(Here goes nothing. This will get dark at times.)

His eyes roamed over scores of news articles covering just about any kind of topic you could think of that could happen in their excessively large town. He'd decided to build his company in such a busy place because people often didn't see things that were right under their noses... and it was definitely the truth. 

"Not a single article even hinting at any issues." He said out loud as he glanced over his laptop toward his long time friend, Buck. 

The man had stayed with him ever since he was small, and even now, after building such a terrible thing, he still remained strictly loyal. 

"I do believe that it has been a very successful year, sir." Buck replied with a slight bow of his head.  

Leaning back, Del shut his laptop and grinned. "No news is the perfect birthday present, don't you agree? I think we can finally start offering our services to a broader range of those who show explicit interest." He said, getting another nod from his friend before the man stood and walked up to his desk, setting a folder on it. 

"Many people applied for the receptionist position we'd advertised, but you said that you specifically wanted a human." He said as Del reached for the folder with the applications that fit his requirements in it. 

He wanted a human mainly because their senses were far more dull than a shifter, and they tended to mind their business more or less, especially if they really needed the job. It was technically discrimination, but no one needed to know. 

"I like these three. Get them interviews for tomorrow. If they can't make it, check some of the others." He said, handing the folder back to Buck with the three he wanted checked first on top. 

Buck nodded and turned, disappearing from the room, leaving Del to his thoughts. It had been so long since things had actually been quiet. Ever since he had escaped his captor, then killed him in the forest a day later, and in front of his father, no less, things had not really been any sort of relaxing. 

He'd had Buck dig the microchip tracker out of the back of his neck the next day, then they just did their best to survive. Once he was big enough, he'd faked his real age and gotten a simple job doing labor. Because they had no real place to live and he had hunted for most of his food, while Buck generally just grazed, they managed to save up quite a lot. After a few quick loans and a disgustingly-big down payment, he had bought the building he now sat in. 

It has all paid off, though. 

His business wasn't something you'd find anywhere else, because it was as illegal as it got. Shifters were definitely willing to pay for the service, though. He had a long list of clients waiting for their chance to hunt a human without anyone possibly finding out. It was perfect. Even if humans didn't want to consider it, they often abused shifters, and especially those few that are considered cross varieties. 

Growling to himself, Del remembered the time he had walked into that clinic when he was fourteen. He had looked more like nineteen, so there was no issue with parent consent forms when he signed the papers and went through with the procedure. It was a simple surgery, but it kept him from being able to cause a pregnancy. It was reversible, but he didn't think that he'd ever bother to do it. He refused to be abused like his father had, and he definitely would hate himself if he killed another shifter by changing their body just to have his child. It was the way his male mother had died weeks after giving birth to him. 

He shook the thoughts from his mind as the door to his office opened and Buck stepped back inside, holding his cell phone to his chest, likely to block the caller from hearing much. 

"One of the applicants said that they could come by now, if you want me to interview tonight?" He said. 

Glancing at the clock, Del noted that it was getting close to nine. Buck had been working ten hour shifts, seven days a week for the past month. 

"No. Go upstairs and go to sleep. I'll do the interview, then be up later." He said. 

Buck seemed a little surprised, but then lifted the phone back to his ear and told the person on the other end to wait in the lobby for someone to come get him. When he hung up, Del was already walking around his desk. No words were needed as he stepped into the older man's arms. Buck had always been the one steady person in his life that he could rely on. He was nearly ten years older, and had looked after him ever since he was just a small wolf pup. They never spoke of it, but Del had a feeling that his mother had been Buck's father. He wasn't sure how he didn't hold a grudge against him for practically killing him, but their bond had never wavered, and he was forever grateful for the support the man gave freely only to him. 

The embrace was very brief, but it was enough to bring a smile to his normally-stoic expression. 

"Get going. I'll finish up here, then be up." He said as he took a step back and straightened his suitcoat. 

Buck stepped closer again to press a kiss to Del's forehead before leaning away. "Happy eighteenth birthday, pup." He said, then turned and left. 

Del took the next five minutes to use the restroom, check his reflection, fix his pitch black hair, and brush his teeth. Once he thought that he looked perfectly presentable he headed down to the lobby. Most of his minimal staff had gone home for the night, leaving just two guards at the front door and two at the back. 

That made picking out the person he was interviewing quite easy. The young man stood just a little under his own height, with dirty blond and brown hair. He seemed nervous, because even though Del knew that he was clearly making sound by walking intentionally louder than normal, the guy still wasn't looking up. 

