Hotbox (30 page)

“I know y
ou don’t keep in touch
,
” he continued,
“
but I am happy to relay that he has quit using. He has no
t
purchased
a single thing since your last visit. I’m very impressed with your persuasion, Tyler. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m neglecting some of your talents.”

“If I’ve convinced my dad of anything, it’s because I’m finally too fed up to care.”

He softly laughed. “Actually I do believe that. I’m really impressed with how
much
you care, though. I’m surprised it has taken this long for you to finally give up on him.
You certainly are a compassionate young man.
”

“I’m tired,” I sighed. “What do you want so I can go home?”

“Are you not enjoying our time together? I’m sorry. Maybe I’m not interesting enough. Let’s get to the interesting parts, shall we
?
I have a very important vehicle that needs…a little makeover
.
This car is going to be separated from the pack to assure
that it’s kept confidential
.
I don’t have a set of hands that I can trust right now to help me out, and I’m on a deadline. This is a very special job for a very special client, and I want
only
the best. Your father has kind of disappeared… So that leaves
you
.”

No way. There was no way I was going to go down the road my father went down.
“You know what? I don’t owe you anything. I’ve done more than my share of ‘favors’ for you. I’m done with my father. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“I don’t care about your father. If he can get clean and stay out of my hair, good for him. I don’t wan
t anything to do with him
,
either.”

“Then why am I sitting here? I’m done.” I reached for the door handle to leave.

“It’s Jayden, right?”

A sick feeling washed through me
.
Time seemed to freeze. I could almost feel fate squeezing the life out of me.

“Isn’t that her name? Jayden.
She’s
very
pretty, Ty
ler
. Probably the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a
lot
,” he laughed
lightly
.

I
swallowed and slowly
turned to look at him.

“I have to admit,” he said, shaking his head with a smile. “You’re either v
ery brave or very foolish.
Dating the daughter of
Judge
Joseph
Adams?
Whether it be brave or foolish,
I’m impressed
both ways
.”

My entire body was paralyzed with fear. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t speak… I
couldn’t even think straight. So h
e knew about Jayden… Why was he bringing her up?

“Don’t look so
terrified
, Tyler
. I don’t want to
harm
her. I’m actually rooting for the two of you. You make a stunning couple. But… I do have my ways to come between people. I’d really hate for t
hat to happen to the two of you
. It would be so tragic—”

“Leave her out of this.”

“That’s
your choice
. Just do what I’ve asked and
she won’t get her heart broken.
”

My own heart dropped into my stomach. He was really going to do it, wasn’t he? He was going to do what it took to manipula
te me into doing what he wanted
.
It took everything in my power to keep my hands off of his neck. If I could get away with it, I may have strangled him right then and there.

“I’m not even half as skilled as my dad. I’m not the guy you need—”

“
It’s just a little paint job.
Here’s what you’ll be getting your hands on,” he smiled, handing me a piece of paper.
“I doubt you’ve even seen one of these besides in a book. Maybe you’ll be inspired with some enthusiasm.”

I looked over the specs and couldn’t hide my
shock
.
It was a two million dollar
Veyron
.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,
”
I murmured.

“
Here’s an address. I want you to meet up with Conlon right now. He’ll go over everythi
ng with you. I have work to do.” H
e motioned me away
like I was a stray dog
. “Until next time, Tyler.”

I didn’t move at first, contemplating if there was another way out. He gave me a look that said I would be forcefully removed within the next few seconds if I didn’t comply. I opened the door and climbed out, not even feeling like I was in control of my own body.

The car drove off the second I shut the door.

I got in my truck and just sat. I wasn’t sure how long I was even there until my phone rang, breaking me out of my s
tupor to look at the clock.
6:05
.

“I’m just running a little behind,” I told Jayden.

“
All right
,
I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
             
“Yeah, I guess I got sidetracked. I’m sorry I didn’t call.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just being selfish. I really miss you.”

“I rea
lly miss you, too.
But, uh, I’m gonna be a little longer. I’m not sure when I’ll be home.”

“Okay. I’ll just stick dinner in the fridge and it can be reheated. Is everything all right? You sound…a little down.”
             
“Oh, I’m pretty tired. It’s been a long day. I’ll get going so I can be home soon, okay?”

“Sure. Love you, see you later.”
             
“I love you, too.”

Chapter Nineteen

“Ty… Have
a seat. Are you hungry? You wanna
eat
?”
Dean took a bite of his food and he motioned for me to sit down.

