Chapter 21

Three days later I was walking into the Sorrentino head offices, my heeled shoes echoing off of the marble flooring. I walked up to the secretarial desk and smiled at the middle-aged lady manning the phones. She motioned for me to wait as she finished off her current phone call.

"May I help you?" She asked.

"Yes, I was wondering if someone could buzz me in to see Mr Sorrentino." I gave her a smile worthy of a Hollywood actress.

"I'm afraid Mr. Antonio Sorrentino will be in meetings for the rest of the day, and Mr. Nicolas Sorrentino is currently busy with a client at the moment."

I set my smile to a demur smirk noticing she hadn't so much as glanced at her computer, nor asked for my name. Irritably I rested my hands on my hips. "I'm not here asking for a job lady. I'm asking for you to let me into the building. Just call up to either of them, or both-"

"I can assure you they are both extremely busy. You will have to come back another day." She told me sternly as I snapped my teeth shut.

Testy bitch. "Okay then, how about I call up to them myself?" I pulled the cell phone from my purse, put it on speakerphone and called Nick's number watching the receptionist's expression as Nick picked up on the first ring, allowing me access to the building.

"Good afternoon Nicola." I teased the younger Sorrentino as I casually strolled into his office. "I brought in some lunch for you." I gave him the brown bag I held and perched myself on his desk, absently picking some fluff off of my jeans, and smoothed down my shirt.

"You're a lifesaver." He smiled rummaging inside the bag to bring out a foot long subway. He took a bite as he continued to search through an address book. "How's your day going?" He mumbled around the food in his mouth.

I indicated he had some mayonnaise in the corner of his mouth before answering. "Job hunting; you know same old same old."

"Good, good." He replied absent-mindedly.

"Is everything okay?" I asked noticing the tone of his voice, not to mention his attention obviously being diverted.

Nick sighed. "We have the German Annika group waiting for their meeting and they're translator has called in with food poisoning, because obviously not one of them speaks English…" He sighed angrily. "So, no. Not really." He growled.

"Shit, is there a back up?"

"I'm looking for one as we speak."

Poor Nicky, he's furrowing his brow and everything.

I cocked my head to towards the door as I could hear for myself the business men complaining to each other down the hall. "I'll leave you to it." I sighed, getting to my feet.

"Hold on," He called to me. "Why are you looking for a new job anyway?" He asked me still sidetracked. "I thought you were settled in at that little market?"

I gave a sheepish smile. "I quit."

"Why?" He looked up at me then, genuinely concerned.

I shrugged. "I got sick of working for a bunch of idiots."

Nick looked me clear in the eyes, brown on blue. "Want to try that one again? Why did you really quit?"

Dammit. I made a face, playing with the rings on my hands. "The manager tried to do something he shouldn't have, so I kind of broke a couple of his fingers." I mumbled.

"Are you aright?" He jumped to his feet but I waved him down.

"The guy had it coming, trust me... He's lucky I didn't break something else." I grumbled. At least now he'll think twice about touching someone else's ass.

Nick was trying to suppress a smile. "So what are you going to do now?" He asked.

"That is why I'm in the city. I've got a bag full of résumé's and I keep being told the application processes are now being done online." I clicked my tongue as I rolled my eyes towards the ceiling.

"You can always work here. You could be my personal assistant." He laughed, as I flipped him the finger. He picked up the phone to call someone else and got an unknown number dial tone. "Fuck." He hissed under his breath slamming the phone back down and continued to look at his contact list.

"Look, I can see you're busy, so I'll get out of your hair." With that I gave him a customary peck on the cheek and left.

Nick;

I could hear Dads heads of department trying to placate the increasingly aggravated German businessmen. Not exactly easy when there is a major language barrier. Gah – how can no-one in this building speak German for fuck sake?

Just calm down will you? You can't say this happens on a regular basis. I bit down on a growl as I got yet another unknown dial tone.

What is the point of employing people if they fuck off when you need to contact them?

I was still fretting with trying to get hold of a translator. The companies back-up was currently on holiday in the Maldives and not answering his cell.

