My head swiveled between her scowl and the poor excuse for a car that was dripping mud all over the shop floor. “Are you joking?”
She crossed her arms, the tense line of her muscle visible even under her dark tattoos. “Do I look like I’m kidding?”
I had the urge to throw the bucket at her head, but I gripped the sides of it instead, my knuckles whitening as I imagined it was her beefy neck they were wrapped around.
“This is so fucking stupid. This has nothing to do with Violence.”
“What would you know about it?” Dom raised an eyebrow.
“I know I’ve never seen you doing something like this.” I spat back.
“I don’t know why you’re bitching. The seats are out, half the work is already done for you. Would you rather start from scratch?”
“Depends. Are you just going to sit on your ass while I do your dirty work? Does that make you feel tough?”
Her blue eyes iced over with a lethal edge. “Someone has to watch to make sure you don’t fuck anything up. So how about instead of worrying about what I’m doing, you worry about doing as your told for once in your fucking life. I am in charge, whether you like it or not. And I am telling you to get cleaning. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Throwing the bucket against the cement with a groan, I grabbed the hair tie from my wrist and pulled my hair from my face. I had half a mind to ask for a smock, or at least some fucking gloves, but the idea of asking Dom foranythingat this point pissed me off.
“Any day now, Cinderella.” Dom yawned, pulling up a folding chair and kicking up her feet against a work stool.
After shooting her a glare, I assessed the car, trying to figure out where to even start.
Maybe the inside? They pulled the seats, which feels like as good an indicator as anything.
I forced confidence into my movements as I strode over to the front seat and yanked open the passenger door. Thick, muddy bootprints still stained the footwell, dragging in twigsand bits of leaves with them. But considering the state of the exterior, the interior was relatively clean.Must have had another detail recently.
Dom’s voice carried over from her seat. “Grab any shit you see and toss it in the bucket. Carpet needs to be clear for the vacuum.”
Rolling my eyes, I leaned into the car, straining for the little bits of sticks that had rolled toward the center.
“Get in there, Viper. I want it fucking pristine.”
Biting my tongue, I did as she bid, mindful to keep out of the mud. Once I was in the cabin, I noticed a faint, musky smell that made my nose wrinkle, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find the source.
Holding my breath, I crawled through the cabin, trying to ignore the way my kneecaps pinched with each movement as I combed for any muck or garbage big enough to grab by hand. Despite how awkward it was to maneuver the bucket, I was meticulous. The last thing I wanted was for Dom to send me back in another round.
This is some rich asshole shit for sure. Who else would take a car like this offroading? And what kind of idiot am I for cleaning up after them?
I shoved the thought down before rage could overcome me. This was a means to an end. If I ever wanted to get out of here, I was going to have to play along with some of their bullshit.
My brow furrowed as my hand closed around an offcut of black nylon rope that had gotten wedged beneath the plastic panel of the wall. “That’s….fucking weird.”
It had blended right in against the black interior, but as I pulled on the frayed end, it came loose. Studying it for a moment, I wondered how the fuck it even got there before dropping it in with the rest of the garbage. It was probably some rock climbing lead. Rich people had weird hobbies.
Once the bucket was full, I scooted through the back passenger seat, balancing the pail carefully as I hopped out of the car. My legs were already cramping, but when I moved to stretch them out, Dom was up, breathing down my neck. “Did I say you could take a break?”
“Dom.” I glared up at her as I tried to release my hamstring. “I?—”
“Get the vacuum.”
“Oh my fucking god, if you’re so obsessed with how this goes?—”
“We don’t have time for your mouthing off. Get the vacuum, or I’ll have someone else finish the job. But fail this initiation, and I promise, you won’t like the punishment.”
The threat was enough to kick up my adrenaline. I had no idea what a punishment from Dom would look like, but after the couple of close calls we’d already had, I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.
So I grabbed a vacuum from the corner of the shop, unhooked the extension wand, and ran it over each and every inch of the interior. Leo and Spencer said they would be around the shop, but I couldn’t see them as I fought against the awkward angles of the hose. And that made Dom’s pacing all the more chilling.
