Hard to Break

“It wasn’t yours,” he barks, losing his cool. “And you couldn’t have saved it, you and I both know that. I did you a favor.”

“A favor?” I laugh so bitterly it hurts. “A fucking favor? How do you suppose you did me a favor? No, you did only yourself a favor. I might not have been able to save that garage, but you owed me at least the chance to try.”

“Listen, Quinn…”

“Don’t,” I cry, launching forward and shoving him so hard he’s forced to take a few steps back. “Don’t try and make yourself look better. You’re a dog, and you know it. Worse, you had the balls to kiss me and make out like you actually wanted it. Real, Tazen?” I shake my head. “You wouldn’t know real if it slapped you in the face.”

“Come on,” Jace says, wrapping an arm around me. “Let’s go.”

With tears staining my cheeks, I let him turn me.

“Angel,” Tazen calls.

I look over my shoulder at him. “This is far from finished.”

Then, I let Jace lead me away.

CHAPTER NINE

“How could you?” I cry, pacing the room.

My dad is sitting on the couch, staring up at me with a check in his hand for a hundred thousand dollars. He looks confused, like he couldn’t possibly imagine why the hell I’m sad over the loss of the garage. I understand in his fried brain, he thinks he did the right thing. That it was a simple solution, but he failed to think about what the place meant to me.

And he knows, even in his state. He knows.

“I told you I’d fix it,” he mutters.

“Fix it?” I whisper. “That was the only thing I had left. It was the only part of her,” my voice breaks, “we had left.”

My dad flinches and I know that was a low blow.

“I…” he stammers. “I was only tryin’ to fix things, Quinnie. I couldn’t stand to see you suffering anymore.”

My shoulders slump and I drop my head. I can’t be angry at him, not when he thinks that he has just fixed everything. In a way, he has. Our bills can be paid, our mortgage covered and things will ease up. But we have lost something that we can never get back, and that is making my heart ache in a way I can’t turn off.

“It’s okay, Dad,” I whisper, placing my hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to sort all of this out. Let me put the check in the account.”

He hesitates, staring at the check promising a large amount of money. He wants it, and I know exactly what he wants it for. I can’t risk that happening, if he gets hold of this kind of money he’ll drink it away before we have the chance to do anything. So, in a gentle voice, I say, “Dad, if you did this for us, then you need to let me put that money away.”

He sighs and hands me the check, but his hand is shaking as he lets it go. That wasn’t easy for him. I lean down and kiss his head, then I grab my purse and keys, letting him know I’ll be back later. Then I head out to the bank, cash the check and drive down to the garage. We have one week to clear out before Tazen takes over. That isn’t a lot of time.

I arrive to see people everywhere, not just my guys, but a heap of others. They’re moving out old tools and equipment, and there’s a massive truck bringing in new, shiny things. My blood boils and I throw my car door open, sliding out and storming towards the men who are working. “What the hell are you doing?” I cry.

A man, pushing an old toolbox, looks to me with confusion. “Clearing out like we’ve been ordered to.”

“By who?” I demand.

“By me.”

I whirl quickly to see Tazen standing with a clipboard in hand. He’s wearing a pair of blue jeans with a black shirt that has a picture of a car on the front. Lame. He’s got shades pulled over his eyes. Anger swirls in my chest.

“I have a week, you have no right to be in here before then. This is my stuff!”

He studies me. “What do you plan on doing with it all?”

Dammit. I don’t know. But it’s beside the point.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s mine.”

“Actually,” he says. “It’s mine. The garage was sold with all the contents.”

“You’re a piece of work,” I hiss.

“Listen,” he says, stepping closer. “I did what I did, but business is business, Quinn. So get your things.” He leans in close. “And get out of my garage.”

I explode, shoving him backwards and turning, storming inside. I shove past people and make it to my team, who are all standing around looking lost. “Chain this shit down, do not let him take it.”

They all stare at me like I’ve lost my marbles. Hell, maybe I have, but for one week this garage is still in my name. I won’t let him just destroy it.

“Quinn, sweetheart,” Lenny says gently.

“No, Lenny,” I whisper. “Don’t you give up on this.”

“We don’t have a choice, it’s his now.”

“It’s not his!” I cry, spinning around and charging towards a man carrying out my favorite spanner set. “Put that down!”

I reach him and slap the spanners right out of his hands. They hit the ground with a loud clank and skitter across the floor. I move to the next man, carrying Lenny’s favorite tool bag. I yank it off his shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards and lose his footing.

“Fuck me,” Tazen mutters. “Just let her take what’s hers.”

I spin on him, waving my hands in his face. “Do you even care that you’re taking jobs from these men, men who have families?”

Tazen’s face gets hard. “If they want a job here, they’re more than welcome to approach me about it. I don’t have a problem with taking on your team, Quinn.”

“They should have jobs automatically,” I protest. “They’ve made this place what it is.”

He shakes his head. “Quinn, I understand your hurt, but this is how I do things. If your guys want a job, all they have to do is ask. I will assess their skills and see if they fit any of the positions I have open. What I won’t have is you coming in here and making a scene. Calm it down. Now, I have work to do, so I’d much rather you just leave.”

I’m panting with rage, but I know he can call the cops if he wants to and I have nothing to fall back on. I turn and march towards the door, shouting, “You haven’t seen the end of this, Tazen Watts.”

And he hasn’t.

He’s about to see just how real I can be.

*   *   *

“Jesus, Quinn, you can’t go messing around with this shit.”

I glare at Lenny, Oscar and Jace as I button up my jeans.

“Come on, sweetheart, you could get arrested,” Lenny says softly.

I shoot daggers and him and snap, “Do you think I give a crap?”

“You should, your dad wouldn’t cope and you know it.”

“Of course, let’s worry about my dad who’s an alcoholic and has done nothing for this garage for years. Don’t worry about me, Lenny. Don’t worry about how this might be affecting me.”

His eyes grow soft. “Didn’t mean it like that, Quinn honey. I know how much this is hurting.”