taken so many turns on me in my old apartment that I could never, ever forget those walls. The cheap motel we’d picked on the way back had made me feel especially naughty, and over the course of a warm sweaty night they did the filthiest things to me there.
Even in the car I served them, and they served me. I couldn’t count the number of times I dove into the back seat with whoever wasn’t driving, and once I’d even given the driver an explosive memory all his own.
Coming back to North Glade seemed so much more final after that, knowing I’d quit my job and burned whatever bridges I had down there. But those bridges meant nothing to me, and the guys meant everything. Having my old job back, riding around with Warren in his beautiful blue Chevelle… it was like falling back into something comfy and familiar. Something filled with memories of good times, great friends, and everything else that came afterward.
I was in a fantastic mood as I cruised through the front gate and pushed my way into the garage through the side door. It was still early, and I knew the guys would still be working. Still, I wanted to surprise them. I was looking forward to a night out on the town; an evening we’d planned several days ago that would take us into the Seattle city limits for some good food, some strong drinks, and maybe a little—
I stopped curiously, noting the garage was empty.
“Warren?”
Walking in a circle, I saw things in disarray. One of the cars they’d been working on was still up on the lift. There were various tools scattered beneath it. An air hose still snaked out across the floor, not put away.
“Luke?”
It wasn’t like them at all, to be messy. Warren was a neat freak for sure. Luke, I suspected, had picked up on those habits too.
“Up here!” I heard someone call out.
I took the stairs two at a time, to find the guys huddled around the little desk in the corner of the upper office. Adrian was there too. So was Janice, her face looking somber.
Immediately I knew something was wrong.
“What is it?”
They turned silently, their faces grim. Warren held a piece of paper in his hand, folded in two places like a letter. He held it up and shook it.
“This is from a lawyer, telling us the property’s under new ownership. Effective immediately.”
I tilted my head. “I thought you owned this place?”
“We own the business,” Luke said glumly. “Not the building.”
“Apparently they want us out,” said Warren. “Our lease is up in less than three months, and they’re not renewing it.”
“So we’ll talk to them,” I said, after an awkward pause. “We’ll work it out. They probably just want more money, that’s all. Maybe we can negotiate a small rent increase, or—”
“Can’t,” Luke cut in.
“Why?”
“Because the new owner of the property is John Payne Jr,” Adrian said flatly.
Thirty-Nine
LUKE
I was out walking the yard when she caught up with me. It might’ve looked like I was venting, but I was taking a mental inventory of everything we’d need to bring with us when we moved… and everything we’d need to sell in order to afford it.
“Hey, are you alright?”
Kayla looked amazing as she bounced over, her face all flush with the exertion of finding me. I remembered suddenly we were supposed to go out. We were supposed to be celebrating.
“I’m fine,” I said. “It’s just… frustrating.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” she replied. “You don’t even wanna know the words Warren and Adrian are using.”
She smiled, hoping for a return smile on my end. As much as I wanted to oblige her, I just wasn’t in the mood.
“Do you have any idea what a move is going to cost us?” I asked. “And that’s assuming we find a suitable place with comparable rent.”
“That might not even be necessary,” she said, trying to sound confident. “Maybe we could talk to them. See if we could come to some sort of agreement.”
I frowned, remembering the last time we’d tried communicating. Adrian had gone over on our behalf, and his every assertion was met with smug grins and vague denials. He hadn’t made any headway at all with the Payne family, other than a promise that things would be ‘better for everyone’ if we were willing to go back to restorations only. This was all off the record, of course. If asked directly the Paynes would deny even that.
“There could be other places