I sat across from
him
in the tiny little restaurant
and said, “No
. Hurry this up so I can get home.”

He laughed and said, “Fine, fine…
Let’s see
here…
The
car is arriving
next Thursday night
.
I’ll pick you up that night at eleven p.m.
That’s all you need to know,” he finished, sitting back in his seat and folding his arms.

“What do you mean that’s all I need to know?
What exactly will I be doing? Depending on what it is, it could take some time.
”

He looked at me impatiently. “All I know is that you’ll be home for breakfast
, and if you have more work to do, I’ll come and get you the next night at the same time
.”

He continued to talk and I found myself without any replies whatsoever. All I could think about was Jayden. Olevsky now had my weakness. She was the only thing that was important to me. If I
did
this one
car
, who’s to say there won’t be more? T
hese people didn’t
mess
around. Dean was a nasty man and he did whatever his boss told him to do, but
Olevsky
’s influence could be felt from the other side of the world. The man was rich, powerful, and worst of all
,
ruthles
s. I knew the things that I’
d heard weren’t even stories; they were real. A man that cunning and crafty could only be compared to the devil himself.

I felt like my fate was
now sealed. This was really it:
I had become my father.

“It’s been nice seeing you, Ty. Our face-to-face meetings are few and far between. I have another appointment
,
so I’ll let you go.” He continued eat
ing his food so I stood up. “Oh
and Ty… I know you’re not happy about all this—it’s pretty obvious—but just get it done so there aren’t any problems, okay?”

He looked past me
and seemed a little startled,
so I turned around.
There
was a guy about my same height with dark hair, and
tiny
eyes that shifted cautiously between Dean and I. He looked uncomfortable for a moment,
and then he sat down at a booth with his back to me as I left out the back entry.

I drove home and replayed everything that happened that evening in my mind. That job offer in Olympia was looking pretty appealing again. I decided I would give the company a call in the morning. I had
another week
before they chose who
m
they would hire
and
, even though I had already turned it down,
Marty told me I was still his number one choice if I changed my mind.

Jayden was watching TV when I got home. She was sure a sight for sore eyes. I even let her hug and kiss me longer than I normally would after coming
home from work smelling like a grease pit
. I quickly showered and ate so I could spend
as much
time with her
as
possible
before she left
for the night
.

“Megan called me today,” she said. I was
lying
across the couch with my head in her lap, enjoying the feel of her fingers running through my hair.

“Oh, yeah? What about?”

“She ask
ed if I would help with
t
he flowers for the wedding.”

“Are you going to?”

“
I told he
r I would since I had offered a long time ago. But from the sounds of it, I think it’s going to be a big job.
I’ll have to enlist some help.”

“Are they having a
really
big wedding?”

“Pretty much
. I guess Megan’s had her wedding planned since she was, like, five years old,” she lightly laughed.

I sat up and
moved
close to
her. “And what kind of wedding do
you
want?” I asked, softly touching her
hair
. “Millions of flowers, ice sculptures, a live orchestra—”

“No!” she laughed. She actually looked horrified
. “Not even close
. Do you know who you’re talking to, here? I would die if anybody even
looked
at me! Vegas or the courthouse and I’m good to go.”

I
had been teasing her because I knew she didn’t want anything elaborate, but now I was
a little
surprised
. I thought she might just be joking
,
but she looked completely serious.

“What do you mean?” I asked her. “You don’t want…”

“I want to get
married
. I don’t need a
wedding
.”

Most guys would probably be thrilled to hear that, but I couldn’t exactly explain why I wasn’t. I guess I had actually pictured the wedding and how beautiful Jayden would look in a wedding dress.
I didn’t care for the audience
either, but I always thought planning a weddin
g was on every girl’s list. M
y fa
ther had
n
ever had an actual wedding—he had
one marriage
in V
egas, and he married my mom at City H
all
(she was four months pregnant with me)
. T
he thought of doing anything remotely like him was appalling.

“Ty? You’re upset with me—”

“No, no, I’m not, I just… I’m a little surprised, I guess. I just thought you only wanted something
small
not…nothing
at all
.
”

“And that disappoints you because…you
want
to have a wedding?”

I shrugged, but decided I should just be honest. “Yeah, I do. I don’t care if it’s a tiny backyard
ceremony
, but I really would like to have an actual wedding.”

She studied me for a
long
moment and from the look on her face, I thought she would protest. I was almost positive she was going to, but instead she replied, “Ok
ay. We can do something small. B
ut only if you tell me
why
.”