Page 81 of Stag

Chapter Thirty-Three

Ihated having to leave after breakfast, but I had that last meeting with work, and I already knew it’d be the last one, because even if they didn’t make me redundant, I wasn’t staying. It wasn’t the place for me. Sure, I’d been there a few years, and sure, I’d panicked about losing the income, but I had other options now. Sure, the Bennetts were brash and unpleasant, but a few jobs a month for them would have me earning several times my old monthly salary even before they cut my hours.

I left Claudia locked inside Henley’s place, settling down to get on with her own work, and a promise that I’d be back as soon as I could. I had someone to go home to now, and I never realised how much that’d complete me.

“Neil, we’re ready for you.”

I got up from the seat in reception and followed Mr Angelos to his office. He looked at me a little aghast since I’d turned up in my leathers, minus the cut, but even the fact that I couldn’t wait in our open plan office was a pretty big sign for me. Leathers or not, this was the end of the road, and I really didn’t feel a thing about it.

He gestured to the seat opposite his desk, beside Mrs Wakefield from HR, and I shrugged, because I could speed this up.

“I get it. I’m out, it’s cool. Can we just get this over with?”

Mr Angelos frowned at me, and shot a quick glance at the HR lady, like he expected an argument.

“There’s a process to follow here.”

“Yes, a process telling me the job I’ve held for years is no longer mine. I get it. I’ve already got other shit lined up, so let’s just sign the things I need to sign, you give me an envelope full of shit I won’t bother reading, and I’ll get out of your hair. I’m sure you have to spend all day letting people go, and maybe some of those will give a shit, but not me.”

Again they looked at each other, like this wasn’t the reaction they’d expected. Did they think I’d beg or cry?

“Neil, it’s not personal. The business is failing.”

I held out a hand to Mrs HR woman. “Just give me the shit you want signed. You know, I put a lot of work into suggesting improvements, and system changes that could have made a difference, could have meant you guys weren’t crapping out, but nobody listens to me. I’m smarter than I look, but fuckers like you just don’t see it. I don’t need you to see it. Give me the fucking papers, woman!”

She hurriedly shoved a package at me, and I glanced down for the little purple flags to tell me where to sign. I didn’t even read it. I just signed it and tossed it back at her.

“Don’t stiff me on what I’m due, or I’ll be back to fucking collect it.”

I got the hell out of there, grinning at the shocked looks on their faces, and then I turned and headed for my old desk. I had stuff I wanted to take with me. Stuff that was actually mine, and those fuckers weren’t going to keep it from me.

The security guy thought he was tough, but I don’t think he realised he was ejecting a guy like me from the building. He thought I’d be a wuss because I’d worn suits and let people tell me what to do, but I made sure I left with my own things, the expensive office things I’d paid for with my own fucking money. Oh, and I made sure I left him with a lasting reminder of my displeasure at being manhandled out of there. I’m sure a doctor could reset his nose for him, but it’d make him look tougher if they left it crooked like that.

I looped my backpack onto my shoulders, and headed back to my old lady, or hopefully my future old lady, but as I pulled up at the house and dug my ringing phone from my leathers, I realised I had somewhere else to be before I could settle in with her.

I let myself in, dumped my shit, went over to drag her from her seat and kiss her, because she deserved my fucking attention every time we were in the same room, and then I told her I had to run out again.

“Won’t be long, beautiful. Can’t wait to get back to you.”

And then I was on the road again, heading out of town and to an address I hadn’t been to before, but at least it wasn’t that scary fucking place I didn’t want to see ever again.

The house they’d called me to was nice. Way too normal and pretty to be owned by fuckers like them, but I pulled up beside two flashy black Range Rovers, and removed my helmet. The door to the house opened, and one of the bastards stood there, smirking at me.

“Wanna get on with it, bruv? We’re busy guys.”

Yeah, busy being a pain in my ass, but now they were also my only employers. I had more invested in sticking with them now, and that made me nervous that they were about to cut me loose too.

I stepped inside when he moved out of my way, and joined him and his pretty much identical brother in a large open plan kitchen and diner. There was a pretty dark haired lady wrapped around the other brother, but the second my eyes landed on her, a beefy bearded fucker stepped in my way.

“Eyes off Cass if you want to keep them, bruv. Coffee?”

A crime lord was offering me coffee? Wasn’t there some maid in a little outfit here to do that shit for them?

“Bruv, it’s not a hard question.”

“Yeah, thanks. Milk, two sugars. Where do you want me?” The breakfast bar was right by the smooching pair, so I didn’t approach it. They finally broke apart, and she shot me a bright smile, her cheeks pinking a little.

“You must be Stag, I’m Cass.” She stepped forward to reach out a hand to me, and that fucker she was with instantly hooked an arm around her and tugged her back to him.