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"New in town, though."

It wasn't a question. I nodded.

"What brings you to my shop? Looking for work or something?"

I glanced at the Barracuda. "Nope. What's the plan for this?"

"Full restoration. Then we'll sell it to someone who appreciates American muscle." She tilted her head. "You got a name, or should I just call you the mysterious stranger?"

"Code."

She waited for more. I didn't offer it.

"Code. That's it? Like Cher or Madonna?"

"Drakos."

Recognition flickered across her face. "Ah. Jase's cousin. That explains the whole stone wall routine. So, do you share any family traits?"

I thought about Jase and his carefully cultivated persona here in town. The goofy, approachable veteran who'd never make anyone nervous. It probably served him well, especially parenting the twins. Showing who he really was, a battle-hardened SEAL who'd done things most people couldn't imagine, might put off some of the folks around town.

"Probably not."

Lisa studied me the way she'd studied the Barracuda. Looking for rust, structural damage, what could be salvaged.

"Ex-military. Special Forces?"

"No."

"You were something, though. Getting answers from you is like pulling teeth. Reminds me of my husband and Simon at Onyx. Brick walls, all of you."

I looked at the car again. "How long for the restoration?"

Her gaze turned calculating. "Depends when you need it and how much you want to pay. Rush jobs mean overtime. Overtime means money."

"Two weeks."

She laughed. "Two weeks? That's ambitious. You'd be looking at fifty percent over standard price. Maybe more."

"Two weeks."

"I haven't even quoted you a price yet."

"Two weeks." This time my lip lifted in a bit of a smile.

She shook her head in exasperation. "Yeah, you were definitely something in the military. Probably something that required a security clearance I don't want to know about."

She named a price. I didn't flinch. It was fair, especially for a rush job. I nodded.

Lisa held out her hand. "You've got yourself a deal. Two weeks, one restored Barracuda. You planning to stay in town that long?"

"Haven't decided."

"Well, you'll need to at least stay two weeks now. Unless you want to pay for shipping too."

We shook on it. Her grip was firm, callused from real work.

"Where are you headed now?" she asked as I turned to leave.