say hi. Physically, I'd been awake for hours, but mentally it was closer to ten minutes, so people couldn't expect too much from me.

Liam was sat sprawled on the floor. He had a pile of papers in his lap, and he was feeding them to a decrepit-looking fireplace one at a time. He looked extremely ruffled and still half-asleep, despite it being nearly lunchtime, but he looked up when I came in and gave me a heart-melting smile.

"Good run?" he asked.

I kicked off my trainers and shrugged. "Would have been better if there weren't so many bloody brambles. What ... are you doing?"

Because the whole office was a mess. He had piles of paper everywhere, and the sofas were covered in blankets and our clothes from yesterday. We'd slept in here out of sheer laziness. One sofa each and a whole lot of tossing and turning. Because now Liam wasn't the only one with problems sleeping. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt Mason's fingernails against my skin or I saw Micah advancing on me down the prison corridor or I heard Joel's words from the day before on replay. Sometimes it was all three.

"Just some admin," Liam said.

He watched me settle myself on one of the sofas, and then he went back to the papers. He'd scan each one, some more carefully than others, and then he'd invariably toss them into the flames, where they quickly crumbled into ashes. It wouldn't have bothered me if they hadn't looked so damn important. Every single page was stamped, signed and watermarked with Silver Lake's logo.

"What is that stuff?" I asked him, forehead creased.

"Oh, these?" he asked. "They're all the laws that have been written specifically to oppress women. I'm burning them."

My eyebrows went flying up, the picture of scandalised delight. And before long, I felt a little grin tugging my lips upwards at the corners. "That's hot."

He looked up at me, a little incredulously, as if he was trying to decide how serious I was. A moment later, he snorted and went back to scanning the sheets of paper.

Curiosity overruled comfort, and I lowered myself onto the floor so I could edge a little closer and read over his shoulder. "Have you been doing this all morning?"

"No," Liam said. "I've been doing all sorts. The elders wanted me to testify about the quarry, so I did that. Finished the paperwork for everyone who died yesterday. Found some rooms for Lilah to stay in. Oh, and I've asked Charlie to show us the pack accounts tomorrow. I think you'll enjoy that."

I blew out slowly, letting my eyebrows wander upwards. "Shit. Okay. You've been busy. What can I help with?"

He was still training me up. I was slow at working the computers, and I was terrible at reading, but a lot of the little admin jobs were easy enough. Running a pack was a lot of work for one person. But when we shared the job between us, the way it was supposed to be shared, it wasn't so bad at all.

Liam looked around himself, eyeing the various piles of paper. Eventually, he just kind of shrugged at me. "Well ... I've been holding off on changing the patrol schedule because I want you to do that."

"Oh yeah?" I asked with grudging curiosity. "Why me?"

"I just think it'd be really funny."

I cocked an eyebrow and waited for him to explain himself properly.