Lib Novel Page 163
My body stiffens. “What? When was this?”
“Two or three nights ago? I’m not sure.”
Sophia never said a word about that to me. Of course, I haven’t exactly had time to talk to her. “OK, thanks for letting me know. You guys go take care of the diary and the waitress. Noah Black is my problem.”
My men leave as quietly as they came in.
I check on Sophia, who is still fast asleep. It’s four in the morning; I don’t think the pack security will be lingering around Mathew’s establishment at this time, and I also have a feeling that the man hasn’t gone home yet. I know I told my companions we should wait before going after Mathew, but the truth is that I want to deal with him now, by myself. He tried to hurt my mate. I want him to look at me and realize that the woman he tried to take advantage of is not all alone.
Instead of using the stairs, I open a window and climb up to the top of Sophia’s apartment building. The streets are empty, but I stick to the rooftops, not wanting to run into anybody.
Having made my way to the boxing gym, I wait outside for a while, studying the surroundings. I can’t sense any shifters out here, and there is only one car parked in the lot. I’m sure it belongs to the sleazy owner, Mathew.
Taking my chances, I leap down to the ground and head toward the building. The door is locked from the inside, but it’s not hard to break in. I’ve never entered the gym before. The cage fighting ring is in the building right next to the boxing gym. It was said to be part of the gym, but the entrances and exits are different. Once I’m inside, I see that the basements of the two buildings are combined, creating three separate areas. One part is the cage, one part is for the spectators, and the back part of the basement houses the fighters’ dressing rooms, Mathew’s office, and the back exit of the other building.
It’s quite a smart business that Mathew has created here. It is a wonder, though, that it has not been exposed. I do know that the man has very good lawyers and that, recently, one of the fighters—the large man I saw Sophia fight the first time I was here—started to run his mouth, and he disappeared. I don’t know if Mathew’s lawyers dealt with him or if Mathew got rid of him in another way, but the man was staying at the same hotel as us, and he never came to retrieve his belongings.
The light in the office in the back is on. I can smell the stench coming from there, as well.
The soft hum of conversation reaches my ears, but I cannot hear another voice. Mathew must be on the phone.
“No…I don’t think I’ll have to pay the bitch anymore. If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll come to me herself.”
Loud laughter.
“She really thought she could just walk away from me. I own her. If she had just shut up and kept doing what she was doing, she would still be getting paid. And now, I’m gonna make sure she has no way out.”
He’s definitely on the phone, bragging about what he’s done to Sophia. My blood boils.
“I invested a lot of resources in that little brat. And she made me a lot of money. I wasn’t going to let my golden goose just waddle away from me.”
He’s quiet for a bit, presumably listening to the person on the other end of the line.
Then he snickers. “I already had a plan. I had an idea of how much money she’d made, so I was going to have somebody break into her apartment and steal it. The girl doesn’t believe in banks. Idiot. But then that woman came in and wanted to fight her. She wanted to know the Wily Vixen’s identity, but I knew to hide it. Clearly there was something going on between the two of them. But now, Sophia can’t escape me. She screwed herself over good.”
I don’t need to hear any more. This man cannot be allowed to live.
I slowly open the door to his office, and Mathew does not notice. His back is toward me as he talks on his landline.
I pluck the receiver out of his hand and hold it to my ear for a moment, listening to the voice on the other end. When Mathew turns around, I crush the phone in my hand.
“What the—You?!” His eyes nearly bulge out of his head. I find the very sight of this man repulsive. “I know you! What the hell are you doing here? What is the meaning of this?”
“I’m Sophia’s mate.”
Mathew’s face pales. “You’re lying. You’re not Sophia’s mate. Sophia doesn’t have any man in her life. I would know.”
“Why?” I sneer at him. “You’re not important enough for her to tell you anything. And because I am Sophia’s mate, I’ve come to put an end to all this.”
Mathew is clearly scared, but he’s not scared enough. “You can’t do anything to me. And Sophia works for me.”
“Not anymore, she doesn’t.”
Mathew gets to his feet and spits at mine. “If she stops working here, your pack security team will kill her. Shifters aren’t allowed to take part in anything that pits them against humans. Isn’t that true?”
“Very true.” I smile at him. “Are you threatening to leak her identity?”
“Only if you push me.” Mathew clearly thinks he’s got the upper hand here. “If she knows what’s good for her, she will come back to work for me. Only this time, I intend to make her sign a slave contract. And if you don’t want your precious mate’s identity to be revealed, you’ll be more respectful—”