AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It hadn’t happened since his first day.
Which was for the best, of course. Even if he secretly wanted to see the man every damned day.
Thoughts of Wilder were exactly why he drifted one moment at his desk. An invoice slipped from the edge and somehow landed in the paper shredder. Gasping as he came to, he realized too late what was happening. He grabbed the end of it and attempted to drag it out before it was shredded to bits.
“Oh shit,” Melvin whispered. “You get it?”
Avery attempted to straighten out the frayed, cut edge and realized he’d lost too much of it. The company’s name, address, and phone number were there, as well as a couple of lines—but the important info, the other line items and the total, were all too destroyed to figure out.
“Call them. See if they’ll send you another copy,” Melvin suggested.
“Good idea.” Avery grabbed the telephone and dialed the number listed at the top of the invoice.
Three tones sounded.The number you are trying to reach is not in service.
Not in service? He hung up and dialed again, ensuring he entered the right number.
The number you are trying to reach is not in service.
“It’s not in service.”
Melvin frowned. “Maybe they changed it? Check the directory.”
Avery called up the vendor in the computer directory. “Same number.”
“Go ask Mr. Hardwick.”
Not on your life.His boss was tough on everyone, but seemed to be especially tough on him. Avery wasn’t sure if it was because he was fresh meat—or loosely connected to the Jaymes family. There was no way that he was going to tell the man that he’d destroyed an invoice. He scanned the remnants of the sheet in his hand. “There’s an address above the number. I’ll leave a little early and head over there. See if they can give me a copy.”
Melvin chuckled. “And if Mr. Hardwick notices you’re gone?”
“Just tell him I went to the restroom or something,” Avery replied.
Melvin grinned. “Are you really that scared of him?”
“Scared? No. Avoiding him? Absolutely.”
“Understandable. He has been picking on you pretty hard.” Melvin looked thoughtful for a moment. “Want me to go ask him in your place?”
“And if he finds outIshredded it, he’ll have ammo I don’t need him to have.”
“I’ll just tell him I did it.”
“No… I won’t have you yelled at in my place. This address isn’t far from my way home. It won’t be that difficult to slip in and out.”
“Okay,” Melvin said. “Let’s just pray Hardwick doesn’t notice.”
Luckily, Hardwick rarely left his desk. Avery believed he could set his watch to the man’s movements. Behind the desk by eight. Coffee break at ten. Lunch. Break at two. Lights out at precisely five on the dot. Most of the bullying came when he called people into his office or via a scathing email.
A few hours later, Avery snuck out of the department with destroyed invoice in hand. He lowered his head as he passed through the cubicles near Hardwick’s office and slipped out to the elevator bank. He suddenly saw Mr. Hardwick unexpectedly exit his office, yelling for another employee. Avery pressed the button, calling for a car, hoping the man wouldn’t look his way.
The elevator door opened. He rushed inside and jammed the button until they closed.
With a sigh of relief, he hit the lobby button and waited for his trip down. The afternoon was cooler than expected as he exited the building. Fall was closing in, and he could smell the crisp scent of it in the air. He jumped on a passing trolley and closed his eyes to the wind blowing over his face.
Overhead, the sky was a beautiful robin’s egg blue. Big, fluffy clouds hung suspended in the late summer day. Being early, the commute was lighter, and he had the trolley almost to himself.
A few blocks down, he jumped off and walked the three blocks to their vendor—one of their many suppliers. As soon as he approached, he noted the emptiness of the dull glaze of the glass and the overgrowth of weeds on the sidewalks outside. The nearer he got, he sensed the business was empty. Stopping at the soaped over front door glass, he read the CLOSED sign covered in cobwebs and attempted to peek in.
