by R B Hilliard
In order to get to the motorcycle bays where Gage and Zip worked, I had to pass by the downstairs conference room and main offices. From my perspective, this highlighted a major design flaw. The entire downstairs was solid windows from the waist up. Why Max had to put so many windows in this damn place was a mystery to me. This made getting past Max’s office a bit of a challenge. Twice already he had intercepted my attempts to get to Gage and sent me packing. Both times I looked as sexy as hell. Max so has my number.
Unlike the two previous times, however, today I had a plan. Carefully, I tiptoed down the stairs, maneuvered past the kitchen and down the main hall. As I reached the conference room, I dropped to all fours and started crawling. Getting past the conference room turned out to be a piece of cake. As I made my way past Max’s office, I craned my head to see if I could spot his feet under his desk and smacked headfirst into something hard.
Ouch!
I touched my hand to my throbbing temple and almost toppled over onto my side.
“Watch where you are going!” I blurted.
“If I’m not mistaken, it was your head that just rammed into my kneecap and should I even ask why you are crawling like a dog down the hall?”
Shit! Gage!
Thinking on my feet, or in this case on my hands and knees, I said, “If you must know, I dropped something and was trying to find it.”
“So that’s why you look like you were sneaking past Max’s office?”
“Yes! I mean no! I wasn’t sneaking anywhere. I was just searching.”
“For the lost object,” he clarified.
“Yes.”
“Do you need help?”
I played it off as no big deal. “Not thanks. I’m sure someone will eventually find it.”
Gage glanced over me and down the hall. “I think I’ve stalled her long enough for you boys to get your fill. How about we start the meeting now?”
He wouldn’t. My eyes flew up to his beautiful smirking face. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“If I wasn’t happily married, I could be into that ass. How ‘bout you, Kurt?” Max boomed from behind me.
“Yee Bob,” Kurt replied.
Still on all fours, I glanced over my shoulder and, sure enough, there stood Max, Kurt, Garrett, Zippo, and Cas.
“I think you missed a spot when you shaved this morning,” Cas said, his lips twitching into an almost smile.
Whipping around to a sitting position, I did the only thing I could think of. I deflected. “Did you just…make a joke?” I raised my hands dramatically to my chest and gasped in surprise. “And almost smile…with teeth? If only Reyn could be here for this proud moment!” I gushed.
“Enough,” Gage said. He reached down, yanked me off the floor and set me on my feet. The whole time he glared at Cas.
Now out and out laughing, Cas put his hands up in mock surrender.
Slowly, Gage turned his angry gaze to me. “I was on my way to get you, Piper. If you are through playing around, Garrett and Cas both have news they need to share.”
I could tell by the amused look on Max’s face that he was enjoying this immensely.
Butt-head.
I followed everyone into the conference room. When we all settled, Garrett spoke. “Dillon is watching Reyn at work because I needed Cas to be in on this meeting. Piper, you can fill her in later.” I nodded and he began. “Okay, I’ll start on my end and will let Cas finish with what he has. Sound good?” Everyone nodded. “Good.” He turned to Gage and Zip. “First of all, thanks for letting us look at your files. Not much came from them, which is good. However, in looking into Dooley, a suspicious name popped up. “Do either of you know a Gary Sanderson?”
“He was my business partner years ago. Why?” Gage asked.
“Was this the business that led you to work for Dooley?” Gage nodded.
Garrett shot Cas a look.
“What?” Gage asked.
“How exactly did you meet Gary?” Garrett asked.
“Through me,” Zip said. “I took my bike to Gary’s shop to get fixed and tuned a handful of times and got to know him. He seemed like a decent guy.”
“In conversations that you had, did Gary happen to mention that he was looking for a partner?”
“He asked if I was interested in buying half of the shop. I was, but I didn’t have enough experience and certainly didn’t have enough money. I knew that Gage did though, so I introduced them.”
