“That’s what he said two weeks ago.”
Quillon finished cleaning one lathe, then moved to another one. “I told him that too. Also told him if that part stays backordered much longer, we’ll be doing business with someone else.”
Cam pulled the pressed billet from the machine and examined the results. He then put it back in the furnace to reheat for another fold. “I do appreciate a great hand-hammered finish, but I wouldn’t mind a break from the anvil.”
“I hear you.”
The men worked in silence for a few minutes with only the low thunder of the furnace between them. Cam completed two more folds before taking a break. Quillon waited until Cam laid the final billet on the anvil before speaking again.
“The hospital sent Scrap home this morning. He’s still refusing to take the DNA test.”
Cam shook his head and grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge. “I don’t see the big deal. Five minutes out of his life isn’t that much to ask.”
“I think it’s more than that.”
Cam paused. “What do you mean?”
Quillon dumped the last of the shavings into a bin that was already full of scraps. Metal never went to waste here; it was either used in making billets for blades or for other forging projects, or it went to the recycling plant. “Put yourself in Scrap’s shoes. How would you react if you found out about a daughter you didn’t know about for twenty-some years?”
That gave Cam pause. He hadn’t thought about it from Scrap’s point of view. “You saying Scrap feels guilty or something?”
Quillon broke down the tooling on the lathe, removing the cutting bits, cleaning, and storing them. “Something like that. I keep wondering how I’d feel about it if I found out my kid was raised by another man. Did she have enough? Was she taken care of like she deserved?” He popped the lid onto the bin. “It would kill me to think I wasn’t there for her.”
“So why deny her?”
The older biker shrugged. “Probably easier that way than to admit he abandoned his child.”
Cam shook his head. “I’m not sure that’s valid. Maybe Raquel never even told him about Sabrina. If she didn’t, how was he supposed to know?”
“Toss me a water, yeah?”
Cam lobbed a bottle at Quillon, who caught it and snapped off the lid. “I don’t have any answers. I just figure he’s dealing with this shit as best he can. It’s affecting him, too, almost as bad as it is Sabrina.”
“So, what are we supposed to do about it?”
“Nothing.”
Cam dropped his empty bottle into the plastic recycle bin. “Are you serious? Nothing?”
Quillon’s phone beeped. He took it out and grinned broadly before texting back. His amused smile told Cam it was probably his wife, Tracie. “Yeah. I’m looking at it from my perspective. If some kid showed up at my doorstep out of the blue, claiming I was their daddy, I’d be pissed, but I’d want answers. I expect Scrap will get there.”
“I hope so. Sabrina needs them.”
“You like her, don’t you?”
Cam paused from putting tools away and cooling down the furnace. His mind cued up a movie of the times he’d been around her. He pictured the curvaceous blonde on the red bike with that ridiculous helmet on her head. Then came the night he pulled her from a potential club fight. Later, her cuteness while massaging his back, then finally how inviting her lips looked as they stood outside her van. “Yeah, I do.”
“She may not stick.”
“I’m aware.” Cam closed the drawer on his toolbox and picked up his cut.
“Tracie is making pierogies and sausage tonight. Said to invite you for supper.”
Cam put his arms through the holes and shifted the vest onto his shoulders. “I’m not on at the bar tonight, so that sounds good. I’m gonna run by my place and shower first. S’been a long day.”
Quillon flicked two fingers at him as he turned and departed. “Don’t wait too long. It’s supposed to rain later.”
Cam locked the door before heading to his bike. He was grateful that his boss didn’t press any further. His feelings toward Sabrina were murky to himself at the moment. Yeah, he was drawn to her physically—her body had all the right curves in all the right places—but it was more than that. Her gutsy attitude when they first met had lodged in his mind along with her story. How many women would be brave enough to uproot their entire lives and seek out life-changing answers? Sabrina struck him as having real courage to face such a challenge. It made her more attractive to him than any woman in a long time.
