Chapter 67

Bradley flew in his private jet to the location of his new building. Sam was with him, heading his security detail. He would have loved to leave him with his mate, but Samuel was there. Martha sat opposite him, busy typing away, arranging and rearranging meetings and schedules. Bradley decided that he would take the next two weeks to get as many things done that would require his physical presence. He video-chatted with Trishanna every day, his desire for her almost a distraction. He even scheduled the call when she had her next doctor's visit, and hearing the sound of his pup's heartbeat made him cry. Trishanna got a recording and sent it to him, the sound of his lullaby every night.

He also kept in touch with James and Goldmoon. He was worried that his members would be angry or at least disappointed, but they all supported him and held things together. He was surprised that Samuel stepped up, under Sam's guidance, and proved himself. Of course with his aunt offering her support and advice, Bradley knew that he should take the time to offer him a proper position. He was sure that Trishanna would love that.

Martha glanced up, noticing his smile, and cleared her throat. "Sir, we should be there in the next half hour and I've arranged your schedule to visit a few of the other packs as well as some of the ongoing smaller projects we have in the area. Bradley nodded and checked his work calendar which is synced to Martha's. He gave an approving nod, and Martha pushed up her glasses before returning to work. He got up and crossed the small corridor to Sam for an update on what they could expect, and any possible problems and discussed escape routes in case his opponent tried something unsavory. Marcus Bloom may sound like the name for a nice old man, but he is one of the most ruthless mafia bosses in the eastern area. He took over the gang from his uncle, whom rumors said he killed and increased his members by five times in the last three years. He has tried to put on a clean appearance by running for city councilman, but many know his true colors. He has his hands in many parts of the city and corruption is no surprise. Thankfully, Bradley knows just how to deal with this and had many contingency plans put in place even before he made this deal. 

Sam has asked him many times why he doesn't choose somewhere else, but this city is known for being the place many shifters go when they don't have anywhere else to go to. He knows what that feels like, after his father's death, and before Councilwoman Seers took him in, this was one of the places he planned to run to. Bradley hopes that with his new building, job security could be provided to his kind and maybe give them the feeling of having a pack, of having a home.

The seatbelt sign came on, as the pilot made his descent. Within the hour, Bradley was strolling through the airport, his guards around him on high alert. It would not be beyond Marcus to attempt an assassination. They made it to their cars and took off, security detail in front and behind them, heading straight to the lawyer's office inside the City Council's building. A meeting was scheduled to deal with this matter once and for all. 

Pulling up in front of the grey building, Sam and Martha flanked Bradley as they headed inside. The guy at the counter gave them directions, and they made their way to the elevator. Whisked up to the eighth floor, they headed to room 805, and with a knock, the trio entered followed by two guards. Two more stayed outside and the last six stationed themselves in the lobby and around the building. Bradley held a chair for Martha before he and Sam settled in. The meeting had been shifted to the conference room and Bradley hid a smile. Marcus had his guards, and there were three persons at the head of the table. If there were any truth to Marcus' claims, James would have felt nervous. Instead, he whispered something to Sam, who nodded and stood up. He went to the tiny woman in the corner, who was there to take notes of today's meeting and asked her something. With a nod, she got up to do Sam's bidding. 

Marus smiled, feeling like he had already won before the battle even began. That piece of property was directly in the middle of the city and would make a great headquarters for his "business". "Well, Mr. CEO, let's hear your excuses for your poor treatment of your staff and the unsafe environment of your workers." Marcus slid a folder across the table, the papers coming out. Bradley reached for it, lifting a few sheets to read the utter rubbish presented as evidence. He found a list of names; a petition of his so-called workers supporting the claims of a hazardous work environment. Bradley chuckled and looked to Martha who reached out and pulled out a list from her files. Bradley gave it to Sam who gave it to the man at the head of the table. It was Chris Collins, the current City Council who had a great stand for equality and justice. The other two were in charge of the Worker's Compensation Board and City Engineering.

"Gentlemen," Bradley began, "I thank you for taking your time to see me to address this matter. In your hands is the list of all the workers and contractors I have in my employ in regard to this project. If you compare it to the list Mr. Bloom has provided, you would find various discripences. Either the names are different, the signatures don't match or the person simply does not exist. Since I believe in fair work for fair pay, all employees are interviewed and their information is taken and verified. 

Now, if you would kindly look at the projection screen, my lovely secretary has some information to share that I think your gentleman would find very interesting." With a click of her keyboard, the screen began showing documents and images, with Bradley explaining each one. Between Martha and Sam, they could give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money. They found evidence of Marus' brides, corrosion, and falsifying of documents. Of course, there were no pictures of Marcus himself, but there were of many of his close underlings that he used to do his dirty jobs.

At the end of the presentation, Bradley glanced at Marcus and he could see how much the man wanted to strangle him, just as he was doing to his pen. The veins in his neck look like they would pop any minute. Mr. Collins cleared his throat and asked everyone to step outside as they discussed the matter, but Bradley knew he had won, and any other attempt to defame him would only make Marcus look like a fool. They were called back in and Bradley was declared free from the charges, while Marcus got a scolding. He claimed that those men just wanted him to have the property and went behind his back. Bradley knew that Marcus had at least one of those men in his back pocket and he linked Sam to find out who it was and what leverage Marcus had on him. 

With a slight bow, Bradley thanked the board and left, glad that that was over. He headed to the car and without missing a beat, Martha launched into details of his next meeting. Bradley sighed, leaning his head back against the seat, closing his eyes for the few minutes of rest he could get. Man, it's going to be crazy the next couple of days.