Chapter 24
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
Zinnia tapped her card on the terminal. “Thanks for taking extra time on my forearms. They’ve been tight as hell for weeks.”
Sabrina smiled as she pulled up her appointment calendar. “No problem. I’m glad I could work you in. Do you want to schedule next month?”
“Can I come in two weeks? I got overtime at the warehouse, and I expect I’ll be hurtin’ sooner rather than later.”
Sabrina winked. “I got you. I have an opening on that Thursday.”
Zinnia grinned, showing the large gap between her front teeth. “I’ll take it. See you then.”
“Very cool.”
The burly woman walked out the spa door as Sabrina rested her elbows on the front counter.
Zinnia was one of her favorites. Some clients wanted silence, and Sabrina was okay with that, but it was nice to have open conversations with people.
Zinnia liked to ask questions and show genuine interest in what her body needed.
The older woman wasn’t quite sixty but still worked a very physical job, and it showed in her stressed and tight tendons.
Menopause wasn’t doing her any favors either.
Today she had a hot flash on the table, but both women laughed and joked about the natural process.
Clients like Zinnia were a big reason Sabrina loved what she did.
Yeah, she couldn’t wait for the next step to put down some real roots in this city.
After Cam’s big confession, they’d spent the night making love and talking about future plans.
Someday, she wanted to run her own massage business.
He wanted to set up his own forge. She couldn’t wait to see a real snow.
He said he’d always wanted to tour the Florida Keys.
Because he was still dealing with the cast on his upper arm, she treated him to a blow job before mounting him and—
“What the fuck?”
Instantly, Sabrina’s good mood vanished as Cicely stormed into the front foyer. The spa owner pointed an angry finger down the hallway. “Why is there a pile of dirty towels in room four?”
Sabrina took a calming breath before answering. “There’s only two of us here for now. I asked you earlier if I could put the used towels in room four until I got a chance to wash them. You said yes.”
“I didn’t think they would be there all damn day!”
Another calming breath. “Both of us have been going nonstop since we opened. My last client just left, and we’re closed for the day. I’ll go start a load.”
“Laziness is what that is. You could have put something in over your lunch break.”
The breaths weren’t working. “I did. I’ll transfer that load to the dryer and start another wash load.”
Cicely’s eyes bugged out. “Are you telling me there’s a wet load of laundry in there now?”
“Yes, and it just finished cycling about an hour ago. Not long enough to sour, so it should be fine.”
“You use too many damn towels and sheets. It’s driving my electric up like crazy.”
Sabrina reached for more patience and found the well running low. “I can’t control how many people walk through those doors, and each of them has to get a clean set of linens and a clean towel.”
Cicely rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath as she stomped away.
Sabrina didn’t catch it but decided not to push it.
Instead, she focused on her relationship with Cam.
Ever since they took it to the next level, it had been one long, sparkly dream.
The sex was mind-blowing, but the little moments of intimate connection were better.
Like when he called her to ask if they needed anything from the grocery store.
And took her bike in to fix the V-twin timing.
And cleaned the kitchen after she cooked.
And took out the trash.
And cuddled with her when they watched a Netflix movie.
She knew without a doubt that she loved him. He’d already said he loved her, and he proved it every day by the way he treated her.
Nope, she was not going to let Cicely put a damper on her good mood.
Sabrina calmly walked to the laundry room and switched loads, then returned to the front counter to grab her phone.
“What is this shit?” An iPad clattered next to her as Cicely tossed it onto the glass surface. “Why are all these numbers messed up?”
Sabrina clenched one fist and then forced it to relax as she tamped down on the words she wanted to say. “I don’t know. Stephan keeps up with inventory. I expect the counts aren’t accurate because he’s been at home recuperating.”
“More laziness.”
The dregs of Sabrina’s patience dried up. “Oh. My. God! He was shot, for chrissakes! That’s got nothing to do with being lazy. What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me except I got a business full of people who are useless.”
The sneering tone made Sabrina see red. “Hold on a fucking minute. Stephan getting shot is not some big conspiracy against you.”
Cicely threw her hands up in the air, her braids rattling in tandem. “Who the fuck do you think you are? This is my business, and these are my clients! But they come in and ask for you all the fucking time!” She pointed a finger in Sabrina’s face. “You stole them from me!”
Sabrina’s brain short-circuited with incredulity. “You’re kidding me, right? You’re the one who books people for appointments. I work on the ones you send me!”
“And then they book your table again!” She ticked off names on her fingers. “Gayle, Barry, Jeff, Monica, Zinnia—all of them used to come to me, and now they come to you.”
Sabrina raised her hand in a shrug. “So what do you want me to do? Give bad massages?”
“I want you to stop stealing my clients!”
“How can I steal clients when they’re still coming to your business? Either way, you get paid.”
“That’s not the point!”
Sabrina had reached her limit. “Well, what is your point?”
“The point is—”
Cicely never got to it, as the bell dinged to signal someone had entered the building.
Shit, I forgot to lock the door.
Sabrina swiveled to see who had come in, and her tight face fell. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Rodrigo sneered at her, his dark eyes snapping with irritation. “Yeah, good to see you, too, sis.” He strode up to the glass counter and slapped a stack of papers next to the iPad. “I’m here. Sign these, and I’ll go.”
