Chapter 2
Flynn
My cell phone rang while I was elbow-deep in a Ford Explorer suspended over my head at Forrester Bros Auto Shop.
Bailey would know where I was going wrong, but he was gone. Gray could give me an idea too, but I didn’t want to look like an incompetent idiot, so I hadn’t asked.
I could text Bailey for some tips…
No. I squashed the thought. I had to learn to stand on my own. I was twenty-eight years old, for fuck’s sake. Besides, a little distance between me and Bailey Steele was a good idea. He was too easy on the eyes for a man who had no business looking.
I’d figure this out. I just had to go through a process of trial and error like Bailey had taught me.
Which meant I really didn’t have time for a break, but that was my parole officer calling for a check-in. I didn’t have a choice.
I grabbed a rag to wipe off my hands and pulled my cell phone from my pocket, hyperaware of Gray watching me from across the garage.
He was crouched down next to a pretty sweet sport bike. It was in for a brake job—or was it the clutch? I was too overwhelmed with stepping into the primary mechanic role after Bailey went off to school to keep tabs on Gray’s projects too.
He managed the motorcycle side of the business, leaving all the other vehicles to me.
A month in, I still didn’t feel as capable as Bailey had been, though. I’d gotten certified as a mechanic over the summer and learned enough to do the job, but I was too dang slow. If I didn’t pick up the pace, I was going to blow the best opportunity of my life.
Enough bellyaching.
I tossed my toothpick into the trash—the flavor was nearly gone, anyway—and answered the call. “Winslow, hey. I’m at work just like I should be.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Winslow boomed. He had a big, joyous voice. You’d never guess he worked with felons all day. He was too damn happy. “You’ve been there since last spring now.”
“Yeah, hard to believe how fast the time has gone,” I said.
Funny how that worked when you weren’t in a prison cell. Days passed slowly on the inside.
“You going to make it permanent?” he asked.
“Uh.” I glanced at Holden’s office door on reflex. “It’s not really up to me.”
As the oldest brother, Holden managed the shop, effectively my boss. The other brothers—Gray, Axel, and Bailey—might give input, but my fate was really in his hands.
“Your probationary period through the Redemption Road work program will be up soon,” Winslow said, as if I really needed the reminder. “You’ll need to convince Forrester Bros Auto to hire you on permanently, or it’s back to square one.”
“Yeah, I hope they will. I don’t know.”
“Well, figure it out,” he said, voice suddenly stern. “You may not know this about me, Flynn, but I don’t like my guys at square one. Square one leads them to thinking there’s a shortcut to square ten. Then, before you know it, they’ve detoured right back to a prison cell. You feel me?”
“No shortcuts,” I said. “I’m not gonna mess up a good thing.”
I was never going back to prison. Those years had been some of the darkest of my life. I still carried the guilt of what had sent me there, but there was no amount of remorse that would make me want to live in a cage with violent, angry, bitter men.
It was the hopeless men who terrified me the most, though.
The men who knew they’d never get out. The men who no longer even wanted to leave.
They could no longer see a life on the outside.
No future but that of a prisoner, an inmate with a number who was dehumanized with strip searches, public showers, and regular cell searches and seizures.
I couldn’t go back to that. I wouldn’t.
Because with seven years in the joint, I’d come too damn close to losing my hope too. Only my brother, Aiden, kept me pushing forward. I was the only family he had left. Mom had remarried and discarded us like trash she’d rather forget after an abusive marriage that had damaged us all.
My dad had disappeared when I was a toddler. And Aiden’s dad, well…he was gone, and he would never hurt my brother again.
But that meant I had to get my life together and be the brother Aiden needed.
“They all say they won’t mess up,” Winslow was saying. “Very few prove it true. I want you to be one of those few.”
“I’m trying,” I said. “This job is no joke, though. It’s not enough to show up. I have to prove to them that I can handle it.”
The shop had just taken on a county vehicle contract, and there was a lot of pressure to work faster and smarter to handle the increased workflow.
Bailey could have done it with ease, but I was still bumbling around like a toddler getting used to his walking legs.
“Too much for you to handle?” Winslow asked. “There’s always prison.”
Sometimes Winslow’s pep talks were a little sadistic. But he got his message across.
“I’m not complaining. I’ll work as hard as I need to work.”
“You’re a good one, Flynn. I believe in you. I look forward to seeing that grouchy mug of yours at your monthly in-person visit in a couple of weeks.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly. “I miss you too.”
He laughed good-naturedly, and I hit End Call.
Gray ventured over. “All good?”
I grimaced. “My parole officer. Weekly check-ins. He calls when I’m at work intentionally. Wants to make sure I am where I say I’ll be.”
Gray nodded. “You must be an easy case for him, though. We keep you busy enough you can’t possibly have much of a life.”
I shrugged. “Still better than prison.”
“I’d hope so,” he said with a grin. “Otherwise, you gotta tell Holden to settle the fuck down. He’s bossy, but even he doesn’t want to be compared to a prison warden.”
“Nah, he’s fine.” I scrubbed at a greasy spot on my palm. “I’m so grateful for this job. You’re putting a lot of trust in me now that Bailey is gone.”
