Page 14 of Vigilante
It’s freezing, and I have to bypass a slew of gawking holiday shoppers who are clogging up the sidewalk. I go as fast as my legs will carry me, huffing all the way, silently cursing myself for not being in better shape. Those stupid ads my phone wasshowing me earlier are starting to make a lot more sense as a sharp pain stabs me in my side from running.
I’m a wheezing, sweaty mess by the time I make it to Deja Brew. Only Ned’s angry face tells me I didn’t make it on time.
“Julia, a word.” He says, gesturing to the cramped office.
The space is only big enough for two chairs, and when he closes the door, a bright overhead light fizzles loudly, shutting out the noise from the café.
I take off my beanie hat and twist it between my fingers. “Ned, I’m so?—”
He puts his hand up and sits across from me, knees knocking against mine. I recoil and don’t miss the flash of annoyance that crosses his face.
“This is the sixth time, Julia. I can’t keep making allowances if you’re not able to get to work on time.”
“I—”
“No excuses this time. I told you what would happen if you were late again.”
My heartbeat quickens, and my already sweaty body feels like it will drown itself if it sweats anymore. A sense of dread fills me as he avoids my eyes.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to let you go.” The words hit me like he’s just carried out a death sentence.
“Please. I’m sorry. I?—”
“Get your things and go,” Ned says quickly, not even allowing me to defend myself. “You can pick up your last check by the end of the week.”
As I squeeze past him, he grabs me by the wrist. His skin feels clammy and wrong.
“But I hope this doesn’t change anything between us.”
My mouth drops open. “What?”
“I had been hoping to ask you out sometime, and now that I’m no longer your manager, I can.”
My eyes go wide as I yank my wrist away. “Did you seriously just fire me so you could ask me out?”
“Well, no, but I?—”
“And you thought I would say yes?” I can hear the shrill cadence in my voice getting louder. But I’ve reached a level of rage that cannot be contained.
“Julia, we’ve been flirting for months. I thought you would be pleased.” He looks genuinely confused, and I laugh.
“What the fuck, dude? I was just being polite!” Please save me from the audacity of entitled pricks who use their position of power to get what they want.
I storm out of the office and knock over a tray of piping hot coffee on my way out, shocking my former co-workers and a slew of customers waiting in line.
I’m too pissed to care what they think. I needed this job. Once I’m back out on the sidewalk, reality hits me. I’m so fucking screwed.
My fingers tremble, and I find myself hitting call before I know what I’m doing. Instinctively, I picked Max’s name from my contacts, needing to hear his voice.
It rings in my ear as I wait for him to pick up. I just hope he’s not busy.
CHAPTER 8
Maximo
My fist hitsthe side of John’s cheek with a crushing blow, one that travels up my arm and into my chest. This is the first time I’ve touched him since I’ve had him tied up and locked away. The news is going insane with security footage of Rocco and me. Albeit grainy, it’s still out there in the world. There must have been a camera that we missed when doing our recon.
I mean, what did the cops and newscasters think would happen?
