Chapter One
Shawn Morgan looked up from the temperature controls on the dashboard just in time to see the traffic light change from yellow to red. He slammed on brakes and the car jolted to a stop past the white line. As he waited for the lights to change again, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. The August heat was smoldering, and he longed to be free of his work shirt and slacks.
It was hotter than a sauna in this car. Even turning the A/C dial to the coolest setting did nothing to help the heat wave. He dreaded his decision to venture to the other side of town, but he was too close to his destination to turn around now. What had he been thinking? He was supposed to be at home in front of the big screen enjoying a cold one. It should have been enough that he’d worked nearly sixty hours this week. Exhaustion had set in hours ago and he’d only had one slice of pizza for lunch. That’s what he got for being a workaholic.
He pulled his car into an empty parking space on the furthest side of Reilly’s Automotive. The car repair shop was surprisingly busy despite the rather compact building that housed the operations. What he expected was a small Mom and Pops storefront with minimal activities. There were a number of customers in the store and vehicles being repaired in the shop. True to the business statement on this potential client’s application, it looked as though the Reilly business was booming.
Shawn took one last sip of his now lukewarm bottled water before exiting his Hummer. Just as he closed the door, a man in blue greased smeared overalls rounded the corner with two tires propped up on his shoulders. The repairman whistled as he approached Shawn.
“Hello, sir. How can we help you?”
He’d been trying to contact the owner of the shop for almost a week now about the proposal they’d sent his bank, all to no avail. Although, he didn’t want to seem desperate by stopping by without an appointment. “What about an A/C check?”
The repairman nodded. “We close in about an hour, but I think we can manage that. Let’s have Daniel check you in.”
Shawn followed him inside and a refreshing gust of cool air fanned his face. The place had better air conditioning than his ride. The building was a bit aged, but he commended the owner for keeping a cleanly appearance. Yet the interior was rather drab with its chalkboard black walls and metal-like furniture. The repairman led him to the counter where a guy was waiting and disappeared in the back.
Daniel didn’t look a day over twenty-one. He handed a customer what looked like a receipt and a set of keys, then turned his attention to Shawn. “Ronald says you need an A/C inspection.”
“If you can squeeze one more customer in…” Shawn said. “If not, I can come back tomorrow.”
“We’re just about done for the day, but we’ll take care of you.”
As Daniel typed his information into the computer, he glanced around. On the other side, there was a waiting room where a couple of customers sat. He recognized the news anchor’s voice from the evening news, so the object of interest seemed to be a television. A snack and drink machine, as well as an arcade game sat off in another corner of the room.
“Your keys?” Daniel held his hand outstretched.
Shawn dug in his back pocket and handed over his keys. “Is your owner around?”
“I might be able to help you with something. What do you need?”
He shook his head. “I need to speak to your owner if he’s around. Nothing bad. I just have a couple questions about his business.”
Daniel gave him a once over before giving a curt reply. “She might be busy, but I’ll let her know.”
“She?”
The guy gave him an annoyed look. “Yeah. She.” He turned and disappeared through the same door as the repairman did earlier.
Shawn ventured over to the waiting room and took a seat. He felt mildly out of place in his business shirt and slacks. As soon as he’d escaped the tedious day
Shawn Morgan looked up from the temperature controls on the dashboard just in time to see the traffic light change from yellow to red. He slammed on brakes and the car jolted to a stop past the white line. As he waited for the lights to change again, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. The August heat was smoldering, and he longed to be free of his work shirt and slacks.
It was hotter than a sauna in this car. Even turning the A/C dial to the coolest setting did nothing to help the heat wave. He dreaded his decision to venture to the other side of town, but he was too close to his destination to turn around now. What had he been thinking? He was supposed to be at home in front of the big screen enjoying a cold one. It should have been enough that he’d worked nearly sixty hours this week. Exhaustion had set in hours ago and he’d only had one slice of pizza for lunch. That’s what he got for being a workaholic.
He pulled his car into an empty parking space on the furthest side of Reilly’s Automotive. The car repair shop was surprisingly busy despite the rather compact building that housed the operations. What he expected was a small Mom and Pops storefront with minimal activities. There were a number of customers in the store and vehicles being repaired in the shop. True to the business statement on this potential client’s application, it looked as though the Reilly business was booming.
Shawn took one last sip of his now lukewarm bottled water before exiting his Hummer. Just as he closed the door, a man in blue greased smeared overalls rounded the corner with two tires propped up on his shoulders. The repairman whistled as he approached Shawn.
“Hello, sir. How can we help you?”
He’d been trying to contact the owner of the shop for almost a week now about the proposal they’d sent his bank, all to no avail. Although, he didn’t want to seem desperate by stopping by without an appointment. “What about an A/C check?”
The repairman nodded. “We close in about an hour, but I think we can manage that. Let’s have Daniel check you in.”
Shawn followed him inside and a refreshing gust of cool air fanned his face. The place had better air conditioning than his ride. The building was a bit aged, but he commended the owner for keeping a cleanly appearance. Yet the interior was rather drab with its chalkboard black walls and metal-like furniture. The repairman led him to the counter where a guy was waiting and disappeared in the back.
Daniel didn’t look a day over twenty-one. He handed a customer what looked like a receipt and a set of keys, then turned his attention to Shawn. “Ronald says you need an A/C inspection.”
“If you can squeeze one more customer in…” Shawn said. “If not, I can come back tomorrow.”
“We’re just about done for the day, but we’ll take care of you.”
As Daniel typed his information into the computer, he glanced around. On the other side, there was a waiting room where a couple of customers sat. He recognized the news anchor’s voice from the evening news, so the object of interest seemed to be a television. A snack and drink machine, as well as an arcade game sat off in another corner of the room.
“Your keys?” Daniel held his hand outstretched.
Shawn dug in his back pocket and handed over his keys. “Is your owner around?”
“I might be able to help you with something. What do you need?”
He shook his head. “I need to speak to your owner if he’s around. Nothing bad. I just have a couple questions about his business.”
Daniel gave him a once over before giving a curt reply. “She might be busy, but I’ll let her know.”
“She?”
The guy gave him an annoyed look. “Yeah. She.” He turned and disappeared through the same door as the repairman did earlier.
Shawn ventured over to the waiting room and took a seat. He felt mildly out of place in his business shirt and slacks. As soon as he’d escaped the tedious day
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