“So you met with Gary? What happened then?” Cas asked.
“I met with him on several occasions,” Gage said, “and what can I say, other than I liked him and his garage? I thought it would be a good investment.”
“How long did it take you to realize that something wasn’t right with the business?” Garrett asked.
“Not long. Gary frequently had to leave town and each time he had to go he gave a different excuse as to why. Around the six month mark, he was on one of his trips and two guys came into the shop looking for him. When I told them he was out of town, they were not happy. They claimed he owed them money. The more I thought about it, the more it worried me. I decided to take a quick look at the books when I couldn’t stand it any longer. At first glance I didn’t find anything wrong.”
“Is that when you questioned Gary?”
Gage nodded. “I did. He said that he had it all handled and that those guys were just unhappy because their parts had taken longer than normal to get in. To be honest, I didn’t really give it much thought. That is, until it happened again.”
“The same guys?” Cas asked
“No. This time there were three of them. After they left, I took the books home and studied them. Once I looked back far enough, I noticed that, according to Gary’s records, I didn’t exist. There was no sign of my deposit or my owning half of the business. When I checked with my bank, they told me that the deposit was made into Mr. G. R. Sanderson’s personal account. I thought that account was linked to the garage. Gary took my money, but he definitely didn’t use it to bail out the business and I had not a clue as to where it had disappeared to. This is when I called my cousin Skeeter. He introduced me to Max and Max hooked me up with Dooley Shane.”
“And Dooley investigated Gary, told you it was a bad deal and then offered you a way out?” Cas asked.
“Yes.”
“By going to work for him.”
“Yes, but in exchange he would get me all of my investment back.”
“What did Dooley say happened to Gary?”
Gage shrugged. “Not sure he said anything. All I know is that I got out with all of my money. At the time that was all that really mattered.”
“Not without paying a price, though.” I interjected.
Our eyes locked. “Yes, not without paying a price,” he repeated.
“Well, it looks like you may have paid a heftier price than you think,” Garrett said. “From what we have gathered, Gary Sanderson never owned that garage.”
Max, who had been lazing back in his chair with his feet on the table, swung to an upright position. “What do you mean he never owned it?”
“According to the real estate and corporate records, that garage was indirectly purchased by a Mr. Dooley W. Shane one year before Gage showed up. Believe me, we had to dig deep to figure that out. It was purchased through a number of shell companies that we had to trace.”
Gage’s entire body went taught. “What the fuck?”
“It seems that Mr. Shane bought the garage and hired Gary to oversee the day to day management as well as some under the table scamming. What Dooley didn’t know was that Gary was running his own scam on the side and when he got in too deep, instead of going to Dooley to bail him out, he took in Gage and his money to get him out of a hole he had created on the side.”
Gage’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling. “Are you serious?”
“Gage wasn’t even a blip on Dooley’s radar until Max introduced them. Imagine his shock when he was asked to help bail out his
own business on account of his guy being a dipshit.”
“I imagine that old Dooley lost his cool,” Kurt mused.
“Yeah, and then killed Gary,” I added.
“Au contraire,” Garrett said, shaking his head. “Apparently our Mr. Sanderson is a distant cousin of Mr. Shane’s. All he got was a slap on the wrist and relocated to another garage where he is currently running a similar scam. Only this time, Dooley has him on a very tight leash and Dooley is getting one hundred percent of the proceeds of the scam.” We sat there in stunned silence. Garrett continued, “It seems that Mr. Shane had a twofold reason for his relationship with you, Gage. One, he was afraid that you would figure out that the business was mostly a sham. Two, if things went south, he needed someone to take the fall.”
“Keep your enemies close,” Max mumbled.
“Exactly.”
My heart hurt for Gage. The man he thought was once his friend and mentor had been scamming him from square one. “So, what do we do now?” I asked.
