Page 96 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

Trent stepped outside, a telltale bulge at his waistband under his shirt. His gun. Good emergency plan. Being a shifter was great because we were faster and stronger, but a bullet to the head killed us as easily as it did a human.

“Good to go?” I asked as Trent got in the car.

“Good. Do you want to inform the pack or anything?”

“Why?” I asked, looking at him like he’d lost his mind.

“You’re the acting alpha. Should we let them know what’s going down?”

“No reason,” I said. “Once Kyle is paid, this all goes away. No reason to stress anyone else out.”

“Whatever you say.”

Kyle was already at the meeting spot when we arrived. He stood beside a black sedan, looking wholly unconcerned with anything. He could have been waiting on a bus or to go have lunch rather than waiting for an illicit payment.

“Wonderful to see you again, Cole.” He sneered a grin at me as Trent and I got out of the car. The grin faded a bit when he glanced in Trent’s direction.

“Brought your backup again, I see. I remember you from the diner. I know a hard man when I see one. Looks like you have some tough friends, Mr. Garrett.” He nodded to Trent. “If you want to make some real money, how about you come work for me, my friend.”

Trent squared his shoulders and glared back at the man. “Let’s get this shit over with, shall we?”

“Fair enough. Cole, you said you have my money? My first payment?”

I opened the back door of the truck and lifted the seat to reveal the secret compartment. The heavy canvas sack the bank had given me was right where I’d left it. Tugging it out, I turned and walked toward him.

“Here,” I said, and tossed the bag toward him.

It thudded in the dust at his feet. Kyle looked down at it quizzically. “Looks a bit heavy for twenty-five thousand.” He grinned a shark-like smile at me. “You don’t have a grenade or something in there? Trying to blow me to smithereens to get me off your back?”

“Look in the fucking bag,” I growled.

Kyle knelt and unzipped the bank bag, revealing stacks of hundred-dollar bills. The whole one hundred thousand dollars. I’d used the money from the sale, as well as more of my savings, to get this over with. Screw dragging this out for a month.

What felt like an eternity passed as Kyle counted every damn bill to ensure we hadn’t shorted him. When he was done, he zipped up the bag.

“Impressive.” Kyle stood, hoisting the bag. “You came up with this fast.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Our business is done now.”

“It is,” he said, smiling and nodding. “Except…”

My stomach dropped. Therewasmore to this than money. I’d known it all along.

“We aren’t quite done yet. We have one more piece of business.”

Beside me, Trent stiffened, his hand inching toward the gun hidden at his waistband.

“Your father owed me more than money,” Kyle said.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I demanded.

“Harbor Mills is what I mean.”

Trent and I exchanged a look of confusion.

“You know, Cole, you and your father are a lot alike. I can see that now. Mostly because of the guilt you two carry. Guilt can do a lot of things to a person, you know. It can cause you to drive your son away. It can cause you to turn your otherson out. But you know what else guilt can do? It can make you do stupid shit to redeem yourself.”

Kyle snapped his fingers. The back door of the sedan opened, and Dallas was shoved out into the gravel. My brother looked unharmed, but he looked terrified. My own fear percolated inside my chest. This was not going how I’d imagined it would, and it felt like danger was right around the corner.

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