Not sure if he's going to cut it. 

Some of his clients would try to tear him apart. Possibly not literally, but definitely mentally. They enjoyed watching humans suffer, and this guy already seemed to have a prey mentality about him. 

Even I want to chase him, and he hasn't even looked at me yet. 

Forcing himself to remain calm, Del walked up to the young man and offered him a hand. The gesture finally caught his attention, bringing bright blue eyes up to meet his own crimson ones. The young man's eyes widened immediately, but that was a reaction Del was used to. Not many people had brown eyes so bright that they sometimes appeared red. 

"Hello, my name is Del and I'll be doing your interview." He said as the guy finally seemed to pull himself together and take his hand. 

Shaky, but surprisingly strong grip for someone who seems so nervous. 

"Hello, sir. My name is Mina. Thank you for allowing me to come interview so late."

His voice isn't wavering much. Perhaps he's just really nervous. I did ask Buck to give me the people who seemed to need the work the most. 

"Alright, shall we just take a seat over here? It's after hours, so no one will bother us." He said as he walked over to a small sitting area. It was really just for show, since their real clients never waited in the main lobby. 

Mina followed him silently, taking a seat in the black armchair across from him with a faint smile. 

"Alright, from your resume I think it's safe to assume that you are wanting this job to help pay for some of your online schooling?" He asked as he glanced down at the paper he'd brought with him. 

The guy nodded, clasping his hands in his lap as he made himself straighten a bit in the chair. 

"Yes sir. I just moved in with my uncle and his brother, boyfriend and his brother. It's quite a busy household and while they are all usually very busy, I don't want to be a financial burden and even with a partial scholarship, I'd like to be able to take care of myself." He said, seemingly relaxing a tiny amount as he got comfortable speaking. 

"That makes sense. This is a very simple job. You don't make any appointments, just answer rare phone calls, likely from someone else in the building, or greet customers. You will have a specific schedule of people coming and going. Twenty minutes before or after someone is scheduled to leave, you need to focus, but you may use the time with no one scheduled as you wish as long as you are at the desk. So it would be a good time to study, catch up on homework, read, and things like that." 

The excited look he got from Mina made him actually offer a genuine, but small smile. 

"Really? That would be perfect!" Mina said, leaning forward a little, clearly happy about the idea of getting extra time to study at work, and being paid to do it. 

Del nodded, leaning back and stifling a yawn behind his hand before continuing. 

"Yes. All of the appointments are made by other employees, so you will have plenty of free time. Are you confident that you can greet people and communicate well via telephone or radio and follow general directions? You are not to go beyond the double doors to the left or right of the receptionist desk for any reason." Del said, pointing out the very obvious light blue steel doors. 

Mina paused as he looked about the area. Del was confused as to why he didn't just accept the rule, when he noticed the young man's gaze stop on the restroom sign across the lobby. They had almost forgotten to put one in the decoy area. 

"I can abide by that rule, sir." Mina said once his attention was finally back on him. 

Del smiled, fighting back another yawn as he stood up. "Did you have any questions for me?" He asked as Mina stood, too. 

"Everything was very clear on the application. I like the pay and hours, and would be very happy to have this job if you like what you see." He said, then stuttered a little as his face got a little pink. 

Nice slip. 

"Thank you for coming so late, and expect a call from us tomorrow." Del said, shaking Mina's hand before walking him out past the two guards at the front door. 

Once the guy was walking away into the crisp evening air, Del turned back around and after a quick check in with both sets of guards, headed to the elevator. Inserting his key to allow it to function, he selected one of the higher floors, then finally gave a huge yawn as the doors closed and he began ascending. 

He didn't mind Mina at all. In fact, the guy was probably the best candidate they would see. He was calm, but seemed to take the job seriously. He could also focus on something instead of possibly causing trouble. Del didn't want to have to kill him because of something stupid like snooping about. 

When the elevator doors opened, he stepped out into a dimly lit floor that was his penthouse apartment. He shared with Buck, whom he found already asleep in the king sized bed they frequently shared. Their was no romantic relationship, and they did have separate rooms, but nothing felt better than being next to the man sometimes. 

With another yawn, Del stripped out of his clothing and took a quick warm shower. Once he was done, he tugged on a pair of loose boxers and climbed into bed. Before he was even settled, Buck had an arm around him, pulling him in close. 

"Good night, Del." Buck whispered gruffly, his voice heavy with sleep. 

With a content smile, Del scooted just a little closer and closed his eyes, mumbling something in return before his mind finally shut off for the evening.