Stand Off
Page 35
“From now on, you don’t look at my daughter.” Max slammed his head down onto the table, dumping a cup full of coke on his bleeding face when he passed out. The teen was still groggy when Max picked him up again.
“If I see you near her again, I’ll fucking kill you.” Max let the boy go, shoving him toward his friends.
“The cops are coming,” Jackal warned him.
“You all get out of here. I’ll see you when you bail me out.” Max sat down in a chair and waited for the cops.
The brothers scattered like dust in the blink of an eye. They had provided back-up if he needed it, but there was no reason to spend the extra money to bail them all out of jail.
The cops called an ambulance for the punk who had thought he could destroy Max’s daughter. Cuffed and placed in the backseat of the cruiser, Max actually felt like he was in a good mood until he realized Casey was expecting him later tonight. She was going to be pissed he had gone after the boy.
He began whistling as the cop drove him to the police station.
“Why in the hell are you in a good mood? Your ass is going to be locked up for a while.” The cop looked at him in the rearview mirror.
“You ever fucked a woman when she’s mad?”
Chapter 20
Casey picked up her cell phone, muting the ringer.
“Got a minute?” Gianna asked, coming into her office.
“Yes. What can I do for you?” Casey asked, seeing her friend with an unusually serious expression on her face.
Gianna closed her office door before taking the chair in front of her desk. She raised the letter in her hand.
“I received this letter in my mailbox today. You picked me as the new vice president?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. I didn’t apply… Lonnie has been here longer, and he wants the job.”
“You don’t want the promotion?” Casey questioned.
“Of course I do. It’s a large pay raise, and the benefits are better.”
“So, you’ll take the job?” Casey straightened the papers on her desk as she waited for her answer.
“Of course I want the freaking job! Are you crazy? Lonnie’s going to be upset, though.”
“Don’t worry about Lonnie. You deserve the promotion. You’re the most reliable worker the bank has; you remain cool when the clients get angry; and your cash drawer is always spot on. You will make a great vice president. I’ll begin your training this afternoon. In a month, you’ll know as much as I do.”
Gianna stood up, holding her hand out. “Thank you, Casey. I haven’t said anything, and I’d like to keep this personal, but the extra money will come in handy. My mom is getting older and is having a hard time working full-time. With the raise, I can help her out until she retires.”
Casey went around her desk, taking Gianna’s hand and tugging her close for a swift hug. “We’ll all benefit from you taking the job. You’re a valuable employee to the bank.”
Gianna gave her a watery smile as she paused before opening the door. “What about Lonnie? I… don’t want him to find out from the grapevine.”
“Send him in. I’ll break the news to him.”
“Thanks again, Casey.”
She went to get herself a cup of coffee. When she returned, Lonnie was sitting in the chair Gianna had vacated.
“Gianna said you wanted to see me. Have you made a decision about the new vice president?”
Lonnie had told everyone in the bank he had applied for the position when the previous vice president had quit to stay at home with her new child.
Casey closed her door, setting her coffee cup down on the desk. “Yes, I have. I offered the job to Gianna, and she accepted.”
Anger flooded his face as he stared at her in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding, right? I’ve worked my ass off for that promotion.”
“Yes you have, and it’s been a waste of time. Not only are you not becoming vice president, but you’re fired. Clean your locker out and leave the bank. Jack will escort you.” Casey motioned her head toward the security guard who stood outside her glass office.
“You can’t fire me!”
“Why can’t I fire you?”
“You know damn well why.”
“Because you’re paid by the Predators? Because you think, since I’m seeing Max, that your job was safe after you let Jackal into the safe-deposit box area?” Casey mocked his stunned expression. “I didn’t need to do much investigating to figure out who did it, Lonnie. Only one person is constantly hanging around my office and knew where I kept that key. You were the only one with access to the vault besides me.”
“They won’t let you fire me.” Lonnie’s anger had turned to smugness.
“I’ve got news for you: the Predators don’t tell me what to do. You need to leave now, and I won’t be giving you a reference.”
