Did I have any regrets? Of course. Didn’t we all? My mother had succumbed to her illness while I had been locked up, and I had been denied the chance to attend her funeral. I wasn’t even allowed a bedside visit to say goodbye. That was my biggest regret, honestly. My brother, Sean, liked to constantly remind me that he had to attend her funeral without me, but there was nothing I could do about that now. The past was the past, and he could either forgive me for my transgressions, or fuck right off. And I’d told this to his face several times.
Tired of listening to the commentators speculate about what the Dallas Cowboys were going to do next season, I lifted the remote then turned the TV off. I drained the last of my beer, tossed the glass bottle into the trash, and made my way into my bedroom. After a hot shower, it didn’t take long for me to succumb to the power of sleep.
As I drank my coffee at my small dining room table, I had my phone in my hand. Being a business owner was hard work. I didn’t realize how much of my free time it would suck up until it was too late. That being said, I had absolutely no social life, so what did it matter? I had no woman. My mother was gone, my brother was busy with his wife and kids, and it wasn’t like I ever had a father in my life. Hell, I didn’t even know the name of the man who had created me. Mom had always refused to give up that name. But I had let that shit go years ago. What did it matter, really?
An email caught my eye, so I clicked on it:
To: Craig Electric
From: Lone Star Medical Clinic
Subject: Electrician Quote
Hello, we are in need of an electrician to rewire our new clinic downtown. As of now, the place is a department store, and we’ve purchased it to convert into a medical clinic. It will be an Urgent-Care type of walk-in facility. Your name came up on Google and you have very good ratings. Do you have time to come give us a quote?
Respectfully,
Nora Bloome, RN
Clinical Director
I grinned and hit reply. Hell yes, I had time to go give them a quote.
Chapter One Hundred Eleven
It was late on a Friday afternoon. I looked around and smiled at our handiwork. It turned out the store’s wiring wasn’t too bad. I just had to add a bunch more outlets to accommodate the extra medical equipment, and a shit ton of lights required by medical clinics. It had taken nearly a month, but I’d hired on some temporary help and was glad I had. I paid the guys in cash and they left to get on with their weekend.
“So, that’s it? You’re all done?” Nora asked, looking around the sterile white environment that was still free of furniture or equipment. Apparently, they were getting the flooring done next week.
I looked down at the older woman. “Yep, all done. I’ll shoot you over the remainder of the invoice when I get back to the office.”
“If we have any troubles, we can call you?” she asked, and I could sense high levels of anxiety coming off of her in waves.
“Of course,” I replied, trying to reassure her. “All my work is bonded and guaranteed, so if something goes out or doesn’t work, we’ll be out right away to fix it, free of charge.”
She relaxed. “Thank you. This is my first clinic. I’m so nervous I’m going to forget something!”
I grinned at her. “I’m sure it’ll be great. You’ll be helping a lot of people in here. Heck, I’ll probably be sending some your way.”
She looked up at me, concerned. “Do you have a lot of on-the-job injuries? We will be taking workman’s comp cases.”
I shrugged. “Not really, but I also do some security work at The Spot. They can get kinda rowdy in there.” I winked at her.
She laughed nervously and nodded. “Definitely send them our way, we’ll get them fixed up. We’re having our grand opening in two weeks, and we’ll be open for patients that very day.”
I thanked her as we shook hands, and I left the clinic-to-be and got into my Toyota truck. I only used this truck for work to haul equipment. I preferred my bike.
Actually, I preferred the leopard, running free in the foothills without a care in the world, but there was no time for that right now. I would blow off some steam later.
After I sent the invoice off to Nora, I closed the computer and got into the shower to get ready for my evening. After a long work week, I always looked forward to going to the club to be around the only people I considered family. There was a full moon out, so I was sure we’d be busy as hell too. The game room was always off the chain.
My bike rumbled to a stop in front of the club doors, and I killed the engine, then put the kickstand down. As I wandered inside, I could hear the sounds of punches, grunts, and cheers happening.
Geez, it’s barely six p.m., I thought as I rushed inside, thinking there was a fight to break up already.
Nope, looked like the ring had opened early. I relaxed slightly when I saw Kitty and another guy I didn’t recognize going at it. Kitty had a couple of cuts on his face. The other guy? He wasn’t doing so well. I folded my arms across my chest and shook my head. Looked like drinks would be on
