Page 36 of Indigo Sky

Bill sputtered for a moment before saying, “Of course not! I’m talking about this piece of shit and—"

“What do you want me to do?” Roy asked, now exhausted.

My hands flexed at my sides. My stomach quaked with energy and nerves. Fuck. I needed Nate to get into work. I needed to talk to him. I needed to wring his neck and demand to know where the fuck he’d been last night because I was beginning to understand just how badly he’d fucked up. AndIwas here, taking the fucking fall for it.

Bill crossed his arms, mimicking Roy’s stance. “I want my fuckin’ wallet. And I wanna see this asshole lose his job, or I’ll call the cops and—"

Roy held up his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You don’t even know that he—"

“I don’t care! I have put up with enough crap from your shop, Roy! And if I don’t see something happen right here, right now, I’m calling the fuckin’ cops and making your life a living hell. And I don’t wanna do that, Roy. I like you. We go way back. But—"

“All right, all right.” Roy dropped his gaze to the floor and nodded. He sighed and slumped his shoulders. “Revan—"

I abruptly turned to pin Roy with my gaze. “Roy, you gotta be kidding me right now!”

Roy wouldn’t look at me. “I’m sorry, Rev.” He gave his head a nudge over his shoulder. “Go pack up your shit and get outta here.”

My mouth fell open, then closed. Over and over. I didn’t know what to say, what to do, what the fuck to …anything. I had known Roy my entire life. I had been working in his shop for years. I had shown up every day on time and done my damn job as best as I could. And now, he was firing me based on the accusation of this fucking bald asshole? The guy had zero proof! It was all finger pointing and threats and nothing more.

“You heard him,” Bill said, triumphant. “Go pack your shit and get outta here … or I’ll call the cops.”

I turned to him and stared into his taunting gaze. “Go ahead. Call the fuckin’ cops. Letthemtell you I didn’t fuckin’ do shit with your wallet.”

Bill screwed up his lips, his cheeks reddened in color, and his mouth opened to spew some more bullshit my way. But Roy cut in before he got the chance.

“I’m handling it, Bill. Now, go home and cool off.”

“If I come back here and see you didn’t fire his ass—"

“Isaid, I’m handling it.”

Bill huffed and turned on his heel, barreling through the door and slamming it behind him. I watched him stomp his way to his car and get inside. I blinked and felt the telltale burn of emotion building higher and higher, threatening to spill over my cheeks.

This fat asshole was seriously going to cost me my job?

“Rev—"

“You’re firing me?” I asked, turning to Roy and leveling him with my glare. “You’re for real right now?”

“I cannot risk the cops showing up here, Revan. What if they find out that I’ve been paying you and Nate off the books? I can’t have the IRS on my ass.”

I lifted my gaze to Donny, the blank-faced motherfucker. “So, don’t tell them—"

“I can’t do that, Rev. I could be shut down. You realize that? My entire business, all these years, down the fuckin' drain."

"I can't believe this. My dad—"

Roy held up a finger and pointed it up toward my face. "I did your dad a favor by letting you work here. And you've been a hard worker, a real big help around here, but now, it's done. That's it. I never promised your old man you'd have a permanent position here for all of eternity."

Fucking hell. I stabbed my fingers through my hair and shook my head, every bit of my rage bubbling hot in my veins. "I didn't fuckingdoanything."

"I have no doubt about that. You're a good kid, Rev. But I've known Bill a long time. I know how much he loves to stir the pot, and if he says he's gonna call the cops, he will. I'm sorry. I really am."

Roy reached out, patted my arm, and turned around. With a sigh, he hung his head and trudged into the back, leaving mealone with Donny. Ending the day the way it'd begun … just thirty minutes ago.

I looked over at him, still standing behind the counter.

"Wow," he uttered, finally speaking for the first time since Bill had burst through the door. "That was wild."

---