“A lot of pressure on you too,” Gray said. “You can speak up if it’s too much. Both Axel and I can pitch in.”
I swallowed. “Would Bailey need you to pitch in?”
“Maybe.” Gray slapped my shoulder. “Besides, you’re not Bailey, and no one expects you to be. He grew up in a garage. He might be nineteen years old, but he’s still got ten years’ experience.”
“Jesus,” I muttered.
Who could compete with that?
The office door opened, and Holden stepped out.
“I was just getting back to work,” I said quickly, turning toward the Explorer.
Holden’s mouth quirked. “See, Gray? You could learn something from him.”
“Like being afraid you’ll fire me for looking at you the wrong way? No, thanks.”
Holden frowned. “You don’t think that, do you, Flynn? You do good work. I see that. It’s cool to take a breather when you need it. We all do. Hell, that’s what I’m doing right now.”
Gray chuckled. “Told you he wouldn’t want to be a prison warden.”
“What?” Holden asked.
“He’s just joking,” I said. “No one called you that.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” He waggled his phone. “I put in an order to Sauced. Hope you all want pizza.”
“I’m down,” Gray said. “Did you get lots of meat?”
“You know it,” Holden said. “Is that okay by you, Flynn?”
“Yeah. Let me know what I owe you.”
I’d packed a peanut butter sandwich. I was trying to save money so I could send most of my paycheck to Aiden. He’d had to get by on his own for seven years, but now I could help.
But pizza sounded a lot better to my growling stomach. If I ended up working past dinner, it would hold me longer too.
“Don’t worry about paying anything,” Holden said. “Just keep working hard.”
“I will.”
Gray shook his head. “Don’t say that to Flynn. He’ll take you too seriously.”
“Right,” Holden said. “I forgot you’re not one of my lazy-ass brothers. Work hard, but not too hard.”
“Okay, thanks.” I turned back to the SUV, but Gray cleared his throat.
Right. Lunch.
I turned back around, and Gray raised an eyebrow. “Pizza and beer first, Flynn. Don’t make me kick your workaholic ass.”
I smiled reluctantly. The brothers were pretty cool. I was pushing myself too hard. Harder than they wanted. But I needed to prove myself before it was too late.
I really didn’t want to go back to square one, like Winslow had said. It would be depressing to start over after the time and energy put into training for this job.
“I just want to do a good job for you guys,” I said. “Losing Bailey was hard on you all. I’m trying to fill his shoes, but I know it’s not the same.”
“You’re doing just fine,” Gray said. He was a nurturer at heart.
Axel was the sarcastic one who’d crack jokes all day. Holden was the bossy one who held the family and their business together.
Bailey was—
Gone. He was the brother who was gone, and I should really not think about him any other way. At nineteen, he was too young for me. Too na?ve. Too sheltered.
Too everything for a felon.
But mostly, too out of reach.
Holden’s office phone rang, and he held up a finger. “Be right back.”
Gray went to the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers. “Drink up, Flynn. Work will be waiting after lunch.”
He tossed a beer my way, and I took a hurried step forward to catch it as the throw came up short.
“Good save,” Gray said with a grin.
I cracked the top and took a gulp. I was hot and thirsty. Summer had extended into October this year, and we were still regularly having eighty-degree days.
Holden rejoined us. “That was the parks department. One of their trucks died. I asked Axel to tow them in. We’ll have to jump on that ASAP.”
“We’ve already got that Chevy Impala coming in over the lunch hour,” I said, trying not to sound like I was complaining. “Blown head gasket. It’s a big job.”
Holden nodded. “We’ve got to prioritize the county vehicles. How close are you on this one?”
I winced. “End of the day?”
“Really? Damn. I figured we’d be closer.”
My chest tightened. “I’m not as fast as Bailey.”
Holden turned to his brother. “Gray, can you step in?”
Gray nodded. “Yeah, sure. Leave it to me and Flynn. We’ll sort it out.”
“Good deal. Come join me when the pizza arrives. I need to get the paperwork ready for the county.”
“Will do,” Gray said.
As soon as Holden was out of sight, I slumped against the Ford Explorer. Shit. If I kept needing Gray to hold my hand, Holden wasn’t going to be in any hurry to hire me on permanently.
“You don’t have to help me,” I said. “I can get the job done. I’ll just work late to finish the Explorer after taking a look at the parks truck, and I’ll, um, push back the head gasket. We’d never finish that repair in one day, so that’s okay.”
“It’s fine, Flynn. I’ve got another day on the bike, and it won’t take that long to finish,” Gray said. “I’ll help you.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to let you guys down.”
“Dude, you’ve got to relax,” Gray said. “Bailey didn’t do everything on his own, and we don’t expect you to either. We decided not to hire another part-timer so we could give Bailey more money for expenses up at school. But that means Axel and I have to step up. We know that, okay?”
I nodded, blowing out a big breath. Bad enough I wasn’t keeping up, but now Gray was having to reassure me like an insecure child too.
I had to pull my shit together and stop freaking out. I would work late. I would work weekends. I’d do whatever it took to get the job done, and Holden would see that I was worth holding on to.
I had to keep this job, had to get my life back on track, and I had to remember I wasn’t a fucking prisoner anymore.