Chapter Sixteen
Dalton
Well, yesterday sure wasn't what I was expecting, I thought as I slowly, and painfully, woke up. I was hoping to be able to see Taylor at the very least and spend some quality time with her. I missed everything about her. It was like she had gotten under my skin, and I just needed her near me to ease the ache.
Then she laid down the gauntlet and told me that for us to be together, I needed to talk to her brother. Okay, I was fine with that because I was tired of all the layers upon layers the family has had going on. It was time to be transparent and open.
But Eric had blown me off to go talk to Taylor. After a couple more stiff shots with Peggy, I left the Viper at the bar and staggered back to my hotel. Luckily, it was only about four blocks away, but it gave me time to clear my head.
Unfortunately, my head was anything but clear this morning, and the throbbing started as soon as I opened my eyes. I had not had a hangover in a very long time. It probably came from not eating all day. Dumb ass. I called for room service. When it was delivered, I lifted the lid, and immediately had a war with my stomach. My stomach won.
I hopped in the shower and hoped it would clear up my foggy morning and help me get back on track. Here I was a successful night club owner laid low by alcohol. That’s not what I wanted to be doing right now. I needed a clear heart and head, so Eric could see that I care about Taylor.
I made a decision while the rainfall shower beat water on my head. Eric would know about Taylor and me by the end of the day, and I would have Taylor in my arms tonight. I was a determined man. The way the last two weeks had been going, this was not my finest hour. But all that was about to change.
After I got out of the shower, I dried off and wrapped the towel around my hips. I was about to shave when I heard my phone ringing in the bedroom. I walked over to the nightstand and picked it up. I noticed that I had several calls from Eric this morning and it was only ten o’clock.
Did Taylor talk to him already? Did she not wait for me to say something? That was the only thing I could think of as to why Eric would be calling me so persistently about.
I called him back and could immediately hear that he was outside.
“Dalton, I need you to come to the bar right now.”
“If this is about Taylor…”
“What? No, why would this be about Taylor? There’s a problem. I need you here right now.”
I started getting dressed while I was still on the phone. Eric’s voice bordered on angry, and it took him a long time to go from simmer to angry.
“What’s the problem?” I asked.
“We’re being evicted.”
It was the fastest I had ever gotten dressed and since the Viper was at the bar, I practically ran down the four blocks to the bar. I could see and hear the commotion long before I got there. There were a couple of police cars – probably from Eric shooting his mouth off – and locks were being put on the door.
Tommy Bryce, the running back from high school, was now a deputy. His ebony skin glistened in the early morning humidity. I got there out of breath and doubled over. When I could look up, I waved at him.
“Hey Tommy, what's up? What’s happening with our bar?”
“Dalton, heard you were back in town. Taxes haven’t been paid, and the seizure notices haven’t been addressed.”
My business wheels started turning as I tried to figure out and ran through my business law knowledge on a serious hangover. I remembered things, but they were hazy. Just a little bit out of reach, but I did have a small idea. It was a long shot. Maybe Tommy would buy it. He already had Eric cuffed. The other cop just sat in his car watching the scene, having his coffee. He raised his cup in a salute.
“Can we have a minute, please?”
“Sure, but make it quick because he’s about to head down to the jail to cool off. Never thought I would see the day that Eric Price would actually start yelling at someone in the middle of the street, and I sure as hell didn’t think he would be stupid enough to do it to me… a cop.”
“Tommy,” Eric said.
Tommy made a motion with his hands like a closing of lips. “Shush. You can talk when we get to jail. You can chill there for a couple of hours. Get whatever it is out of your system.”
I didn’t even have a chance to try to talk Tommy out of taking Eric downtown, as we were interrupted. As we were talking, a late-model Mercedes pulled up. George got out and walked over to the sheriff. Courtney stepped out on her side and leaned against the car, sunglasses and stilettos as always.
The Third walked over to us three standing there with our mouths open. What were they doing here?
“Having little bit of a problem?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“Heard on the local news radio that there was a commotion down here at The Boar and Brew. Looks like there is a seizure going on. That’s so bad for business.”
“Shouldn’t surprise me by now that news travels so fast in these parts. However, George, I’m not really sure why you are here on this wonderful Saturday morning, why you would care, and why what happens here matters to you and yours.”
George stood up as far as his short legs would get him, which still put him half a foot below me. I looked down on his balding head.
“My family has been developing these properties over the last hundred years. And this one here is a piece of prime real estate in a downtown but growing gentrified area. Building’s over a hundred years old, but the bar has only been here for about fifty. Property taxes have to be paid or it goes to tax seizure. All your bills need to be paid. It’s too bad that the Prices have fallen on such hard times.”
I’m glad Tommy Brice was there, as I was sure Eric was ready to uncharacteristically strangle George. I could see his hands clenching next to me even with his hands in cuffs.
“All the property taxes have been paid, you little maggot,” said Eric.
Tommy shook his head and pointed at Eric. “Eric, I’m not telling you again.”
“Not according to the tax records, they haven’t been,” George claimed. “The property in question then goes to a tax sale in the next two weeks so whoever bids on the property and pays the taxes gets the property.”
