Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“Did he take your business?” I inquired.
Coke shook his head. “No. Her father really hates his wife, Amadea, and Beatrice. He thinks they’re both stuck-up shits, and he doesn’t really want anything to do with them. But since his millions were made when he and Amadea were together, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to walk away from the marriage unscathed. And, since he doesn’t want to give her half of everything he owns, he stays with her. But, he makes it more than clear that he wants nothing to do with either one of them. Apparently, I was what made it tolerable to be around his daughter.”
My brows rose. “You have a bromance with your ex-father-in-law?”
Coke grunted and stood up. “Yeah, I guess. Anyway, after the divorce, anything that has to do with me—including people that work for me—are fair game to Beatrice. I’m sorry. I probably should’ve warned you of that.”
I walked farther into the room.
“She’s not the first one, and she won’t be the last,” I admitted. “My parents are trash. I’m not…but for a few years there, I had a chip on my shoulder, and I hated everyone and everything. I also did some things that were not so good because I wanted my parents’ attention. Needless to say, I never got their attention, but what I did get was a juvenile record.”
He grunted. “I think everyone has a juvenile record,” he admitted. “Or would have one if they had been caught.”
That, I agreed with.
“So where do you want me to start?” I questioned.
He pointed to his desk. “I have a shit ton of files there that need to go away, so for now, start with that. Once you’re done, come find me in the salvage yard. I have to go get a motor out of a truck for a pick-up. Do you know anything about tools?”
I shook my head. “‘Fraid not.”
He grunted. “If you plan on staying here for longer than a month, I might teach you a few things to help me out. I can’t tell you how many times people want a specific bolt or a hubcap. Random shit all the time. If you can get it, that’d make my life easier. The impound lot is starting to take up quite a bit of my time.”
“What is it you do with the impound lot?” I questioned.
“Over there, I scan through the vehicles that are brought in either through police investigations or for banks that repossessed them. I log all the contents. With the repos, I set the personal belongings aside and shelf them for when someone comes to pick the shit up. For the investigations, I go through and pull out all the shit after I take photos. Log what’s in there. Take fingerprints just in case. Shit like that.”
“Did I ever tell you that I have a degree in criminal justice and forensic science?”
His ears perked up. “You’re shitting me.”
I shook my head. “Nope. I started taking classes in forensic science and took a few criminal justice classes so I could graduate with dual degrees. It’s just that…nobody will hire me because of my past…I didn’t give that much thought.”
He stared at me so long that I started to squirm. It felt like his eyes were penetrating my brain and getting right to the root of the problem.
“I’m not going to say that this will work out,” he paused. “But if you stay and prove to be trustworthy, I have no reason to doubt that you can actually help me on that end of operations. Honestly, I wasn’t the best of kids either. I had to steal a lot of shit to get food when I was younger. Then, when I married Beatrice, I didn’t get much better. Not until the military, whipped my ass straight. Now I run this place, and I have more than I ever thought I’d have…and there’s no reason I can’t return that favor. If this works out, and you stay, prove to me that you’re worthwhile…we can explore other options for you.”
I felt my heart soar.
Knowing that I had a possible opportunity to utilize my degree? That was freakin’ wonderful.
I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.
“They do require a background check, though. You’ll have to pass a federal background check and be vetted by the chief. Now that the old douchebag’s not here anymore, I don’t see why that won’t work out.”
The old douchebag being my uncle.
And Coke was right. He was a douchebag.
“I’ll do anything.”
He winked. “Let’s do this then.”
Chapter 7
Hotel Hostel has just been refurbished. We offer special rates for anyone who has an outstanding warrant. Come check it out!
-Hostel PD FB Page
Johnny
“Do you know how to work Facebook?”
I looked over at Tyler Cree, my boss, and blinked. “I think it’s fairly self-explanatory,” I admitted. “But I don’t have much experience with it.”