old man was some kind of weirdo magical fae and could do things that even overpowered Deirdre, but he’d never imagined Smith would deliberately dazzle a human into obeying him. The wolf tensed, ready to set some boundaries, and Dodge sat forward. “We have to go to lunch.”
Smith got to his feet, perfectly pleasant, and came around the desk to offer Persephone a hand up. “Of course, I wouldn’t want you to be late. Give my best to Deirdre and Miles.”
Dodge retrieved Persephone’s hand from the old man, giving him a hard look. “I’ll let Evershaw know you’re interested in the outcome with Bridger. You’ll reach out to the detective and figure out when she can take the girl’s statement. Thanks for your help.”
Persephone gave him a sideways look, since there was nothing in Dodge’s tone that even hinted at him being grateful.
Dodge clenched his jaw and struggled to control the wolf. It wasn’t entirely Smith’s fault. The guy wanted to help, to some extent, but he was always in it for his own benefit. He hadn’t survived as long as he had – which, according to Deirdre, was a long fucking time – by being soft-hearted and generous. Dodge took a deep breath and tried again. “I appreciate your assistance.”
“Of course,” Smith said. He showed them to the door. As Persephone stepped into the hall and eyed one of the super fancy conference rooms with giant computer screens that seemed to float on the walls, Smith cleared his throat and fixed Dodge with an enigmatic look. “You’ve spent most of your life fighting, have you not, Mr. Dodge?”
Dodge tensed. “Yes.”
Smith nodded, dark eyes flashing silver with elongated pupils for just a heartbeat – so fast, Dodge doubted he’d even seen it. The old man lowered his voice. “Have you stopped to consider when you should stop fighting? That there are things that may be... frightening but are worth embracing, despite that they may threaten to upend our lives?”
Dodge didn’t move, though his heart beat faster against his ribs. What the fuck was the old man talking about? “I don’t follow.”
“Hmm.” Smith’s gaze deliberately went to Persephone wandering through the conference room, absently touching the sleek table and examining a 3D model hologram type thing that rotated above it. The old man cleared his throat but didn’t speak any louder. “Young man, there is a time when you must accept that the world has changed. It has happened to me many times. I still struggle against it, and occasionally back-slide into the old ways. Just because your life has been a certain way up to now does not mean it will always be that way. Be open to change, Mr. Dodge.”
The wolf didn’t like it. Not a bit. Dodge held himself stiffly and kept his attention on Persephone. She looked like she belonged in a fancy high-rise building with all the high-powered people in suits, even if her clothes were more appropriate for running around an animal sanctuary. Dodge didn’t look at Smith. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Of course. My mistake.” Smith kept on smiling, a hint of narrow sharp teeth peeking out, before returning to his office.
Dodge growled, louder than he intended, and Persephone looked back at him with wide eyes. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head and gestured toward the reception area. “We gotta go.”
“This is a very... interesting place,” she said under her breath, nodding to Smith as they passed the office. She waved to the still-beaming receptionist, and frowned as they got into the elevator. “I’m still not really sure what he does? I mean, he said he’s a private investigator, but...”
“It’s a mystery,” Dodge said under his breath. He tensed as the elevator descended and they grew closer to having to go outside. Bridger’s goons no doubt waited to see what Persephone would do next. He held the wolf back with a bare thread of control, agitated by the way Smith had watched her and talked about his weird ass mystical forest. “We’re going to the restaurant, but you have to remember Bridger’s people are following us. Act like this is any other client lunch meeting. I’m your assistant, I’ll drive you there.”
“Hmm, so it would be unprofessional for me to grab your ass, right?” She blinked at him with a completely blank expression.
It threw him off balance for far too long. His brain still clicked through all the awful things that could happen the moment they stepped outside, and for her to make a