CHAPTER 2
KILLIAN
I inhale a drag of my cigarette and exhale a cloud of smoke slowly as I watch my latest recruit, Jaxon, heave a log onto his shoulder. An alarming amount of sweat pours down his reddened face and I almost put the poor fucker out of his misery.
Almost.
He’s worked for me for just over two weeks now and has yet to give me a good reason to keep him on the payroll.
Every day this week the kid has shown up late for his shifts, failed to wear the correct clothing and drags his feet with every task I’ve given him.
I’m a fair man and a fair boss, so when this kid approached me on the street one day in the middle of a workday and asked me for a job, I thought he was bold as shit.
It takes a lot of courage to walk right up to someone and do what he did, but he did it with his shoulders back and his head held high.
And because of that, I wanted to give him a chance, but so far all he has done is disappoint me.
“C’mon, newbie. Pick up the pace. Some of us have shit to do,” Callen, another one of my employees, calls over his shoulder as he pushes past him.
I watch with a cocked head as Jaxon sways a little, trying with every muscle, or lack thereof, in his body to keep the log balanced on his shoulder. He fails, and the log drops to the floor with a deep thud.
The boy, who is probably no older than eighteen, stares down at the timber in defeat and I watch as every ounce of fight he had left in him leaves his body.
I stub my cigarette out on the ground and toss the end into a bucket as I make my way toward him. “You good, kid?”
He keeps his eyes on the ground, releasing a heavy sigh. “I can’t keep up with the others.”
“Hmm,” I hum in agreement.
“I don’t think I’m cut out for this kind of job.”
“What makes you think that?” I ask out of curiosity.
I agree. He’s probably not cut out for this line of work.
It’s gruelling, tiresome. It requires a level of stamina that not everyone has.
There’s a lot of training that goes into it if you want to progress from the man on the ground to the man fifty feet in the air while operating a deadly piece of machinery.
You need to be on alert every minute of every day.
There’s no room for distraction in this industry.
One wrong move and someone could be seriously hurt.
He shrugs. “I’m not strong enough. Not fast enough. I’m younger than everyone else.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “You’ve also been forty minutes late every day this week. You’re wearing jeans and sneakers when I specifically told you to buy some chainsaw protective trousers and boots.”
He finally meets my eyes guiltily. “I have to take my little sister to school every day, and I couldn’t afford the uniform. I planned to buy it with my first paycheque.”
My brows furrow. “Why are you taking your sister to school?”
He kicks a stone with the tip of his sneaker as he looks around, clearly debating how honest he should be here. “My mom…” Jaxon clears his throat. “She’s either too wasted to drive or sleeping off the night before.”
Well, fuck.
Now I feel like an asshole.
Especially because his upbringing doesn’t sound all too different to my own. If anyone knows what it is to have an absent mother, it’s me.
I take in the teenage boy with new eyes.
His jeans are too big and frayed along the bottom from dragging on the ground. His t-shirt is also probably two sizes too big and swallows his small frame. And he looks downright malnourished.
Jesus fucking Christ.
I place a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, kid. I hired you because I saw potential in you. You had balls coming to me in the street and asking for a job. I don’t expect you to be fast or even strong.
I just want you to show effort. Strength can be built.
But you have to want to be here. Do you want to be here, Jaxon? ”
His green eyes meet mine with a new determination. “Yes.”
“Good.” I pat him on the back. “From now on you start at eight. That gives you an hour to get your sister to school so I expect you to be on time. If you need something, you ask. If, for some reason, you can’t be here at eight, you call. Understood?”
He dips his head in agreement; his expression laced with emotions that no kid his age should ever have to experience. “Understood. Thank you, Killian.”
“Go on and get yourself home. I’ll finish up here.” He thanks me one more time before taking off.
I spend another ten minutes cleaning up before loading the tools into the back of my truck.
Callen climbs in next to me and wipes the sweat from his forehead with a huff. “That kid is useless, boss.”
I turn my head to glare at him. “I decide who is useless around here. You’ve been at this a lot longer than he has and like you said, he’s a kid. Cut him some slack and stop giving him shit.”
Jace, my longest, most qualified employee, climbs in next and I flick my gaze to him. “Same goes for you, J. I don’t wanna hear either of you giving that kid any more trouble. Got it?”
Jace nods once. “Got it.”
“Good.” I put the truck in drive and pull out of the driveway, ready for this day to be over.
***
“Hey,” a familiar voice calls from behind me and I pause my task to steal a glance over my shoulder. My sister stands in the doorway of my workshop; her hands tucked into the pockets of her jean shorts as she rocks back on her heels.
I place the saw sharpener down on my work bench and turn to give her my full attention. “Hey.”
“Whatchu doin’?” she asks, and her question, coupled with her tone of voice, immediately sparks suspicion.
“Getting the tools ready for tomorrow. What’re you doing?” I fold my arms across my chest and lean back against the bench, raising a brow at her.
She shrugs and steps inside, her eyes roaming across the tools and equipment surrounding her. She tries to hold back a grimace as she keeps her arms down by her side, careful not to touch anything. “Thought I’d come pay my big brother a visit.”
I snort at her lie. “And the real reason?”
Bella huffs in feigned annoyance. “Can’t a girl want to spend some quality time with her brother?”
“Sure. But you normally wouldn’t be caught dead in a room full of chainsaws, dirt and sawdust, so how ‘bout you tell me why you’re really here, Bells.”
Her shoulders fall in defeat. “Ugh, fine. I came to tell you that Daisy’s back.”
That has my eyebrows shooting up to my hairline and my spine snapping straight. “She’s back again?”
Bella nods and gives me a cautious look. “She’s back again.” She nibbles on her fingernail nervously. “Permanently.”
“Permanently?” I repeat, unsure if I heard that correctly.
“Yep.”
“Well, shit.” I blow out a disbelieving breath.
She’s back.
For good this time.
A familiar ache settles deep in my chest at the thought of running into her around town. Of passing her in the street and seeing her with my friends when she hangs out with Bella, Liv and Savannah.
And then another, more unwelcome feeling stirs inside of me at the thought of having to sit back and watch as she moves on with her life.
Getting the attention of other men when we’re out at the bar.
Going on dates at local restaurants in town.
Getting into a relationship. And since I know almost everyone in this town, probably with someone I know. Or worse; someone I hate.
Fuck, I might break something.
Or throw up.
Either one is a possibility.
“I thought I’d come and tell you before you heard it from someone else again. We all know how that went down last time.” Bella’s voice drags me from my uncomfortable thoughts.
A humourless chuckle leaves me as I drag my gaze from the floor to my little sister who has taken her place at the entrance again. “Yeah. Well, um… thanks.”
She continues to stand there, shifting uncomfortably on the spot as if she has more to say, but doesn’t know how to say it.
I swear to fucking God, if she’s about to tell me Daisy has returned with her boyfriend or some shit like that, I might lose my goddamn mind.
“What?” I snap and instantly regret it when she flinches at my harsh tone. Giving her a sheepish look I mutter, “Sorry.”
Bella gives me a sympathetic smile. “It’s okay. I was just going to say, give her some time, okay?”
I narrow my eyes at her, looking for any kind of sign that she planned on saying something else, but I find only sincerity in her gaze. I sigh, nodding. “Okay.”
She watches me for a beat before accepting my answer and turning on her heels. I stare at her retreating form until she disappears from view. And I continue to stare long after she gets in her car and drives away.