I wanted to smack the smirk right off his shiny balding head.
“Once my development company buys it, then we can do what we want to do with it.”
I stepped closer to him, causing him to back up a step. “George, your development company is forcing this tax sale.”
“I have people very interested in this bar and the property it sits on.”
I stepped a foot closer, so close in fact, he had to crane his chicken neck to look up at me. “As long as the property is in probate, nothing can be done about liens until that is completed.”
Courtney walked out from behind George. “That will only be a few days, Dalton. It’s a simple probate. Everything went to Taylor and Eric, and they didn’t handle the taxes.”
I smiled, baring my teeth but not in a happy way. “The bar doesn’t belong to Taylor or Eric.”
George and Courtney shared a confused glance. “Of course, it does. They’re his children.”
Tommy was just leaning back, enjoying the exchange.
“Let me rephrase,” I said. “The bar doesn’t solely belong to Taylor or Eric. It belongs to the both of them and to me, and it is currently in probate.”
“We didn’t hear anything about you owning the bar.”
“Part owner. If you would check the records with the state, it was done right before Pops’ death, and knowing how slow the state is, it probably just hasn’t made it online yet.”
Part of me was talking out my ass. I didn’t know for sure about that, but you better believe I was heading on over talk to Henry about this as soon as I figured out what to do about Eric.
“Because of the way the probate laws work, The Third… I can call you The Third, right, George?”
The little man nodded, warily, as I peered down on him.
“The way it works is that because the property is still in probate, it actually has a couple more weeks before any monies are due on the taxes due to the way the probate laws are North Carolina.”
George cleared his throat. “You would know how much this property is worth developing, Dalton. I’ve heard about your real estate deals in Los Angeles and Chicago. Putting up your little discos everywhere.”
I took a step forward, forcing him to step back up into his car.
Tommy got between us. “Dalton, now come on. I know there's some long-term friction between the two of you but hey, you just got back into town and you don’t need to join Eric for a day visit of our jail.”
“Tommy, there is no way I'm going to jail over someone like him.” I looked George and Courtney both up and down. “Bring it on, George. Because the last person you want to piss off is me.”
“You don’t scare me, Dalton. These deals are done all the time in homes all over the place.”
I raised my hand. “Homes, George, not board rooms or offices? What are you up to? I’ll find out. You know I will.”
The humidity was seeming to effect Courtney, too, as she was swiping at her neck with her scarf. She pulled George back away from the car where he was currently leaning.
Tommy pulled me back.
“This is even beneath you, Courtney, and there’s not much I can say about that. Is that why you hit on both Eric and I last week? To find out what went on at the reading of Pops’ will? Didn’t find out I owned the bar, did you?”
Courtney pushed her sunglasses farther up on her head. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
“I just bet you don't.”
I looked over at Eric. “Seriously, she either doesn’t know or she really doesn’t have a clue as to what’s going on.”
Eric laughed. “She’s never been the brightest.”
I leaned over George “I'm going to find out.”
Courtney got between us and pushed against my chest. “Baby, let’s just go.”
George walked over to her side. Courtney stumbled a little as she moved a bit too quickly in her stiletto heels in her hurry to get into the Mercedes and away from me. They drove off, shedding a little bit of rubber on the road.
I looked over at Tommy, putting Eric into the police car. “Is there anything I can do to get the bar back open?”
Tommy shook his head. “Nothing this afternoon. Courts are full and, of course, they are closed on the weekend. You would need to wait until Monday.”
Eric piped up from the car, “We’re going to lose that money from this weekend.”
I waved him off. “That’s the least of your concerns, Eric. We have until Monday morning to find out some more information about this development deal. It can’t be legit.”
Tommy didn’t really care and just wanted to get on his way. You could tell by the way he kept shuffling from foot to foot.
“Don’t know what you all got yourself into, but I hope you figure it out. I love this bar. My dad would take me here when we were kids. Hate to see it go to make some townhomes.”
I nodded toward the police car. “When can I get him out?”
“He’ll have to cool his heels for the day, you can probably get him out by tonight.”
I leaned over to talk to him before Tommy closed the door. “I’ll get Harry.”
Eric looked at me. “I don’t care about getting Harry right now. Go tell Taylor. She’s bound to have heard about it by now, and I don’t want her coming down here. Plus, she’s great, like I told you, at researching online, and she could probably find things out faster than either of us could by ourselves. We should find out some more. She’ll also have to tell Peggy, as she had the morning off. Peggy will tell the staff, so that no one comes in. I can’t believe I’m losing the bar.”
Tommy finished with the lock and notice on the front door and headed around back to lock up there as well. This was definitely not what I saw happening today. He meandered his way back to us. “You all said your peace?”
We both nodded.
“Then off we go then. I guess I’ll see you later when you bail him out.”
I nodded. “See you then, Tommy.”
In the meantime, I had to let Taylor know, get the lawyer working, and keep a seventy-year old woman from going ape shit over a couple of grown up ankle biters. And I still hadn’t told Eric about me and Taylor. My day was not going well.