Free Hooked By Love by Cate Lockhart Page B

then moved on to the file cabinet, not expecting it to be open but was pleasantly surprised when it was. I flicked through the tabs, startled to see one named ‘Craig.’ Why was Uncle Josh keeping tabs on his brother? I withdrew the folder and pulled out the plans for the new development and sheets of financial papers with red question marks plastered all over them. My uncles were up to something.
    I slid onto his office chair and fanned the papers out in front of me, carefully scrutinising each and every one of them. Sometime later, I leant back and ran both my hands through my hair. Oh boy, this was like waiting for a car crash to happen.
    Thoughts of what I had originally been searching for were forgotten. What my Uncle Josh was looking into was far more interesting.

Chapter 12
     
     
    Josh
     
    After I dropped Zack at the house, I went back to my office in the city. With all my guilt and helplessness, I just couldn’t deal with anything at home. I thought it best to let him be. His resentment was strong enough to last him a few days so I wasn’t about to keep tugging at him. My decision wasn’t based on pity for the boy or to intimidate him, but selfishly, I needed a break from him. Once again, I wasn’t home, as he’d predicted, but I was at the end of my tether with his hostile behaviour. At least at work I could clear my mind of Claire and Zack by polluting it with Craig and business matters.
    When I passed by Craig’s office, the door was closed. Something must have gone wrong at the centre, because Craig never closed his door. He liked watching what was going on in the reception area and listening to office chatter. He was an absolute extrovert and couldn’t take a piss without an entourage. Only two things could have caused a closed door today: a secretary on her knees under his desk or a catastrophic blow to his day.
    I passed the women in reception and they gestured that my brother was in a mood. With a thumbs up I reassured them I would tame the tiger and knocked on Craig’s door.
    ‘Craig, you available?’ I said from outside his door.
    ‘Come in, if you have to,’ he grunted in a muffled reply and I knew there would be a nasty story. All I cared about was whether he’d gone to the centre as I’d asked him. His other problems were none of my concern.
    ‘Hey, drinking on the job?’ I reprimanded, masking it as teasing.
    He sat at his desk, shirt open to his sternum, drinking a tumbler of transparent liquid that smelt like petrol and road kill.
    ‘Fuck off,’ he moaned. His words were less aggressive and more a sincere request for me to get off his back.
    ‘Did you go to the centre?’ I asked.
    Craig leered at me and chugged back the last of his drink. He got up and poured another.
    ‘Easy, brother,’ I cautioned. ‘You won’t be able to get home at this rate.’
    ‘Then I’ll just sleep here in the office. What are you, my keeper?’ he snapped.
    ‘Just concerned. You look knackered.’ I shrugged. ‘Did you go to the centre or not?’
    ‘Yes. Oh yes, I did. I went to your precious centre for faggots and I met that slut you think is sooo sweet,’ he barked.
    I could smell his breath from across the desk.
    ‘Slut? Really?’
    I doubted him. Rarely did he use the term as a derogatory name. Craig loved sluts. He normally referred to his favourite dates as sluts. But this was not the good, happy term. I kept my offence that he’d called the gorgeous Amber such a name to myself.
    ‘Listen, you have no idea what she’s like. Jesus. I wish you could have seen the way she practically sucked me off right there in their boardroom,’ he whined.
    ‘You have got to be shitting me,’ I said, astonished and very disappointed. I supposed looks really could be deceiving.
    ‘No, I swear to God the bitch was throwing herself at me at every turn, Josh. I guess she’s desperate to keep us from chucking them out. Look, I can appreciate that the place is important to them,’ he explained more