The alpha and his stubborn thief

Chapter 3 - Informant

“Do you mind telling me what we’re doing here?” Leila growled as she ignored the thirsty stares she was getting from both men and women at the bar.

“Tracking the thief,” Joshua answered, distracted as he glanced around for the waitress that had bumped into him. There had been something intriguing about her that made him want to see her again.

“And how does this filthy place connect to that guy?” Leila groaned and wiped her finger across the table as an emphasis.

“A guy is meeting us here,” Joshua sighed and took out his phone. The guy was ten minutes late.

“I don’t remember staying at a lousy human bar was part of the deal when you asked me to help you track the thief,” Leila sighed and pulled her hair in front of her shoulder, clearly not wanting it to touch the seat.

“I needed your skills, and could you tone down the whining?” Joshua said with a raised brow.

“It’s already been three months,” Leila sighed, “Face it, the thief has already pawned the brooch and is long gone.”

“I’m not going to stop until I find the brooch,” Joshua growled.

“I just don’t see how I need to be punished for your failures,” Leila muttered and looked over to Russell and Tommy, who were dancing intimately with one another, “At least they are having some fun.”

“Maybe if you’d stop being so negative, then you could also have some fun,” Joshua muttered and got up, “I’m going to get some drinks. Want anything?”

“A bottle of whiskey if I’m going to have to sit here all night,” Leila shrugged.

Joshua nodded and made his way over to the bar. It was starting to die down after the live band had finished their show, but the bar was still full of drunk people that were obviously well past their limits.

“Humans are weird,” Rhys said with disgust as a person ran past Joshua that seemed seconds away from puking his stomach out, and he watched as he stumbled to the bathroom.

“Can’t argue with that,” Joshua sighed, not understanding drinking more than their body could handle. 

“What can I get you?” the girl behind the bar said with a smile when he arrived.

“Three beers and a bottle of whiskey,” he nodded.

“Sure thing,” the girl said, and started preparing the drinks.

Joshua looked around the bar, but the red-haired waitress from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

“Here you go,” the girl said and handed him a tray with his drinks and a couple of glasses to go with the whiskey.

“Thank you, how much do I owe you?” Joshua said as he fished his wallet out of his pocket.

“Don’t worry, this round is on the house,” the girl said with a smile.

“Why?” Joshua frowned but then remembered what the waitress had said after spilling some beer on him.

“Right,” he breathed, “Are you sure it’s alright? It’s an entire bottle of whiskey.”

He noticed the girl hesitate for a second, but a normal human would probably not have seen it since she was quick to put up a smile.

“I’m sure. Please enjoy.”

Joshua looked at the girl for a moment, “You’re not allowed to give out free drinks, are you?” he said, and the girl bit her lower lip, and Joshua sighed.

“So, I take it this goes from your pay?” Joshua said with a raised brow.

“Well, not mine…,” the girl said and rubbed her neck.

Joshua nodded. The waitress clearly offered him a free round to keep him from filing a complaint.

“Tell you what, I’ll pay for these drinks, and you can take an extra hundred for tips for you and the waitress who offered me the drinks,” Joshua said, and handed the girl his card.

“Sir?” the girl said, surprised and hesitant to take his card.

“Don’t worry, I have more than enough and think of it as a tip for good service.”

“Thank you,” the girl said with a smile and took his card.

“The girl that offered the drinks…,” Joshua began as the girl processed his payment, “Is she still here?”

“No, her shifts done,” the girl said with a small smile as she handed him his card back.

“No worries,” Joshua shrugged, hiding his disappointment, “Just tell her thanks for the offer. It was appreciated.”

“Will do.”

Joshua took the tray of drinks and started making his way to the table.

“That took time,” Leila grunted as she took the bottle of whiskey, poured herself a glass, and downed it in an instant, “How long are we going to wait?”

“I’m sure he’ll show up. Let’s give it a few more minutes, “Joshua nodded and opened one of the beers.

“How can you stand all the eye-fucking from these humans?” Leila said as she poured herself another glass.

“I guess you will get used to it after a while,” Joshua shrugged.

“It’s not something that I want to get used to,” Leila grumbled as she twirled the drink in her glass, “So what information do you think that guy has?” 

“I’m not sure, but he deals in the black market for supernatural beings, so he should know something if the brooch has been sold,”

“So, it’s all a big if?”

“Hey, it’s not been that bad,” Joshua said with a raised brow.

“But it’s still been three months, and we’ve been on the road for two. And I have barely gotten to kick some ass. I’m getting frustrated,” Leila sighed and took a sip of her drink.

“Hey, guys, what’s the word?” Russell said as he came over, holding Tommy’s hand. They were both glistening with sweat from dancing, and both had a playful grin on their faces. Tommy pushed some of his ginger curls out of his eyes as Russell grabbed the two remaining beers and handed one over to Tommy.

“The guys running late,” Joshua grunted as he checked the time on his phone again, “Half an hour from the scheduled appointment.”

“Face it, the guy's not coming,” Leila shrugged and pulled the whiskey bottle away from Russell’s grasp as he tried reaching for it.

