Page 17 of The Billionaire Alpha's Surprise Baby

Forty grand and three PIs later, and I still don’t know where she is. A saner man would take that as a sign that she doesn’t want to be found, but I’m not a sane man.

The slam of the front door momentarily distracts me from my misery, and my wolf’s hackles go up. I recognize that scent.

Dimitri Lazos strides into the lounge as though he owns the place. His dark hair is mussed as though he’s been running his hands through it, and his dress shirt is untucked.

Dimitri is what I like to call a crypto baby. He started this cryptocurrency exchange platform straight out of college, which ballooned into a company with a market cap of nearly a hundred billion dollars.

As I study him, Dimitri’s golden eyes snap onto me, narrowing into a glare.

Lazily, I hold his gaze — mostly because I’m drunk. The Ponderosa demands a certain amount of decorum, but my wolf’s been a wreck since Ava disappeared, and he’s aching for a fight.

Dimitri is alpha of the Mount Lincoln pack. He’s never challenged me directly, but tonight I feel like being a dick, so I don’t back down.

To my immense shock, Dimitri drops his gaze and throws himself into the chair next to mine. “Don’t fuck with me, Von Horton. I’m not in the mood.”

“What’s with you?” I growl, annoyed that he won’t take the bait and give me the distraction I so desperately need.

Dimitri just shakes his head and lets it fall back against the top of the chair.

“Hugo!” I call. “Get my friend a drink, would you?”

Okay, so Dimitri and I aren’t friends, but what can I say? Misery loves company. Plus, I’m feeling extra-generous since it’s my dickhead brother’s bourbon.

Hugo reappears with another glass, and Dimitri takes it with a grateful nod. He tips it back for a taste, but then he just keeps going and downs the entire thing in six heavy chugs.

I stare at him with a mixture of admiration and alarm as he sets the glass on the table. It’s the sort of low-class behavior you don’t see here — especially not from the likes of Dimitri. New money always tries harder than old money.

“Okay, now you have got to tell me what the hell is going on with you.”

Dimitri is silent for a long moment. Then he rubs his eyes and shakes his head. “I was kicked out of my house.”

I raise my eyebrows. “By whom? The FBI? The IRS? The FTC?”

If Dimitri’s assets are being seized, maybe I should go short his stock.

“My maid.”

I let out a violent snort, which causes me to inhale some bourbon in the process. “Your maid?”

Dimitri nods but doesn’t elaborate.

“I do hope she keeps a clean house,” I chuckle.

Dimitri doesn’t answer me.

There’s a long pause, and then he asks, “Why are you here drinking yourself to death, then?”

I grit my teeth as I take another swig of my drink. Dimitri is the last person I want to confide in. I’m certainly not going to tell him that my fated mate is gone and doesn’t want to be found.

“Same reason,” I reply tartly, suddenly wishing I hadn’t struck up the conversation in the first place.

Rival alphas can be friendly, but they can never be friends. One is always plotting how to one-up or kill the other. My wolf refuses to show weakness in front of Dimitri.

“You’re so full of shit,” he mutters, holding up his glass so Hugo can refill it.

“Times must be tough,” I observe, thinking how much of a shit his company’s stock has taken in recent months. “You lose your ass on this latest dip?”

Dimitri doesn’t reply. I’m not sure he even heard me. He’s too busy staring into his drink, looking totally lost.

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