Page 42 of Alpha Geek

Tripp’s heart sank. Was Craig’s benefactor the leak?

“They want you to lose your wealth. All of it.” Craig spat the words. “The company, the sponsorships, the cars, the planes, all of it.”

His captor’s face twisted into an ugly snarl. But again, it smoothed into a façade of nonchalance.

The room, Craig’s lair as it were, was cold suddenly. A stiff wind blew in from somewhere. He could hear water dripping. Birds chirped nearby and the sound of mice scratching against floorboards reverberated around the room.

“They’ll take over your company, but I’ll get all the cash. I’ll get a huge payout. I think it is a sweet deal. So if you would just sign here.”

Craig held a clipboard out to Tripp along with a pen.

“I need to see my mother first,” Tripp said. His voice was eerily calm, even for him. The wolf rumbled in his chest. It was unhappy with the situation. “Then we can talk,” Tripp finished.

Craig’s eyes widened.With anger or disbelief?Tripp couldn’t tell. He didn’t care either way.

Craig cleared his throat and turned away. “Bring her in,” he called to several people standing in the shadows.

Gloria was in the room with them within seconds. Tripp was relieved to see that his mother was completely fine, physically. She looked as elegant as she always did. There wasn’t even a speck of dust on her clothing.

Gloria just looked very pissed off.

“Are you okay, Mom?” he asked her. His heartbeat had slowed to a steadier pace.

“I’m fine,” she said stiffly. “But don’t you sign anything this man gives you.”

“Mom, be reasonable,” Tripp said.

“No, I will not!” she said. “After all the fuss he’s caused? I’d rather die than see him get anything from us.”

“You have a death wish, lady,” Craig said, his voice hot and razor-sharp.

“And you’re an idiot,” Gloria said, her voice equally hot. “We would have brought you into the company and given you what was rightfully yours.”

“If you had come to us in a civil manner,” Tripp finished his mother’s thought.

“But you don’t deserve anything. My husband was right to keep you out of the company. He must have known you were broken.”

Tripp agreed with his mother. But he also didn’t think any money was worth her life.

Craig shrugged at Gloria’s words.

Suddenly the room was filled with different men. All of Craig’s lackeys.

“If you’re both dead,” he said, “I don’t need you to sign anything.”

And as though on some silent cue, each man started shifting. They became wolves and bears and leopards.

And Craig knew Tripp couldn’t fight them all.

TWENTY-THREE

AMELIA

There was a knot in Amelia’s stomach. And she didn’t think it would ever come untangled. Not ever.

Amelia had reached the peak of her anxiety several hours earlier. Now she felt nothing. Not even as Nick and the rest of the team called her in. They were all in the conference room at the agency, and Amelia was sitting on Nick’s right-hand side.

He sat at the head of the table, scrolling through his phone. He had several phones on the table in front of him, along with two laptops and a large tablet.

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