Chapter 12 - The Turning Point
The twenty-dollar bill floated in the muddy water, inches from Gage’s steel-toed boot. Six months ago, Gage would have had his security team beat Julian senseless for such an insult. Three weeks ago, he would have picked it up out of desperation.
Instead, Gage stared at the wet paper. In its reflection, he didn't see Julian's smug face; he saw his own face from the garden party, sneering at Lily’s small wooden box. He remembered the crunch of the ceramic nightlight beneath his feet, the pure malice he had shown a little girl whose only sin was loving him.
Gage looked up. His eyes, hollowed by exhaustion, carried an unexpected, quiet intensity that made Julian take an involuntary step backward.
"Keep your money, Julian," Gage said. His voice was hoarse, raspy from warehouse dust, but steady. "You'll need it when Arthur cancels your logistics contract next month."
Without waiting for a response, Gage turned his back on them, grabbed the handles of a heavy hand truck loaded with three hundred pounds of steel, and hauled it smoothly toward the inspection dock.
May you like
From the second-story catwalk above the warehouse floor, a tall man in a tailored overcoat observed the exchange through tinted safety glass. Arthur lowered his binoculars. For the first time in three weeks, the stern line of his mouth softened by a fraction of an inch.
---
