Oliver grimaced for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his business card. "If you have any problems, give me a call. I'm used to dealing with this sort of thing and might be able to answer any questions you might have."
"Thank you," George said as he took the card and tucked it into his pocket. "You've already been a big help."
"Well, I wish I could do more, but my position here at Mega Lottery prevents me from handing out advice to lottery winners." Oliver's smile was friendly and welcoming, making him seem a little younger. "That does not prevent me from pointing you toward people who can."
George groaned when the door opened and Detective Watt walked in. He was really hoping never to see the man again. He'd barely spoken more than two words to the guy, but just knowing his life had gotten to the point where he needed a detective in it was enough to put George off.
"Detective Watt," George said. He refused to be impolite to the guy no matter how much he wished he wasn't here.
"Mr. Carver," the man said as he glanced around at the others in the room. "Mr. de Oro called and said you had a development in the case?"
That was one way to describe it.
George gestured to the lawyer. "Ask him."
Detective Watt raised one bushy eyebrow as he looked at the man. "And you are?"
"Christopher Jenkins, attorney at law." He handed over a business card. "I'm not real sure what is going on here, but I have done nothing to warrant the authorities being called in."
Leon snorted.
"Mr. Jenkins may actually be telling the truth," George told the detective, "but that's for you to figure out."
George could have kissed his uncle when he stood and said, "Ford, why don't you take your cousin for a jog so he can clear his head? I'll stay here and explain things to the detective."
George didn't even wait for anyone else to say anything. He just headed for the doorway. Before he could get there, Harold appeared, a manila envelope in his hand.
"Are those my papers?" George asked.
Harold nodded.
George sent him a small smile as he grabbed the large envelope. "Thank you," he said then continued out the door. Ford and Leon could catch up. He didn't even care if every media outlet in the world was waiting outside the door. He was leaving.
"George," Leon said from behind him. "Slow down."
"No." It was that simple.
"George."
George growled when Leon grabbed his arm before he could reach the front door.
"Easy," Leon murmured. "There's a back way out of here, remember?"
George clenched his jaw when fur sprouted up along his arms again. "I need to go. Now."
"Okay, just come this way." Leon led him back through reception and down a long corridor.
When they passed the conference room, Ford joined them, shooting George a glare. George just shrugged. There wasn't a lot he could say. He knew he was acting like an ass, but if he didn't get out of there and run in his fur for a little bit, he was going to bite someone.
He was a little surprised when they went through a nondescript steel door to a staircase that went down one floor. Another door opened up into the corridor just around the corner from the elevator. He kind of wished he had known about this secret entrance when they arrived. It would have saved him a lot of anxiety.
They rode the elevator straight down to the parking garage. George didn't start breathing normally again until they were in the car and on the road again, leaving the chaos—and media circus—behind.
"Tell me where I'm going," Leon said.
"Take highway thirty out of town," Ford directed. "There's a place for George to run about thirty miles west of town."
"Will you make it that long, George?" Leon asked.
George nodded without answering. He was too busy concentrating on keeping it together to reply verbally. He couldn't remember the last time his bear had been this close to the surface when he didn't want him to be.
George and his bear had been close from a very early age. From what he'd been able to gather from others, they were actually closer than most shifters. They were very in-tune with each other. George couldn't understand how other shifters weren't. His bear was a part of him. Why wouldn't he want them to be as close as possible?
Unfortunately, that also meant he felt his bear's emotions to a greater degree than others, and right now, his bear wanted out. Part of that was his bear's own agitation, and part of it was the bear feeling George's agitation. It was like a double whammy.
By the time Leon pulled off onto the dirt road that led back to the clan's running grounds, George was ready to rip the door off to get out of the car. The second Leon brought the vehicle to a stop, George threw open the door and jumped out. He roared as his shift ripped through him, shredding his clothes in the process.
"Holy shit!"
