Brian’s grin died and he shot Brass a worried look. “He growls at me a lot.”
Brass nodded. “They haven’t been free as long as most of us have been. He’s protective of the female and you need to stop flirting with her immediately. That’s the second warning he’s given you and you should be real careful not to push his patience too far. He will attack you.”
Brian paled and backed a few feet away from Lauren, his wary gaze fixed on Wrath. “I got it. I won’t look at or even speak to her if that’s what you want.”
“Good.” Wrath reached out and grabbed Lauren’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Mr. Adams was outside still when they left and Lauren made sure she waved at him. Yeah, she thought, the neighbors are going to be talking about me tonight.
Wrath helped her into the SUV. The drive to her work was only five minutes away. Brass twisted in the seat to address Wrath.
“No growling. You’re fully human. Remember that.” Brass turned to face Lauren. “We can hear everything near Wrath. He’s wired. Just act normal when you talk to the humans you work with and find out if anyone has seen or heard from Bill. Find out if they know where he is.”
“I got it.” It sounded easy enough to her.
Lauren and Wrath climbed out of the SUV half a block down the street from the office and watched it park across the street. She faced Wrath. “Let’s call you Paul Williams, okay?”
He nodded. “My name is Paul Williams.”
“You’re interested in buying a two-bedroom condo. I have a ton of those listed and they would be in your price range with what you should be making in the military. You are single since you don’t have a wedding ring on. I’m sure no one will really talk to you but just in case it’s better to have our ducks in a row.”
“Ducks in a row?” He arched an eyebrow.
“It’s a saying meaning…well, having your shit together.”
He grinned. “Why didn’t you just say that?”
She smiled. “I’m trying to avoid cussing in front of you. It’s not ladylike.”
His smile died. “I don’t care if you’re a lady or not. I like you.”
She felt heat spreading through her at his words. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Nine
Lauren fought down nervousness as she opened the door of her work for Wrath. He’d tried to open it for her but she’d shaken her head no. “You’re a client. I’m supposed to impress you instead of the other way around. I appreciate the gesture but now isn’t the time to be a gentleman.”
He said nothing as he stepped into the office. Lauren smiled at Kim, the receptionist, and hoped it didn’t appear forced. Her heart raced, she didn’t want to let Wrath or his team down and catching Bill was important to them.
“Hello, Kim. This is Mr. Williams. We’re going back to my office so I can pull up condo listings. Is anyone else in yet?”
“Mel was here when I arrived, John B and John T are here too, and Gina is in her office having a meltdown with a bank manager who is giving one of her clients some grief about their loan.” Kim winced. “Avoid her. She’s pissed.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Lauren took a few steps but paused. “Oh, last night Mel had me show a property for Brent. The guy was interested but he had some questions I couldn’t answer. There are some ugly, large cargo containers inside the warehouse and he wants to know if those are staying or going. Is Brent coming in today?”
“I don’t know. I could page him if you want and find out.”
“That would be great. The man had some other questions so if Brent calls you back, please transfer his call to my office. The buyer is really interested in the property.”
Kim nodded, reaching for the phone. Lauren smiled at Wrath and led him through the archway to a larger room. Lauren spotted John T at one of the computer stations and approached him.
“If you’ll just take a seat here, I’ll be right with you, Mr. Williams.” Lauren directed Wrath to take a chair close to where John T worked.
Wrath sat and Lauren focused on her coworker whom she knew spent time with Brent. They liked to go barhopping together and she figured he might be her best bet at locating the missing monster Wrath hunted.
“Good morning, John. I got a call last night from Mel to show one of Brent’s properties. The buyer is really interested but he had some questions I couldn’t answer. Do you know where Brent is? The buyer wants the warehouse but he wasn’t thrilled seeing huge cargo containers on the property. I don’t know if the owner plans to remove them or if it’s an ‘as is’ deal.”
“He got a call yesterday after work and took off out of here like a bat out of hell.” John shrugged, still typing. “I haven’t heard from him since. He was supposed to show up at the Bugle last night.”
“What’s that?”
He grinned. “It’s our favorite strip bar. We go there a few times a week.”
She tried to appear nonchalant. “Oh. Well, if you can reach him, will you have him call me?”
“Sure.” He reached for his cell, picked it up, and turned in his chair. He spotted Wrath, appeared startled, and dropped his phone on the desk. He fumbled, grabbed it and spun to face the screen again. “I’ll call him now.”
Lauren turned, smiling at Wrath. “This way, Mr. Williams. I’ll pull up those condo listings.”
“Lauren!”
Lauren jumped, turning. Mel stood in her office, staring at Wrath with an odd expression on her face.
“Hi, Mel. This is Mr. Williams. He’s interested in condos.”
Mel smiled but it looked forced. “May I speak to you for a moment?”
Lauren nodded and motioned Wrath toward an open door near the front by the reception area just around the corner. “This is my office. Go on in and I’ll be back in a second.” She moved toward her boss, wondering if she was in trouble for trying to argue the night before over showing the property. “What is it, Mel?”
Mel waited until Lauren was inside her office before she spoke. “Who is he?” She kept her voice down.
“That’s Mr. Williams. He was just stationed in this area and plans to stay a while.”
Mel chewed on her bottom lip for a few seconds then frowned. “He called you and set an appointment?”
Lauren nodded and hoped her boss wasn’t planning to screw her over by trying to steal a client. It wouldn’t be the first time. Of course Mel didn’t realize Wrath wasn’t a real client and she worried what would happen if her boss wanted to show him listings instead.
“How did the showing go last night?” Mel changed the subject.
Lauren managed to hide her relief. “Good. Mr. Herbert is interested in buying the property but there are these large cargo containers left inside the warehouse that he wasn’t interested in. He asked me about them but it’s not my listing. I didn’t know if they stay or if they’ll be removed. He wanted to talk to Brent.”
“I’ll pass that along.” Mel studied Lauren. “Okay. Go ahead and deal with Mr. Williams but I called a meeting in half an hour. You can set him up with some coffee while he waits for you. It won’t take long.” She glanced at her watch. “My office in half an hour and it’s mandatory. You can go show him the properties he’s interested in right after the meeting.”
“Is everything okay? We usually don’t hold meetings when clients are here.”
A smile curved Mel’s mouth. “Everything is fine, Lauren. We had some parking issues come up with the landlord and I swore I’d talk to all the employees. The man is a pain in the ass but we don’t want to lose our lease. It won’t take more than a few minutes. I just want to address everyone at once so no one feels singled out but we both know who the two worst offenders are. Both John T and John B know better than to use the alley. The other tenants complained.”