Free Cracked by Vanessa North Page A

sharing with his little mate for the time being. He knew she wanted him to re-affiliate, but he was also pretty sure she was ignorant as to what that would mean for him. He felt like a fish out of water here, with no meetings to go to, nowhere to wear his immaculate business wardrobe, no fancy dinners designed to dazzle a new client. He looked around the compound that had once been his home, and it sort of felt like…summer camp. A whine slipped from his lips as his wolf made the observation.
    He had to talk to Sarita about it, but he really wasn’t looking forward to this conversation. He didn’t have the first clue how to approach the subject.
    Monica, help me. He sent the thought as it occurred to him. Not only was Monica his dear friend, she was also Sarita’s aunt. She might be able to share some insights.
    What do you need, Lo? Her voice crackled in his mind—he’d forgotten how it felt.
    A heart-to-heart with my best friend? he asked.
    C’mon over.
    She didn’t need to tell him twice. He threw his jacket on, but left his tie behind. His colleagues would laugh if they saw him, Angelo Gonzalez, going anywhere in a suit without a tie. Half-dressed. But fuck it, he was at summer camp.
    Stepping off the elevator and into Monica and Fionn’s lush apartments, he was nearly bowled over by the wave of nostalgia. He’d spent hours conducting business out of these rooms. Of course, he’d also spent a good bit of time here with Monica, talking, making love. She’d been a great comfort to him in the years after he had lost his first mate and before Fionn had come to the compound.
    “I’m in the office. I’ll be right out,” Monica called out. Angelo looked around for a bodyguard, but didn’t see anyone. Then Fionn walked out of the office, cell phone to his ear. He grinned a wide, wolfish grin at Angelo as he told whoever was on the other line to come ahead up. Monica hurried out of the office a minute later, blushing.
    “Oh man, did I interrupt?” Angelo started to apologize, but Monica just waved it off as she gestured for him to sit.
    “No worries. What’s going on?” She settled unto the couch, tucking her bare feet up under her as she looked at him.
    “I think Sarita wants me to re-affiliate.” One didn’t beat around the bush with Monica. She had no time for bullshit.
    “Ah. And you don’t want to come home?” An eyebrow arched.
    “I don’t feel like this is home anymore, Monica.” He sighed. “I have a life in New York. It’s been a lonely life at times, but I have friends there, colleagues, my work. I don’t know that I can go back to working out of your apartment like old times. I think we’ve all grown too much for that. Plus, Graham is well settled in as the Third, and I have no desire to challenge him. If I re-affiliate…”
    “You’ll need to establish your place in the hierarchy.”
    “ Sí. ”
    “Angelo…this life you’ve made for yourself in New York, can you imagine Sarita sharing it with you?”
    “Yes. No. Fuck, I don’t know?”
    “You have a life in New York, but this life, this compound, it’s all Littlebit has ever known, with the exception of college at UMass. And even then, she had Mac with her. You feel this desire to return to your life, but is it really fair to take her away from hers? Truly?”
    “I could give her a wonderful life there, Monica. I have a very posh address. I can afford to rent or even buy a studio space for her. We could run together in the park.”
    “And even though she’s used to living and breathing her work, it being so important to her, she was given a suite to work out of so that she could work the very moment inspiration strikes—”
    He started to interrupt, and she held up a hand.
    ”No, listen, do you think she’d be happy hopping into a car or, Goddess forbid, taking the subway whenever she felt the need to create?”
    Monica leaned forward as she continued, “Of course, since her art would be in a whole separate space,