Prickly Business Read Online Free PDF Page B

unlocked his iPhone, pulled up his father’s contact, and dialed. It built into a nauseating frenzy with every unanswered ring, until, finally, right when he feared it would go to voice mail, the call connected.
    “What did you do this time, boy?” his father asked by way of greeting. His Louisiana drawl sounded thicker than ever now that Avery had spent so many years in the Pacific Northwest. He wondered how his own accent sounded to his fellow Portlanders. He didn’t even notice it when he spoke anymore.
    Avery thumbed the handle of his mug. “Hi, Daddy. Can’t I be calling to say hello?”
    “Well, are you?”
    Avery hesitated.
    His father sighed. “Didn’t think so. So, what is it, boy? I don’t have all day.”
    Avery took a fortifying sip of his tea. “I was wondering if you might be willing to send me my allowance for this month and next month early.”
    “Early? Why? It’s been, what, a little over two weeks since the last deposit? Don’t tell me you already ran through that ten grand.”
    “Oh, no, I haven’t used all of it yet, but….”
    “But what?” his father asked, impatient, volume rising. “Spit it out.”
    Avery swallowed nervously. No way could he tell his father why he needed the money now. With as much as his father hated wolves, he’d have Avery’s spines if he found out. “I… I was thinking—”
    “I don’t care what you’ve been thinking,” his father interrupted. “What I want to know is why you can’t ever manage to save a dime. What single man with no responsibilities can’t survive off a hundred and twenty thousand dollars a year? What are you wasting that money on? I shudder to think what you’ll do when you come of age for the trust, I truly do.”
    “But—”
    “No ‘buts,’ Avery. Not today. You’ll get your money at the end of the month and not a second before.”
    “Daddy—”
    “Good-bye, Avery. I’m meeting François at the golf course in twenty minutes. I’ll tell your mama you said hello.”
    The line went dead in his ear, and for a moment, Avery stared as his father’s number flashed on the screen. Then he dropped the phone on the table and rubbed his forehead with his uninjured hand.
    What was he supposed to do now? He considered asking Jaden to front him the money, but he dismissed the thought seconds later. No, he couldn’t risk involving Jaden with Victor. This was a mess of his own creation, and he needed to create himself a way out of it.
    A thought struck Avery, and he straightened in his chair. He peered around the loft, trying to decide what he could sell and what he couldn’t bear to part with. He’d never had cause to set foot in a pawn shop before, but there had to be one in the city. Time for a Google search.
     
     
    A WEEK later his time had officially run out—and Avery still hadn’t managed to scrounge up the fifteen grand. He’d thought about trying to sell or take a loan against his Mini Cooper… until he remembered the title was in his father’s name. So instead, he’d pawned his two watches, sold some of his clothes, and even auctioned off a few of his rare, collectible vinyl albums on eBay. Altogether, he’d collected seven thousand dollars. That left him eight shy, and his deadline had whooshed by last night. He was surprised Josiah and Rory weren’t already on his doorstep, but then he paid to live in this building for a reason—the secured entry. They couldn’t get to his loft without him buzzing them in, though they could certainly be lying in wait for him outside.
    Avery glanced down at his newly healed wrist and shuddered at the thought of what else the wolves might break if he ran into them. He’d have to stay inside. There was nothing for it.
    By late afternoon on Sunday, he was going stir-crazy. Normally he didn’t mind solitude. But this wasn’t choosing to be alone. This was imprisonment, like sitting in a cell awaiting a court sentence. He couldn’t stand it. The idea of staying locked in his