Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers by Emily Matthews (free novels .TXT) 📕

now. And it was better than trying to find a job right away. He’d take her deal now, but first he had to find her.

Her attorney had been no help at all. They cited “client confidentiality” or some bullshit thing like that. Her family swore she wasn’t staying with them. She didn’t have any friends, so her office was his last chance.

He’d spent days staking out the San Francisco Samatrix office. Their security was tight, so he couldn’t get to her actual office, but he hung out in the lobby and asked anyone who would talk to him if they knew Annie. On day four, he finally found someone who knew her. He’d turned on the charm and coaxed out of the woman that Annie had transferred to the Seattle office.

When he searched the Internet, he found out the Seattle office was actually in a town called Bellevue, a few miles east of Seattle. He found the address easily and immediately started the two-day drive. Leaving the state went against his parole conditions, but he figured he’d be back within the week and no one would notice.

He’d hardly eaten and was quickly running out of money. The prison had given him a small stipend upon release, but he didn’t plan on having to make it last so long. His bank account was bone-dry, and he began to regret his decision of insisting he and Annie keep separate bank accounts. If the bitch was going to ghost him, she could have at least left him a little money.

He flicked the wipers on to clear the windshield. The constant drizzle of rain hadn’t stopped since he’d arrived, and the gloominess of it made him melancholy and pensive.

His parents had always said he would amount to nothing, but he’d been determined to prove them wrong. He was going to have a nice little family and a high-paying job that allowed them to live a life of luxury. He was going to be the polar opposite of his parents, but now started to wonder if they’d been right. Even they hadn’t been to prison.

Admittedly, he’d made some bad decisions. Annie hadn’t been the best choice for a wife. And the shitty job he took right out of college set him on a path to failure. Once he was fired from that, all motivation ran right out of him. If he couldn’t keep that crappy job, how was he supposed to hold a better one?

He didn’t want to be dependent on his wife for food and rent, but it was easier to just let Annie make the money. Going through the embarrassment of interviewing for a job and then potentially not getting it wasn’t worth it.

And then that asshole at the bar had to go and provoke him into a fight. One unlucky punch and he goes to prison for three years? It wasn’t his fault the guy couldn’t take a hit.

Fast forward to now. Here he was, sitting in this borrowed piece of shit, waiting on a woman who obviously didn’t love him anymore, desperate for any scrap of coin she would toss him. Turns out, he was as pathetic as his parents had predicted.

Well, that would end soon. He just needed a little financial help from Annie, and then he’d turn this shit show around. He still had time to prove his parents wrong and make Annie sorry she’d left.

His head snapped up. It wasn’t Annie, but hey, hottie alert! He watched a leggy blond in high heels stride toward the doors, leather computer bag slung over one shoulder, and carrying a large Starbucks coffee. A man stopped to hold the door for her, and when she turned to thank him, Wayne about shit his pants.

“Oh my God,” he said aloud to the empty car. He sat up straight and squinted to make sure he wasn’t just seeing things. It couldn’t be. And yet it was. He’d found her.

She’d lost about thirty pounds, dyed her hair, and wasn’t wearing glasses, but it was her. Damn, she’d changed. And not just her looks. Her walk, the way she carried herself, and the way she looked the man at the door in the eye told him she’d found some self-confidence. Shit. That could be bad for him.

He noted the time, started the car, and drove away. He needed a plan.

As he negotiated the traffic, he pulled out his cell phone. A charity that helped ex-cons had given it to him when he got out. It was old and used and he could only make phone calls, text, and take pictures with it, but it was better than nothing. “Dude, I need you to find the nearest homeless shelter to me in Bellevue, Washington.”

Wayne had made exactly one friend in prison. Jackson had gotten out six weeks before Wayne and had offered to help him once he was released. It may have been a courtesy offer, but Wayne had no one else, so he’d called once he realized Annie was really gone.

“You drove my fucking car to Washington? You asshole. I said you could use it to track down your wife, not take a road trip.”

“Yeah, well, I tracked her to Bellevue,” Wayne justified. “Can you help me, man? The sooner I get the info, the sooner I can bring your car back.”

“Just a sec.” Jackson sighed, irritated.

Wayne heard the faint clicks of a keyboard.

“The Gospel Mission Church at Bellevue Way and 112th Avenue.”

“Thanks, man. I owe you.”

“Yeah, you do. Get my damn car back here ASAP, or I’ll report it stolen,” Jackson threatened. Okay, so maybe they weren’t best friends.

“You bet.” Wayne hung up before Jackson could issue any more threats.

He stopped at a gas station for directions and a Snickers and then made his way to the shelter where he arranged for a bed for the night.

“I’d also like to find out if there are any local charitable organizations that loan out business suits. I’ve got a great job interview tomorrow and was hoping