Page 19 of Mechanic

“Absolutely,” she says. “You know that I will miss you like crazy, right?”

“I know,” my tone is soft, somewhat defeated.

We stand together in silence a little longer before I startle.

“Shit, I’m late getting back,” I say, alarmed. “Tony is going to be even more of an asshole.”

Waving at Shawna over my shoulder, I make my way back to my assigned area. My steps falter when I catch sight of Tony glaring at me.

“You’re late,” he grinds out between clenched teeth, the muscle in his jaw twitching and his arms crossed over his beefy chest.

“What table?” I ask, not wanting to engage him in an argument and create a scene.

Locked in a stare down with each other, one of the other guys breaks it up.

“Antonia, go relieve Mike on table twenty, please.”

His eyes bounce between Tony and I. Giving him a nod in acknowledgment, my feet move. The countdown starts now. Soon, Tony won’t be my problem anymore.

Finally home after a super stressful day, I start the daunting task of cleaning and packing my apartment.

My first task was giving my landlord notice. Shawna said to let her know if the rental company gave me a hard time terminating my lease. Thankfully, that wasn’t an issue once I explained my leaving was due to a work transfer.

Deciding to travel light, my next task was contacting a local company to take my furniture and miscellaneous items to a donation center.

Pulling out some garbage bags, I start sorting through my clothes. Anything that hasn’t been worn in the past year is also getting donated.

Pen and paper in hand, I start a list of things to do. Having only two weeks is going to be a challenge, but in the end, this change is necessary.

Chapter 13

Roderick

Finally, part of the hotel is almost complete. Once it’s fully finished, it will be a load off my shoulders. Two construction projects of this magnitude turned out to be a little too much.

The hotel was designed with two towers. The first tower is almost completed. The second one is just a shell at the moment.

When Aymond and I found the need to build, he took a chance, reaching out to the owners of the Padston Predators baseball team. They had a similar “oh shit” moment to us, realizing that they had people coming and nowhere to put them.

Our conversation resulted in the current design. As a joint venture business, we all have an equal share in the hotel with plans to build at least one more once a parcel of land can be acquired.

With extra construction crews in town for the baseball field, hotel, and casino, it was a priority to get a section of the hotel functional as quickly as possible.

Our next venture is going to be the construction of housing. Players, coaches, and staff of both the casino and stadium need a place to live. If they are staying in the hotel, there won’t be room for guests.

A plan for luxury and some moderate apartments has been requested from the architect.

Stepping off the elevator, a smile spreads across my face. Rhodee Martin, a local, sits at her desk, located just outside my office door.

Chayce Galloway and his wife, Regina, stopped into the casino on opening day. After we exchanged pleasantries, I broached the subject of needing a trustworthy assistant. He recommended several people, and after meeting with each of them, Rhodee felt like the best fit.

When I first met her in the casino lobby, I had to do a double take. Seeing three women with the same face caught me off guard. Sheriff Galloway mentioned the job to Rhodee, and the sisters had yet to come to the casino, so they tagged along, figuring they could gamble during Rhodee’s interview.

“Good morning, Mr. Sereno,” she says with a small smile on her face.

“Good morning, Rhodee,” I say, returning the greeting.

“Here are your messages,” she says, holding out a small stack of notes. “You have a meeting scheduled for ten this morning with each of the department heads to discuss opening week issues and preparations for the grand opening.”

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