She sighed and pulled the phone away from her face, then glared at it.
I waited until she went inside before I made a call.
I called a girl that I knew way back when. One that used to be a genius with computers.
“Yo,” I said into the darkness. “Can you do me a solid? I have a friend that’s getting fucked when it comes to her family and her bank account. Is there any way that you can fix it so that she still gets her money, but nobody can touch it anymore?”
CHAPTER 6
68. You owe me one.
-T-shirt
ETIENNE
“Hey,” I heard Sunny, the sheriff, say into the phone. “I was informed that there was movement at your jobsite. Do you think that you can go over there and check it out for me? Don’t kill anyone, though. Construction materials aren’t worth me having to do any more paperwork tonight.”
“Which one?” I asked.
I had fourteen of them now. Which was impressive for an ex-con. But quality work was quality work.
Then again, four of those buildings were for friends.
“The vet,” he answered. “I’m serious. Don’t go killing anyone.”
I grinned as I slipped on my work boots with the phone wedged against my ear. “I’ll go check it out.”
The ride over to the site took all of ten minutes.
When I’d moved to Accident, Wake had offered up one of his rental houses.
The one I was staying in was right in the middle of town with everything in Accident at a ten-minute or less ride away.
The vet clinic was about three-quarters of the way finished and was looking great.
We’d just had the final cabinets installed yesterday, and today we were to start on the trim that would be painted over.
We’d had the paint delivered last night, as well as all the trim.
I sure the hell hoped that there would be nothing missing from the site. I didn’t want to have to deal with this project any longer than necessary.
I couldn’t handle being around Matilda Deveraux anymore. Not because I didn’t like seeing her, but because I did.
I fuckin’ loved messing with her. I loved seeing her get irate. I loved even more seeing the fire enter her eyes anytime that Ellen got within five feet of her.
Though, when I thought about what Ellen might be doing to her behind closed doors, it got me irate.
I tried really hard not to think about why that was, and chose instead to ignore everything and continue to tease the shit out of her.
I slowed down to make the turn into the parking lot, then turned the engine off completely before coasting the rest of the way into the parking spot.
I grimaced at all the leftover trash on the ground.
That was not how I allowed my jobsites to be left, and the foreman for this jobsite would be getting an earful when I got back to the clinic in the morning.
Swinging the kickstand into place, I left it and started around the building where I could hear soft music of some sort.
Untucking the knife from my belt, but leaving it sheathed, I paused when I got to the edge of the building and peeked my head around.
What I saw infuriated me.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
The startled squeak that left her mouth would’ve amused me had anything about this situation been amusing.
It took me two seconds to see what was going on.
Matilda was camping… out of her van.
She had a camp stove at the back of her van, with both doors open. There was a pallet laid out on the floor for her to sleep on, and then there was a stack of books, a camp light, and even a camp shower set up beside the van.
What the fuck did she think she was going to do? Shower out here where anyone could get to her?
“I’m sitting in a chair at my vet clinic,” she snapped. “You know, that’s not in your name for you to be telling anyone what to do with?”
I rolled my eyes.
Without getting to the point of some of the contracts that we signed—though arbitrary as they were since I didn’t need to do or uphold a contract with them at all since they were friends—allowed me full and complete control of the property until we relinquished it to them, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Are you living out here?” I asked.
“I’m living where my van happens to find a home for the night,” she answered. “Tonight, it just so happened to be here. Because I heard that there were some break-ins lately, and I wanted to make sure none of our stuff was stolen.”
“So you thought, what, that you would just camp here and make sure?” I paused. “Why are you camping? What happened to your apartment?”
“My apartment’s rent went up,” she hesitated. “Not that you need to know that or anything.”