by Stormy Glenn
The man flipped open his note pad before looking up at them. "What was the meeting about?"
"Uh…" George glanced at Leon.
"George, this is Detective Watt. He's lead on investigating who stole your money," Leon said before turning to the detective. "George was talking to Henry Barker about buying some property he knew about."
Detective Watt frowned. "I thought you lived in the area."
"I do," George explained, going with the story Leon had started, "but I'm looking to buy some land to build a house on. I'm tired of renting."
"I see." The detective wrote something down on his pad before flipping it closed. "Well, I think that's everything. I have your contact information. I'll call you if we discover anything new."
George's eyebrows lifted. "That's it?" He was a little shocked that this detective was acting as if this was just a simple robbery. The man had no idea.
"We have your statements. Until we get a chance to find this guy and question him, there's not a lot more we can do at the moment."
"Look, you don't—"
Leon grabbed his arm even as he sent the detective a smile. "Thank you for your assistance, Detective. We'll be waiting to hear from you. I assume we're free to go now?"
Detective Watt eyed George intently. "Unless you can think of anything else."
George quickly shook his head. At this point, he just wanted to go. He'd had about all he could handle for one day. Unfortunately, his day wasn't over. They still needed to go to the lottery office.
He was really starting to rethink this whole lottery thing. The headache that was forming between his eyes was gearing up to be a doozy. He didn't understand why the whole thing had to have some much drama attached to it. It was insane.
"Can we really go now?" George asked Leon.
"Yeah."
George gratefully took Leon's hand when the man held it out. He was kind of growing used to holding the man's hand, and he was really starting to like it. He didn't even want to think about how it would be once his mate was gone. He was pretty sure his heartache would destroy him.
Uncle Allan and Ford were waiting for them when they stepped out of the bank manager's office. They stood then started for the door when George and Leon reached them. No one said anything until they were in the car and on the road.
"Alpha Barker's son was the one who took George's money," Leon said. "What can you tell me about him?"
"Raymond?" Uncle Allan asked. "He did this?"
Leon nodded.
"Alpha Barker is not going to like that."
George suspected not. He knew he certainly didn't. At the moment, though, Raymond Barker was the least of his worries. "We need to stop at another bank on the way to the lottery office. I need a new bank account."
"We can stop at my bank," Leon said. "Their security is top-notch. I know. I checked before I opened an account with them."
George chuckled. He could so see Leon doing something like that. The man was a tad bit obsessed with security, which so totally worked for George at the moment. He just couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen when he no longer needed security.
By the time they stopped at Leon's bank, set up an account, and then got back on the road, George was ready to call it a day. He briefly thought about calling lottery headquarters and making an appointment for another day, but quickly realized he'd just have to do all this shit again if he did. Better to just get it all over and done with on the same day.
When they pulled up in front of the tall office building that housed the lottery headquarters, George sucked in a breath. There were a lot of media trucks parked out front. "Do you think someone said something about me coming in?"
"I don't know," Leon replied as he started driving again, "but we're using the parking garage."
When they pulled up to the entrance of the parking garage, they were met by a security guard. The man walked over and leaned down toward the window. "Good afternoon, do you have business here today?"
Without missing a beat, Leon said, "Yes, we have an appointment with Schumer and Schumer Attorneys-At-Law. I believe they are on the tenth floor?"
The guard nodded. "Make sure you sign in at the lobby. Things are a little crazy today."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "What's going on? Did someone get hurt or something?"
George nearly swallowed his tongue when Leon started talking as if he was just having an everyday conversation with someone.
"Naw, man, that big lottery winner is supposed to be coming in today to claim his money."
"Lottery winner?"
"Don't you watch the news, man?"
Leon snorted. "Not if I can help it."
"Oh, well, someone won a lottery of one point six billion dollars. Whoever that was is supposed to be coming in today to claim their winnings. The media is circling the building like sharks."
Leon's eyebrows rose. "One point six billion dollars?"
The guard nodded.
"Damn."
The guard chuckled. "Right?"
"Can you imagine having that kind of money?"
Another car pulled up behind them. The guard glanced up then tapped the roof of the car. "Make sure you check in at the lobby."
"We will," Leon assured him.
"Have a good day."
As soon as the man stepped back, Leon started driving again. He wound through the parking garage until he found an empty spot then pulled in and turned the car off. No one said anything as they climbed out of the car and started for the elevators.
Once they were inside, however… "They're going to know something is up when we don't show up at this law office you mentioned." George felt that needed to be pointed out.
"We do have an appointment with them."
"We do?" That was news to George.
"We do. We just won't be making that appointment."
"How did you even know this law office was in the building?"
"That's what I do." Leon grinned. "I suspected something like this would happen with the media, so I checked to see what businesses were housed in the building. A law office on the same floor as lottery headquarters seemed like our best bet."
