Chapter Two
T he annoyance from dealing with Mr. Grumpy lessens but never goes away. How could it when all I can hear is him grumbling several bays over? It’s obvious he is not happy that I’m here. I have a feeling it has more to do with me being a girl than anything else.
That makes me only dislike him more. Women can do anything men can if they want to. Fuck him if he feels like I’m lacking because I’m not a dude. I tell myself I have nothing to prove to him, but the truth is I want to prove him wrong. I want to be the best damn mechanic this shop has seen.
So instead of throwing a fit, like I’m sure he expected, I do what he said. I slide into the overalls Smoke must have had made for me since my name is on them. They are a little loose, but it works in my favor. I can still wear my regular clothes under them. I take the paper schedule and go over the oil changes for the day. I can do way more than this, but if I have to start here, I’ll do it. It’s worth it to earn the paycheck.
I start to set up my workstation the way that seems to work for me. I’m glad Smoke told me they had tools on hand that I could use and that I didn’t have to bring my own. Hopefully he won’t notice how severely lacking I am in the tools department.
It’s half past seven when another guy finally joins us. He is cute. Maybe a little on the younger side. Well, compared to Gunner and Smoke at least. He smirks at me as soon as he catches sight of me. Then he makes his way over.
“Well, what do we have here?” He smiles slyly at me.
He’s going to hit on me. I can tell, but I’m used to it. So instead, I straighten and hold out my hand to him.
“Sloane, the new mechanic.”
The grin only grows as he takes my hand into his. He brings it to his lips. “Oh, it is my pleasure to meet you, darling. My name is Fox. You are hot and you like cars? I think I just died and went to heaven.”
I roll my eyes at him, but I’m smiling. He is over the top and way too much of a pretty boy for my liking, but he is charming. I will give him that.
“Get to work, Fox. Don’t harass the new chick. Smoke’s orders.”
Fox straightens up immediately, dropping my hand. It makes my smile fall too. He gives me a small nod before heading off without another word.
I glare in the direction of Gunner, but he isn’t paying me any mind. In fact, he is under the car, so I have no clue how he even knew what was going on.
Deciding to pick my battles, I go back to what I was doing. When three other men come in, all wearing the same vests with patches as Gunner and Fox, I realize that Smoke meant it when he said he only hires from within. It makes me wonder why he took a chance on me.
It only reaffirms my need to impress him. I only just met the man, but knowing he is going against what he usually does to give me a fair chance makes me want to be loyal to him.
“Hi, are you lost?” one of the three men asks, leaning against my bench.
“Nope. I would prefer you don’t mess up my stuff. I just set it up.”
He smiles, holding up his hands as he stands straight again. “Fair enough, hot stuff. Name’s Jagger,” he tells me. “This is Red and Prospect One.”
The man he called Prospect nods at me but keeps walking. I watch as he goes to the back of the shop and grabs a broom.
Looking back to the other two, I give them a small smile. “Sloane. Nice to meet you.”
“Enough jabbing your jaws. This isn’t a gossip fest. First car will be here in five. Get your asses to work,” Gunner calls from under his car.
As if it’s an afterthought, he shouts out, “New girl is off-limits to all brothers. Keep it in your pants, boys. Smoke’s orders.”
Red, who had been looking me over, looks disappointed. He walks away but keeps his eyes on me as if I’m something he wanted but can no longer touch.
Jagger laughs at him as he winks at me. “See you around.”
Feeling frustrated with Gunner stepping in to call them off of me, I march over to him. I stand with my hands on my hips, but then pull them away, realizing how I must look.
“Listen, I know you don’t want me here, but I can handle that shit myself. I’ve been the only woman in a shop plenty of times before. I don’t need your broody ass jumping in and making me look bad in front of the guys. If I want them to respect me, then I need you to let me handle shit myself. If it looks like I am always running to the boss or you, then they will always treat me as less than them.”
I hear his wrench drop to the ground before he pulls himself from under the car. He looks rugged with his long, dark beard and white tank covered with streaks of grease. He isn’t even wearing the overalls the right way. The top half is pooled at his waist as he tied them around to hold it there.
When he stands, towering over me with a menacing look in his eye, I know I just messed with someone that normally eliminates anyone who would dare mess with him.
Swallowing hard, I wonder if this is how my time here ends. If he will fire me on the spot.
For my family’s sake, I hope not.
I cannot believe Smoke hired a little brat and tasked me with watching her. What in the hell was he thinking?
Already this morning, I have had to keep an ear out so the guys didn’t salivate over her. She is young, that’s for sure, but there is pain behind her eyes. Something that says she is wise beyond her years.
Reminds me of myself when I was her age. Growing up too fast and never getting to enjoy the childhood we were once promised.
