Bro Code(52)

“Is it a holiday that I forgot about?” The usual whir of the machines is missing. Looking past Nat and through the window into the warehouse, the place is a ghost town other than the few guys cleaning and locking up.

“I wish,” she says. “How’d things go with the lawyer?”

“About as badly as you could dream up. We’re screwed,” I sigh, plopping all the paperwork back down on my desk. “Well, I’m screwed. You can head out if you want. Looks like everyone else has,” I say, gesturing toward the window to the warehouse.

“Well, I hate to be the one to tell you that the bad news doesn’t end there. I had to send everyone home, Ava.” She announces it as if it were news, waiting for my surprised reaction like I’m not staring into the nearly empty warehouse through the window behind her.

“I don’t understand? If that engine fell again, I swear to God.”

“No, the engine is fine. The problem is everything else. Some guy came by while you were gone.” She picks up a piece of paper and stares at it with intense focus, avoiding eye contact with me. “An inspector from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.”

Shit.

“The Mark incident must have been reported to them and I was required by the state to let him survey the place,” she explains, finally looking up at me with sympathetic eyes. “And I guess he didn’t like what he found. He commanded that the place be shut down effective immediately for lack of compliance with safety regulations.”

“Which safety regulations?”

She nervously hands over the document she’s been holding. The whole page is completely marked up with red ink and highlighter, documenting every loose screw and dusty vent in the building. There has to be at least two dozen violations here. How did I not know about any of these? Factories may not be my area of expertise, but I’m not dumb. Was I so caught up in my Barrett fantasies that I didn’t manage to notice that this factory I’ve been running is a giant mess?

“He said once all the highlighted violations were corrected that they would come back,” Megan says, as if it’s supposed to offer me any solace. “They’re willing to reassess the property to determine whether or not you can reopen your doors. But until then, the factory has to stay closed, Ava. I’m so sorry.”

“So, I’m just shut down?” I snap, the tears already building in my eyes. “I’m done? Just like that?” My voice has escalated to a yell, but I don’t care. Let the handful of employees left in the warehouse hear me. It’s not any secret that things are falling apart.

“There’s still hope,” she offers, getting up from behind my desk to try to calm me down.

“Where? Where is there hope?” My throat twists and tightens as tears start to spill down my cheeks in quiet rivers. “I don’t think I saw a line item in the budget for hope.”

“I’m just trying to help.” She puts up her hands in defense and takes a step back from me. I’m derailing and she’s taking the brunt of it, but I can’t hold myself together. How could so many disasters hit back to back to back?

There’s a knock on the door—probably one of the few guys still on site coming to find out if he needs to start looking for a new job. I try to deep breathe so I can preserve some of my dignity in front of my employees, but when the door creaks open, the familiar grating voice that greets me belongs to no employee of mine.

“Ava, I hope I’m not interrupting.”

I snap my head around to meet Roland’s beady eyes as he slithers into the room.

His timing is impeccable.

“I just thought I might swing by before your end of day...although it looks like maybe everyone’s called it quitting time already.” His greasy smirk replaces my sadness with pure anger. How dare he show up again, completely unannounced.

“What do you want, Roland?” I bark.

“I just wanted to stop in and see if you were ready to sign that agreement,” he says it as though it were some innocent suggestion. Could he know about the health inspector, or is this just some crazy coincidence? Either way, I’m still not going down without a fight.

“Over my dead body, Roland.” My voice wobbles as I say it, but I’ve never been more secure in my stance. I’d sooner let this company land in the dumpster before laying it in Roland’s hands.

The few lingering workers wander into the doorframe, drawn to the commotion.

“Well, no matter,” he says, waving me off and turning to address what’s left of my staff. “Gentleman, I hope you’ll spread word to the rest of the employees that Roland Enterprises will be hosting a meeting this coming Saturday in our main conference room. An open panel, if you will. I hope you’ll all attend to hear what I have to say about the future of this business and our intentions.” The men shoot me “we’re so sorry” looks, but give Roland a nod. Clearly this is coming as no surprise to them.

“I’d just like to handle things in a reasonable, professional manner,” Roland says, pivoting back to address me. “I don’t want anyone getting laid off any more than you do.”

That is such bullshit. I heard what he said in Barrett's office.





Chapter Twenty-six


Barrett


Any time I forget why I want to move up and become a partner at the firm, I’m reminded of Mr. Lyons’ office. Any interior designer would start drooling the second they got a look at the place—from the desk to the leather chairs to the bookshelf lined with legal books filled with historic cases, all the furniture sleek and black. Not a nick or a smudge on anything. He’s got the nicest office of anyone in the firm, maybe of anyone on this city block, and the man knows it.