Page 35 of The Storms Between Us
twenty-nine
The next morning,I have to be at the shop early. I slide out of bed, careful not to wake the angel sleeping next to me. Just when I think I can’t possibly love her any more than I already do, I learn a new aspect of her personality and fall all over again. This woman will be my wife one day. I know that without a doubt. Whatever I have to do to make it happen, I’ll do it. I give her a quick kiss, slipping out the door and downstairs silently.
The ride to the shop is always peaceful early in the morning. Most of the town hasn’t woken up yet and I can just enjoy all the beauty South Carolina offers. Even though the loud pipes of my bike fill the air with noise, the town is still serene. I never regret choosing to build my life here.
I pull up in front of the shop and see our business manager, Helo, whose real name is Beckett, already inside, with several ledgers laid out across the front counter. Everett and I both hate doing the books and other administrative things necessary to run a business. When Helo was medically discharged from the Corps, he went through a dark time. For a lot of us, the Corps was all we had. It was our family, our purpose. Without that, he didn’t know what to do with his life. After his mom called us one night to tell us he had tried and failed to end his own life, we knew we had to give him a new purpose. He was always a fucking genius with numbers and mechanics. I think that’s part of the reason he became a pilot in the first place. Every time he climbed into the cockpit of his chopper, we knew our lives were in excellent hands. So Everett and I asked him to take over the financial and bookkeeping side of the business. He jumped at the chance, and for the first time in a long time, I saw a genuine smile on his face.
He’s just one of many of our brothers in arms that have become an integral part of growing this business. With him controlling the financial side of things, Breaker taking care of all security or technical needs, and Iris, another of our brothers who earned his nickname from the saying ‘I Require Intense Supervision’, handling our legal dealings, we’ve kept our unit together outside the Corps.
I set a travel cup of coffee on the counter next to him and drop into a chair behind the desk. “How’s it looking this month?” I ask.
“So far, so good. Business is up almost 80% more than this time last year. I think at this rate we’re gonna have to look into buying the space next door to expand and maybe take on a few new artists just to keep up with appointments.” Pride swells in my chest at what we’ve built here.
“Fuck yeah, dude. That sounds awesome. I’ll call the real estate agent next week and start looking into it. Any big expenses coming down the pipeline this month?”
“Actually, yeah,” he says, suddenly sounding nervous. “I didn’t want to bother you guys during you trip, but we had a minor problem this weekend.”
“What? What kind of fucking problem?” I ask.
“Breaker called me Friday night to tell me he lost connection with the security system. He asked if I could come in and reset the system. When I got here, all the cameras were down and the hardline that powers the system had been cut. Obviously, it was intentional and I'm sure we all have an idea of who could have done it. Replacing the cameras and rewiring the system won’t be cheap, though. Breaker said now is a good time to upgrade the system if we’re replacing shit, anyway. All in all, it's gonna run us around 10k to get things up and running,” he huffs out a frustrated sigh. I feel my blood boiling under the surface of my skin. This motherfucker is messing with the wrong man. As if threatening my woman wasn’t enough to want to end his life, now this asshole is fucking with my business. There are people who depend on me to keep their bills paid. I won’t let him interfere with that.
“Did you call the cops and file a report?” I ask, rubbing my hands over my face, trying to clear my head.
“Yeah, of course. But you know how useful they’ve been so far,” he says sarcastically.
“Do it. Whatever Breaker says we need to do to upgrade the system, just do it.” I say, my tone clipped. He nods and closes the books in front of him. “Any other wonderful news you want to share?” I ask dryly.
“That’s all I have for you today, boss. How is Ember holding up?” He asks, his voice full of genuine concern. Although I hate the circumstances, I'm glad she’s managed to weave herself into my life so seamlessly.
“I think she’s okay. She’s a strong woman, but I know all of this is taking a toll on her. I was tempted to just stay at the beach on a permanent vacation,” I scoff.
“From everything I’ve heard from you and Ev, she seems like a really good person. I hate to see this happening to her,” he says.
“You and me both, brother,” I say, clapping him on the shoulder and heading out the front door. “Let me know if you have any issues with the security system. I’ll fill Ev in on everything.” I climb on my bike, checking my watch. The jewelry store across the square is just opening its doors for the day. I’ve got a stop to make before heading back home. I think I take the long way back and clear my head.
