My Missing Puzzle Piece (Creekside Falls #1) (23 page)

“Are you kidding me? He tried to ruin my business and for what reason I have no clue, but if this schedule was real do you have any idea what would have happened to my business and how bad it would have been?” Trevor was furious.

“Yes I know what would have happened. I just wonder what’s going on with him, I mean what his reasons are for doing something like this?”

“Elle listen to me, stop doing this. If you want to be in his corner or be his shrink then fine but this guy has been undermining the thing that means the most in the world to me.” Trevor said coolly.

“I’m not trying to be in his corner or tell you what to do. But I know him and he wouldn’t do this just for the hell of it.” Elle retorted defensively, she heard what he
said about it being ‘the most important thing’ but let that go for the moment.

“You knew him when he was a teenager not the man he is now. People change from when they were kids.” Trevor said in an angry tone.

“What are you going to do to him?” Was all Elle could ask.

“That’s all you think to ask me, really?” Trevor was getting angrier by the minute.

“Yes,” was all she could manage behind a constricting throat.

“I’m going to the police.” Trevor said sternly.

“You’re what?!”

“Go-ing to the pol-ice. Did you hear it that time?”

“Yes I heard you the first time. You’re being a jackass you know that? You can’t go to the police, what are they going to do?” Elle said getting frustrated herself.

“I’m being a jackass? That’s rich!” Trevor’s tone had turned caustic.

Elle simply said in a tight voice, “Don’t go to the police” “Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because you need to let him explain and honestly I don’t think they’ll do anything about it that would make it any better or change what’s happened.”

“Elle don’t tell me how to run my business or deal with my employees.”

“I am asking you, please don’t call the police and let him explain.” Elle said knowing there must have been some reason for his actions and trying to de-escalate the tension between her and Trevor.

“Fine, but don’t think for a minute this is for you.” Trevor told her. That was another shot at her that she let fly by, she didn’t want to go off on a tangent or make this about their relationship.

“Then what are you going to do?” Elle asked not quite sure why she was fighting with Trevor and defending Rob.

“If you want to know, I am going to talk to him, fire him and then do my best to make sure no business in Creekside, Springside, Bidville or any other town within fifty miles hires him again. I can’t let any business in this town or the surrounding towns hire someone who can do that to them.”

“You’d really do that?”

“Yes I would and I am but hey it’s better than the police, right?” Trevor said so angry now he thought his head might explode.

“I think you should at least give him a chance to explain.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Elle said strongly.

“Would you tell a different client to let the person explain and give them a chance if he weren’t your old boyfriend?” Trevor said still furious. Wondering if it was Becky, would she be saying the same?

“No.” Elle said slightly humbled.

“Since you want to give him a chance and be in his corner you can, because clearly you’re not in mine…so I think I’m done. This thing with us, maybe you were right the other night and we should just stop it now.” Trevor said, so mad he couldn’t see straight.

Elle felt the tears that had been stinging her eyes since the conversation began start sliding down her cheeks. “You think I want
him
? You’re done with us…seriously?”

“Damn straight I think you want him, why else would you fight with me to save him like this? You have done nothing but defend him since I mentioned his name the first day you came in and now that I have proof, you are still defending him. You haven’t thought how my giving him a chance would affect everything. You think I should give him one because you dated him but you wouldn’t tell another client to do that and you wouldn’t be fighting this hard for Becky I bet. You haven’t thought how it could impact my business but more importantly my employees. They count on me for their livelihood Elle; I can’t let some asshole ruin that for them just because my girlfriend went out with him and apparently still has the hots for him. And yes I am done…seriously!” Trevor said as he felt his voice going raw and his throat getting thick.

“Okay fine. Then I’m gonna go and leave you to take care of the most important thing in your life, your damn business!” Elle had one more parting shot to add in, “You told me you wouldn’t make me regret trusting you, well guess what you just did.” Elle hung up and laid her head down on her desk and sobbed uncontrollably.

Trevor slammed down the phone and sat staring at his office wall in shock. He couldn’t believe he just ended things with Elle and over the phone for that matter. He loved her so damn much but couldn’t take the way she was defending Rob and practically begging him to give that son-of-a-bitch another chance. He wanted her to be in
his
corner like he would be for her if the roles were reversed. His heart felt heavy and his chest hurt; he thought, so this is what a broken heart feels like. Her shot about trusting him was like a knife twisting in his gut and it killed, he never wanted her to feel like that.

After she got herself under control Elle sat at her desk staring out the windows; she couldn’t believe what had just happened. How did she let it get to that point? She loved Trevor so much. Her chest felt so tight and her heart was shattered in a million pieces. She had caused this, she knew that, but how could he think she wanted Rob? She was just trying to help an old friend who was obviously in trouble, that’s all. Her everything hurt and even though she tried not to, she started sobbing again.

he rest of Trevor’s day was complete hell. He was in such pain it was unbearable.

When Trevor brought Rob into the conference room later that day he wanted to know why and how he did it and if it was only him, or if Becky and Max were somehow involved too.

As Rob sat across from Trevor and said, “What’s going on?”