“You fucking bitch, I’ll be back at work tomorrow, and I’ll get that promotion, too. You’re the one who’s going to be out on your fucking ass.”
Casey didn’t reply as she opened the door for Jack. Lonnie threw her an angry glare as he left. The other employees were shocked to watch Lonnie escorted off the property. Casey didn’t answer any of the questions directed her way from the ones wanting the gossip first. She worked through her day normally as if she hadn’t fired someone and her boyfriend wasn’t locked up behind bars.
She’d been furious at Max when she had answered her cell phone to hear a recording that the call was coming from the jailhouse. Max’s voice coming over the line explaining that he had beaten up Maxie’s teenage crush had infuriated her.
“Are you crazy? He’s a kid!”
“What if he had raped her that day? What if you hadn’t been there, and a pervert snatched her from the bus stop? Anything could have happened. He talked her into leaving school. The punk even sent her a picture of himself. He’s fucking lucky I didn’t kill him.”
“You know these conversations are recorded, don’t you?” Casey snapped at him. “How long are you going to be in jail?”
“Until this afternoon. I’m waiting for Creed, Ice’s lawyer, to post bond.”
“How bad did you hurt him?”
“Nothing that won’t heal in a week or two. I have to go, but I didn’t want you waiting up for me. See you Monday.”
He hung up before she could tell him goodbye, and he had been calling her all morning. She hadn’t answered, not because she was angry at him for beating up Fisher—she thought he deserved it—but because she knew she was going to fire Lonnie and that he was connected to the Predators. She had been afraid she would break and tell him what she was going to do, and he would try to talk her out of doing it.
Lonnie deserved to be fired. She didn’t feel the least bit guilty for it. With his ties to the Predators, it would place him with too much power. He would be able to provide all kinds of illegal services for them, and Casey wasn’t going to stand back and watch it happen by turning a blind eye.
She sighed. Max was going to be furious, and they hadn’t been together for several days. She missed having him in her bed. It was too big and lonely without him. When she left Queen City, she would leave the bed behind, just like everything else.
“If I see you near her again, I’ll fucking kill you.” Max let the boy go, shoving him toward his friends.
“The cops are coming,” Jackal warned him.
“You all get out of here. I’ll see you when you bail me out.” Max sat down in a chair and waited for the cops.
The brothers scattered like dust in the blink of an eye. They had provided back-up if he needed it, but there was no reason to spend the extra money to bail them all out of jail.
The cops called an ambulance for the punk who had thought he could destroy Max’s daughter. Cuffed and placed in the backseat of the cruiser, Max actually felt like he was in a good mood until he realized Casey was expecting him later tonight. She was going to be pissed he had gone after the boy.
He began whistling as the cop drove him to the police station.
“Why in the hell are you in a good mood? Your ass is going to be locked up for a while.” The cop looked at him in the rearview mirror.
“You ever fucked a woman when she’s mad?”
Chapter 20
Casey picked up her cell phone, muting the ringer.
“Got a minute?” Gianna asked, coming into her office.
“Yes. What can I do for you?” Casey asked, seeing her friend with an unusually serious expression on her face.
Gianna closed her office door before taking the chair in front of her desk. She raised the letter in her hand.
“I received this letter in my mailbox today. You picked me as the new vice president?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. I didn’t apply… Lonnie has been here longer, and he wants the job.”
“You don’t want the promotion?” Casey questioned.
“Of course I do. It’s a large pay raise, and the benefits are better.”
“So, you’ll take the job?” Casey straightened the papers on her desk as she waited for her answer.
“Of course I want the freaking job! Are you crazy? Lonnie’s going to be upset, though.”
“Don’t worry about Lonnie. You deserve the promotion. You’re the most reliable worker the bank has; you remain cool when the clients get angry; and your cash drawer is always spot on. You will make a great vice president. I’ll begin your training this afternoon. In a month, you’ll know as much as I do.”
