79. Serendipity

Paul - At home
“We’re leaving the day after tomorrow,” I announce to Dan, sitting in front of him at the kitchen table. “I’ve scheduled a week-long trip to a remote location I don’t want to disclose even to you. I’ve been careful not to go during a full moon. So you and Alin should be fine managing the pack while I’m away. Oh, and the phone signal might be lacking, so don’t try to call me.”
“I see you made up your mind already.” Dan sighs. “I knew you would put Laura above all else, but this is too much. Give me at least an emergency contact number to reach you just in case.”
“As you said, I’ve made up my mind.”
“Fine.” Dan stands and begins pacing through the kitchen. “What about the company? I’m not particularly fond of the idea of taking on business decisions while you’re away.”
“Oh, no need. I put Max in charge of the company during my absence.”
“The shifter? Why would you do that? Do you trust him so much?”
“He’s not doing me any favor. The bastard is charging me for his time and effort. Plus, he did well handling the strigois’ assets during his time impersonating Ion Corvin. He showed a business acumen befitting a CEO.”
Dan shakes his head. His lips press tightly together as he glares at me. “I don’t like it. I don’t like him.”
I narrow my eyes, watching him pacing back and forth. “Your dislike has anything to do with your feelings for Alisa?”
Dan stops for the first time since he left his seat. He turns to me and gives me a look of disbelief.
"I'm being objective here, Paul. Max's conman qualifications make him an untrustworthy guy. All his credentials might be forged, and his skills have nothing to do with the task at hand."
His downright dismissal of my mention of Alisa makes me think I opened a can of worms. I sigh and look down at the papers before stuffing them into an envelope.
"During his time as the CEO of Stryga Inc, Max found evidence of executives manipulating stocks and embezzling company funds," I explain. "If you're curious enough, I could send you the report details. His findings helped purge the corruption and set the company on the right track for Alisa's takeover."
Dan looks more displeased now than when I mentioned my vacation.
I push the envelope over the table toward him and say, “Give this to Max when you see him. He’ll need those.”
He takes the envelope and opens it immediately, scanning the documents inside.
"These are fake?" he asks.
"Yes. I took the liberty of creating a fake ID for Max. He'll need it to handle the affairs." I pause for a moment before I slap him with the question, “By the way, how is Alisa?”
He shrugs, rolling the envelope and stuffing it into his pocket. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Too bad. I suggest you call her at least. Alisa might be tough as a rock, but she might need someone by her side in times like these. Her new—”
The sound of the opening door interrupts me, and I turn to see Laura standing in the doorway. I smile at her before I lower my gaze and discover a small ball of fur in her arms. It whimpers and rubs against her chest.
Tilting my head to the side, I ask, “Is that a dog?”
“Yeah,” Laura answers, her voice full of excitement. “I found him in the street. He has no collar or tags.”
The dog is a small black and white mutt. Oh, and it has the audacity to look me in the eye and tilt its head to the side the same way I did. Its face is cute but won’t win me over through sheer cuteness, even though its eyes are the color of the sky on a sunny day.
“What do you intend to do with it?”
Laura scrunches her eyebrows. “I’m going to keep him, of course. This poor little guy needs care and attention.”
She ruffles its fur, and the dog steals all of her attention. The last thing I want is something able to mess up my plans.
“I know the difference when you stare at someone with love or with a desire to kill,” Laura says, looking at me. “Now is the latter.”
“I don’t want to kill the puppy.” I shrug with innocence. “I just want to throw it out or call animal control.”
Laura’s gaze darkens. “Stay away from him, or I’ll call animal control for you, wolf.”
Drawing in a deep breath, I manage to maintain calm. I walk to her, lean my forehead against hers, and run my hands along her back.
I look down at the puppy and say, “I think we started off on the wrong foot, little guy.”
As I scratch him behind his ear, the tailback of his body wags with enthusiasm.
“That’s better,” Laura approves, placing the little guy on the floor. He whines again, and she crouches down to pick him up.
“Who will take care of him while we’re on vacation?” I ask, my heart stopping as I wait for her answer.
“We can’t go away now when he’s so young and scared. He needs first to get accustomed to his new home. I want to do the right thing by him. We can postpone the vacation, right?”
Peering into her pleading turquoise eyes, I nod. There’s no way I can say no to her. And I think she knows it.
“I guess you won’t be needing me to cover for you,” Dan says, patting me on the shoulder. “I’ll be off then.”
I have entirely forgotten about his presence.
After Dan leaves, I call Irina to cancel the bookings for the trip.
“May I ask the reason for canceling? The agency might inquire.”
I grit my teeth and watch Laura petting the dog and calling him loving names.
“Because someone isn’t happy with a single dog in her life,” I answer and hang up.
So, the vacation is off, I lost Laura’s attention to a puppy, and Dan probably considers me a whipped Alpha. It can’t get worse than this, right?
Dan’s voice startles me out of my thoughts.
“Sorry, boss. On my way out, I encountered a strigoi asking if I knew where Laura Nedelcu lived. He says he’s her maker.”