radicalducati Book 7: Chase
Book 7: Chase
I listened in on Kara and Evangeline for a few minutes, but then I moved on down the hall where Ayla stands by her office with a concerned look on her face. Before I can ask her what’s wrong, Cameron turns the corner with the exact same expression.
He hooks a finger in the direction he just came. “Uh, did you know there’s a witch with Kara?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I lean against the wall. “Yep. A powerful one at that.”
Cameron’s mouth drops. “And you’re not the least bit worried?”
Honestly, I don’t know what I am. Am I worried? No. Curious? Yes.
“We have the Royal pack on our side,” I explain. “Laila’s magic outranks any witch in this world. Kara’s friend would be stupid to try anything.”
Cameron huffs and claps me on the shoulder. “I hope you’re right, brother. But, as I told you before, I trust you.”
He marches past me and exits out the back door while Ayla flourishes a hand toward her office. “Shall we get down to business?” I follow her into her office, where she takes a seat behind her desk while I sit across from her. There are stacks of papers on her desk, and she hands them to me. “Take a look. Our sales have increased twenty-two percent this month, and we just landed three huge new accounts. And once we add the bakery counter with Raina, I have no doubt it’ll be a hit. I’d say we’re on a roll.”
Sifting through the papers brings a smile to my face. The Timberwolf Winery has always been a big name, but it grows more and more every year. I never would’ve imagined it’d be this way. I place the papers back on Ayla’s desk, and she slides them into her notebook.
Grinning happily, Ayla clasps her hands together on top of the notebook. “And with Valentine’s Day coming up, our sales always quadruple. Not to mention the new wines we’re getting ready to produce. You might have to hire more people.”
I already have half of my pack working for me; the other half have their own jobs. “Looks like we’ll have to bring in some humans.”
Ayla shrugs. “I don’t see the problem in it. That’s all Kara has working for her.”
Tilting my head sideways, I contemplate her words. I haven’t talked to Kara about how that’s working for her. With my pack, I know they’re hard workers. However, when you start dealing with humans, their loyalty is just to themselves.
“Speaking of Kara. Have you checked up on Channon Vineyards as I asked?”
Kara says she’s doing fine, but she’s also not the type to admit when she has problems. She’s worked hard to get Channon Vineyards where it is today, and I don’t want to see her fail.
Ayla’s fingers tap rapidly on her keyboard, but then she clasps her hands under her chin. “You don’t need to worry about CV. Kara’s doing better than ever before. It just so happens that she has a new merlot hitting the shelves. It’s getting spectacular reviews, and some of our vendors who only carried our wines are putting in orders for hers. So I think she might have a winner at the spring competition.”
“Is that so?” I say. This is interesting news, indeed. I’m not surprised Kara didn’t tell me this little secret of hers.
Ayla focuses on her laptop and types away. “I think I’m going to buy a bottle and see what all the hype is about.” She looks up from her screen. “You had no clue?”
Shaking my head, I smile. “Kara would never reveal that kind of stuff to me. I’m her competition.” When I stand, I can see Ayla’s order for a bottle of Kara’s merlot. She hasn’t clicked the checkout button yet. “I think I’m a little curious now. Why don’t you order a case of it? I want to see what she’s done.”
Ayla grins like the Cheshire cat. “On it, boss.”