“Beyond that, everything is as you heard it last. Assets frozen, gold is no longer being purchased in the city, the two stores on each side of ours steal perhaps ninety percent of our customers, and the estate lawyers deliberately held on to a check so it’d bounce.
“We’re under attack. It’s just no longer a physical attack.”
Grim faces were turned to him around the conference table. Everyone knew what the score was, and no one could doubt what was happening.
“We’ll start with Felicia, as she had a brilliant idea on how to generate some cash flow. Felicia?”
All heads swung towards the diminutive woman.
“Exactly as planned. We’re overhauling all the cars we could get our hands on from the junkyards. By the end of next week, we’ll have them all ready for sale, providing you can carve out some time to get your ass in gear and magic us up some parts.”
“I can make that happen. Any initial estimations?”
Felicia wrinkled her nose and then shrugged. “Not really? Price of all the cars we bought in mint condition, with working parts, would probably be several million. Our investment wasn’t large, so that’d be good. Won’t know till we run an auction. We’re already distributing flyers about a car show and auction.”
“Great. Anything else?”
“No. Weapon work is going good. Tiny robots, too. Power source is coming along. Your personal Warden was started earlier. That’ll be up and running soon. Getting my people experienced with the cars first. Similar in some ways.”
“Great. Next, Lily?”
“Legally, we’re rock solid. Everything we’re doing is actually above board, so it makes our job relatively easy. Nothing really going on there. Though everyone and their mother is trying to get the paperwork together for dead relatives.”
Felix could only nod. That’d been a concern, and he wasn’t that worried about it. It’d only help bring up his numbers and his people. This financial crisis was a temporary problem.
“Finance would be next, I suppose. And that’s where the problem lies.” Lily sighed and pressed her fingertips to her brow, just above her glasses.
“We’ve got enough capital to go maybe two weeks. Three on the outside. It’s not going to go very well if they don’t unlock our accounts.”
“I see. Is there anything we can do to help shore up those numbers?”
“No. There isn’t. We’ll be declaring bankruptcy soon if that car auction doesn’t work out.
“That’s the reality, and there’s no changing it.”
He hadn’t thought it possible to feel worse than he had minutes ago. He was wrong.
“I’m going to make pancakes. Pancakes make everything better.”
Andrea stood up and held up an arm; several Others leapt out of her and held up an arm each.
“Pancakes!” they shouted in unison.
Unable to help himself, Felix lifted his arm with a smile. “Pancakes.”
Chapter 30 - The Bait -
This was a risk. A risk to come to a location he’d ordered someone killed at. A risk to step outside in public where he was attacked every time he’d done so. A risk to go to something that he’d called and made arrangements for the previous day, giving his enemies time to prepare. A risk to go make demands of a department that didn’t care a whisker about him or his people.
Yet here he was, sitting in the lobby of the government agency that seemed hellbent on screwing him over.
Victoria was with him, of course, along with Andrea and a number of Others, but that was it.
Everyone else was busy trying to scrounge up material, capital, or favors to get them through this hardship. They’d only allowed him two companions to accompany him anyways, so any more would have to wait in the lobby.
Felix was dressed up in one of his nicer suits. Andrea looked as if Lily had dressed her, as she was striking and modest at the same time. A blood red blouse, a black jacket, and black pencil skirt.
Victoria had chosen something more mundane. A suit jacket, slacks, button-up shirt, and ballistic vest.
That and her very real, very high-end sword hanging from her hip.
No one had attempted to take it from her, though Andrea’s handgun had been confiscated.
After getting a pat-down and being asked what their business was and who they were here to see, they were promptly told to wait. They sat them down in the lobby right there without another word or direction.
That was an hour ago.
“Can we go home? You smell great, and every time your eyes fall on me, I can smell your need,” Andrea said, laying her head on his shoulder.
Victoria snorted at that, shifting from one foot to the other. She hadn’t relaxed her guard, and seemed as tightly wound as she’d ever been.
“No, we need to stay and make sure this gets taken care of. You heard what was said at the meeting. No more questions about that; I’d rather not discuss our business out in the open. Who knows what’s being recorded.”
“Fine. I’ll be good. Lily told me that when I’m good you’re supposed to reward me.
“Oh! That reminds me, how’d the date go? Lily seemed really happy this morning.”
Felix felt his lips curl into a smile. “We decided to postpone it till this evening because I couldn’t get a reservation.”
“Huh? Then why was she happy?” Andrea asked, her tail sliding up behind him to curl around his hip.
“Because he’s taking it seriously,” Victoria answered. “He didn’t want to just take her out, he wanted to take her to a nice restaurant.”
“Oh. Hm. You can make pancakes with me and then we’ll mate in our bed. That’d make me happy,” Andrea said, pressing up closer to his side.
“I’m all for that, but I think maybe right now isn’t the best place to talk about it. Or cling so closely to me. It’s pleasant but distracting.”
“What if we started making out? Do you think they’d want to get rid of us if we started making a scene?”
Felix felt the sweat pop out on his brow, his skin heating up several degrees.
“I don’t think that’d be wise,” Victoria said critically. “How could you protect him at the same time? They disallowed your Others in here, remember? I need you helping me here.”
“That’s no fun. Besides, when I said it, Felix got really excited. I could practically hear his heartrate speed up, and the scent was strong.”
“Really? That strong?” Victoria asked.
“Maybe he wants you to watch. Oh! Or maybe he wants you to join? Not sure. We should ask Lily. She’ll know what to think of this.”
“Uhhhh, I think that—”
At that moment, a man in a suit opened the interior lobby door and held it open. “Mr. Campbell?”
Standing up happily, Felix left the two women behind with the speed of his escape.
Andrea and Victoria scrambled to catch up with him as he dodged past the crony and into the hallway beyond.
“This way, please.”
Felix didn’t bother to respond as he followed the man down the hallway. They wouldn’t have anything to say to him that would be worthwhile anyways. And if they did, they certainly wouldn’t tell him prior to his meeting with what he assumed would be their boss. Or at least someone higher up in the corporate ladder.
People who fetch guests in the lobby don’t typically have a lot to add at this point.
They were led to a glass door, which the man opened for them. “Mr. Chirk will be with you shortly. Have a seat.”
Felix dropped into a chair and rested his left ankle on his right knee. “More waiting. Goodie. It’s a shame we can’t bill them for our time. This’d be a hell of a lucrative trip.”
Andrea shrugged her shoulders, wandering over to a window. Her head turned one way, then the other, peering out of the glass. Then she held a hand up to her ear.
“This is Pancake, request street actual check in. Pancake actual is in south side of building, floor two, window. Confirm overwatch,” she said.