Page 66 of Under the Radar

“Fine. I’ll tell her. But not until the weekend. I don’t want her going in and running him over tomorrow. I’ll give her a chance to settle down.”

“You sure about that?” Charly asked.

I chuckled. “Yep. I’m sure.”

“Okay.”

Maxx clapped my shoulder. “We’ve got your back, Chase. You’re not alone with this. Do not let him get to you and undo all the good you have accomplished since you stood up for my wife.”

“I won’t.”

Maxx bent and kissed Charly. “Let go of his arm now, Red. Your boy is fine.”

Charly looked shocked she was still hanging on to me. I grinned at her and squeezed her fingers. “Thanks, Charly.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and I looked at Maxx, shocked. Charly never cried.

“I hate bullies,” she muttered, wiping at her eyes. “I hate them.”

Maxx tilted his head slightly, and I stood, leaving them alone. I looked back to see him enfold her in his arms. She always looked so small when he held her. An attitude and a heart the size of Texas encased in a tiny frame described Charly. And the fact that she was upset about me touched me in more ways than I could express. I was extremely lucky to have her in my corner.

I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her faith in me.

No matter how much the asshole pushed me.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Chase

Friday was quiet. Dom and I went to get lunch for everyone, and we didn’t see OD, as Dom referred to him. He preferred Officer Dickface but shortened it. Maxx had told Stefano and Dom the basics, explaining why I was sticking close to the garage for a while. They were both pissed off, and Stefano had some creative ideas for getting even with him that made me laugh. They teased and made light of it, but I knew they had my back as much as Maxx and Charly did.

I finished the paperwork, silently blessing Charly, who had taken care of a bunch of it while I was gone yesterday. I helped Dom and Stefano since the garage was booked solid and we had a couple of emergencies that showed up, and Maxx liked to look after his customers. We also finished two jobs early, and that meant I could work on the custom upholstery on Saturday morning, which I was looking forward to. I drove home carefully, not seeing anything, and I relaxed a little, hoping that maybe OD had decided he’d yanked my chain enough. I doubted it, but I still hoped.

I opened the front door, knowing Cherry had arrived already. Her car was parked on the street, and I went to the kitchen to tell her to pull into the driveway and I would put my truck on the street.

She and Hannah were at the table, a bottle of wine open between them. Cherry hugged me, assuring me her car was fine on the street. Hannah’s greeting was a little more reserved than the past few nights, but I still got to kiss her and hold her for a moment. I loved the feeling of her wrapping her arms around my waist and fitting herself to my chest. I hugged her hard and pressed a kiss to her head.

“Something smells delicious,” I commented.

“We made spaghetti and garlic bread,” Hannah said. “Probably not as good as Rosa’s…”

I had to kiss her. “Better because you made it.”

Cherry laughed. “Oh, you were right, Hannah. Your man is a charmer.”

I leaned down. “Talking about me to your mom? Your man?” I teased.

“Go shower. You smell like garage.”

“I had to help out front, we were so busy. Wanna come wash my back?”

She pushed me away. “No.”

I snickered. She was trying not to do the same thing, and her eyes were sparkling with humor. I winked and sauntered down the hall.

“You can go, ah, chat with Chase,” Cherry said, laughing. “I have headphones.”

“Mom!”