Just as I was about to make another possible fruitless call, I heard a female voice outside of the door fluently carrying a conversation in German. The voices of the Annika group turned from frustrated to pleasant, to fairly humoured.

Eagerly I went to the door, and looked down the hall to see a young woman, her back facing me, as I took in her curvaceous figure; shown off in skinny jeans and a belted tunic. Nice ass. Her hair was long, and styled into some loose curls as it had been pulled over her shoulder where it covered her face from my point of view. She was talking quite animatedly to the head chairman, and then translating it all in German to our guests. I was surprised as they both broke into a chortle of laughter. Time to introduce myself. I thought straightening my tie and grabbing the necessary paperwork. I cleared my throat, as the woman turned round. I blinked in surprise.

"Mr Sorrentino…" Rachel beamed at me, giving a playful smile showing her teeth. I mentally checked myself at this development. "This is Mr Wilhelm. I was just explaining the situation we seemed to have found ourselves in." She explained as I shot her a thankful smile as she relayed the information to the gentlemen and trilled another little laugh, flirtatiously tapping the older gentleman's arm and leading him into the board room as I heard 'Tonio coming round the corner snapping orders to his P.A.

He stopped outside the door, nostrils flaring. "Was that Rachel?" He said in disbelief.

I nodded as our houseguest made her way back out of the door closing it behind her. "Seems there are a few things we don't know about this one." I thumbed in her direction.

"I can assure you; this is about as far as my talents go." She smirked.

"We appreciate you coming through for us in this. Are you okay to stay with us throughout the meeting to interpret?" My Dad asked.

Rachel put on a dramatic sigh. "Well, if I must." She chuckled and followed us into the boardroom.

Rachel;

"Well, that was certainly entertaining." Nick nudged my arm as we sat in Antonio's office.

I rolled my eyes as I leaned back in my chair. "Please… can we stop with all the homage, please? You've said thank you – that's enough."

"Not quite." Antonio squeezed my shoulder as he walked past me and sat in his oversized leather chair across the mahogany desk from us. He leaned down towards his intercom and buzzed for his receptionist. A moment later a leggy blonde with blatant non prescription glasses walked in and stood patiently in the middle of the room.

"Sarah – make a reservation for next Friday at Le Bernardin. A table for three at Nine o'clock."

"Yes sir." She dutifully replied, jotting a little note down on her day timer and retreated to her desk. I clicked my fingers in Nick's face as he sat watching her leave the room, his eyes glinting, tongue pressed up against his teeth.

"What? I was just appreciating the view." He smiled.

"The windows over there you pervert." I nodded in the direction of the floor to ceiling panes of glass looking out over the tops of the surrounding buildings, with a green strip of Central Park showing on the horizon.

"Jealous?" He retorted.

"Of you?" I scoffed. "Don't count on it."

.

After a frustrating morning of hearing; 'No Job Vacancies' and 'we'll get back to you' repetitively from the clerks of nearly every store and restaurant in New York I had to get out of the City and head back home. It was nearing three o'clock in the afternoon and the house was empty as I made my way to my room and stripped out of my clothes throwing them onto the bed.

I pulled on my jogging shorts and sports bra, overlaying them with a strappy t-shirt as I pulled my house keys apart and linked one onto a necklace and pushed it down in my cleavage. Next came my music player, again housed in my cleavage to stop it from jumping around as I took a run - Favouring two legs this time rather than four. I turned the volume up as loud as I could stand the bass pounding in my ears, and started to stretch out my bunched up muscles.

I had been gone from the house for around two hours when I heard a familiar rumble between music tracks. I slowed to an even jog as I cautiously pulled one of the headphones from my ear and looked over my shoulder to see a bike rounding the corner. Not just any motorbike, my motorbike.

What the hell? I stopped at the side of the road as it tail spun in front of me, showering gravel and dirt up my bare legs.

"Where did you get my bike keys?" I accused as I was grabbed by the arm. "Did you go in my room?"

"Where the fuck have you been?" Noah screamed over my remark from behind his helmet. "I've been looking for you like, an hour."