“Why did you do it?” Trevor asked.

“Do what?” Rob asked as if he had no clue.

“Try and sabotage my company.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Rob denied.

“The hell you didn’t, I have proof. I just want to know why?” Trevor demanded.

Rob stared at him a minute, it was obvious he was battling with himself. Trevor said
proof
, that meant he knew so there was no sense in denying it.

“Because I got bored, I guess.”

“You got bored? You’ve got to be shitting me! I know that’s not the real reason, so for the last time, why?” Trevor yelled as he slammed his hand down on the table.

Rob’s eyes went wide and he took a deep breath, “Because I needed the money.”

“What?” Trevor asked.

“Money…I needed the money that the extra hours would have brought in if my team ended up looking the most reliable.”

Trevor realized then that Jake was right and it had been about money and probably the gambling was the problem. How come he didn’t notice anything before? If his guys liked working for him so much why didn’t they come to him and say something, he couldn’t help wondering.

“Couldn’t you just ask me for overtime or an advance on pay?” Trevor asked.

“Didn’t want to and it isn’t that easy.” Rob replied with.

“So how did you plan to make that happen and why did you need the money so badly, and I want the truth Rob?”

“Because I gamble and need to pay some people back.” Rob gave a short laugh. “The schedules were easy to mess with. Every route manager has a password to login, all I had to do was hack in, which was easier than you might think, and give myself full access. So I could override anything you put in and change it to anything I wanted. I was doing it for a while before anyone said anything and over a month before you even noticed. To be honest it was almost fun.”

Trevor stared blankly at Rob in disbelief at how much he just shared and, at how twisted the guy really was.

“What about Becky and Max?” Trevor asked.

Rob laughed, “Oh, that was nothing. Last time Max was here I ran into him and saw how interested he was in Becky. It was obvious the guy wanted her. I told him I’d let him know when she was either over you or single and he gave me his information. I emailed him from my personal account to say Becky was interested in him and that I thought something was going on here; that the business was in trouble but you were trying to keep it quiet. I told him not to say anything to you but to ask Becky about it, since she knows everything happening here. Then I told him to email me at my work email because I check it more often, and that I’d keep him up on the situation here and he fell for it. Becky always was nice to Max and had a thing for him too, so of course she just answered his questions and even told him Elle talked to us. She wasn’t anymore the wiser than he was. Max was worried about you when he found out something was going on and wanted to help. So when he knew Elle talked to us he got worried you had found out and couldn’t fix the business he knows you
love
so much.”

“You bastard!” Trevor yelled, “all this because you gambled away someone else’s money. You almost ruined my business and my relationships with two people I’m close to.”

“Yeah well I had to cover my ass.” Rob said with a smile.

It took everything Trevor had not to beat the shit out of him for all the problems he caused.

Trevor looked Rob straight in the eye and said, “Glad you had your little fun, now get the hell out of my office and don’t ever come back.”

As Rob stood to leave the room he had one parting shot, “Tell Elle I said hi and I want to know something, is she as much fun in bed as I always thought she’d be?”

Blood pounded in Trevor’s ears he was so furious. He knew Rob was trying to provoke him; he’d love nothing more than to have Trevor punch him so he could file an assault complaint against him. He let him walk out knowing that he only had to put out the word and Rob wouldn’t be able to get a job flipping burgers in this town or anywhere in the area.

He knew things had just ended with Elle but he had to let her know exactly who she was sticking up for so he emailed her about his entire conversation with Rob. Trevor was angry and hurt but he did want to protect Elle from Rob and anyone like him, despite everything.

After Trevor fired Rob, he called and emailed every business owner he knew to save them and their businesses from the likes of Rob, telling them to spread the word. He called Jake to tell him what went down with him and Rob when he confronted him, Jake couldn’t believe he was such a prick about it. He felt guilty about not saying something sooner, but it wasn’t his fault.

Trevor also called Max to talk to him about everything that was going on. Max told him everything that happened on his end. He said Rob was the one who initiated their conversations because he made it seem like the business was in trouble and that Trevor was trying to
keep it a secret but maybe in some way Max could help. Max had been worried for Trevor. When Trevor hung up with Max he knew they were good, Max kept saying he felt guilty and responsible for not telling Trevor when Rob contacted him. Trevor told him that was crazy, since Rob still would have been doing it he only wanted to use Max as a cover, but it was nice to know his friend and one-time business partner had his back.

The rest of the week went by for Trevor and Elle in a slow agony. They were so upset and hurt by each other’s words and actions, they didn’t want to be around anyone. Finally on Saturday Taylor and Jake decided it was time to intervene.

Taylor went to Elle’s with cookies, cake and wine -the perfect dinner trilogy for female heartbreak, which Taylor knew from experience. She let herself into Elle’s house and found Elle on her couch watching a romantic movie and crying.

“Come here.” Taylor said to Elle as she pulled her in for a hug.

“He broke up with me.” Elle managed to say as she clung to Taylor and kept crying.

“I know. What happened?” Taylor said as she handed Elle a handful of tissues.