Adam entered the office, closely followed by Ryan.
"Where's your wife, Ryan? I have some of her husband's adventures to tell her about..." Adam said as he picked out the bottle of whisky he was going to open.
"Open the one from 1962. Uncle Allister really liked that year's vintage and I agree with him that it's the best whisky I've ever had." Ruan said, sitting down. "As for my wife, well... I'll find it amusing to see you trying to talk about my adventures with her."
Adam accepted Ryan's suggestion, and picked up the whisky and poured them both a drink.
"Why should you have all the fun? Is she like Kate?"
"God! No! I would never get involved for more than one night with a woman like Kate."
"So..."
"She's dead."
Adam sat down.
"Do you have any part in that death?"
"That's why I'm here."
"Her father wants revenge." Adam concluded.
"And you, as the Alpha, can free me from that. You can make him forget he ever had a daughter."
Adam became pensive.
"Were you quick?"
Ryan understood that Adam wanted to know if he had tortured his wife. It's not easy to kill a wolf and the process was long and painful.
"Adam, you're my cousin. We have the same blood. You need to help me."
"Now, you remember that I'm your cousin. Do you remember that I'm your Alpha? You've become Sigma. Solve your problems yourself."
"I'll give you Italy. Without any conditions. We can go to the registry office now and I'll hand everything over to you and... I'll stay here. I'll be one of the werewolves working for you."
Adam stood up and taking out his wallet and putting it in his pocket, looked coldly at Ryan.
"It's good to have you back, Ryan. But the price for me to do what you want goes beyond Italy."
"What more do you want?"
"That you come back. Choose pain and come back and I'll sort out your life." Adam said and walked away.
Ryan felt a chill run through his body. He understood what Adam was demanding. His freedom. He would have to renounce his status as a Sigma and, as well as being a painful process, he would never be able to go back to being a Sigma.
...
Adam went to the garage, took one of the black cars and drove off alone. He drove around, and the next thing he knew, he was on Santa Monica Beach.
He got out of the car, took off his shoes and walked along the sand, enjoying having the beach to himself.
His thoughts took him to Anna. He didn't want to think about her anymore. But he couldn't help it. Several times, he thought about getting out his cell phone and calling her father or Max to hear from her, but gave up at the last moment. She didn't deserve to know that she'd left him longing for a reunion. His mother was one of the people he didn't think about anymore, and she suddenly popped into his mind. And he had the idea of looking for her, so that she could tell him about Anna. He knew that their relationship had been severed a long time ago, but he could make her do whatever he wanted. Apart from the fact that she was a werewolf, she feared him too much to deny anything. And Adam knew where she lived, and had her number, which he got from the same detective who was following Anna. But so far, the unfortunate woman hadn't left the house. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and called his mother. She answered in a worried voice. Adam smiled. She saw that the number was from the United States. Who else would call her from there?
"Mom?" he asked and heard her breathing change. "Don't hang up or I'll have you, your disgusting friend and Maxwell killed."
"What do you want?" Her voice gave away her fear, even though she was trying to be cool.
"I want you to visit Maxwell and tell me everything that's going on inside his apartment."
"Why don't you go yourself?"
"You're closer, and besides, what I want to know, he'd hide from me, but from you he doesn't feel he has to protect himself."
"How did you find us?"
"Your friend is too obvious. You two would never stay away from your beloved son."
"You're my beloved son too. Do you doubt that?"
"Are you going to do what I asked?" Andrey asked, ignoring her question.
"I will, my son."
"I'll call again tomorrow to find out what's new."
"I love you, my son..."
Adam hung up his cell phone before she could say any more uncomfortable things, and started walking again, now back to his car.
He had one more visit to make before heading back to the mansion. He did have a few things to sort out, but he would leave them until after lunch.
He drove back and passed a road where a fortune-teller lived who read people's fortunes on cards.
He had never believed much in such things, but now he had to use any resource and he couldn't trust Sarah.
Unlike what he had imagined, the woman didn't dress like a gypsy, nor did she have a crystal ball. She welcomed him into her house, which was not at all poor, and took him into the kitchen, where she lined the table with a tablecloth with an eye on it, and invited him to sit down so that he was facing her. She shuffled the deck endlessly while staring at him with a frown. Suddenly, she dropped the deck on the table and Adam stared at her.
"What do you want to know?" She asked when she realized she had his attention.
"Shouldn't you know that?" He asked, frowning.
She looked at him patiently.
"Well?"
"My future." He replied with a wry smile. "Or the lottery numbers."
"Two pieces of information that wouldn't make any difference to you." She said with a vacant look.
"Then tell me something that interests me and makes a difference."
She touched her index finger to the deck.
"Cut."
Adam cut and turned his attention back to the woman. He was beginning to regret going there. But Caricatura had insisted that he go. He said she was good. And he doubted it.