Page 21 of Flock
“So, you hate the plant, huh, Pup?” Sean drawls as I watch Dominic sift through his toolbox.
“Stop calling me that,” I say, elbowing him in the ribs.
“Nope, the nickname stays.”
“It’s just ... so fucking boring there,” I sigh. “Good thing I’m a creative daydreamer.” I dart my eyes away from Dominic, just as his cold gaze lands on me from where he lays beneath the truck.
I look over at Sean still perched next to me. “But I do like my supervisor.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I have little time to appreciate the tension from our exchanged look when the door opens on the opposite side of the garage. Tyler stands in the threshold with a twelve-pack in his arms. “’Sup, fuckers?” His gaze zeroes in on me, and his smile grows as I lift my hand in a little wave. He strides past the bays, lifting his chin in greeting.
“Hey, beautiful, you slummin’ it again tonight?” He pulls a joint from Jeremy’s fingers and takes a hit as Russell grabs the beer and adds it to a large cooler to ice it down.
“Not at all. And for the record, I grew up in a small-ass house, not with a silver spoon in my mouth.”
Tyler’s eyes shine with interest as he moves to steal Sean’s place next to me.
“No room,” Sean says with an edge to his voice. A protective edge, and I can’t help the increase in my pulse because of it.
“You forget, I’m the problem solver,” Tyler lifts me easily and places me in Sean’s lap, and I sink into it.
I feel right at home with these guys, as if I’ve known them for far longer than two days. It’s the oddest thing. The only thing that feels out of place is the sensation coming from the man a few feet away. I’m overdue for a look when I let my eyes wander and see he’s watching Sean’s hands, his fingers, and how they’re casually curling around me.
And when he slowly lifts his gaze to mine—static.
Tyler glances down at Dominic. “When you going to cut out, bro? It’s way past quitting time.”
He darts his eyes away from mine. “Twenty.”
“Is that exact?” I ask Dominic, who ignores my question.
“Probably,” Sean whispers on his behalf.
“Let’s clock him, shall we?” I set my watch to time him and Dominic shakes his head in annoyance. “So, how long have you owned this garage?” I ask Dominic, trying to get him into the conversation.
“It’s a family thing,” Sean answers for him to spare me the rude silence of his reply. “Been around for years. Kind of like your family business.” There’s a hint of a grudge on his tongue. It’s becoming more apparent that my father isn’t the most loved man in Triple Falls. It’s really not a surprise. The looks I got today at the plant alone were enough to have me thinking of myself as an outcast. Not even in high school had I felt as much like one as I did today. I was thankful for merciful Melinda and Sean being there, otherwise I might have locked myself in the bathroom until my shift was over.
Coming out and announcing I was the boss’s daughter was a stupid move, but I can’t take it back.
Head down, Cecelia. One year to freedom.
The second my watch goes off, Tyler moves from his seat next to me to shoot a game and Dominic takes his place, a magazine and leather bag in hand.
“Twenty minutes on the nose,” I compliment him as he unzips the bag and pulls out the contents, only to be met by more silence.
I heard they share women.
It’s been echoing in my head since Melinda said it. But with Dominic’s disposition, I can’t imagine any scenario like that. Or is it my presence that offends him to the point he’s closed off? He’s got an obvious problem with me, and that’s been evident since the moment we met.
Was that only last night? It seems like a lifetime ago, and yet I feel totally comfortable on Sean’s lap.
Dominic sets the magazine across his lap before pulling out blunt wraps and a large bag of “the weed”.
Growing up, I’d never let myself get close enough to a group like this one. Always fearful of the repercussions. To them, this is just another night. To me, it’s like entering a whole new world.
