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JACK
20 years ago…
“Are you picking me up tonight?”
“I’ll be there,” I said, irritated that my kid sister was calling me again. I was working a full-time job to support both of us, but no matter how many hours I put in, I always came up short. I hung the phone back on the wall and strode over to the packing list. I saw my boss glaring at me from the corner of my eye. It was against the rules to take personal calls on shift. I knew that, but I wasn’t about to ignore my sister. I was all she had.
“Jack!” my boss called out.
I glanced up at Matt, who stood on the other side of the boxes.
“Man, you are so screwed. That guy has it out for you.”
I set down the list and muttered under my breath, “Don’t I know it.”
I jerked my chin at my boss as I walked over to him. I knew I was about to get my ass reamed. Rick was the owner’s son, and he wielded his power against anyone he didn’t like. It just so happened I fell into that category.
“Make phone calls on your own time.”
“It was my sister. She needs me to pick her up?—”
“I don’t give a shit what she needs,” he hissed. “I pay you to do a job, not chat on the phone.”
He didn’t pay me at all. He stood in the corner supervising us all night as he talked on his new mobile phone. Not a single guy in this warehouse could afford a phone like that. The closest thing I had was a bulky car phone that died after one phone call. I only used it in emergencies, and there was no way in hell I was bringing that bulky piece of shit inside the warehouse for all the guys to see.
“It won’t happen again.”
“Make sure it doesn’t.” His eyes trailed over me in disgust. It was no secret that I was from the wrong side of the tracks. My dad was in prison for dealing and my mom died of an overdose just three months ago. If it weren’t for the fact that the trailer was paid off, Hannah would be in the system right now. But I convinced the judge that I could take care of her. I wouldn’t let her down.
With a nod, I returned to work, blowing out a harsh breath. There was a lot to get done before I could leave tonight. It was an unspoken rule that nobody left until the trucks were loaded. We didn’t get paid overtime for those additional hours, but if we walked off the job, it was a guarantee we’d get a pink slip the next shift.
I picked up the pace, loading boxes in the truck and checking them off the list in record time. I was so close to finishing my shift, but one look at my boss and I knew he was going to pull some crap with me. He liked to show that he was in charge of all of us, that he could ruin our night with the snap of his fingers. But I had to keep this job if I wanted to keep Hannah with me. She only had two years of school left, and then she’d be in college. I didn’t take my shot when I had the chance. I stayed to make sure Hannah was safe around my parents.
There were times I regretted not leaving. I had a scholarship to a good school and would have been studying engineering right now if it weren’t for my old man. But every time I started to think about school, I reminded myself why I was doing this. When Hannah graduated, I would get back on track. I’d take night classes and work my ass off until I was out of this dump job.
“Jack!” Rick yelled.
I refrained from rolling my eyes as I turned to face him. “Yeah?”
At my gruff reply, his eyes narrowed on me. I knew I was in trouble now. “Are you finished?”
“Just loaded the last truck. We’re good to go.” I glanced at the clock—two minutes to the end of my shift.
“I have another job for you.”
I gritted my teeth, reminding myself how much I needed this job. “Sir, I need to pick up my sister.”
“Are you refusing to finish the job?”
“The job is finished. Every truck is loaded and ready for the morning.”
“That doesn’t mean the job is done. I need someone to stay and do inventory.”
He already had someone who handled the inventory. His buddy spent hours on inventory every week, using most of his time to flirt with the women at the front desk. And then last week, Rick decided to give him an entire week off. Paid.
“Sir, I can’t stay tonight.”
