Page 14 of The Devil's Revelation
“Got it.” Then I turn and walk out, vibrating with anger as I make my way back towards the garage. I don’t miss the smirk on the face of the receptionist, Pia, as I stalk past her.
The door bangs open, startling the men in the shop. I stalk right to my bench, ignoring their stares. I debate with myself if I should say something, but decide that if I don’t this time, they’ll continue to do this. So I turn and look at them, letting them see my anger. Not that any of them care; they just all sneer at me. “I might be a chick, but I won’t take the fall for you assholes,” I tell them coldly. “You want to get rid of me, you’re going to have to work a hell of a lot harder than that. Fuck you.”
Then I get back to work. None of them say a word, but I see the scowls on their faces. Guess they don’t want me to talk to them that way, but that’s too fucking bad. I do know one thing. If they thought they were going to get me fired, all they did was make me even more determined to dig in my heels. They want to get rid of me? Well I won’t be going without a fight.
The rest of the day, the guys leave me alone, though I don’t miss the glares they send my way, or the way they talk about me, wanting to get another rise out of me. I hold my anger around me like a cloak and ignore them all.
When they finally leave for the day, they chuck their dirty rags in my bay as they go. I try not to snap at them, instead, I wait until they all leave. Then I pick them up and put them in their stations. It’s my own little bit of rebellion. They don’t expect me to fight back, but I’m no whipping girl.
By the time I get the shop cleaned it’s well after everyone’s left for the day. Well, so I think. When I shut the door to the shop, I lock it, and turn, yelping in surprise when I nearly run into someone. “I’m sorry,” I say apologetically, looking up at the man in front of me.
I don’t need to know the man to realize he’s someone dangerous. His eyes watch me closely, but there’s darkness in the depths that immediately tells me to be cautious. His black hair is slicked back, and he’s wearing a dark suit, a black overcoat, and black leather gloves on his hands. An odd thing for being in one of the hottest states in the country. Though it’s the tattoos that go up his neck that catch my attention.
“No harm done,” the man says, accent thick. “And your name?”
“Izzy,” I say with a polite smile. “I’m the new mechanic.”
“You?” he asks, eyeing me for a moment. I stiffen, but when his eyes connect with mine, they’re intrigued, not condescending. “You must know what you are doing then. Sergio does not hire idiots.”
I smile a little wider at his compliment. “Thank you. Were you waiting for a car?” My stomach sinks at the thought of having to work late, especially after cleaning up the entire shop, but I’ll do whatever I need to to make sure I keep my job. The last thing I need is to give Sergio an actual excuse to fire me.
“No. I’m here to see Sergio.”
Before I can tell him where to find him, Sergio comes hurrying out. “Apologies, sir,” he says briskly. He glares at me. “What are you still doing here, Mills? You should have been gone an hour ago.”
“I was cleaning the shop,” I answer calmly.
“You? What the hell were you doing that for?” he barks at me, eyes narrowing.
I stiffen. What the hell? “I was informed it is part of my job, so I do it.”
The stranger makes a noise in the back of his throat. “A job that you obviously take seriously, Ms. Mills. A dedicated employee is a good one, isn’t it, Sergio?”
“Yes, of course,” Sergio rushes to say.
I get the feeling that whoever this man is, it’s someone that Sergio either highly respects or fears. Either way, I want to get far away from him, because the longer he watches me, the more nervous I get. “I’m going to head home. It was nice to meet you,” I say to the man.
“And you, Ms. Mills. Perhaps we’ll see each other again.” Then without another word, he turns his back to me and heads down the hall towards Sergio’s office.
Sergio nods at me and quickly follows him. I sigh and head out of the building to my car. It’s been a long ass day, and I can’t wait to get home and go to bed. But after the way today has gone, I think I’ll be adding a beer to my nightly routine.
