Page 24 of Lost Little Boy
Without waiting for him to respond, I took the key out of his hand, kissed his temple, and ran up the stairs to his apartment. I’d guessed it was the one the leasing agent was going to show me later in the day, which pissed me off even more.
I opened the door without knocking as a young man stood in the kitchen in boxer briefs, scratching his ass. “You must be Shane.” He jumped before he turned around.
His mouth was hanging open, and his lip was swollen with a trace of blood on his chin. “Y-Yeah. Who are… Wait, you’re the guy Perry claims to be dating? Well, hello,Daddy.”
I stared at his slightly muscular form and laughed. “Never in a million years would I beyourDaddy. By the way, you and the girl owe Perry a lot of money, you little thief. I know you and Nora scammed Perry for rent money. Not only will I tell the leasing manager that you had an illegal sublet, but I’ll tell him you scammed Perry for several thousand dollars. I’m filing a lawsuit against the property management company in the morning.”
The little shit smirked. “Do what you want. We’re moving in a few weeks anyway.”
I pulled my phone out and dialed the guy I’d spoken to the previous day. “Kinwood Run. Daryl speaking.”
“Daryl, this is Wexler Grassley. We spoke yesterday.” I hit the speaker button so the smartass staring at me could hear both sides of the conversation.
“Yes, Mr. Grassley. I must say, I’m surprised your mother would want to live in that building.” Obviously, he’d done his research on my family.
“Yeah, uh, I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you. I was doing some recon for my partner. Seems the couple you rented the unit to were illegally subletting the sunroom to him and charging him a lot of money for it. The maximum occupancy for this unit is two, according to the Arlington County Fire Code, am I correct?”
Shane’s mouth opened as his eyes darted around the room. I had to hold the smirk. The little bastard thought he could fuck me over?Ha!
“Mr. Grassley, sir, I can promise you I didn’t know the sunroom was an illegal sublet. I’m sorry your partner was duped. I’ll have that couple out by this afternoon if your partner wants to assume the lease.”
“Thank you, Daryl. I appreciate your prompt response. Are the furnishings included in the apartment?”
Shane rushed out of the room, and a moment later, I heard a scream that made my skin crawl. It was all I could do to keep from laughing.
“Yes, they are. If your partner wants to lease the apartment, I can let them look at the furniture I have in storage. I have better stuff that’s been left behind by others, but it’s up to you,” Daryl said.
“And will my partner be able to get a roommate to share expenses?” I wouldn’t pressure Perry into living with me at the corporate apartment. I’d make surehehad a place to live, and if he found someone to share, that was good for him.
“Yes, of course. Well, just one person, but I tell ya what. Since those other two scammed him out of his money, I’ll cut the rent to sixteen hundred for a year. Can your partner wait until Monday to move in? I’ll kick the other two out and get my guy to clean the carpets and paint the walls over the weekend.” That was an unexpected perk.
“Perfect. I’ll stop by today to sign the papers and pay the deposit and first three months’ rent. Can you have the leasing paperwork ready to be signed by one o’clock? I want to look at the place and see how they left it. I don’t want my partner moving into a rathole with a lot of damage.”
“I’ll go over there right now and serve them with eviction papers. I’ll stay there while they pack their things to ensure they don’t do more damage.”
I nodded. “I’ll see you at one. Thank you, Daryl.”
I ended the call and turned toward the direction Shane had taken off to see a young woman wearing a very risqué lingerie set in a blush pink. “That’s nice, but you’re wasting it on me. I wish you the best of luck. I’d start looking for boxes if I were you.”
“Where are we supposed to go? Our place won’t be ready before July first?” It was the girl in pink, and she had a voice that could cut glass.
I couldn’t help myself. They’d been horrible to Perry, and I’d decided it was my place to pay them back.
“Where are you moving? Maybe I can help you out?”
The girl’s face brightened. Clearly, she couldn’t discern the sarcasm in my voice.
“Avalon Ridge on Mt. Zion Road Southeast, in Atlanta.”
“Nora, shut up! He’s not going to help us.” Shane’s voice was stern, and she jumped.
I grabbed Perry’s blanket, sheets, and pillow from the couch in the solarium and let myself out, laughing all the way down the stairs. When I got outside, I glanced at mybrother-in-law’s pickup to see Perry pacing next to it as he tugged his hair.
“Hey, quit pulling your hair. I love your hair. Here.” I handed him his bedding and opened the truck door. “Hop in, sweet boy. We need to get to work.”
His adorable face resembled a cute owl. “What happened?”
After he was inside, I hurried around to the driver’s side and got in. “Buckle up, buttercup.” I reversed out of the parking spot and turned left on South Pershing toward the Liberty Building.