Sabrina’s brain overloaded. “I’m not signing anything until I read them.”
Rodrigo exploded in a fit of Spanish curses. “I drove up the fucking length of the country to get these damn things signed. Get you a fucking pen and do it.”
“Let’s try this again,” Sabrina started in her saccharine voice. “Well, hello there, Rigo. Nice to see you. I hope you’re well. Me? I’m good for the most part.” She resumed her angry tone. “Are you deaf, bro? I said I’m not signing until I read what’s in those papers. Give me half an hour.”
“Bullshit, you’ll do it now so I can get back on the fucking road.”
She blinked. “It’s an eighteen-hour drive.”
“Yeah, dumbass, I know. I came up here in one shot to get this shit done ’cause you left me no choice. I gotta have these filed at the courthouse by closing tomorrow or I’m screwed.”
Any comprehension Sabrina had left fled. “You won’t make it back in time.”
“I’ll drive fast.”
“What about my clients?” Cicely demanded.
“Oh my God!” Sabrina yelled, her attention torn between the two people. “I cannot handle both of you at the same time! Cicely, if you want me to quit, fine! Pay me what you owe me and I’m outta here. Loving Hands Massage has openings, and I’m glad to go talk to them.”
Cicely’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t need you to quit!”
“Then stop this crap about me stealing clients!”
Cicely sniffed and raised her nose in the air before turning away. “You don’t have to be so dramatic.”
“Seriously?” With a deep breath, Sabrina reined in what she could and faced Rodrigo. “Unless you can teleport or fly, you’ll never make it back in time to file tomorrow.”
He scoffed. “I wouldn’t be in this jam if you’d have come when I called you the first time.”
“I’m not a fucking dog, bro. This is not my problem.”
“It is when all this fucking paperwork is involved. I got all this shit to sort out with this fuckin’ probate mess. Rosa is tryin’ to screw me over. Fuckin’ old hag!”
Sabrina’s head vibrated with an impending headache. She pressed two fingers against her temple. “Is it really that big a deal? How much could there possibly be to inherit?”
“Dad had some money and a whopper life insurance policy. Aunt Rosa is makin’ a stink now, sayin’ I owe her for convincing Dad to adopt me and for helping raise me.
She said without her, I’d have been in a foster home or some shit, so I’d better split my inheritance with her or she’ll make my life hell.
She’s already talkin’ shit to the rest of the family, gettin’ them all on her side. ”
Sabrina’s eyes bugged out. “Saint Rosa ain’t such a saint now, is she? And how do both of you know I’m not Ernie’s daughter by blood?”
Rodrigo sneered. “You don’t look like anyone else in the family. Everyone knows that puta mother of yours slept around a lot. You could be anyone’s kid, like that Scrap guy’s.”
Sabrina’s ire fell away like wilted petals from a plucked daisy.
Raquel wanted her to be Scrap’s daughter just to inherit and sell his assets.
No one wanted her to be Ernie’s daughter except for her.
And she still had no idea at all about who she came from.
It was maddening, and at the same time, depressing.
Rodrigo continued with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“None of that shit matters. Your name is still listed as one of the beneficiaries.” He picked up the sheaf of papers and shook them at her.
“This is saying you relinquish your share ’cause you’re not blood kin to him and that you’ll turn over your part to me.
If I have to, I can just give Rosa some of your half so she’ll fuck off. ”
Then he went there with the coup d’état. “You don’t deserve nothing that was my dad’s.”
Heart shot right through the chest. The pain couldn’t be any thicker if it was a real bullet. “He was my dad too.” Her voice got quiet as she absorbed the verbal blow.
“He was never your dad. You were just a parasite left behind by your mom.”
The breath left Sabrina’s lungs in a whoosh. Her knees wanted to buckle so badly, and it took every bit of her willpower to stay standing. “That’s not true.”
Rodrigo opened his mouth to say more when the bell announced someone else.
Specs walked in. His round eyes grew even bigger behind his glasses as he took them in. “Oh, I didn’t expect anyone else to be here.”
Sabrina didn’t know the man very well, only that he had joined the Iron City Knights fairly recently. She remembered he had a cut and a bike and was aces at spreadsheets. That’s about it. “I’m sorry, Specs. Did you have a late appointment? We’re actually closed.”
Cicely came out. “What’s going on? Who is this, and why is he here?”
Specs shook his head. “You were supposed to be alone.”
That made no sense. Sabrina’s gut started churning. Something was wrong. “What are you talking about, Specs?”
The man shrugged. “Guess it doesn’t matter.”
He pulled out a handgun and fired. The crack made Sabrina jump, her ears ringing with the sudden sound blast. Red bloomed from Rodrigo’s stomach, and he fell to the floor.
“Fuck! You shot me, motherfucker!”
Sabrina had no time to react before Specs put a bead on Cicely and another bullet found a spot in her chest.
“What the hell?” Sabrina shrieked as her boss collapsed. “What are you doing?”
Specs turned the gun on her. “Sorry about this.”
He reared back his hand.
The last thing Sabrina remembered was the arc of the gun just before it slammed into her temple.