George just stared. Leon seemed to be amazing at his job. He anticipated things George didn't even think of. That would be why Leon was the secret agent and George was the book reader.
When they reached the lobby, they signed in just as the guard had told them to then headed for the elevators. George swallowed hard, his eyes darting around. He knew not all of these people moving about were here for business. There just weren't that many businesses in the building. Some had to be media.
He didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the elevator doors closed with just him, Leon, Uncle Allan, and Ford inside. His insides were doing loops, but at least no one else was there to see him fall apart.
George shuddered when Leon gripped the back of his neck. The man's hot breath blew out across his cheek.
"It's almost over, George," Leon whispered into his ear. "Just hold it together a little longer."
George gave a curt nod then pulled away. He knew he'd never be able to hold it together if his mate didn't stop touching him. He was holding on by a thread right now as it was.
Leon frowned, but went back to simply standing next to him. George knew Leon didn't understand the cold shoulder he was giving him, not after the night they'd shared, but he wasn't about to explain it to a human who wouldn't understand, and probably wouldn't care if he did.
When the elevator doors slid open on the tenth floor, George practically jumped out. He quickly drew fresh clean air into his lungs. Being in an enclosed space like that, his mate's heady scent had been everywhere, surrounding him, sinking into his skin. It had been all he could do not to shove Leon up against the wall and take what he ached for.
Leon still had a frown on his face when he waved his hand down the corridor. "We're right down here."
George waited until Leon passed him before following after the guy. He
knew Leon was staying close to protect him, but he just couldn't bring himself to walk so close. Even out in the corridor, Leon's scent was driving him crazy.
George clenched his hands when fur sprouted up on his arms. His bear was feeling his agitation and his overwhelming desire for his mate. The two warring emotions were creating havoc for both of them. If George wasn't careful, he'd fur out.
Ford grabbed his arm. "Keep it together, cuz," Ford whispered low enough that only George could hear him. "Once this is all over, I'll take you out for a run."
George swallowed tightly and gave his cousin a nod to let him know he'd been heard. He doubted he could speak at the moment. He'd probably start roaring.
When a man with a cell phone stepped out of an office ahead of them and started walking down the corridor, Leon reached back and grabbed George's hand. "Come on, babe," he said in a rather loud voice. "The lawyer's office is down here at the end of the hallway."
The man gave them a curious look, but when Leon led them past the lottery headquarters, he kept walking toward the elevator. The second the elevator doors slid closed after the man, Leon swung them back around and quickly ushered everyone inside the office of lottery headquarters.
He gestured to the receptionist. "You're up, George."
Yeah, okay, no pressure there.
George plastered what he hoped was a friendly smile on his face and walked up to the receptionist. "Hi, my name is George Carver. I have a winning lottery ticket, and I would like to claim my winnings."
Chapter Eleven
Organized chaos. There was no other way to explain it. The second everyone figured out that George had the winning lottery ticket, the entire office became a whirlwind of activity.
They were escorted into a conference room, offered something to drink, then three men in dark suits came in.
"Mr. Carver?" one of them asked. He was an older gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair and a very well-trimmed mustache. George guessed him to be about sixty or so, and definitely human.
George raised his hand. "I'm George Carver."
The man smiled as he reached out to shake George's hand before sitting down. The two men with him sat down on each side of him. "My name is Oliver James. I'm the director here at Mega Money Lottery headquarters. Considering the size of your lottery winning, I'll be handling all the paperwork for you today."
George gave a little nod. "So, what do you need from me?"
"Well, I'll need to see the lottery ticket before we go any further. I need to authenticate it."
George grabbed his wallet out of his pocket then pulled the ticket out and handed it over. "I signed it just like your website said to."
Olive smiled. "That's good."
He pulled out a tablet then flipped the ticket over. George leaned forward to see what he was doing and realized the man was comparing the number on the back of the ticket to ones listed on his tablet. After nodding—George had no idea who he was nodding at—Oliver turned the ticket back over and verified the numbers that won George the lottery.
"Okay, it looks as if everything checks out." Oliver smiled again. "Congratulations, Mr. Carver. You are two billion dollars richer."
"No, sir. The lottery was for one point six billion dollars."
"That's true, but the money has been sitting in an account waiting for you to claim it. Interest on that money has raised it to two billion dollars."
George blinked. "Holy crap."
Oliver rested his arms on the table and folded his hands together. "I know this can all be a bit confusing, Mr. Carver, but it's a fairly easy process. I have the winning ticket. I just need to verify your identity, and then we can proceed with the paperwork."
George grabbed his ID, which had been returned to him by the bank manager. Just on the off chance, he handed over both pieces of identification he had. "I have a copy of my birth certificate if you need it."
"No, that won't be necessary. These should do just fine." Oliver held up the two pieces of ID then handed them to the accountant. "Harold, would you go make copies of these?"
