Page 7 of Alpha Geek

The security crew took out the listening device then. They cracked the mic in half with a loud screeching, and the feed was destroyed. The screen went blank, and Amelia walked over to Tripp.

They stared at each other but didn’t say anything. They were too open, exposed, and unsure of what was fact or fiction.

Amelia pulled out her phone. She spoke to someone quickly and quietly. Tripp could not hear what she was saying, but he did watch her lips as they moved. They were full and coral-red. He wanted them to be on his body.

“Ah-hem.” A voice from his right knocked him out of the dream he was falling into.

Tripp cleared his throat and reset himself. He turned to the voice. “Hello, Mother. Should we go somewhere and talk?”

Gloria Webster gave him a curt nod and led him out of the room. When one of Tripp’s friends saw that he was leaving, he stood up to take the attention away. “All right, everyone, now that the night's weirdness is over, please carry on.”

The music started up again as Amelia followed. Gloria eyed the tall blonde woman. “I wasn’t aware you had a girlfriend, dear.”

“I am not his girlfriend. I am his security guard.”

“Oh. Well, that is very progressive of you, Tripp.”

Tripp eyed his mother. His teeth were clenched as he pointed to a room. Amelia walked through the door first. Gloria followed. Tripp saw two other shifters standing close by but didn’t say anything to them as they closed the door.

“How do you do security in heels? Isn’t it difficult?”

Amelia crossed her arms and stood by the door. She raised her eyebrow at Gloria but did nothing else to respond.

“Mother.” Tripp’s mom turned to look at her son. Her black hair and hazel eyes were so much like his. No one would ever be able to deny she wasn’t his mother.

Tripp walked over to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He poured his mother one as well. He walked over to the couch, handed her the glass then sat across from her as she twitched and twisted in discomfort.

She closed her eyes. “Fine. He is your half-brother. Your father disowned him as soon as he learned about the boy.”

“That is awful.” Tripp’s gaze fell to his hands. “No kid should grow up not knowing his parents.” Rage sparked through him, and he snapped his sights back up to her. “And what were you thinking? You’re saying this information like Dad went to play cards with his buddies.”

Gloria Webster became very interested in her manicure.

“You were okay with your husband, my father, sleeping with other women?”

“No,” Gloria snapped. “No, I was not. But that is how things were. Women married because they had to. We were not given a choice. Men were allowed to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted to. Even diddling other women … lesser women … those who did not come from a ‘privileged family’ who married them off.”

Gloria let her anguish show on her face. Tripp had always known that his parents’ marriage was not happy. He was a good father, at least to Tripp, and a good businessman. But he was not a good husband. Now that Tripp was learning the truth, he wasn’t surprised, but he was a little shell-shocked.

Gloria continued. “I know you’ve tasted high society and what money does to people, but you are young. You’ve only scratched the surface of it. This man is trying to extort you. He won’t be the last either.” She turned to look at Amelia. “It’s good he hired you. You’re going to have a lot of work.”

“Yes, Mother, I know. I won’t let him do that.” Tripp’s mind was still reeling over the fact that he had a brother. Half-brother. “His life must have been pretty shitty if he feels like he has to threaten me and assault my friend.”

Tripp sat back against the couch. He turned his attention to Gloria again.

“Do you think he’ll follow through with his threat?”

Gloria held a tissue up to her eye. “I don’t see how he could. He has no money that I know of.”

Tripp gave her an exasperated look.

Gloria shrugged. “We must know what people who could hurt our family might do. I have a private detective on retainer. The company has kept me privy to certain people, including Craig Melton.”

Tripp shook his head and looked into his glass. He sloshed the brown liquid around. “I think you should get your money back. If these people are missing my unhinged half-brother’s behavior, then who knows what else they are missing.”

“Go climb Everest. Don’t let this man destroy your dreams.”

Tripp sighed. It was easy for his mom to say. But John had already been hurt. There was no telling what Craig Melton would do.

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