“It would seem so,” Joshua sighed, and finished the remainder of his beer.

“Or maybe not,” Tommy said thinkingly as he took a sip of his beer and nodded to the bar entrance.

A man around his thirties had entered the bar wearing a tailor-made suit but what made him stand out were the black sunglasses that he had on his face indoors. His pale blond hair was long and tied back in a ponytail, and he immediately started walking their way.

“Sorry for the delay. My name is Chris,” he said in a quiet voice as he reached their booth, and all the vampires tensed up. 

He was a vampire.

“We were not aware of your… status,” Joshua said with a hint of warning in his voice. 

“Well, I’m only the messenger,” the man said with a slight nod, “If you’d please follow me,” he said, and immediately turned around and headed for the exit.

“What’s the order, boss?” Russell asked with a tense jaw, and Joshua noticed him crushing the beer can in his hand, so the beer had started to spill out.

“We'll follow him, but keep up your guard," Joshua said warningly and stood up. 

The four left the bar and caught up with the vampire as it headed down the streets. The music from the bar died down but was soon replaced with more music as they closed in on another bar farther down the road. The vampire walked into an alley behind the bar and opened a staff entrance. On the other side was a guard that nodded to the vampire, but thankfully he seemed to be a human. They all entered, and music filled their ears again as they followed the vampire up some stairs.

The vampire opened another door and gestured for them to enter. Joshua gave the all-clear to his team, they walked inside, and the vampire closed the door behind them, and the music died down instantly.

The room they had entered was lavish with a hardwood floor and an elegant color combo of beige, brown, and gold. Expensive couches and chairs stood in front of a desk facing the door, and various items were displayed on shelves on the walls. The floor below the desk, and the wall behind it, were made with one-way mirrors so one could see the bar and packed dancefloor below. 

A woman in her mid-forties stood behind the desk and looked down at the dancefloor below. She wore a tailor-made purple pantsuit on her lean body, and her black asymmetrical pixie cut had a few gray streaks. 

Everything about that woman screamed elegance, and her office reflected that well. The four of them stood out like a sore thumb inside the room, but Leila took the chance to sit down in one of the luxurious lounge chairs in the room and sighed deeply as the chair wrapped around her body.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable,” the woman said as she turned around and looked all of them over, “I’m sorry for the delay and secrecy, but one can never be too careful.”

The woman looked at them with blood-red eyes, and Joshua tensed again when he couldn’t smell her scent, since she was clearly a vampire.

“Don’t bother,” the woman chuckled softly, “One doesn’t get to where I am by leaving my scent all over the place.”

“Might have wanted to mention your… status before the meeting,” Russell growled. 

“Would you have agreed to the meeting if you had known?” the woman asked with a raised brow as she sat down at her desk and leaned back in her chair.

“I guess not,” Joshua sighed.

“That’s the problem with you wolves. You base your judgment on your nose alone,” the woman said with a slight scoff, “Anyway, I’m Mary. Welcome to my bar, The Bloody Mary.”

“Wait... you're THE Bloody Mary?” Tommy said with a frown.

“I’ll leave that to your imagination,” Mary smirked, “Anyway, to what do I owe the honor to get a visit from the second son of the Northern American werewolf king?”

“I see you’ve done your homework,” Joshua said as he sat down in the chair opposite her desk and noticed Russell and Tommy sitting down on a couch behind him, never taking their eyes off the vampire. He also knew that although Leila seemed to only care about the luxurious lounge chair, her senses were also on high alert.

“Part of succeeding in the black market trade is always to keep your ear to the ground and know everything,” Mary chuckled, “I heard that you’ve been on the hunt for something that was stolen from the headquarters of your pack. Tell me, how does one steal something from an eighty-floor skyscraper belonging to the werewolf king of the Crystal Crescent pack and get out of it unscathed?” she said with a tiny smirk and leaned forward on her desk, and Joshua could tell she was testing how he’d react to her taunt.

“Pure luck,” Joshua growled, “What do you know?”

“All business and no play,” Mary nodded and leaned back into her chair, “What exactly was stolen?”

“I thought you knew everything?” Joshua said with a smirk and could see Mary’s jaw tense for a moment.

“I'm not perfect," Mary said with a slight shrug, "But I can’t help you unless I know exactly what it is I’m looking for.”

“Tell me what it’s going to cost first,” Joshua said sternly.

“It’s hard to say unless I know what it is I’m looking for,” Mary crossed her arms, but Joshua knew she’d increase the price if she knew just how significant the brooch was.

“Leila, can you help?” Joshua mindlinked her.

“She’s too old of a vampire. My persuasion skills won’t work,” Leila mindlinked back, and for a moment, Joshua wondered if she didn’t want to, since she was too comfy.

“I’ll give you 5k for information on the black market referring to the item we’re looking for,” Joshua offered Mary.

“My, my, that thing must be valuable,” Mary said and rubbed her chin before leaning forward on her desk and interlocking her fingers. “Fifteen.”

“Are you crazy?” Russell exclaimed.