Harold nodded as he grabbed the IDs then got up and walked out of the room. He was back a few minutes later with George's IDs and a sheet of paper. He handed the IDs to George and the sheet of paper to Oliver, who slid it into the file in front of him. As he did, he pulled out a stack of papers and set them on the table in front of George.
"We're going to go over these papers one by one so you know what they are, okay?"
George nodded.
"Okay, let's get started."
Paper after paper was set in front of George for what seemed like forever. He heard a lot about taxes and accounts and liability and stuff he didn't really understand, but he wasn't stupid. After reading each page, he handed them to his uncle to read.
What he did understand was that even after taxes were taken out, he was still walking away with over a billion dollars. He was pretty sure if he left all that money in a bank account somewhere and didn't touch it for an entire year, he could buy the moon.
George signed where his uncle said he was supposed to sign, wrote his initials where indicated, checked the boxes pointed out to him, and filled in the information requested on the forms. By the time he was done, his fingers were cramped.
He dropped the pen down onto the stack of papers then sat back in his chair and shook his hand. "First thing I'm going to do is hire someone to massage my hand."
There were a few chuckles before Oliver gestured to the man sitting at his right. "I believe Mr. Jenkins has some papers for you to sign."
Mr. Jenkins pulled some papers out of his briefcase and set them down in front of George. "This is all just a formality really to ensure that the money gets transferred into the appropriate accounts."
George read them over slowly. The man was correct. They were pretty straightforward. It was basically a money transfer form. There was just one little problem. The account listed for the money to be transferred to had George's old account on it. One, he had closed that account, and two, he had never given the account number to anyone, so how did this guy have it?
George set the pen down without signing the form then pinned his gaze on Mr. Jenkins. He wanted to know just who he was up against. He probably wouldn't have known there was an issue if he hadn't gone through such a fucked-up morning.
"Mr. James, does this man work for you?" he asked.
George had a strong suspicion he didn't.
"Uh, no," Oliver replied. "My understanding was that he was here at your request."
George crossed his arms and glared at the lawyer. "I've never met him before in my life."
Leon growled and got to his feet.
George turned to Oliver. "You need to call Detective Watt. He's currently investigating someone declaring me dead and stealing all of the money out of my old bank account." George pointed to the papers Mr. Jenkins had given him. "The bank account listed on those papers."
"No, no, wait," the man said when Leon advanced on him. "I was retained by George Carver to help him facilitate the transfer of his winnings to his bank account. I'm just doing what I was hired to do."
"Funny," George said. "I didn't retain your services."
Mr. Jenkins's face drained of color before he grabbed another piece of paper out of his briefcase. "I have the receipt right here for payment for my services. It was sent from the account listed on those forms."
George took the paper from the man and looked it over. "He's right. This payment did come from my old account. Timestamp on it has the payment being placed just about the time Raymond Barker was in the bank." George glanced up. "He must have done it before he withdrew the rest of the money."
"How did your client contact you?" Leon asked.
"Over the phone. He called me yesterday, explained that he had won a sizeable lottery, and wanted my help making sure the money got transferred into the correct account. He said to meet him at the lottery office today, so that's what I did." The man was looking a little pa
le when he glanced at George. "I assumed you were the man I had spoken to."
George shook his head. "It wasn't me."
Mr. Jenkins looked perplexed. "Then who was it?"
George thought he'd just said that, but apparently not clear enough.
"I'm pretty sure it's the same man who stole all of the money out of my old account." It was looking that way, but at this point, George wouldn't be surprised if it was the man on the moon. He glanced at Oliver. "Look, what do I need to sign to make sure the money gets transferred into the correct account?"
"You'll need to fill out and sign an account transfer form," Oliver said. "I would have had one ready for you earlier, but Mr. Jenkins assured me he had that covered." Oliver sent the lawyer a small glare. "That won't happen again."
"If you could get me that form, I'd appreciate it."
Oliver nodded before glancing at the man to his left. "Harold, can you do that?"
Harold seemed to be as efficient as Uncle Allan. He got up and left the room, coming back a few moments later with a form he set down in front of George. "Fill in the form with the account you want the money deposited in then sign the bottom."
George quickly did, putting in the account info from his new account, then handed the paper back.
"If you'll give me a few minutes," Harold said, "I'll make you copies of everything."
"Thank you. I'd appreciate that."
After Harold left the room again, George turned back to Oliver. "Is that everything?" He had officially reached the limit of bullshit he could deal with today. He just wanted to go home. "Is there anything else I need to sign?"
"No, that's everything, Mr. Carver. The money is all yours and should be transferred into your account immediately."
George breathed out slowly. "Thank you."
"There's a media circus out front. We can set up a press conference for you, or I can offer you a back way out of the building if you'd prefer."
George snorted. "Definitely a back way out of here." The media circus could hunt for elephants in the clouds as far as he was concerned. "I have no desire to be famous."