The Hybrid's Hope

Chapter 17: Maxwell Russell

Hope

My celebration with Levi lasted until well into the night. Thankfully, my mate set an alarm, early enough, apparently, that we could ‘celebrate’ again this morning before I met with my potential clients and he had to go to work.

“Let me know how you’re doing when you can, Hope. I love you and I’m going to miss you terribly,” he said as he kissed me goodbye.

“I miss you already,” I told him.

He kissed me again, long and lingering, then pulled himself away from me as if he wouldn’t let me go if he didn’t.

I hated watching him go, knowing it would be a long time before I’d see him again. But at the same time, I am very excited to meet THE Erika Edwards and to see if this is the right fit for me and for her.

I showered and dressed in one of my pant suits that mom and I had gotten for interviews and business meetings, put my hair in a ponytail, and headed upstairs to meet with Tanya, aka Erika Edwards, and her father.

When I get upstairs, I remember what Levi said about the receptionists at Holstin Enterprises and how they tend to be transient because they are hiding from someone.

“Good morning, Justine,” I say, smiling at her.

“Good morning, Hope. Mr. Holstin is expecting you.”

I make a mental note that I’m going to have to stop calling people Alpha or Luna and start calling them Mr., Mrs., or Miss while I’m working for humans.

“Thank you. Did you have a nice evening?” I ask her.

“I did. How about you?”

“It was very good, thank you,” I say, just as the elevator pings.

I glance at it, but make my way to Alpha Liam’s office, knowing that it’s probably Tanya and her father that have just arrived, right on time.

“Come in, Hope,” Alpha Liam says. When I walk in, he tells me to close the door.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re still agreeable to this assignment, Hope. If you’ve changed your mind, it’s okay,” he says.

“No, Alpha. I’m excited. I mean, I’ll miss Levi terribly, but the idea of doing this job is very exciting to me,” I tell him.

“Good. Take a seat and I’ll show them in,” he says.

I do and a few moments later, Tanya and her father walk into his office. He offers them something to drink and when they decline, he gestures for them to sit.

“Mr. Russell, Miss Russell, this is Hope Nunez. She is part of my allied packs, employeed by Holstin Enterprises, and I believe she fits the bill of everything you’ve requested for your security detail,” Alpha Liam says.

I stand as he introduces me, looking at Tanya and her father. The father has a very forceful nature to him. If he were an Alpha, he’d be a powerful one. But he’s only human, so his power has no effect on me. His daughter, however, is quiet and withdrawn. It makes me want to reach out to her in a way I rarely do.

“Hello, Tanya. I’m Hope,” I say, extending my hand to her. I’ve heard this is something familiar and comfortable for humans when they greet each other.

She looks at my hand and for a moment, I’m afraid she’s going to reject me, but then she reaches out, taking my hand and shaking it.

“Hello, Hope. It’s nice to meet you,” she says.

“How about we all sit and get to know each other better,” Alpha Liam says.

Tanya has a lovely floral scent with undertones of vanilla while her father is the exact opposite with a scent of peppercorns and spices.

“I know you wanted to meet my employee and vet her yourself, Mr. Russell. Are there any specific questions you’d like to ask Hope?” Alpha Liam asks.

Maxwell Russell looks at me as most people do, as if I don’t measure up. If he were a shifter, I might cower down to his look, but he’s nothing more than a human. According to Levi, he barely has enough sensory knowledge to know that I drank coffee this morning.

“How do I know that you can sense things that others can’t?” he asks, as if trying to catch me in a trap.

I look at Alpha Liam who gives me a knowing smile and nods for me to go ahead.

“Well, Mr. Russell, you drank coffee this morning, black. You prefer wool fabrics, but you mix them with cotton ones. You use hair products that I find smell disgusting, but makes your hair look like it does, and you’ve had s*x with a woman in the last twenty-four hours,” I say, watching him closely.

Because I am, I watch his body jerk at me calling him out for having s*x. Then he quickly glances at his daughter before looking back at me. Interesting.

He opens his mouth to speak but I turn to Tanya. “You, however, prefer cream and sugar in your coffee. You are wearing clothing that is made of cotton and polyester, and you’re afraid. If it’s me or Alpha Liam that you’re afraid of, you don’t need to be. If it’s the man who entered your house and your bedroom in the middle of the night, I can assure you, he won’t get past me to you,” I say to her.

“How do you know all this?” she asks softly.

I tap my nose. My bear senses are much, much stronger than even a wolf’s. “Shifter senses.”

“Can you keep me safe?” she whispers, her eyes intense on mine.

“Absolutely, without a doubt,” I say, meaning it. Even if I hadn’t been bullied most of my life, I wouldn’t allow anyone, much less a young woman, to be traumatized by someone illegally entering her home and taking pictures of her while she sleeps. That’s just creepy.

“This job is a minimum of one month. Can you agree to stay with me, in my home, going with me everywhere I go, for a minimum of one month?” she asks.

“I’ve already agreed to that. That is what Alpha Liam presented to me yesterday when we talked about me taking this job.”

She turns and looks at her father. “I want her.”

“Tanya …”

“I want her,” she says more forcefully.

He looks at me, then at Alpha Liam. “I’d like a seven-day trial,” he says.

“Done. But you won’t need seven days, not with Hope. She’s an amazing woman in many ways. I’m sure that you and your daughter will see that very quickly,” he says.

“Great. Then let’s sign the contract and we’ll go,” Mr. Russell says.

“When would you like me to start?” I ask, looking from Tanya to her father.

“I thought we were clear that if we accepted, you’d be leaving here with us, today,” he says, looking at Alpha Liam.

“That’s fine,” I say, before Alpha Liam can say I need more time. I’ve already said goodbye to Levi. “I just need to pack some clothes and I’m ready.”

“We’ll supply everything you need, Hope,” Mr. Russell says, leaning over Alpha Liam’s desk to sign the paperwork.

“I will remind you, if any harm comes to Hope outside of her regular duties, if she feels threatened by you, your family, or your security at any time, I am free to extract her without any punishment. She will remain in possession of her phone at all times and she is able to contact anyone in her contact list to talk to, as long as she doesn't relay any infomraiton to the media about your daughter,” Alpha Liam says to Mr. Russell, but he’s looking at me. He’s making sure I know that if anything bad happens, if anyone is cruel to me, I can get out.

“Understood,” Mr. Russels says, signing the paperwork.

“Hope Nunez, you are now my employee. Shall we go?” Mr. Russell asks.

I look at Tanya who smiles at me. “Come on. Shopping is my favorite thing to do.”

I shrug and look at Alpha Liam. “Thank you, Alpha.”

“You can thank me by finding this guy, Hope,” he says.

“I will, Sir. I promise.”

I follow the Russells out of Alpha Liam’s office and to the elevator, suddenly feeling like I’ve entered the Twilight Zone.