An hour and a half later, my phone buzzes with the notification that my ride is finally here.
Thank goodness. I need a shower and Dr. Pepper…stat!!!
Chapter Three
Skip
“Everything’s set and ready to go,” I inform Spike, the Iron Shadows’ president. “We’re now the official owners of The Rusty Wrench.”
“We’re changing that name, right?” Tank asks, one brow lifted.
“Hey, since I’m the one who’s gonna run the place,” Knuckles cuts in, leaning forward with a grin, “I should get to name it.”
I snort. “Do you have staff in mind? I’m only asking because I told that idiot Patrick I wanted to keep one of his employees on our payroll.”
Knuckles shrugs. “Wouldn’t mind a solid mechanic to handle most of the grunt work while I focus on building custom bikes.”
Chuckling, I drop down onto one of the couches in Spike’s office, the leather creaking under me.
“He’s not a mechanic,” I admit. “Doesn’t really fit the garage scene either. But I had a feeling he needed the job.”
“He was cute, wasn’t he?” Riley asks, smirking from her spot beside Spike. She’s tucked into his side like she belongs there…which she does. Our Riley’s a miracle worker. Managed to tame the beast that runs this club.
“His level of attractiveness has nothing to do with me keeping him on,” I say, mock glaring at her before my grin breaks loose. “But yeah… he was. Soft-spoken, sweet, a little shy.”
“The male version of Sunny,” Tank says with a grin, and Riley laughs under her breath.
“Hey… rude,” Sunny says softly from her spot on Bones’ lap, shooting Tank a mock glare. Then she smiles, eyes sparkling. “But… accurate.”
Bones just chuckles, his arms tightening around her waist like he’s daring anyone to argue.
Another miracle worker, that one. Sunny’s the polar opposite of Bones…light where he’s dark, gentle where he’s rough around the edges. She’s all laughter and warmth, and he’s… well, Bones. Brooding. Silent. Allergic to people.
But lately, I’ve caught him smiling more than I ever thought possible.
“I think a male Sunny would be fun to be around,” Lila says, her smile soft but teasing.
Max, her ol’ man, grunts his agreement.
Lila didn’t have to work quite as hard to tame Max as Sunny and Riley did with Bones and Spike, but since meeting her and her kids, he’s been different. Calmer. Grounded. Finally back to the man I remember from years ago.
“Well, if he’s not a mechanic, then what good is he to the garage?” Knuckles snaps. “We already have several clients waiting for the okay to bring in their bikes or to have one built from the ground up. I need people who know their shit so I can focus on mine. Stop thinking with your dick, man.”
Knuckles has been pushing my buttons a lot these past few months. There’s only so much patience a guy like me has.
“Just do me a solid and keep him on, brother,” I say. “He handled the transaction side today when I was there. And, someone’s gotta work the numbers. We both know how you are with math.”
I laugh as he chucks a pen at my head, moving quickly to dodge it.
Yeah, he’s been walking the line with me lately, but this is how I get back…I push back. One of these days, he’s going to pushme past the fun of it, though, and then I’ll get pissed for real. It’s only a matter of time.
“Fine, but he’s got one month to prove he’s not a liability,” Knuckles says, pushing back from the table. “After that, we’ll reassess.”
“Just don’t work him too hard,” I warn, meeting his eyes. “Pretty sure he’s got some health issues. He fainted while I was there and didn’t even look surprised by it.”
Knuckles’ jaw ticks. “One month,” he repeats, voice flat.
“Before anyone heads out,” Spike says, stopping him mid-stand, “something’s come up we need to discuss.”
