“How are you doing? I haven’t seen you around much,” Hayden asks as he opens the safe, and I laugh.
“I’m hanging in there. Mostly at the auto shop, but since Axel is away, I needed to come here and see what we got to work with,and it seems Caspian hasn’t been keeping up with the books,” I say, and he huffs.
“If you want me to do that, I can. Caspian is more of a problem then he is helpful. He just—” he says, but I interrupt.
“Oh, I know, you don’t have to say anything further. If you want to be more than the bookie, just say the word. I know you can do the job efficiently. I just don’t have the time to be in two places at once,” I tell him, placing down my pen and leaning back against the leather chair.
“Yeah, sure. No problem.” he says, shutting the safe and locking it.
“Great. Be here at 10 a.m. tomorrow. I want weekly reports on the earnings and losses,” I say, and he stands, walking over to me.
“You got it. Here’s Braxton’s cut. I’m gonna head out,” he says, handing me the bag of cash. I take it from him as his phone beeps, making me smirk because I can probably bet with my life that it’s his girl.
“How’s Ophelia?” I ask, and he huffs.
“On my last nerve. Why are women so difficult?” he asks, and I raise a brow.
“They are wired to be difficult. Cut her some slack. You aren’t helping the situation with your toxic bullshit,” I inform him, and he plops down in the seat across from my desk, rubbing his hands over his face.
“Don’t get me wrong, that girl has been my entire world since we were 15 years old. I’ll never love anyone but her, even if I’m reckless and stick my dick into faceless bitches when I’m pissed at the shit she does. I know I’m wrong, but I can’t help but hurt her like she hurt me,” he says, and I shake my head.
“That tit for tat game is going to ruin you. Look what she went through. Can you blame her?” I say, and he shakes his head.
“It’s not that easy, Harley. There’s so much damage, so much hurt, and the more she pushes, the more I clap back, causing more destruction. It’s a never ending cycle of toxicity, but I feed off that shit. Nothing gets my dick harder than seeing her cry, and I know that’s completely fucked up. I know, so don’t even say it.” He laughs, and I again shake my head.
“You are your own worst enemy. Has anyone ever told you that?” I ask, and he laughs.
“Daily. But at the end of the day, it will always be her, My Firefly.” He smiles with a sinister glint in his eyes.
“Yeah, well, be careful. You already know how her father is, and that look in your eye is telling me when you leave here, you’re going to start some shit,” I say, lifting my pen, and he laughs.
“Oh, for sure. But she loves it,” he replies, and I just continue to shake my head. This boy is so damn thickheaded.
“Glutton for punishment. Get out of here. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for tonight,” I tell him, and he nods, putting his fist out for me to bump.
“See ya tomorrow, boss,” he says, standing from the chair, taking his earnings, and leaving the office. I can’t help but laugh at the kid. He’s going to learn the hard way, and I’m just going to sit back and watch with a bowl of popcorn telling him I told ya so.
Shutting the notebook I was writing in, I set the pen down and shut off the computer. Standing from the chair, I stretch my limbs and grab Braxton's bag with his money in it and shut off the lights, leaving the office. I walk down the hall and see Grace cleaning up the bar.
“Finished here, Grace?” I ask, and she nods, chucking the rag into the basket with the others that need laundering.
“Yes, sir,” she replies, and I nod.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” I tell her as she rounds the bar and we head for the exit, shutting off the lights and setting the alarm.
The parking lot is empty other than our cars. She bids me goodnight, and I walk over to my truck, starting her up. Once Grace leaves the lot, I head out in the opposite direction, towards the shop. I still have a few more things to do before I can go home.
As I drive across town, I think about what the lawyer said. I’m going to need to put up some serious cash and that still doesn’t guarantee this will all go away.Everything is just fucked.Braxton is barely talking to us, and from what I can see, he’s not sleeping either. Rick’s been quiet too. I’ve noticed he’s been smoking a lot more than usual and working late at the shop. He thinks I don’t know that he’s been working on rebuilding a car for Presley, and has been for a few years now, way before they became a thing, or better yet, way before he admitted his feelings for her. But I just mind my business and act like I know nothing. Now Caspian is who I’m most worried about. His behavior has been off these past couple of months. He’s been extra calm, almost too calm, and I don’t know what to make of it, but it's worrisome. It’s like I’m waiting for the bomb to explode, that is all Caspian.
Taking a deep breath, I make a right and pull into the lot of the shop. A few more cars than usual are here including all three of my brothers. Killing the engine, I get out and slam the door. The bass of the music vibrates under my feet against the concrete as I walk towards the garage door. I don’t know what has gotten into them that they thought a party would be a good idea. I just wanted a quiet night to finish up some paper work while drinking an ice cold beer.
Walking through the garage, I’m immediately hit with the stench of weed and both Rick and Casp have their shirts off withCynthia and Jasmine cleaning them up.Great, what the fuck did they do now?
“Uh, what the fuck happened?” I ask, and Rick nods towards the office. The girls step aside, and they both get up.This can only mean they did something no one else can hear about. Wonderful. Another mess to fucking clean up.Opening the door, we step in and I go right for the mini fridge and grab a beer, chugging it down before I turn and look at my brothers. “Well? Start explaining,” I growl, slamming my fists against the desk.
“You want the good news or the bad news?” Rick says with a smirk. I look at Caspian who is picking shards of glass from his knuckles. I take a deep breath and nod to Rick.
“Just tell me, I’m too fucking tired for this shit,” I tell him, and he laughs.
