Lobo’s mocking grunt was more an agreement than anything else.
“Aren’t you curious what he wanted?” the Wolf Breed asked after several seconds.
Was he?
“Not really.” He was more intent on isolating a particular anomaly that appeared in the security programming. “Jonas rarely concerns me and what he wants is never in line with what I seem to want at the time, so I normally don’t worry about it.”
Amusement flickered around the other Breed.
Lobo had an odd sense of humor, though. Graeme had learned to tolerate it. After all, the Wolf Breed tolerated his often bloody hobby of interrogating Council Coyotes, so they tried to agree to disagree on such subjects.
“He’s insistent I allow two of his enforcers to watch the rental,” Lobo revealed. “So insistent, actually, that he’s making it a Bureau request. I do have an agreement with the Bureau, Graeme. One I’d prefer not to break.”
The statement wasn’t a request of any sort. He was informing Graeme that, in this case, the Bureau could take precedence over Graeme’s disagreement.
An irritated growl slipped past his throat. “That Lion is going to push me too far,” he murmured as he set the security program to isolate and eradicate the anomaly in the security protocols he was evaluating. “Keep him away from her.”
“Graeme, as much as I rarely give a damn about your various little projects in my caverns, I must point out that I don’t answer to you. The favor you’ve extended in giving Khi this small period of time to consider her options is greatly appreciated. But I won’t go to war with the Bureau of Breed Affairs for it.”
Graeme lifted his lashes, staring up at him for long moments.
“At least not easily.” The Wolf Breed exhaled in frustration. “That woman will be the death of me.”
“It would seem we face similar ends, then,” Graeme pointed out in self-disgust before pushing back from the holo-board and deactivating it. “What’s Jonas’s argument?”
He’d rather just rip the Bureau director’s throat out, but that might upset his daughter a bit and Graeme had become fond of the toddler over the months that he’d secretly given her the serum needed to save her life. Brandenmore had found a way to initially inject the infant in an attempt to force Jonas and the Breeds to find a cure for the destruction of his own body that the serum he’d injected himself with was creating. He’d convinced Jonas the same would happen to Amber.
Lobo lowered his gaze as Graeme slid his chair from the desk and tilted the back to rest against the wall behind him before propping his feet on top of the desk. Lacing his fingers behind his head, he watched the Wolf with narrowed eyes.
“Your level of disrespect astounds me,” Lobo pointed out with lazy humor.
“Your level of supposed superiority often amuses me,” Graeme assured him. “But I rarely hold it against you. So what does our esteemed director want?”
The Wolf almost let a mocking grin of acknowledgment curl at his lips but held it back at the last second.
“Besides your hide?” Lobo asked.
“Well, yes.” Graeme nodded. “Besides that. I’m aware it rates fairly high on his list, though.”
“I’d say it tops his list,” Lobo grunted. “But other than that, he’s demanding that I allow Bureau surveillance of the grounds surrounding the house. He seems a bit put out that his satellites are having trouble zooming in on it. Seems there’s some atmospheric or magnetic interference.”
Graeme smiled, he couldn’t help it. Satisfaction could be a wonderful thing.
“I’m quite pleased with the interference as well as its cloaking.” The Wolf’s gray eyes mirrored Graeme’s own satisfaction. “I’m especially pleased that it’s untraceable. So far.”
“The algorithm only kicks in when satellite detection is intercepted and it’s changing constantly.” Graeme shrugged. There were also protocols that helped detect any attempts to trace it. It was one of his most ingenious programs yet. He loved it.
“I consider myself quite lucky to have acquired your loyalty for the time being.” Lobo sighed. “But Wyatt has the potential to become a problem, Graeme. On-the-ground surveillance could also pinpoint the location of the satellite interference.”
Graeme restrained the urge to roll his eyes.
“On-the-ground surveillance won’t pinpoint the problem, Lobo,” he assured him. “I told you that.”
“But you haven’t told me why.” Ice coated his voice.
No, he hadn’t told him why. He hadn’t explained to either Lobo or his head of security how it worked, and he wasn’t about to. But tracing it would be impossible where Jonas was concerned.
Dropping the chair to all four legs, Graeme rose to his feet and moved away from the monitors as he kept Lobo in sight.
“Why doesn’t matter,” he reminded the other Breed. “It works.”
“It’s not magic, therefore, it’s vulnerable,” Lobo argued.