It was well past dinnertime, which left me fending for myself in terms of takeout. I had a habit of doing this, staying way laterthan my entire shop and finding out the hard way that every business around me had long since closed up by the time I’d decided to put the socket wrench down and take a break.
The rest of this work could certainly wait until tomorrow. Fuck knew I had plenty of time to work on it.
I wasn’t sure how serious Avery was about the whole, paying for my shop while we fixed up his cars thing outside of him giving me his word. I wanted to believe him, trusted that he wouldn’t screw me over due to his sincerity.
How long the offer would last was up to him, though. At a moment’s notice, he could decide that the cost was outweighing the benefits by a good margin, forcing my team into getting back onto our daily grind.
None of that would be a bad thing—just throw a proverbial wrench into my plans.
Relying on anyone like that, even my former best friend, as a business owner would be stupid anyway. No matter our history.
Noises from the front lobby had me whipping around.
Charlie had been the last one out of here, closing up the shop behind him while leaving me tucked safely inside. Or at least, that’s what I thought he’d done.
So, unless he or the other two were back for some reason, I had an entirely different issue on my hands.
I grabbed one of the heavier tools off of my bench, carefully creeping my way to the front of the shop. Down the hall that led into the main lobby, I could hear shuffling and someone cursing under their breath, both of which had my heart racing.
If it were any of my guys, they would’ve at least announced themselves and come straight back to greet me. Whoever this was had either stumbled into the wrong place or was looking for trouble.
I tightened my grip around the metal handle as I made my way down the hallway. There were no lights on in the front ofthe store and only the soft glow of the shop from behind me illuminated my way. As I came up behind the front counter, I saw a figure moving in the darkness, their body swaying slightly.
Drunk?
My gaze darted over to the front door, partially open.
Right as I reached to flick on the lights, I said, “You’ve got five seconds to leave or I’m calling the cops.”
“Arg...!” A pair of arms came up to curl around the man’s head as he winced.
I stared at him for a long moment, recognizing both the voice and the clothes. “Avery?”
“Bright...” he mumbled.
What the hell?
Setting my tool down onto the counter, I came around the side of it and grabbed his arm, gently lowering him into one of the waiting room chairs. He swayed in his spot, practically doubling over the second his ass hit the cushion and causing me to have to grab him by the front of his shirt to sit him up right.
His eyes were bleary as he blinked at me a few times. “S’you...”
“Jesus, how much did you drink? Tell me you didn’t drive over here, Avery.”
Without waiting for his answer, I gazed out the front windows to try and spot the familiar Audi.
“No... no... s’at the bar...”
Glancing back at him, I asked. “Your car?”
He nodded.
Sighing, I let go of him. “Why are you here? And how the hell did you get in?”
“The door.” The answer was followed by a confused look.
I rolled my eyes.
Drunk people were so annoying to deal with sometimes.
