16. Garret

16

Garret

We weren't yet officially open for the night when Linda, the bookstore owner from across the street, came in, fidgeting, pacing, and wringing her hands. She had a wild look on her face and her overall demeanor seemed flustered and extremely anxious.

"Is everything all right, Linda?" I asked, knowing full well that everything was not all right.

Linda looked at me, her hand visibly shaking as she raised it to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

"Linda?" I pressed after she stared at me, seemingly looking straight through me. It was almost as if she hadn't heard me. Maybe she didn't even realize I was there at all.

"I, uh…" she trailed off.

I glanced at Felix, who shrugged. He seemed just as puzzled as I was about Linda's behavior.

"What's wrong, Linda?" I asked in a gentler tone to coax her into talking.

She didn't immediately respond, but her eyes shimmered with guilt.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can work through it." I managed to give her a smile, but it felt fake on my lips.

"I'm not so sure we can work through this." Linda shook her head.

"Well, we certainly can't constructively do anything about it until you tell me," I said.

Linda took a deep breath, inhaling sharply and then releasing the air slowly. She closed her eyes as if preparing herself for what she had to say to me.

"I'm so sorry." Her eyes welled with tears and my heart stopped.

"Sorry… for what?" I asked guardedly.

She swallowed hard and gave me a pleading look. "I agreed to sell. I agreed to sell… my bookstore."

"You… what?" I asked. Fury brewed inside of me. Linda, Saul, and I had had a pact to never sell to Nelson. After what had happened to Saul, Linda must have been terrified. "I can't believe you—"

"Just hear me out," she said.

A single tear rolled down her cheek and her nose was red and runny.

"Okay…" I trailed off, feeling confused.

I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt because she was normally a stronghold I could count on.

"Nelson… he found out something about me that he used against me as leverage," Linda admitted.

"Oh?"

"My son has gotten himself into some legal trouble where he's living in St. Louis. Nelson offered enough to help him get out of it, including the legal fees and some left over," she confessed.

I frowned. "You were the only one I had left."

"That's not all," she said. "Just let me get through the rest of it."

"Fine."

"Nelson and his associates were subtly threatening to put pressure on the right people in this legal mess to have my son convicted of these bogus crimes if I didn't agree to sell."

She choked back a sob and flickered her gaze at the floor. Her posture was wilted in remorse and her features were saturated with despair. She had no other options, according to her. Nelson had hit her where it hurt. He couldn't get away with this.

"What has your son done?" I asked.

Linda slowly raised her gaze and blinked at me with red-rimmed eyes of hopelessness. "That's just the thing. He's innocent. " Her voice cracked and her chin trembled as she began to quietly cry. "But Nelson—he has connections everywhere it seems."

Linda was telling the truth. I could see the hurt and turmoil swirling in her eyes.

"It's okay." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're going to get through this Linda, I promise you that. We will figure this out."

I really did want to help Linda through this situation. Linda was compassionate, she was kind and she certainly wasn't a conniving criminal like Nelson Sanderson was. She didn't deserve any of what was happening to her; none of us did.

Linda gave me a perplexed glance. "You aren't… mad at me?"

She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and dabbed at her eyes and nose with it.

"I'm irritated with the whole situation in general," I said carefully.

Linda didn't look relieved, but her energy relaxed slightly. "I'm so sorry Garret," she said.

"I believe you, and I hate that this happened to you," I said. "I will figure something out—"

"There's not much time," Linda interjected urgently.

"What do you mean?" I frowned, glancing between her and Felix, who had been quietly watching the conversation unfold without offering an opinion either way.

He had been so silent I had almost forgotten he was even there.

"I'm leaving for St. Louis this afternoon," Linda said.

"Why?" I studied her intently.

"Nelson's rep told me that they're going to raze the store, so I could leave everything behind."

"What?" I stared at her, truly appalled.

I couldn't imagine Linda leaving her books like that. She was diligent and private, always professional and extremely organized. Not to mention, she loved her books. That store meant the world to her.

"I'm sorry Garret." She threw her arms up in the air, clearly exasperated. "I don't know that I have any other options, here."

"You don't even want to shred the confidential documents or save the important financial and tax information on thumb drives before you go?" I asked. I was simply looking out for her.