Only after he pulled me towards him did I realise Noah wasn't the type of kid to loose his cool easily and it dawned on me something was wrong.

"Get on." He growled. Without waiting for an explanation I jumped onto the seat behind him, feeling the tension thrumming through his body as I pressed myself against his back to keep my balance as he accelerated back up the road.

"What's happened?" I demanded entering the dining room and throwing my music player on the table as Nick approached me and threw down this morning's edition of The New York Times.

"Page five." He instructed as I flipped open the pages, he laid his finger down on one of the articles.

I scrutinised a picture of a young woman and read aloud part of the statement below it. "'Student mauled in vicious attack – Police report evidence of canine interference, witnesses claim sightings of a wolf on the campus but so far Police have been unwilling to confirm or deny the allegations.'" I looked up from the picture of the girl.

"Black hair, blue eyes." Nick told me as he handed over another set of images, these ones had been pulled off of the subway security cameras.

"Oh my god." I gasped as I found myself in the crowd; waiting to board a train amongst a hundred other people. Not much further back from me was a man wearing a baseball cap. His face had been circled and enlarged in more detail. In profile I could make it out to be Marshall Junior.

Nearing eight months ago with my help the Pack had lured his father – Terry Marshall - into a trap and he was subsequently killed by Clay. 'Junior' here had run off, but it seems he's finally got bored of hiding in the shadows and being a good little puppy.

"Okay then, so its back to being under house arrest?" I asked grinding my teeth, anger flared in my gut as I re-read the news article. Reportedly the girl had been found behind some garbage dumpsters on her University Campus, bound and gagged, with signs of sexual assault. "Fucking - sick - bastard!" I fumed and strode from the room.

I needed some space and walked out into the garden, pacing up and down the line of trees. I could just scream! I brought my hands up behind my head, pulling on fistfuls of my hair and taking mouthfuls of air to calm the rage I felt making my muscles tremble.

"It's not your fault you know."

I snarled as I turned on my heel to see Reese sitting on the wall of a raised flower bed. "Two people." I growled as he furrowed his brows in confusion at my meaning. "That's two girls now. Who have lost their lives because of me… Two girls with full lives ahead of them… Two families who have had their lives ripped apart, because of me!" I pointed at my self, my voice quavering in emotion.

He got to his feet and restrained my arms. "But not at your own hands." He told me as I tried to shrug him off, but his grip only intensified, fingers digging in. "Rach…"

"Let me go." I snarled as I felt my fingers curl into fists, nails digging into my palms.

"No." He growled giving me a shake. "Rachel, you can't take responsibility for some cu-"

"I said; Let me GO!" I roared. On instinct I brought my foot down on his instep, taking hold of his arm in a fierce grip. As he staggered back; I palmed him in the face before raising my foot to kick him away from me - he caught my calf in his free hand and pulled me off balance. I let myself drop to my back and kicked upwards into his gut with my legs, pushing him over me to land on the ground with a thud. I pushed myself up and off the ground moving into a back flip and landed heavily on Reese's chest winding him.

"STOP!" For a split second I thought it was Antonio bellowing until I looked out the corner of my eye. "Enough of this; Get up, both of you!" Nick boomed striding along the lawn. I stayed where I was, lodging my forearm under Reese's windpipe, until I was forcibly removed. "Go and cool off." Nick warned pushing me away from him. His attention was taken down to my forearms where in my anger, the change had begun, my fingers had started to elongate; the nails darkening into claws.

The force of his anger was enough to shock me back to my senses, as I looked at the men in front of me. Reese was getting to his feet as he wiped away some blood from his nose. He avoided making eye contact, but Nick's glare was enough to send a chill down my spine. Obediently I walked back to my room. My body no longer shook from the demands of the change, but from wracks of sobs as I felt shame weighing heavily on my shoulders. What could I have done?

Okay, so hopefully this will sate your hunger for the time being. I doubt I will update another chapter before I move (in just over a week) but keep checking your inbox's and if you haven't already – put me on an author alert!

Love to you all, and thank you again for being patient with me.

The Griffin1