the right word then, isn’t it? Considering you basically run the place now, and it would probably fall apart without you.”
I’ve really gotten the hang of this whole admin thing, and I love organizing everything for the business. The new staff members, Pia and Alex, have taken over customer service and helping sell the merchandise, and know way more than me about all the bike parts, leaving me to simply do reception, which has been way less stressful. It’s also meant that I can properly do all the bookkeeping and accounts and handle the phones.
“I’m glad you are aware of that.” With no one else around, I go to him and steal a sneaky kiss. “The eye candy around here is pretty good, too.”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” he murmurs, holding on to my neck and bringing me in for another kiss. “But it’s also very distracting. I find myself looking over at you constantly, wondering what you’re doing.”
“I’m usually doing the exact same thing,” I laugh. “Sitting at the computer, or I’m on the phone.”
“Yeah, and you’re looking sexy while doing it,” he says as he nuzzles my neck. “And fuck, you smell so good, too. If no one was here right now, I’d lift you up on that desk and—”
“You two just can’t help yourselves, can you?” Cam asks, making me jump. She is standing in front of my desk and blowing a big bubble with her gum. “I need you for a moment, Crow. There’s a problem with one of the bike parts—I think we’ve ordered in the wrong part.”
“Coming,” he replies.
“You might have been if I didn’t wander over,” she replies in a dry tone, laughing at her own joke.
I spend the next hour on the phone ordering parts for the next few custom motorcycles and organizing the business receipts to send to the accountant.
When it’s closing time, I still have a little work to do, so I decide to stay behind and just get everything done. My new reorganization system is almost complete, and I just want to keep going until it’s all sorted. An hour later and it is, and I’m about to leave the garage, opening the door, when I see a man right in front of me. He pushes past me through the door, overpowering me as I try to shove him back outside.
I’ve never seen this man in person, but I know who he is from pictures. Jasper. And I know that right now I’m in deep shit.
What is he doing here? Hasn’t he done enough already?
He looks like crap, with bags under his eyes, messy hair and rumpled clothes. He has desperation written all over him, and that makes him more dangerous than ever.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.
This can’t be good.
I know this isn’t going to end well for me.
“Close the door,” he demands, beady dark eyes on me as he pulls out a gun out and aims it at me. “Now. And I’m not fucking around. Listen to what I say or you are going to die. Just like your father died.”
Shit.
Him mentioning my dad makes my blood turn to ice, and I’ve never wanted revenge on someone more than I do right now. This man is a complete piece of shit. A coward.
And I’m not going to let him get what he wants right now.
I’m going down fighting.
I close the door and face him, just the two of us, alone in this huge garage. “What do you want, Jasper?”
I try to stay calm. Panicking isn’t going to help the situation, and I don’t want anything to set him off.
He tilts his head to the side and laughs. “So you know who I am? Well, let me see, Bronte. What do I want?”
He’s clearly insane. There’s a look in his eyes that says that something has pushed him over the edge.
“I want you dead,” he says, finger on the trigger. “I thought I had accomplished that, but instead I killed your little friend. Has anyone ever told you both that you kind of look alike? Unfortunately for her.”
I freeze. I knew he did it, but to hear it coming from his mouth so nonchalantly is a whole different story. So he thought Billie was me. She really did die because of me.
I hold my hands up. “You don’t need to do this, Jasper. Do you really want more enemies by killing me?”
“I do,”