"I'm sorry," she said again, becoming a broken record. "I don't know what else to do. I don't have any time left. My son needs me."

"What would you have done if Nelson hadn't offered to pay your son's way out of his legal troubles?" I quizzed.

Linda looked beside herself with grief. "I don't know, all right?" There was a shrill defensiveness in her voice. "But I feel like I've been given a second chance, my son has received a second chance, and I have to act on it, especially since he's innocent."

Linda met my gaze.

"You said that he was innocent?" I asked.

"Yes." She nodded curtly.

"Why not fight this then—fight Nelson? If he's innocent there has to be something else we can do," I tried to persuade her.

But she wouldn't say anything more about what he had done in the first place to get himself in legal trouble.

I sighed and rubbed my temples, looking at Felix. He always had answers. Maybe he could enlighten me here on the best way to approach this and confront the obstacles head-on.

I felt like everything was falling apart and I feared it was going to get worse before it got better.

"I can't believe that this is happening." My head was swimming.

"What did you want me to do?" Linda's voice was high pitched and tart. "My son's life is more important than my shop and some books. I had to do what I had to do for him, as his mother. I can't let him be convicted of a crime he didn't commit."

I nodded. I didn't know what else to say to her. I was angry, but part of me understood what she was going through. She'd given in to the bully because she was weak against the leverage that Nelson dangled over her head.

I stepped away from the situation. I needed to dissect what was happening and give myself a moment to breathe and sever myself from the disaster of losing such a valuable asset like Linda. Besides myself, now that Saul's restaurant was gone, Linda was the last one in the business complex to crack and cave to Nelson.

"I have to go," Linda confirmed apologetically. "I hope that you find a way to work things out, Garret. Good luck with your club."

As she walked away, Felix tenderly took me by the arm and turned me around. He made eye contact with me. I saw the empathy flickering in his handsome eyes, eyes that were quickly becoming my refuge.

"Now that Linda has made her decision, are you willing to reconsider selling?" Felix asked.

I bit my tongue and clenched my jaw tightly. I used all my willpower not to lash out at him. I reminded myself that Felix wasn't the abusive party in this situation, and he had nothing to do with my Nelson issues. He was just trying to help me, and I needed him. I couldn't afford to lose him at the most vulnerable point of my life.

"It stings," I admitted in a whisper, "what Linda did."

Felix gave me a pitying glance. "I know. I want to support you no matter what, but I also feel tempted to persuade you into selling now that she's gone."

I took a deep breath to calm my emotions before they exploded like a grenade, doing irreparable damage to my relationship with Felix.

"I'm not going to sell it, Felix. All right?" My response wasn't harsh, but it was firm enough to make Felix drop the subject.

__________________________

During the club's opening that night, I stood near the entrance doors with Felix and Bubba.

"There's a lower headcount than usual," Bubba said with sorrow lacing his voice.

"I know that," I barked, not meaning to take my frustrations out on my bouncer, but I was reaching explosive levels and on a path of destruction, leaving in my wake anyone unlucky enough to cross me.

I pulled Felix aside. "These unexpected inspections and continual shutdowns of the club are chasing away customers. We used to have a steady stream, and now, it's like a tiny drip at best."

Felix looked sympathetic, but before he could say something to make me feel better, Carol approached us.

Her expression was somber. "Five members called while you were opening the club to cancel their memberships."

"What?" I felt lightheaded. I blinked, trying to focus on Carol, but she was a blur. I hoped I wasn't having a panic attack. "Did you press them for an answer as to why?"

"I did," Carol nodded. "They said it was fear of discovery by others in the community as the main reason."

That was a huge blow to hear, especially because I took pride in my ability to be discreet about the club. What happened behind closed doors stayed within the walls, up until all this shit had started happening.

"All of them said that?" I was stunned.

Carol confirmed with another nod.

"The numbers are down even more than they were last week, and it looks like we might not even make a profit this month at all. We could possibly be in the hole by ten percent."

Carol painted a grim financial picture. I was left feeling exposed and bleak. I was clinging to the outcome of the liquor license investigation set for tomorrow. With alcohol sales back, I hoped to undo some of the damage. One thing was certain, I couldn't afford to lose any additional customers.