Page 29 of Deceitful Oath
“Damn Lux, you do have the worst luck,” he says, chuckling lightly. “You need to cancel a few shifts until you get another vehicle sorted out or what?”
“Well yes…” I panic, not knowing how to tell him the rest. “But the thing is…it was still full of undelivered packages.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
We’re both silent for a minute. Mike takes a deep breath, and I know what’s coming before he even says it. I can feel it in my bones—another brick from my precariously built sense of safety, stripped away.
I nod, tears slipping down my cheeks, as Mike gently outlines all the strikes against my name.Tardy, unreliable, and responsible for the loss of customer property.
Fired.
I thank him quietly and hang up, slipping the phone into my pocket. With only one job left to support me, and no idea howI’m going to pay the rent next month, I sit on the park bench and sob.
Chapter Eleven
Rafael
I’m lost in a daze, sitting in a luxurious office high in the clouds above the city, surrounded by thugs in expensive suits.
Vince nudges me gently with his foot and brings me back to the present. I glance around the room, my gaze settling on Timmy McCallen’s ruddy, wrinkled face.
“Do you agree, Rafael?”
I arch an eyebrow at him, stalling for time. My father set this negotiation up months ago—a potential partnership with the McCallens. So far, Vince has done most of the talking for me, and I’m grateful.
Because the smell of Lux’s hair is muddling my thoughts. The look in her eyes this morning when she called me Wolfie is making my brain short-circuit. The smooth curve of her hip as I dug my fingers into it last night is making me—shit, focus.
“It would benefit both families,” I finally answer, shooting Vince a covert glance.
His nod is almost imperceptible, but it boosts my confidence, so I continue. “With our operational scale and your inside men on the police force, we’ll be able to double, if not triple, both of our profits.”
McCallen cracks a smile and sticks out his big, tattooed hand and I shake it, releasing the breath caught in my chest.I didn’t fuck it up.I grin back at him and everyone rises, filing out of the office and back to business.
As Vince and I head toward the elevators, I scroll through my messages and calls. A smile sneaks onto my face when I see Lux’s name. Before I have a chance to read them, Vince ushers me into the waiting elevator.
“You should be proud of yourself,” he says, slapping my back. “This was a big deal for your father. You’re fulfilling his legacy.”
I nod at him, a hint of a smile still playing on my lips. We descend into the underground garage in silence, but I can feel his eyes on me. My fingers itch to pull my phone back out and read Lux’s messages, but I control myself.
We slip into the car and head back to my office, weaving in and out of lunchtime traffic.
“Any updates on the waitress?”
I glance at him, worried that I had been talking out loud instead of daydreaming about her. He looks calm, focused on the road in front of us.
“Still working on it…the plan is in motion.”
“Did she confess to the murder?”
“Not yet,” I hesitate, something in the back of my mind screaming at me to nip the conversation in the bud. “Are you sure she’s the most likely suspect?”
“She was the only one there, Rafael,” he says, glancing at me with concern in his eyes. “Don’t tell me she’s getting to you…”
“No,” I say, sitting up straighter. My gaze hardens, and I push the screaming voice away. “Women don’t have any effect onme…especiallythatwoman. I just want to be sure before I do something I can’t undo.”
“All right then,” he says with a dark chuckle. “Just make sure you’re not getting bewitched and losing sight of your goal.”