“It appears that Dooley has these scams going all over the US. That’s good because maybe we can get others to corroborate our story. However, here’s where it gets dodgy. We found Gary Sanderson and Gage Blackwell’s names linked to the Austin garage. Then Gary’s name disappeared off the grid.”
“Speak English,” Max growled.
“We tapped into some of Dooley’s financial records and flagged Gage’s name at a garage in Louisiana where he supposedly made a deposit three days ago,” Cas stated. “Knowing good and well that Gage was in North Carolina with us at that time and not anywhere near Louisiana, we kept digging and found Gage Blackwell’s name associated with seven different garages. All were owned by a Mr. Dooley Shane and all appear to be in some sort of financial trouble. We followed the trail from Louisiana back to the first date that Gage’s name appeared. That led us to the garage in Austin and both Gary Sanderson and Dooley Shane.” Gage’s mouth gaped open.
“It was all a set up,” Kurt said.
“So it seems,” Garrett said. “But, since we know differently, we have started to unravel Dooley’s web. I have Cas and two other guys on it and we will turn it over to the authorities once we have enough information. Until then, we have to proceed cautiously.” He looked at Cas and said, “Your turn.” All eyes turned to Cas.
“I’m not going to explain the details of how I come across my information. Don’t bother asking,” he directed at me. I widened my eyes in fake surprise and stuck my tongue out at him. Ass. He shook his head. “Long story made short, I ran across some data this morning that leads me to believe that Dooley is planning something and it involves you, Piper.”
Shit!
“How?” Gage snapped.
“I’m not sure. As this is the first I’ve heard of it, I’m a bit skeptical and will have to dig further. We know that Dooley wants to financially destroy you, Gage. It’s hard for you to be anywhere near Piper if you are in prison. However, it seems he has something completely different in store for Piper. We’re just not sure what that is yet. Since he has already tried to get to her once, I wouldn’t put it past him to plan another attempt. To be on the safe side, I think it’s smart to go ahead and tighten our web. This means you go nowhere without one of us, Piper. Max and Gage are your licenses up to date? If not, you both need to get on it.”
“I’m good,” Gage confirmed.
“Me too,” Max said.
“If you need an extra, I’m in,” Kurt said.
“And so is Benny. Tut and Twon can’t legally carry but that doesn’t mean much,” Max added.
Suddenly it hit me. “Are you talking about firearms?”
Ignoring my question, Cas said, “Looks like we’re all covered then.” My stomach dropped to my toes.
“You are! You’re talking about guns! Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“Do you want to be Dooley’s bitch again?” Cas coldly asked. Both Max and Gage let out noises of protest.
“No, I don’t. But I also don’t want these guys, who I care about, getting hurt because of me! And why are you such a shit heel all the time, Cas?”
“Most girls would be thrilled to have a posse of men willing to protect them.” His voice dripped with disdain.
What the hell is with this guy?
“Well it’s a good thing I’m not most girls then. Isn’t it?” Before he could say anything else, I stood up and walked out.
Who does he think he is?
I heard Max yell my name but enough was enough. Caswell, whatever the hell his last name was, could bite me.
As soon as I made it back to my room, I called Ellie. She conferenced in Joss and I proceeded to tell them what a complete and total shit Caswell Assmunch was. I told them the story from the beginning and made sure not to leave anything out, except that I wasn’t wearing any panties because that would be way TMI. Plus, I knew that I would never hear the end of it.
“I’ll feel Max out about it later,” Ellie said.
“I’ll do the same with Kurt,” Joss agreed.
“Since they’ve got you in lockdown mode and all, I bet you could use some company tonight,” Ellie said.
“Doesn’t it bother you that Max carries a gun? And Kurt, too?” I asked because it really bothered me.
“After what happened with Max’s dad and sister, I get why he does,” Ellie responded.
“Kurt and Benny got theirs when Kurt turned twenty one,” Joss said.
“Really?” How did I not know this and how did I not know Gage carried a gun!
