Page 14 of Saving the Last Heir
There was a long pause, and I frowned, sensing the tension on the other end of the phone.
Dad cleared his throat. “Uhm, I didn’t want to say anything but…well, we got a certified letter today in the mail. It’s a final notice from the mortgage company. For the house.”
I closed my eyes, my lips peeling back from my teeth. There were quite a few invoices out, and once they came in, I’d be able to pay a month on the mortgage, but we were already three months behind.
“That’s, uh, that’s a mistake,” I said, pressing a hand to my forehead. “I sent them a big check already. They must have sent that before it arrived. We’re all good. Don’t worry about it.”
“Uh-huh.” I could hear the disbelief in his voice, the weariness mixed with the pain he was always in. “I figured it was something like that. Well, get home soon. I’ll wait up.”
“Don’t wait up. You need to sleep. Did you take your pain meds before bed?”
“Yes,mother,” he grunted, then followed it with a wry chuckle. “I’m going to take another, though. Seriously,conejita. Come home soon. I worry.”
“I promise, as soon as this is done, I’ll be home. Good night.”
“Good night. I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
I put the phone down and sighed. Face in my hands, I threw up a little prayer to whatever god might be listening. I needed a miracle, and I hoped they’d answer and send me what I needed, otherwise, I wasn’t sure how I’d get through this.
Bang-bang-bang.
I jerked in my seat and glanced toward the front door.
“What the fuck?” I muttered.
The front door rattled again.
Bang-bang-bang.
“Damn it, Carlo. Let me guess, you forgot your car keys.”
Walking out of the office, I skirted around a brand new Corvette on jacks that Reggie was putting a new exhaust in, and headed straight for the door.
“I thought I told you to go…” I trailed off, and took a step back, startled.
“I need some help.”
The man who spoke stood above me, a giant over half a foot taller than me, shoulders broad and arms and chest thick with muscle. Black hair messed about his forehead in a way that made me think he’d been working out or jogging. It was the eyes that pinned me in place, though. They were striking in a bizarre way. The left eye’s pupil was dilated, making the iris nearlyblack, ringed by a thin line of bright blue. It was a strange look, but mysterious and attractive. He was also—quite possibly—the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in my life. Like he’d walked off the pages of a magazine or out of a movie.
“Uh…” I shook my head to clear it, suddenly realizing a strange man was hovering over me at two in the morning.
I stepped back quickly, snatching a heavy wrench from the top of a toolbox. “Stay right there, motherfucker,” I said, swinging it at him in a short quick arc.
“Shit.” He yelped and took a step back, holding his hands up to show they were empty. “Hang on. I’m not here for trouble. I’m here for help, like I said.”
Frowning, I looked at him like he’d gone crazy. “Do you know what time it is? We aren’t open, dumbass.”
Rather than look contrite, he only nodded. “I knew it was a long shot, but when I drove by and saw the light on, I gave it a shot. Can you please help me?”
The pleading and desperation didn’t fit with the hulking figure before me. Experience told me to slam the door shut and lock it, but intuition or instinct tickled at the back of my mind. For some reason, I knew this man wasn’t a threat. I lowered the wrench.
“What do you need?” I said wearily. “Did your phone die or something? Run out of gas and need a pick up?”
He shook his head, looking pained. “No, I need my car fixed.”
Moving aside, he gestured back to the parking spot closest to the door. I could do nothing but stare at the car in dumbfounded shock. Slowly, my jaw fell open, and I stepped outside.
