That was a question that would go unspoken because Beau didn’t really care to hear the answer. A sound in the shop had Beau glancing through the small window behind Ralph’s head. There was Ricky. When the guy went straight for Beau’s toolbox, he knew there was going to be a problem.
“When will you have my last paycheck ready?” Beau asked as he eased his way toward the door, keeping an eye on Ricky.
“Friday,” Ralph said, turning to see what had caught Beau’s attention.
“I’ll be by Friday morning. Make sure it’s ready for me.”
With that, Beau walked out of the mess Ralph considered an office and directly to his work bay.
“I think that’s mine,” Beau said simply, snatching his diagnostic scanner right out of Ricky’s hand. Grabbing the case that housed the tool when he wasn’t using it, Beau slid it inside before latching it closed.
“Ricky!” Ralph called, his voice echoing through the shop. “Get your ass in here.”
“Yeah, get your ass in there,” Beau muttered petulantly. He damn sure wasn’t about to allow Ricky to steal his tools. He’d spent his own hard earned money on those tools, and even if he had to wait for Zane’s help, he wouldn’t be leaving without them.
“That ain’t yours,” Ricky babbled in that high pitched whine that grated on Beau’s nerves, reaching for the case that Beau had just closed.
“The hell it’s not.”
Stashing the scanner case on the top of his toolbox, Beau stood between Ricky and his own tools as he grabbed his cell phone from his hip. He couldn’t move the tools himself. The toolbox probably weighed close to four thousand pounds at this point, loaded full, and it, along with its contents, cost more than Ricky’s fucking truck. No way was he leaving it behind because sure enough, when he came back to get it, Ricky would’ve pilfered every damn thing he had.
“Zane,” Beau said into the phone when his friend answered. “Could you do me a favor?”
“What’s up?” Zane greeted, sounding half asleep. It was only nine o’clock, but usually Zane was up and around by now.
“Ralph just let me go. I need a way to move these tools. Think you could come by with the flatbed wrecker?”
“Will do,” Zane answered easily. “Give me twenty minutes.”
“Thanks, man.” Beau disconnected the call and began collecting the stray tools he’d been using that morning.
Wasn’t quite the way he envisioned his Monday morning going, but at this point, there wasn’t much he could do about it. He was a firm believer that things happened for a reason, but right at that moment, Beau wished like hell he knew what that reason was.
Chapter Four
Ethan forged his way into the building, heading straight to his office. He needed more coffee. Lots more.
After grabbing the coffee carafe, he filled it with water from the small sink just outside the office door. Tossing coffee grounds into the paper filter, he got it all set up and then hit the brew button.
Staring out into the shop, just the idea of all of the work waiting for him made Ethan cringe. As much as he detested Jared’s high-handed attitude, Ethan knew the man had a point. He really did need to hire someone to help him.
Ethan thought back to Blake and the last time he’d come to the shop. The guy truly had done him a favor by quitting. The fact that their business relationship had been mixed with personal problems, Ethan knew it wasn’t going to last forever. Their relationship had run its course weeks before, and Ethan had actually felt a little more relaxed ever since Blake walked out. Not counting being left high and dry at work anyway. The jobs were piling up, and Ethan was tired, but that was due to the fact he had been working nonstop just to keep Jared off his back.
Hadn’t helped, he realized.
The phone on his desk rang, startling Ethan. The business phone never rang. Most people knew they could reach him on his cell phone. Day or night. Grabbing his cell phone from his pocket, he glanced down and realized the damn thing was dead.
So that’s what he forgot to do last night. Charge his phone.
“Walker Demo,” Ethan answered.
“Hey, E. I need a favor.”
Ethan recognized Zane’s voice right off. “What’s that?”
“Beau needs a flatbed to come get his toolbox at Dillinger’s. They let him go, and he needs to get it out of there. I’ve got a meeting with Travis, which I’m late for, by the way. You think you could take the wrecker over there?”
Just the mention of Beau’s name made Ethan’s heart slam against his ribs. Turning slowly, he took a deep breath. Wanting to avoid an argument, Ethan decided to make this easy on Zane. And himself. The lesser of two evils and all that. “Yeah. Let him know I’m on my way.”