Page 11 of The Devil's Revelation
My stomach growls as I head to my truck. Shit, I didn’t eat today. I also don’t want to go back to the clubhouse for food, so I head for my favorite pizza place. I’ll have to sneak it in so the hoard of ravenous beasts don’t descend and try to take it from me, but I have my ways.
The pizza spot isn’t really busy, thank God, and I get my order placed and take a seat in the small waiting area, pulling out my phone to scroll through the messages that I ignored today. I chuckle when I see the one from King.
King: Heard you sicced them on Shadow. How much to buy my silence?
Me: I’m at Little Chenzo’s and I’ll buy you a full pie.
King: Deal. I’m at the new Lincoln building site, so bring it here.
Me: Fine.
I get up and place the order for the second pizza, but when I turn around, I stop when I see Izzy standing there. She looks at me in surprise, and offers me a small nod before I step away and she walks up to the counter. “Add it to my bill,” I tell the girl at the counter.
“No, thank you,” Izzy protests.
“Yes,” I say firmly. “Think of it as my way of apologizing for the other day.”
“I already accepted your apology,” she reminds me.
“Yes, but I still feel like an ass.” I look at the raptly fascinated girl on the other side of the counter. “Add it.” She nods.
Izzy eyes me for a moment and finally nods. “Thank you.”
I take her in, and bite back a frown. She looks exhausted, her blue eyes full of shadows, and her coveralls are stained with grease and oil. Her hair is in a ponytail at the nape of her neck, and her face is bare of any make-up. Not that she needs it. “How’s the new job going?” I ask her conversationally.
She eyes me for a moment. Finally she shrugs. “It’s fine. I’m still learning the ropes so it’s a bit more challenging, but I’m sure it will get better in a few weeks.”
I note the small thread of uncertainty in her voice, but I ignore it. “I’m still looking for a mechanic,” I tell her instead. “And I really would like for you to consider coming to work with us.”
“Because you feel guilty?”
I hold her gaze. “Partly,” I tell her honestly. “But also, I think you have a wicked amount of potential. I’m not a sexist asshole, even if I came off that way. I fully believe women can do jobs that men do, even if it didn’t seem that way the other day. I’m prepared to offer you more than what you’re making where you’re working now, along with a benefits package.”
“And you’ll be offering that to other candidates that want the job?” she asks me drily. “Or just me?”
“No, that’s a standard package.”
She stares at me but finally nods. “Thanks, but I’m going to stick to the job I have now. It’s not perfect, but I already committed, and I’m big on seeing things through.”
Well at least I can say I offered and tried. “I respect that. Well, if you change your mind, I’m going to leave the ad up for a couple of weeks and do interviews as the applications come in. If you want to apply, just come in. Though in fairness, if I find someone else more qualified, I’ll have to give the job to them.”
She gives me a small smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything else. Thanks, Torque. You can safely not worry about me anymore. I accept your apology, and we’ll just chalk it up to a bad day.” She holds out her hand to me. “Agreed?”
I take her hand, shake it, and nod. “Agreed. Though, I feel it’s only fair to let you know that I’ve pissed my mother off something fierce with this whole thing, and she and her little demon crew are determined for you to come work with me. I can’t help it if they show up and try to convince you otherwise.”
Izzy blinks at me. “Ah, your mother doesn’t really know me. Why the hell would she do that?”
“She’s crazy?” I say with a chuckle and a shrug. “Honestly, Mom likes to adopt people, and when she meets someone she likes, she tries to bring them into the fold. Mostly by setting them up with one of us.”
Izzy looks confused, but finally says, “Alright, well, I’ll explain if I see her. I mean, she seems really nice and everything, but I don’t really want to be in a relationship right now. Especially with me just moving to town.”
I nod in agreement. “You’re preaching to the choir. Honestly, she’s a bit more into it since my youngest brother met his woman. Still, she might attempt to bring you into the crazy coven they’ve got going on with the other women. Don’t let it happen,” I warn. “Run. Run the other way as fast as you can.”
Izzy laughs, a pretty sound that makes something in my gut twist slightly. Damn, she needs to do that more often. “A coven? Demon crew? What the hell kind of club are you guys running?”
“Trust me, if I had a choice, I would not be associated with any of them,” I tell her seriously. “We’re an MC, and a few people are still nervous around us, even though we don’t do any illegal shit. These women though, they have even us quaking in our boots with some of the shit they do. They ended up in jail a couple months ago.” Izzy’s eyes are wide. I nod gravelly. “Yep. Mooned a cop car.”
Izzy starts laughing. “Oh my God, I’m sorry but that’s awesome.” I narrow my eyes at her. “Sorry, but that’s hilarious. I thought you were going to tell me they tried to rob a bank or something.”
