Billionaire Wolf's MateDate - Serena Meadows Page 0,3

to call me right away,” his father barked into the phone, then the line went dead.

After another beep, his father’s voice rang through the little house. “I don’t know why it’s taking you so long, but call me right away.”

This time, the urgency in his father’s voice made goosebumps break out on his skin. It wasn’t anger he was hearing; it was something he’d never expect to hear from his father: sorrow. But he still couldn’t make himself pick up the phone until another voice filled the living room.

“Reggie, it’s Faith. You really need to call us. Something terrible has happened and we really must speak with you as soon as you get this message.”

He found himself reaching for the phone, his heart hammering in his chest, the sense of dread that had been with him all day ramped up to the point his body felt heavy and it was hard to breathe. When Faith’s voice came on the line, he couldn’t speak for a few seconds as he fought to pull enough air into his lungs to form words.

“Faith, it’s Reggie,” he finally managed to say.

“Oh, thank God you finally called. Your father has been driving me crazy for hours,” Faith said. “You have to come home right away; there was a terrible accident and your brother is gone.”

“Gone?” Reggie asked, trying to wrap his mind around what he was hearing. “What do you mean, gone?”

“He’s dead, Reggie,” Faith said, her voice nearly breaking. “The car he was driving exploded. No one survived.”

Reggie pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, then knowing he wouldn’t find the answer there, put it back up to his ear. “What happened?” he finally asked.

“We’re not sure, but it’s possible the gas lines were cut,” Faith said. “Your father is out for blood. You have to come home and calm him down before he starts a war with the wrong people.”

Reggie couldn’t help the snort that came out of him, even though he could hear the concern in Faith’s voice. “Since when have I had any influence over my father?” he asked. “Even if I wanted to come, he won’t listen to me.”

There was a long pause, then Faith said, “He will now.”

“What does that mean?” he asked, the sense of doom falling over him again.

“You are his only living son, Reggie,” Faith said. “You know what that means. According to clan laws, you are now his successor, and he has to listen to you.”

It took a second for that to sink in. “I don’t want to be his successor. I don’t want anything to do with the business,” he said, wishing he was brave enough to hang up the phone.

“But it’s your duty,” Faith said. “Whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to come home and take your place in the family.”

“Or what?” he asked. “What are they going to do to me if I refuse to come?”

Faith took a deep breath. “Look, I know all of this has been a huge shock to you, it has been for all of us, and maybe you just need a little time to get used to the idea,” she said. “I can hold your father back for a little while, give you some time to think this through. I’m sure when you get used to the idea, it won’t seem so bad. You always wanted to make changes, and this is your chance.”

Reggie knew that she was baiting him, that nothing in his family’s world would ever change, but he also knew when it was time to back down. “Maybe you’re right. I’m just having a hard time believing that Marco is really gone.”

“We all are,” Faith said. “I’ll call you tomorrow and we can talk some more. I think you’ll see that it will all be much clearer after a good night’s sleep.”

He hung up the phone doubting there would be much sleeping that night, but he was surprised to find that he was suddenly so exhausted, he couldn’t keep his eyes open. After stuffing the uneaten food in the refrigerator, he got into bed, and in only minutes, he was in a deep, dreamless sleep, unaware that it was the last good sleep he would get for a while.

***Janice***

Janice grabbed the last piece of pizza out of the box, held it up, and looked around the room, then took a big bite, letting the gooey cheese sit on her tongue before she chewed and swallowed. Collapsing