were volunteering. You don’t get to retroactively request payment just because Christie broke up with you.”
Harper held up the documents. “The second page is from the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor. He’s already made a claim for the unpaid wages.”
“Everything’s official,” Pierce said. “I’ve had my lawyer review everything. She’ll receive the notification today. So, as I was saying. If you transfer that money out of my account you will be committing all sorts of crimes.” He glanced at Logan. “Including burglary.”
“This is bullshit. You can’t just take her money.”
“I already have,” he replied simply. “Christie never formally removed me from the accounting position, which means my payment to myself in accordance with the WHD claim was perfectly legal.”
“She’s been trying to get access from you for weeks,” I snapped. “You’ve been dragging your feet.”
Pierce spread his hands. “If Christie thinks I shouldn’t be paid, then she’s free to sue me. Although I must warn her I have one hell of a legal team. I’ve made quite a few friends down at the courthouse.” Pierce stood up. “A place the three of you will soon see more of if you don’t leave my house at once.”
“We need to leave,” Harper whispered to us.
Logan didn’t look like he wanted to budge, so I grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door. He broke free so he could face Pierce one more time.
“No wonder Christie dumped your ass. You’re not just a thief: you’re a fucking loser.”
Pierce’s smirk turned into a snarl. He threw a vicious haymaker punch, but Logan was ready for it. He ducked and the punch hissed through the air where his head had just been. Logan countered with a left-jab to Pierce’s gut, then a powerful uppercut into his jaw that knocked the man back a few steps.
“That all you got?” Logan asked.
Pierce let out a roar and charged at him.
This time Logan wasn’t able to dodge as Christie’s ex tackled him in the chest. They both crashed into the wall, cracking the drywall and knocking a painting to the floor. Logan punched down on the man’s back but Pierce wasn’t letting go; he rammed Logan into the wall again. This time I heard wood crack inside the wall. Logan let out a pained grunt.
Before Pierce could take advantage of the momentum, Logan thrust his head forward, smashing his skull into Pierce’s nose with a sickening crunch. Pierce stumbled backwards, nose bloodied and twisted.
“I’ll kill you—”
Harper and I stepped between them, hands outstretched. “Enough!” I shouted.
“We need to go,” Harper said while helping Logan get up.
“Not until I teach this prick a lesson…”
“We’re leaving,” I said. “Now. Come on.”
I stayed between Pierce and the others protectively while we made our escape. Pierce held his nose with both hands and followed close behind. He remained in the doorway as we hurried to the truck.
“I pity Christie!” he shouted at us. “Getting involved with a pack of thugs like you.”
We piled into the truck and Harper drove away.
“We’re not done,” Logan growled. “We need to fight for Christie.”
“I don’t know if we can,” Harper said. “If Pierce has legal standing for his wage claim…”
“I’m not talking about that,” Logan said. “I’m talking about what we do next.”
We listened to Logan as he explained his plan.
37
Christie
“I always knew he was a worm,” Bonny said. “From the moment I first laid eyes on him.”
We were sitting at my dining room table drinking tea. Slinky and the other small breeds were running around our feet underneath the table while I filled her in on everything that had happened.
“I never thought Pierce would stoop this far,” I said. “Stealing the money from my accounts…”
“In the meantime, I put all the supplies on my own card,” Bonny said. “Can’t let the dogs go hungry.”
I put my hand on hers. “I’ll reimburse you as soon as we get all of this sorted out.”
“I know you will, dear. You’re good people.”
“I just hope it’s quick,” I said. “It’s not like he stole a stack of bills. There should be a record of every bank transaction. I just need to get control of them again.”
The doorbell rang. That turned the house into a cacophony of barking and howling. Bonny corralled the small breeds away while I answered the door. It was the FedEx delivery woman with a certified envelope.
“What is it?” Bonny asked when I was back inside.
I opened the envelope and skimmed the pages. “You have got to be kidding me.”