“Well, information referring to the ceremonial crystal brooch of the werewolf king is probably worth a lot more than a measly 5k,” Mary said with a smile.

“You knew all the time what we were looking for?” Joshua said, tense.

“Of course, I was simply curious what you’d offer me if you thought I didn’t know,” Mary said as she leaned her head to the side.

“So, do you know something about it?” Joshua asked, hopeful.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Mary shrugged, “But I do have information about the black market.”

“Are you sure about this?” Tommy said in their mindlink.

“It’s our only lead,” Russell growled, displeased.

“Fine, you’ll get your money,” Joshua sighed, “What do you know?”

“Good boy,” Mary nodded and handed him a small snippet of paper, “Please transfer the money, and I’ll gladly tell you everything I know.”

Joshua took out his phone and transferred the money.

“It’s done,” he said, and Mary’s phone vibrated to confirm the transaction.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” she nodded and put her phone down, “What do you want to know?”

“Have you heard anything about the brooch?”

“No,” Mary shrugged.

“So, we just paid you for nothing?” Joshua groaned.

“Don’t jump the gun just yet,” Mary sighed, “I don’t know anything about that brooch since no one has attempted to sell it on the black market.”

“At least that’s something, but that doesn’t give us any leads,” Tommy sighed.

“Well, there might not have been any signs of the brooch on the black market, but half a year ago, someone was looking for someone to retrieve something from a particular skyscraper,” Mary said thinkingly.

“Someone wanted to break into our building?” Joshua asked, wide-eyed.

“It seemed that way, but the person never disclosed what it was he wanted to be retrieved, and soon after the ad disappeared, and then the break-in happened,” Mary shrugged.

“Do you know who got the job?” Russell asked.

“No, that I do not.”

“What about a black outfit with a large blue cross over the chest?” Joshua asked.

“That sounds like an outfit the blue crosses wear,” Mary said, intrigued, “But they’ve been mostly inactive after their leader was taken out a few years back.”

“The thief was wearing an outfit like that,” Joshua sighed.

“Then I guess you now know who stole from you,” Mary shrugged.

“Any idea where to find them?” Joshua asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately, not,” Mary shook her head, “ The only thing I’ve heard is that you can hire them for a job for the right price, but they come to you.”

“So, how do you suggest we find them?” Joshua asked.

“Unless you’re willing to pay millions of dollars to lure them out with a job offer, your best chance is to find one of them,” Mary shrugged and stood up from her chair.

“So, you’re saying that we’re not going home anytime soon,” Leila grunted.

“We need to find them,” Joshua said sternly.

“Well, one of them might be closer than you think,” Mary said as she looked out the glass at the people dancing below, “About a year ago, there were some strings of high-end robberies in this town and the towns around, there were no leads, and no one was ever caught or held responsible.”

“You think that person works with the Blue Crosses?” Joshua asked.

“The robberies were so perfectly done and left no evidence, I’m sure, so one of them might be nearby,” Mary said sternly, “I’ve been searching for the person since he or she stole from me eight months ago.”

“So, you’re getting us to do your dirty work?” Leila said, displeased.

“Think of it as a partnership. I’ll feed you information about the person, and you’ll find them for me. Get your item if it's the same thief, then I get the person.” Mary said with a soft smile that was anything but innocent.

“To do what with?” Tommy frowned.

“That’s none of your business and something you won’t discover unless you steal from me,” Mary said with a hint of threat in her voice, “Do we have a deal?” she said and held out her hand.

Joshua hesitated for a moment and wondered if he was selling his soul to retrieve the brooch, but sighed and took her cold hand and shook it.

“Excellent,” Mary smiled, “Thank you for your business and please feel free to enjoy your night in my bar, and your tab is on me as a bonus.”

They left the room, and Joshua had to practically drag Leila from the lounge chair. They traversed the stairs, and a guard opened the door that led to the common area, and they were met with blasting music. They hadn’t noticed how loud it was since Mary’s room was soundproof, and Joshua glanced up to the mirrors on the ceiling, knowing she was staring at them.

“Didn’t expect the night to turn into us working for a vampire,” Russell growled.

“It’s just a means to an end, and if we don’t find the person, we can just walk away,” Joshua shrugged.

“Is it ever that easy?” Leila groaned.

“Let’s just take a few days to gather our thoughts,” Joshua sighed.

“So, I can go back to the hotel?” Leila asked hopefully.

“Sure,” Joshua nodded, and not a second passed until Leila had turned on her heels and was already outside before he could stop her.

“Well, we’ll see you tomorrow, Joshua,” Tommy chirped and wrapped his arms around Russell’s neck, “I have unfinished business with this piece of candy.”

“Please, just go and don’t say anything else,” Joshua groaned and shook his hands in front of his face, “Just go and have fun.”

“Call us if something comes up,” Russell gave Joshua a slight nod, and soon both were gone.

“And I need something strong,” Joshua groaned when he was the only one left and headed towards the bar.

“Maybe something like that,” he breathed as he noticed a familiar redhead at the bar.