Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Dan Meyers.
“What the hell is he doing here?” I muttered.
“Causing shit,” Dom replied.
I headed their way, Dan seeing me, his smirk getting wider.
I stopped a couple of feet away. “Problem, folks?”
Everyone turned in my direction. Jim’s eyes narrowed when he saw me. He looked familiar somehow, but I couldn’t place him.
“The thief shows his face,” he sneered.
I was taken aback. “Excuse me?”
“You and your brother broke in to my tire store and stole from me years ago. Damaged the place while you were at it. Cost me thousands. Took me ages to rebuild and recover.”
I searched my memory, shaking my head. “My brother may have done so, sir, but I wasn’t with him.”
“There were two of you. I chased you, but you got away.”
Again, I shook my head. “I did a lot of things, but stealing wasn’t one of them, and I never broke in to a tire shop. My brother had many other accomplices.” I glanced Dan’s way. “No doubt, Officer Meyers told you about me. But he doesn’t have all the facts straight,” I huffed. “Or he is twisting them to suit his own agenda.”
“You’re Chase Donner?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’ve been in jail?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re a convict. You expect me to believe you?”
“I’m not that person anymore. I was a mixed-up kid. I’ve grown up.”
He snorted. “Leopards don’t change their spots. Once a thief, always a thief.”
“Chase is a trusted member of my staff,” Maxx stated, crossing his arms. With his gravelly voice and intense stare, he looked like a giant next to Jim Albright.
“And a member of our family,” Charly said with a frown. “I trust him implicitly.”
Jim shook his head. “I don’t. And it’s my fleet.” He turned to Maxx. “I’ve given you my ultimatum. Your choice.”
“It’s not much of a choice. It’s grossly unfair,” Charly said, sounding angry.
“What choice is that?” I asked, somehow already knowing.
Jim didn’t flinch as I met his eyes, his dislike evident. “Maxx wants my business, you’re out. I don’t trust you.”
“I don’t work on your vehicles,” I pointed out. “I’m the office manager, and I work on custom interiors,” I said calmly, my mind racing. I had to fix this.
“I don’t want you around anything to do with me or my business. You’ll probably pad the account and steal from us both.”
“I am not a thief,” I pushed out through gritted teeth.
Charly grasped my arm. “Chase wouldn’t do that.”
Dan was almost dancing as he watched the spectacle unfolding in front of him. He had me exactly where he wanted me. How he’d done this, I had no idea. The why was plain. And someone was going to lose in this situation—big-time.
“Did Dan here tell you why he has a vendetta against me?” I asked. I kept talking before Jim could respond. “He’s obsessed with my girlfriend, and he’s been harassing me because of it. He doesn’t care about your business—he cares about hurting me.”
“You’re talking about a police officer.”
I shook my head. “Because he’s a cop, his word is better than mine? Did he tell you he pulled his gun on me for speeding? That he threatened to throw me in jail for a DUI when I wasn’t even driving? How about the fact that he vandalized my truck? Or that he bothers my girl every chance he gets, even when she says no?” I glared at Dan, who was leaning on his car, insolent and smirking. “I saw the bruise you left on her yesterday, you asshole. You need to be held accountable for that.”
He shrugged. “I apologized. I didn’t see her.”
“Bullshit,” I muttered, struggling to hold in my temper. “You did that deliberately.”
Dom laid his hand on my shoulder. “Chase,” he warned quietly.
I ignored him. I was fed up. My anger, which had been simmering for days, had reached its boiling point. Dan thought he would hurt me by hurting the people I loved? The people who were my family? I wasn’t going to allow that to happen. I knew what Maxx stood to lose if Jim took away his business. I wasn’t allowing Dan to have that power.
I faced Jim. “I made mistakes. I did my time. I’m sorry for what Wes did, but I wasn’t part of it, no matter what lies Dan has fed you. I would never steal from Maxx or you. I am not the person I was when I went to jail. I changed, and I paid for my past. I lost everything because of it. I never recovered.” I had to swallow around the lump in my throat, knowing I was about to lose everything again. “You don’t want me around your vehicles? You don’t trust me, and you’re willing to let Maxx suffer because of it? He has bent over backward to accommodate you. Do you know that he has ordered special equipment, hired staff to make sure you are looked after—”