Page 9 of The Devil's Revelation
FIVE
TORQUE
It’s only fair to warn her about the coven. Give her a chance to run.
“You got this, Prospect?” I ask Carson as he looks at the car on the hoist above him. I took him up on the offer to see what he can help out at the shop. So far, the kid knows enough to get some of the easier jobs like oil changes, tire changes, and changing air filters done, so it’s helping us get through the day a bit quicker than normal.
“I’m good,” Carson assures me with a smile. “I should be done in about half an hour.”
“You break it and I’ll have you scrubbing the clubhouse toilets for the next year,” I warn him. It’s my usual threat, and one he doesn’t even bat an eyelash at anymore. Might need to come up with something a bit more fearsome soon so he doesn’t get complacent. So far though, he’s been doing fine.
“I won’t fuck it up,” Carson promises.
I nod and head towards the front desk. We don’t have a receptionist, but every once in a while Mom will come in and help out on the busy days. Today being one of them. She arches a brow at me when I emerge from the shop and asks, “You getting a good feeling about Carson? Or am I going to have to field a bunch of complaints?”
“He seems to know enough of the small shit that I have him doing. He listens and so far isn’t screwing anything up. I have Timber keeping an eye on him though.”
Mom nods in approval. “He seems like a good kid.”
“Mmm,” is all I say. Mom knows that with our former problem with a mole we need to be careful what we say. Even here. “I need to put up an ad for a new mechanic.”
“Or you could figure out how to talk Izzy into working here,” Mom replies drily.
“Mom,” I warn.
She waves me off. “The girls and I have been putting our heads together on how to get her back here.”
“Why are you so invested in this?”
“Because that girl is here with no family or friends, and if she was here we could give her both,” Mom answers simply. “Not to mention, I get the feeling that she would thrive here. You’re the smartest mechanic out there, and the amount of knowledge and experience she could gain from you will set her up for a lifetime.”
I eye her for a moment. Mom’s not big on bullshit, and I can’t tell if she’s doing that or if she’s actually being serious. The glint in her eyes makes me suspicious that while she might be serious, there is another underlying reason. One that will have me shacked up with two-point-five kids and a house with a picket fence. “Thanks,” I finally say, deciding not to call her on it. “Listen, if I see her again, I’ll try and convince her, but I’m not going to seek her out.”
Mom frowns. “And why not? You need to show her you’re serious about wanting her here.”
“Or she’ll call the cops on me for harassment and stalking,” I counter.
“I doubt she would do that,” Mom protests.
“You knew her for all of five minutes, so you don’t know that.” She opens her mouth to argue with me but then snaps it shut when I just give her a pointed stare.
“Fine,” she grumbles. “But I don’t get that vibe from her. I still think you should talk to her, but I won’t push it. Besides, us girls will handle it if you can’t make it work.”
“Do I want to know?”
She gives me a smug grin. “I’ll gladly tell you if you want.”
I immediately shake my head. The less I know the better. “I’m going to head into the office to try and get some parts ordered on these jobs that have been sitting the past few days.”
“Give some to me and I can help out,” she offers.
I smile. “I’m good,” I assure her, leaning down to kiss her on the top of the head. “Thanks, Mom. Just for that I’ll pay for lunch today.”
She snorts. “Like you weren’t going to anyway.”
I spend the next hour getting things ordered, and when I finally finish I feel like I got something accomplished today. Damn, this whole running a business thing is a pain in the ass sometimes. I would much rather be working on an engine, but the club is trusting me to run this place, and that’s what I’m going to do.
I hear giggling, and groan when I recognize who it belongs to. I grab my phone and text King.