Gianna stood up, holding her hand out. “Thank you, Casey. I haven’t said anything, and I’d like to keep this personal, but the extra money will come in handy. My mom is getting older and is having a hard time working full-time. With the raise, I can help her out until she retires.”
Casey went around her desk, taking Gianna’s hand and tugging her close for a swift hug. “We’ll all benefit from you taking the job. You’re a valuable employee to the bank.”
Gianna gave her a watery smile as she paused before opening the door. “What about Lonnie? I… don’t want him to find out from the grapevine.”
“Send him in. I’ll break the news to him.”
“Thanks again, Casey.”
She went to get herself a cup of coffee. When she returned, Lonnie was sitting in the chair Gianna had vacated.
“Gianna said you wanted to see me. Have you made a decision about the new vice president?”
Lonnie had told everyone in the bank he had applied for the position when the previous vice president had quit to stay at home with her new child.
Casey closed her door, setting her coffee cup down on the desk. “Yes, I have. I offered the job to Gianna, and she accepted.”
Anger flooded his face as he stared at her in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding, right? I’ve worked my ass off for that promotion.”
“Yes you have, and it’s been a waste of time. Not only are you not becoming vice president, but you’re fired. Clean your locker out and leave the bank. Jack will escort you.” Casey motioned her head toward the security guard who stood outside her glass office.
“You can’t fire me!”
“Why can’t I fire you?”
“You know damn well why.”
“Because you’re paid by the Predators? Because you think, since I’m seeing Max, that your job was safe after you let Jackal into the safe-deposit box area?” Casey mocked his stunned expression. “I didn’t need to do much investigating to figure out who did it, Lonnie. Only one person is constantly hanging around my office and knew where I kept that key. You were the only one with access to the vault besides me.”
“They won’t let you fire me.” Lonnie’s anger had turned to smugness.
“I’ve got news for you: the Predators don’t tell me what to do. You need to leave now, and I won’t be giving you a reference.”
“You fucking bitch, I’ll be back at work tomorrow, and I’ll get that promotion, too. You’re the one who’s going to be out on your fucking ass.”
Casey didn’t reply as she opened the door for Jack. Lonnie threw her an angry glare as he left. The other employees were shocked to watch Lonnie escorted off the property. Casey didn’t answer any of the questions directed her way from the ones wanting the gossip first. She worked through her day normally as if she hadn’t fired someone and her boyfriend wasn’t locked up behind bars.
She’d been furious at Max when she had answered her cell phone to hear a recording that the call was coming from the jailhouse. Max’s voice coming over the line explaining that he had beaten up Maxie’s teenage crush had infuriated her.
“Are you crazy? He’s a kid!”
“What if he had raped her that day? What if you hadn’t been there, and a pervert snatched her from the bus stop? Anything could have happened. He talked her into leaving school. The punk even sent her a picture of himself. He’s fucking lucky I didn’t kill him.”
“You know these conversations are recorded, don’t you?” Casey snapped at him. “How long are you going to be in jail?”
“Until this afternoon. I’m waiting for Creed, Ice’s lawyer, to post bond.”
“How bad did you hurt him?”
“Nothing that won’t heal in a week or two. I have to go, but I didn’t want you waiting up for me. See you Monday.”
He hung up before she could tell him goodbye, and he had been calling her all morning. She hadn’t answered, not because she was angry at him for beating up Fisher—she thought he deserved it—but because she knew she was going to fire Lonnie and that he was connected to the Predators. She had been afraid she would break and tell him what she was going to do, and he would try to talk her out of doing it.
Lonnie deserved to be fired. She didn’t feel the least bit guilty for it. With his ties to the Predators, it would place him with too much power. He would be able to provide all kinds of illegal services for them, and Casey wasn’t going to stand back and watch it happen by turning a blind eye.
She sighed. Max was going to be furious, and they hadn’t been together for several days. She missed having him in her bed. It was too big and lonely without him. When she left Queen City, she would leave the bed behind, just like everything else.
