Problems Problems
1536 Words
"Yes, but I don't understand why you can't deal with this yourself?" Sam was furious. Her brother never listened.
"Because you are the Alpha, and this f*****g woman won't listen to me. I'm just the Mayor you know." The sneer was clear in his voice.
"I told you to leave it to her, did I not? Remember? A week ago. In my kitchen." She ran her free hand through her hair. "You can't be this stupid? She runs all the security, they are the law in this town. We don't have police and s**t, because they are the f*****g police! You went to her, she dealt with the problem. Then you went behind her back and attacked a man. Why? Because he dared drive past you in the main street. f**k it, Matt. Grow up."
"You will deal with this for me. She has no right to fine me for standing up for my right. He ran into me with his car!"
"He never even touched you! You just ran out of things to complain about. And he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Are you coming with me or not?" Matt growled.
"Fine, I have time at three."
"I don't..."
"Three Matt or you can do this yourself."
"Fine. I'll meet you there." He hung up before she could answer and she sighed. She really did wonder sometimes. How he could be related to her. Her phone rang again.
"What?!"
"Well hello to you too." A soft voice said. Sam sat and smiled.
"Hey, mom. Sorry." She lay back in her chair. "I just got off the phone with Matt and you know how those go. How are you?" Diane was her light. Her safe place.
"I'm fine. I just haven't heard from you in a while. And wanted to see if you wanted to come to dinner tomorrow night?"
"That would be great. I can only be there by eight though." She felt a twinge of guilt giving her sparring date preference. But she enjoyed her sessions with Amber and didn't want to miss one.
"That's okay. You have a date?" Her mom asked. Sam heard the hope in her voice.
"No, just a weekly meeting I can't move or miss."
"I heard you were having 'meetings' with Amber," Diane said. "She's a good girl. I like her."
"Mom."
"I know, I'm just saying she's nice. And you need friends. This hanging out alone, it's just not good for you." She laughed into Sam's ear. "You need to hang out with people your own age. Have fun. Cut loose."
"Cut loose?" Sam laughed too. "Have you been hanging out with the kids again?"
"I have. Now that they have their watering hole back, I've got a lot of them coming in again. My doughnuts are flying off the rack."
"You better keep me a few!"
"I always do. I will see you tomorrow then. Bring Amber. If she doesn't have plans." Her mom hung up the phone before she could answer.
Why would her mom suggest that? No way was she taking Amber to dinner at her mom's. She picked up a stack of messages from her table and shifted through them. She stopped at the one marked 'Larry phoned' and picked up her phone.
"Larry. How are things?" She asked when he answered.
"Hey Sam. Good, we just have a couple of kids that keep coming in and trying to buy drinks. I got in touch with their parents, but haven't gotten any help. Their answer is because they are wolves they can do what they want."
"Is this the same group that broke into the public pool earlier this week?"
"Yes, as far as I can tell they formed a gang. One or two of them are good kids, just hanging with the wrong crowd." He swallowed. "Uh, Trudy is the one that keeps shutting me down, telling me that kids need to be kids. And yeah I agree with that, but that doesn't mean that I can sell them alcohol."
"Of course you can't. Do Amber's people know about this?"
"I hired one of the agents, it's been quiet since then, but the break-ins are more frequent now."
"That means they just shifted their attention from drinking under age to breaking and entering." She sighed. "I am seeing Amber herself at three, I will see where they are with the break-ins."
"Okay, thank you. And Sam, watch your back with Trudy, she's out for blood."
"Yes, and mine is at the top of her list." She hung up and turned to Mya who was sitting in the corner in her usual chair. She was reading the paper and drinking coffee. "You know, I would swear that Trudy was a vampire."
"Maybe she is. She's undercover to infiltrate the werewolves and figure out how to suck them all dry."
"Ha! One of these days you're going to tell me something true, like run, there's a snake. And I'm just going to stand and get bitten."
"I just like to keep you on your toes. Admit it, if, by some miracle you beat Amber, you're going to miss me."
"Sure, I'm going to buy tissues and cry all day." She stood. "And the miracle would be if she beats me." She walked around her desk. "You drive. I want to call Trudy."
"Yes ma'am." Mya led the way out of the office and held open Sam's door. "Just promise her a bit of your blood, see if she bites."
"Jesus. Just drive!" Sam said laughing.
She was still fuming from her conversation with Trudy. The woman had no scruples at all! Let kids be kids! Who did she think paid for damages? It wasn't her or the f*****g council. This was a human establishment, and wolf kids did the damage. So she paid. Her and her family. She would have to contact Josh to make arrangements for the new break-ins.
"You okay?" Mya asked throwing a sideways glance at Sam.
"I just wish sometimes that someone else was Alpha." She looked at Mya. "You repeat that and I will deny it, then kill you."
"Scouts honor," Mya said. She had started to like Sam these last few days. She was more relaxed and seemed to benefit as much from the sparring as Amber was. Mya knew that Amber was taking notes and looking for weaknesses.
"Scout my ass." She was tired. She lay her head back on the seat and turned her head to look at Mya. "What would you do?"
"About?"
"These kids, the council. Trudy."
"Well, can I speak freely?"
"Yes." She smiled a little, Mya always spoke freely lately.
"I would find an appropriate way to punish the kids. They are kids, but they know better. Your council and they are your council, should be put on a tighter leash. They run too loosely with decisions, without your knowledge. And I would get rid of Trudy. She causes you more trouble than the others."
"You make it sound simple."
"It is simple. You are Alpha. We are all here, or where we are, because of you." She parked the car and turned to Sam. "You should trust Amber, let her help you. Amber knows about this towns secrets, not much happens without her knowing. She deals with some of it quietly. Sometimes she does it to help the human citizens, mostly for the wolves. And a lot of it is to make things easier for you."
"For me?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Let me ask you. Did you know about the vandalism at the skate park? Or the dogs that went missing two months ago? Or the old lady that ate her husband?"
"You made that last one up!" Sam said but eyed Mya. "Right?"
"Yes, but still. Did you know about the others?"
"No." Sam sighed. "How many more?"
"Countless," Mya said. "Ash and she are always working to make the town safe. Some things are just better off being handled quietly."
"Who took the dogs?" Sam asked as they got out of the car. She watched her brother walking briskly toward them.
"Some lady was holding them in her back yard, a neighbor complained about the noise and smell, and when Amber got there she found them. Apparently, she was angry because her request to own a dog was denied. So she dognapped them."
"Seriously Mya, I don't know if I should believe you."
"This one is true." Mya straightened as Matt joined them. "Sir." She said in greeting, as per his usual response, he ignored her.
"Can we get this over with? You better sort her out this time."
"Or what Matt?" Sam asked. "You going to bite me?"
"This is no joke! She undermined my authority for the last time." He marched into the building. Sam trailed in behind his four bodyguards.
"These guys are not with Amber," Sam said to Mya.
"No ma'am." Mya made a mental note to ask Amber where their agents were. She smiled at Taylor at reception. "Hey you! You still up for that drink tonight?"
"Yep, can't wait," Taylor said and let Amber know they were all there.
- Writer
