Just Bob (Assassins Inc. #1)(31)

Stryker lifted a brow. “Downstairs?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Just saying, dude.”

Helpful, he was not.

I wasn’t sure what we would find when we went inside, so I was ready for anything…except for everything to be perfectly normal.

“Good day, Master Shade,” the butler said as he approached. “How may I be of service today?”

“Um…I’m looking for Councilman James.”

“I believe he had business in his office, sir. He said he did not wish to be disturbed.”

Office my hairy ass.

“Have you seen Sinclair?” Stone asked.

“Master Sinclair is currently staying in the guest wing, Master Stone. I would be happy to let him know you are here.”

“Yes, do that please.”

When the butler walked away, I turned toward Stone with wide eyes. “How much do you think he really knows?”

Stone snorted. “Everything.”

“Do we follow him or try to find the basement?” I asked.

“I’ll follow the butler,” Stryker said. “You and Stone look for the basement.”

I nodded before walking toward the next room. Councilman James called it a salon. I called it a living room. Granted, it was rather fancy with its leather sofas and marble floors, but it was still a living room.

I spotted a maid coming in from the other entrance. “Could you tell me where the basement is located?”

The woman’s eyes widened briefly before she pointed behind her. “The door to the stairs is in the hallway between the kitchen and the butler’s pantry.”

“Thank you.”

I wondered what a butler’s pantry was.

I pulled my gun when we reached the basement. Considering we were trying to be stealthy, I also screwed on my silencer. I knew the gunshots by the gate had been loud, but the gate was far enough away from the house that I could hope no one heard the shots, or at least thought they were something else.

Again, we met no resistance as we made our way down the stairs to the basement level. In fact, we didn’t see anyone. I was starting to have serious doubts about Councilman James’s security measures until I rounded a corner and found two men guarding a door.

I pointed my gun at them before they could pull theirs. “Who do you think is a better shot?”

Both men raised their hands up into the air.

“Stryker?” I asked without taking my eyes off of the two men.

“I have them,” the man replied.

I gestured with my gun for them to move off to one side. Once the path to the door was clear, I moved toward it. When I tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge. The doorknob was turning, but the door wouldn’t open.

I pushed at it then moved my shoulder into the hard wooden door and pushed some more. Something was definitely blocking it. I grunted when it started to move.

I didn’t expect to be hit over the head with a shoe when I finally pushed my way inside. Instead of grabbing my head and giving into the pain throbbing through my scalp, I turned and pointed my gun.

“Bob?”

I barely had time to move my gun out of the way before I had an armful of mate.

“You came,” Bob said as he hugged me tight. “Sinclair said you would come, but I didn’t know if you would.” He had tears in his eyes when he leaned back. “I’m so sorry I doubted you. It will never happen again. I promise. I can’t believe you came for me.”

“I’ll always come for you, Bob. You’re my mate and I love you.”

Bob gasped. “I love you, too.”

I grunted when the man’s arms tightened around me again. For a human, he was surprisingly strong. I squeezed him back, just not as tight. Bob’s alluring scent filled my senses as I pressed my face into the crook of his neck.

“God, you smell good.”

Bob laughed, the sound delightful to my ears. “Are you going to eat me, cat man?”

“Oh yeah.” Just as soon as I figured out who had taken my mate.

I kept Bob tucked close to my chest as I lifted my head and glanced around. My eyes fell on the prone body on the floor. It took me a minute to speak, either from my surprise or that it took me that long to put together what I was seeing.

“Is that Councilman James?”

“He’s the bad guy.”

I looked at Bob, lifting an eyebrow. “The bad guy?”

Bob nodded vigorously. “Yeah.” His eyes widened. “Real bad.”

I glanced at Sinclair.

“He’s right. Councilman James admitted the whole damn thing. He’s skimming off the top of all your contracts to pay bribes to people in charge of changing shifter rights. He thought Bob might have seen the account, which is so illegal it’s not even funny. So, he ordered a terminate contract on him.”

“Mrs. Staudemeyer worked for him,” Bob added, “and even though at work they pretended to be married, they weren’t. She was killed yesterday.”

“Mr. Bixby’s son told us that his father sent her on a cruise.”

Bob shook his head. “She’s dead.”

“Huh.” Maybe that was what Clarence had been referring to as something going on in the company. I was pretty sure his father was up to this to his neck. “It’s a good thing you don’t work for Bixby and Kent anymore, Bob. That place is about to come crashing down.”