A Soft Touch

Chapter Nine

Sloane walked out of the bank a proud smile on his face. The retched suit he was wearing couldn't even bring his mood down today, even if it was itchy and choked him. They were going to be able to keep the business floating- with the help of Sloane's hearty bank account.

His head was filled with dreams of achievements. There were so many things he wanted to do with the business. He wanted to really make something of it once again. He wanted to see it thrive. No longer would it sit around gathering dust.

The first thing they were going to need was clients. Then, the materials to do the jobs, as well as more workers. There was much to do and in a short amount of time. If he wanted to get the business up off fallen ground, he was going to need to hurry up and put some elbow grease in.

Sloane walked to his borrowed truck and hopped in. Mark had been kind enough to offer the work truck for the appointment, so he didn't have to walk in the suit. The engine roared to life, the car rumbling underneath his fingertips. The clock on the dashboard lit up to reveal the time.

4:59.

The meeting had taken over two hours and Sloane was bored out of his mind. Katy was going to oversee all financial aspects from now on. He didn't think he could even look at one more sheet of paper without going insane.

Throughout the whole meeting he was itching to get outside, breathe in some fresh air rather than the stuffy air of the office. There were so many people in such a tiny amount of space. It felt like everyone was practically breathing on his neck constantly. Small town banks didn't have much room.

He couldn't have gotten out of there fast enough.

The empty streets were perfect for him to blow off a bit of steam. As he got farther away from the city, he slowly increased speed. Once he reached the back-country roads he was flying.

The faster he drove the more stress that melted away. Ever since he had gotten home everything seemed to keep piling on. His shoulders were holding the weight of the world. This was his way of getting rid of the mounting stress.

He drove miles going faster than he'd ever dared to do at eighteen. He hadn't realized how much power was in his father's old truck. He was able to drift across the gravel at record speeds without having to even nudge the brake.

The music was blaring loudly pumping him up. The adrenaline helped loosen him up so he could finally enjoy himself. He laughed loudly at nothing in particular. Life could be funny sometimes.

When he got closer to the city limits, he slowed down. It wasn't until he heard the blaring siren that he realized it wasn't fast enough.

He let out a stream of curses as he pulled to the side of the road. He hadn't even seen the officer until it was much too late. He watched the cruiser pull up behind him through the rear-view mirror with disdain. This was just his luck.

The officer took his sweet time approaching Sloane's vehicle. The large brim of his hat prevented him from seeing the face, but the confident swagger of the man revealed exactly who it was.

He walked to the driver's side of the car and rapped his fingers against the window. The light glinted off his badge momentarily blinding Sloane.

"Roll down the window please," he demanded, his voice holding an air of authority. He already seemed stuck up. Who did he think he was? He was just some low-class person with a job that gave him a sense of power, which he wasn't afraid to throw around.

"Sure thing, officer," he muttered to himself, rolling the window down at a snail's pace just to see the irritation on Justin's face. He looked up to Justin waiting for further instructions. His assumptions were right.