9. Gage

9

GAGE

G age stared at the screen in front of him. How could Bruce and Tommy be so stupid with the shop expenses?

The receipt in Gage's hand included tools for the shop, as well as fifty pounds of sugar and ten packages of yeast. How many times did he have to tell them not to buy anything for the moonshine in the same transaction as they bought things for the garage?

They were supposed to get the moonshine supplies out of town anyway. Bruce hadn't been arrested in over a year, and he was getting too lax. Any of them could be locked up again with one traffic stop.

Gage had no desire to sleep in the brig again. Every night he spent in jail was a day without a paycheck. Not to mention he was the only one who knew the first thing about managing the finances for the shop or the cash for the moonshine.

Basically, if Gage was out of the picture, Bruce wouldn't go out of his way to make sure the money was fair. That wasn't happening.

A text vibrated the phone in his pocket–the one he kept hidden. Checking over his shoulders, he pulled out the phone and read the text from Brett.

Brett: Call me.

Geez, this guy was worse than a stage-five clinger.

Gage: Give me 10.

Gage closed down the bookkeeping program and walked out. He was the only one in the garage, but he wasn't dumb enough to think Bruce or Tommy wouldn't bug the room.

Once he was on the road, he called Brett.

"City Morgue. You kill ‘em, we chill ‘em."

Gage huffed. "Now that's a partnership I can get behind."

"Of course you would. Don't tell me if you've killed someone. I can't guarantee I can keep that secret from Thea."

"How is she?" Gage asked.

"As far as I know, she's good. I have an offer for you."

"I'm not partnering up with you, man. If Thea is gone, I think our temporary ceasefire is over."

"I told you about the woman Thea made friends with while she was here. Well, Thea wants to have some communication with you, but talking with you directly–"

"Puts her in danger."

"Exactly. Hadley has agreed to be a go-between, so to speak. She'll be in touch with Thea, so she can give you updates on Thea's recovery."

"I appreciate that, but any association with me isn't advised," Gage said.

"That we can agree on. I'm not a huge fan of this idea because Hadley is a good friend, and she's ten million times better than you."

"If she has a conscience, that's probably true," Gage said. No sense in denying it.

"But Hadley knows the risks, and she wants to help. Also, Thea wants updates about your mom."

Gage stared at the dark road ahead. Leaving Thea out of the loop had brought her back here. Maybe this was a way to keep her far away and safe. "Okay. I can do that."

"I'm texting you Hadley's number. I told her to reach out to you first so she can choose when she's ready to get this started."

Fair enough. Gage couldn't imagine someone being overly excited to step into the lion's den.

"I can't talk while I'm at Bruce's place. I don't trust them not to overhear."

"For the love of all things good, please keep her away from your family. "

"Beau is giving me more hours, so we can meet there," Gage said. "I don't want to text much. It's too big of a risk if someone finds my phone."

"Just be careful with her. If she's in trouble, let me know, and I'll help."

Gage was living in a dream world. No, a nightmare. Why was he teaming up with Brett Patton again ?

"I don't need your help. I can handle it."

"Easy, big dog. No need to burn your bridges. Just be good to Hadley. She even said she'd pretend to be your girlfriend and bring you lunch."

Gage let out a bellowing laugh. "I'm sorry, but I don't have girlfriends."

"I know. It sounded like a stupid idea to me too. Who in their right mind would date you?"

Gage ground his teeth together, stifling the urge to hunt Brett down and dislocate his neck from his body. "Are you saying you're not in touch with Thea?"

There was a moment of silence on the line before Brett cleared his throat. "That's up to her. I won't force her into anything."

"Good deal. Maybe she'll be smart this time."

"I appreciate your concern for my broken heart," Brett said.

Gage's phone dinged against his ear, and he pulled it away to see an unknown number. He placed his phone back to his ear. "Thanks for the update. Have a nice life."

"You too."

Gage's attention bounced from the phone in his hand to the road ahead as he opened the message.

Unknown: Hey. This is Hadley. I'm free tomorrow around 11. Can I stop by?

Dang. This woman sounded sweeter than ice cream in the middle of summer. What was Brett thinking letting her walk into Gage's world?

It didn't matter. He'd have minimal contact with this woman and pass along info. That was it. He'd keep her far away from the mess in his life.

Gage: Ok.

He tossed his phone into the seat beside him, but it kept drawing his attention. He was used to clipped messages and only speaking when necessary, but others, especially women, usually wanted to chat more than he was able.

Hence the reason he didn't have girlfriends. Or even casual relationships with women. It was too complicated, and they always wanted more than he was willing to give.

After pacing the small house for a few hours, he fell into bed and tried to turn his running brain off. He'd visit his mom tomorrow morning to get an update on her treatment before seeing Hadley.