Still, I can’t stand the girl. Sure, I have gotten used to Kelly being around, but Sloane is nothing like her. Where Kelly is sweet and kind, Sloane is silver tongued. I can tell she doesn’t put up with shit, which is good for her, but bad for me. She is going to push back at me around every corner.
Smoke is going to love it. Even if she is a shitty mechanic, he will keep her just because he knows I cannot stand when someone disobeys me. The guys wouldn’t dare. They know I would call their asses out in a heartbeat. I love settling things in the ring.
I can’t do that with Sloane, though. Even if she likes to play with the boys, it doesn’t mean she is one. While her hands might be calloused, she is still soft.
Maybe that’s what bothers me most about her. She is too soft for this world. She has no idea what she is getting herself into by working here. Smoke might try to keep her from our shit, but when you are around one of us, you get drawn into this world. She is not just around one of us, though. She is working beside us in the business we run. The same business we wash money through.
It’s dangerous. At best, nothing happens, and she learns nothing about our dealings. Worst case? She is targeted by our enemies because of her proximity to us. She wouldn’t even know what was going on until it’s too late.
I’m so busy thinking about what could go wrong that I don’t realize that she is standing by the car I’m working on at first.
“Listen, I know you don’t want me here, but I can handle that shit myself. I’ve been the only woman in a shop plenty of times before. I don’t need your broody ass jumping in and making me look bad in front of the guys. If I want them to respect me, then I need you to let me handle shit myself. If it looks like I am always running to the boss or you, then they will always treat me as less than them.”
Her voice has me gritting my teeth. It’s almost angelic. I expected her to sound gruff like one of the guys, but I was wrong. She sounds like a siren leading me to my death.
I drop my wrench and pull myself out from under the car. Her eyes widen as I stand to my full height.
It’s almost like she is afraid of me in that moment, but I see the moment she steels herself. It’s admirable that she is willing to stand her ground in the face of someone as dangerous as I am. Still, I won’t let her off the hook that easily.
“You must think awfully high of yourself to assume that the reason I told them to stay away had anything to do with you at all.” I fold my arms over my chest, glaring down at her.
“You told them to stay away from me. ” She points to herself. “So yeah, it has to do with me.”
I snort. “It has nothing to do with you. Smoke is our president. What he says goes. It doesn’t matter if he is asking us to hop on one leg and cluck like a chicken, we do what he says. He told me to tell them to stay away from you. Not only that, but he put me in charge of making sure nothing happens to you. Trust me, I’m not happy about it either. Rather than focusing on my restoration project, I’m stuck babysitting some skirt, thinking she can turn a wrench.”
Her face becomes redder as I talk. I think I pissed the girl off, but fuck if I care. I’m proven right when she finally speaks.
“I know more about cars than most men. I spent my entire childhood learning all I could about not only them but anything else I could get my hands on. So keep thinking I’m just a ‘skirt’ and watch when I make you look like a fool. I don’t know what your problem is with me. Wait, never mind, I do. You think you are better than me because you are bigger, more intimidating, and have a dick between your legs, but let me tell you, buddy.” She pokes the center of my chest, making the hairs on my neck rise. “I am not here for your entertainment. Nor am I here for theirs. I am here to do my job and earn my paycheck. I don’t need a babysitter, so you can go fuck yourself along with the rest of them if that’s what you think of me.”
She is huffing by the time she is done. I’m coiled and ready to strike though.
I hate being touched by people I don’t know.
Taking a step forward, I smirk when she steps back. I continue to move until she is pinned against my bench. Then I lean down and get into her face.
“Let’s get this straight, honey. ” I drawl out the word like a curse. “You are some pet project Smoke decided to take on against my advice. I will see this through because he told me to. Now get back to your bench, keep your mouth shut, and show some fucking respect. I have killed men for less than the way you just spoke to me. Be lucky I’ve been told I can’t lay a hand on you.”
I can see the slight tremble in her arms, but she doesn’t give any other indication that she is scared right now. Smart of her. Don’t show your weakness against a predator.
“My apologies, sir. ” I don’t miss the similar tone to the way I said honey. “I will go be a good girl at my bench. Let me know when you deem me worthy of doing more than oil changes, your highness.”
She pushes me back, making my skin draw tight. I let her move past me, though. I watch as she stalks to her station.
Needing to have the last word, I call out to her. “You wanted to be treated equally, right? All newbies start on oil changes. Don’t flatter yourself that I would give you work beneath you as if I think about you at all. I don’t want another word from you unless it’s to ask an actual question.”
She bites her lip as if she wants to say something, but she smartly keeps her mouth closed.
I give her a week. That’s all I’ll need to make her quit and get my peace back.