“What the fuck?”
Austin stopped and looked at my SUV, then at his. Both were sitting closer to the ground than we’d left them, meaning all eight tires were flat.
“Goddamn it,” he said, scanning the area around the parking deck for anything out of the ordinary. He walked around his Tahoe, checking the body and tires, while I moved to get a closer look at mine.
Squatting down I ran my fingertips over the rubber before spotting three spaced-out cuts in the tire wall. My hackles rose as I stood up to check out the others.
Austin walked around to where I was checking the back tire. He ran his hand over his head while he looked at the undamaged car parked next to the Tahoe.
“They’ve been cut,” I said as if he didn’t already know.
“Ya think?”
He could be such a smartass.
Moving around to the other side of the Tahoe, Dare followed and pulled out his phone. Leaning down, he took pictures of each vehicle.
“Who the fuck would do this?” I said, standing to rest my hands on my hips. “A single tire is one thing. But they’re going to have to be towed. And the rims are going to be fucked up. We’re looking at a couple of grand each at least.”
Austin looked around, mirroring my stance. “Insurance will cover it. But we gotta get a police report.” He took out his phone and started to dial 911. “Call Jesse.”
I nodded and took out my phone. He answered on the second ring.
“Hey, where are you guys?” His tone was relaxed, like every other day.
I sighed. “Waiting for the police.”
“Why? What happened? Where are you?” Alarm was evident in his tone, making me smile.
“Hang on Dad, and I’ll tell you. But it’s gonna cost you a pretty penny.”
“Brent,” he growled, impatiently, “what the fuck are you talking about?”
“All four tires were slashed on both cars. Looks like damaged rims. We’re not gonna make it to the meeting.”
Jesse let out a weighted sigh as I heard the sound of his chair moving back against the floor. “Okay. We’re coming to you. Call Phantom and tell him to meet us at the condo.”
GQ ended the call, leaving me to look at my phone. John was on the way, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I wanted to see him again, but just the thought of what might happen between us created a ball of anxiety in my gut.
“Police are on the way. What did GQ say?”
I looked up at my friend. “They’re, umm… coming here. Guess I’m gonna see the commander before I have my coffee.”
But I was wrong.
Right before the police showed up, my phone rang with a call from my mother. I knew it was trouble because she never called.
CHAPTER 3
JOHN
The concerned lookon GQ’s face put me on edge. Our casual conversation about how fast kids grow was quickly forgotten when he stood from his chair and relayed what had happened.
The ride across town was filled with one-sided conversation, but no matter what he said, all I wanted to do was see Brent. And that was new territory for me.
“One of the perks of working for EHM is the condo. When we first moved the company here, we leased it so my team would have a place to stay. We still had outside contracts to fulfill, and I didn’t want them to pay rent when they might not even be in town. When Simon was ready to sell, it made sense tax-wise to buy it from him.”
“That’s a pretty good perk,” I agreed. “If you don’t want privacy.”