“I didn’t realize you were so against it?” Ellie said.
“I’m not. I just don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me. I didn’t know Gage even owned a gun and I lived with the man.”
“I’m thinking that this is not about the guns as much as it’s the fact that you didn’t know,” Ellie mumbled.
“How about we defer this gun talk until later,” Joss suggested. “The weather says it might snow tonight. Why don’t we talk to the boys and plan a small cookout around the bonfire? We have space heaters and everything. It will be fun.”
“That sounds great!” Ellie squealed. “I need to get my fat booty out of this house. Joss, come by and get me and then we’ll hit the grocery store. Piper, tell Reyn and Susannah the plan and then hang tight. Entertainment is on the way.”
“Wait! I have to work tonight!” I yelled.
“I’ll get Kurt to put Polly and Lena on it. They’ve been pestering him to let them take on more responsibility. Now’s their chance,” Joss said.
I was actually getting excited. “Can Dillon get away, too? It’s not a party without Dillon and his guitar.”
“I’ll make sure he knows about it,” Joss assured.
“Well, all righty then. It looks like we’re having a party tonight!” Ellie shouted. We all cheered in response.
Chapter Eighteen
An hour later Ellie sent me a text. She and Joss were on their way with enough groceries to feed an army. Susannah agreed to swing by Dragonfly and pick up Reyn because Dillon needed to stay later to make sure that Polly and Lena had everything handled. He also had to stop by his place to grab his guitar before heading our way. Max and Gage were due back from a liquor run and Zippo was finishing up with a client. That left me, Garrett and Cas running the show.
“I’m sorry for being so abrupt with you earlier,” Cas said as he helped me set up the bonfire.
I let out a sarcastic snort. “No you’re not.”
“You’re right. I’m not.”
His direct tone made me pause for a beat. “Then why tell me you are?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
“But it’s not how you feel.”
He sighed. “If I thought you couldn’t handle it, Piper, I wouldn’t have said it. So far, you’ve handled everything I’ve dished and then some. I’d rather you be pissed off at the whole situation than a ninny about it.”
“Thanks. I guess?”
“Look at me,” he commanded.
Not appreciating his tone, I kept my eyes on my task. “Ask me nicely,” I demanded in return.
“See? Not weak at all. If you remember anything, remember that weakness will always get you hurt and sometimes can be the difference between life and death.”
His words made me smile. “And to think, you’re not just a pretty face with an ice cube for a heart after all.”
His mouth melted into a smile and I was shocked to see that he had matching dimples on each cheek, kind of like Max’s, only better. For some strange reason, I felt like we had come to some sort of mutual understanding. Cas will dish it and I will fling it right back.
As soon as we got the bonfire lit, Joss and Ellie appeared with the groceries. Max and Gage rolled in with booze a few minutes later.
“Have you seen Kurt?” Joss asked.
“Uhhh, not recently” Max hedged. Ellie narrowed her eyes at him but kept her mouth shut.
“Last time I saw him, he was in Zip’s office,” Garrett told her.
“Great! Thanks!” she replied and headed in that direction.
Max shook his head at Garrett.
“What? Was I not supposed to tell her where her man was?”
“The boy just needs to grow a pair and tell her no,” Gage said.
Ellie shot him a dirty look.
“Am I wrong? I mean lately the guy looks like a character from The Walking Dead.”
“She wants to have a baby,” Ellie stressed.
“Yes, and from what I understand the process should be enjoyable,” he retorted.
Her gaze drifted to Max and she smiled. “It is.”
“If you ask me, Kurt appears less than thrilled right now,” Cas interjected.
“Good thing no one asked you…or any of you for that matter,” Ellie scolded.
“I feel sorry for Kurt. His wife has turned into the Energizer Bunny… with a vagina… on steroids,” I mumbled.
“More like a bionic twat,” Gage added. I forced myself not to look at him. If I did I would start laughing and Ellie would flip.