Page 10 of Strip It Down (Spoiled by My Blue Collar Man #4)

Gentry

What is Greg up to now? He’s already destroyed my life. There is nothing left.

I put my coffee on the counter and turn to face Sayer, anger seething through my veins.

“Good morning.” Leaning in, he cups the side of my face with one hand and kisses my forehead.

I should move. I should say something. His lips are soft, gentle, warm and comforting.

We both hear a rustling from the remote baby monitor in his shirt pocket.

Stepping back, he meets my gaze. “There is a lot for us to talk about, but you’re safe here and this is your home now for as long as you want. Let me get Ayla. Dad will join us.”

Paul walks in as Sayer leaves to get his daughter. He studies me for a minute before smiling and crossing to the coffee pot.

“About damn time,” Paul mutters.

Needing to move I put some biscuits in the toaster oven to warm and whip up a dozen eggs adding cheese to the scramble at the last minute. By the time Sayer is back, his dad has the table set and fruit bowls dished up.

Breakfast is silent but not uncomfortable. Once he’s finished, Sayer rises and refills our coffee. Then gives Ayla more grapes to keep her busy.

“Sheriff came by. Tate also believes that Greg is the one who trashed your place, but no witnesses. Problem is, no one will speak out against him.”

He turns to his father. “Your new guys, Clive and JonBoy? They have rap sheets and are good friends with Greg. Tate says if we call the numbers you originally contacted, they’ll probably be disconnected.

“I started looking at the books, their names were flagged.”

“I did that,” I say. “There were discrepancies on at least three jobs that Clive and JonBoy were on. It reminded me of what started happening at my last job.

“At the restaurant, Bill gave me a few invoices that had been modified. Then he wanted me to change some. I refused without talking to the vendors to verify. He was angry with me. It’s partly why I got fired. I believed at the time he was having me do it because Greg told him to. But no proof.

“What I saw when comparing invoices to your father’s records concerned me. Everything I’ve looked at from your father has been correct. Only when these two guys were involved was there an issue.”

“But I did confirm when I went to the job sites that beams were missing and so was dry wall,” Dad adds.

“Did you check with the vendor?” Sayer asks.

“Yeah. We’ve done business with them our whole career. They swore they delivered it. We compromised and both ate half the cost of the missing items. What could Greg want with building supplies?” Paul mutters.

“The two of you have a long relationship with this supply company,” I ask. “Can you call them and ask if they’re working with Greg on any kind of building or business upgrade?”

Paul nods and dials his phone, asking for the owner then putting it on speaker. “My son and bookkeeper are with me, Sam. The whole thing with the missing supplies is bugging me. Can we ask a couple questions?”

“Sure.”

“Dan, this is Sayer. Have you had issues on any other jobs?”

“We did a few months ago. Ended up firing a couple guys. They had a buddy that was building a bar and they kept slipping him a few boards and such from the yard. We caught it when our inventory was off.”

“What were their names?”

“Clive and JonBoy. I can get the last names.”

“Nah, I know. We hired them a few months ago. You were not listed on their work history. They gave Dad some other business references which we now think were bogus.”

“I reported them to Sheriff Threadgill. They’ve been staying clear of him.”

“This was our failure,” Sayer continues. “They were the ones that said the shipment was short. I’ll pay you for what you refunded us. I’m sorry.”

“Hell no. We’re good. I’d like to see them taken down though. We did start marking our stock. If you find who they gave the stolen supplies to, we may be able to identify the theft. That would make me happy.”

“Will do.”

Hanging up, Sayer glances at me. “So, we now have a line to thefts from both us and our supplier. If we can locate the supplies in Greg’s possession we may be able to make this stick.

“Dad, I’d like you to stay with Ayla while we do the training. MaryKatherine is bringing Danishes so the two of you can work on your trip plans at the same time. I want them focused on me. With you going on vacation it’s the perfect time.”

“Son, if we’re gonna start rattling cages I think I need to cancel my trip. We can reschedule.”

“No. You and MaryKatherine deserve this. I’ve got Tate and Brody in my corner, and I may have a wildcard I can call in. Besides, with you gone and me just coming back they’ll think I’m weak.”

He turns to me. “Can they shut off the location tracker on their phones?”

“No, only we can.”

“After you walked me though the training on this timekeeper, I know you got it down pat. I’m going to let you explain. But I’ll be the hard ass before and after.”

“If you want, I can be a little vague on the trackers for now. Honestly, most of these guys have been with you for years with no problems. Clive and JonBoy have been the only issue.”

Sayer and Paul both nod in agreement. MaryKatherine shows up with the Danishes for the meeting and clothes from her daughter for me. Throat tight with appreciation I can only give her a hug in thanks.

Walking into the supply barn with Sayer behind me, I smile at all the guys and wish them a good morning.

Clive and JonBoy give each other a smirk and nudge. Working for Greg, I can guess what they’ve heard about me, the fabricated stories he’s told. Standing a little taller, I force a smile.

You do not run. You do not hide. You do not cower.