He crowded against me, pressing into my space so much that I hadto lean into the engine to escape him. That wicked gleam in his eyes that seemed to brighten every time I saw him made my stomach flip, and not in a good way.
“Back up right now,” I snapped.
“Or what?”
He leaned in and sniffed me like a dog, then slid his fingers through my hair, yanking me into him. My hand fumbled behind me for the wrench, and when the smooth metal met my fingertips, I latched on, swinging with all my might, connecting with his head.
“Son of a—” He stumbled backward, holding his head as blood gushed from a small cut just above his temple.
Swinging the wrench in my hand, I prepared for him to come at me again. The anger swirling in his eyes matched what I felt thrumming through my veins.
“I swear to God, if you ever touch me again, I will kill you.”
“That’s a little harsh. Did you say that to Liam when you saw his little whore wearing his shirt?”
I held strong even though his words cut me like daggers. But even after everything Liam did, his touch was nothing like the greasy scumbag in front of me.
“Get the fuck away from me.”
Smirking, he started to step in my direction when Wyatt’s voice boomed through the garage.
“Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
A slow grin spread across my face, but was quickly cut off by his next words.
“Fuck around on your own time, Bailey. We’ve got work to do, and after how much time you took off last week, you can’t exactly afford to piss me off.”
His words chilled the blood running through my veins. His brother had attacked me, but he was blaming me?
“Austin, if you’re not gonna fucking help, get the hell out. You’re distracting my employee.”
Smirking, Austin slid his thumb through the blood on his face, then pressed the pad of his thumb to his mouth and sucked. “Could beyours next,” he chuckled, then turned on his heel and walked out, giving a jaunty wave to his brother.
Still shaken, I stared at the wrench in my hand, thankful I’d had something close by to protect myself with. It could have all turned out so much differently.
“What did I tell you about him?” Wyatt snapped. “Stay the fuck away from him.”
My head snapped up and my lips twisted in a scowl. “I was working. Maybe you should keep him off the fucking property.”
The wrench in my hand wouldn’t stop shaking, so I clenched my fist around it, doing my best to calm the fuck down. Wyatt was in front of me in seconds, but instead of crowding me, he gently pried the wrench from my hand and slid a rag over the blood.
“You should get cleaned up. Take a long lunch.”
“I—” I started to argue, but the words wouldn’t come. I was too rattled. Suddenly, I felt the desperate urge to break down in tears, but I wasn’t sure what from. I was pissed as hell that Liam had slept with another woman, that he wasn’t here when I needed him, and that I felt so fucking vulnerable when I should be strong.
But most of all, I was angry at myself for letting all the men in my life get to me so much.
“Go on,” Wyatt said softly. “Go see Cheyenne. I’ll see you back here in an hour.”
Confusion rattled through me as I stared up at the dark eyes of my boss. He’d berated me, blamed me for his brother’s actions, but now he was being…kind.
I never believed all the gossip about Wyatt. I’d only ever known him to be a fair boss, but this…it was like he was trying to protect me in some way. But I got the feeling that if I said anything about it, he would deny it profusely.
Slipping around him, I hurried over to the break room and slipped out of my coveralls before fleeing the place like a bad rash. I texted Cheyenne immediately, letting her know I was on the way, and nearly dropped my phone three times in the process.
I needed a drink, but that couldn’t happen in the middle of the day, so fried food would have to do.
Ten minutes later, we were sitting in The Beaver and Boot, but I hadn’t said a word. My hands were still shaking as I tried to find a way to tell her about what just happened without her losing her shit.
