Rain “Rebel” Crawford #2
I bit the inside of my cheek, doing everything I could not to laugh.
“Damn,” I mumbled. “That’s crazy.”
Kerri’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red as she snatched the cup back.
“I’ll make you another one.”
She hurried out of the office without another word. The second she disappeared, I lost it. A loud laugh escaped my mouth as I leaned back in the chair, nearly falling out of it. Crow looked at me, then toward the door Kerri had just walked through.
“The hell did you say to that girl?”
I wiped a tear from my eye and grinned.
“Nothing.”
He folded his arms.
“Rain.”
“I swear,” I said, still laughing. “She asked where you were. I answered. The rest handled itself.”
Crow shook his head and laughed.
“Man, you crazy.”
His eyes drifted to his computer, and he narrowed them at me.
“What the hell you doing on my computer?”
I shrugged without an ounce of shame. “Looking around.”
He pointed a finger at me. “You better not be searching for porn.”
I looked at him like he’d lost his damn mind. “Porn? Please. If I wanted to see a naked man, I’d just ask one to take his clothes off.”
Crow barked out a laugh. “That confidence gonna get your ass in trouble one day.”
“Hasn’t yet.”
“Give it time.”
I smirked and spun around in his chair. “Relax. I ain’t touch nothing... yet.”
“You crazy, woman.”
I grinned. “Yeah. I gotta be if we’re really gonna hit Ross Savings & Loan.”
“You know most folks would’ve walked away from that job.”
“Good thing we ain’t most folks.”
He laughed. “Nah... we definitely ain’t.”
Crow knew exactly what Dice, Kash, and I did.
Hell, he was just as much a part of our crew as the rest of us.
Whenever we planned a job, the two of us handled the tech.
Breaking into security systems, mapping camera networks, studying alarm protocols, cloning credentials, and figuring out the cleanest way in and out, that was our lane.
We had pulled off jobs that would’ve made seasoned hackers scratch their heads.
Ross Savings & Loan, though, that bitch was different.
The deeper we dug into its security, the more respect we had for whoever designed it.
Every vulnerability we found led to another layer of protection.
Every workaround triggered another obstacle.
It was like playing chess against somebody who was always three moves ahead.
In order for us to successfully pull off the job, I had to break into their system.
The problem was that shit was taking a lot longer than I expected.
Every time I thought I’d found a way in, another layer of security popped up, forcing me right back to square one.
We didn’t stay on the subject for long. The less we talked about the job, the better. Loose lips got people locked up, and neither of us was interested in taking that chance. Crow hopped onto the edge of his desk with a smirk.
“So, you gonna hang around my shop all day, or you gonna help a nigga out?”
I leaned back in his chair and crossed my arms. “Depends. What you gonna give me?”
A slow grin spread across his face. “I got two tickets to see the rapper Sinful K at the Indiehood Stadium.”
My eyebrows shot up. “For real?”
“Yeah,” he said. “But if I don’t get these engines done, it ain’t happening.”
I smirked. “Don’t you have a whole crew to help you?”
“I do.” He nodded toward the garage. “But these three bikes belong to a few of my elite clients. I don’t trust nobody touching ‘em but me.”
“So basically...” I stood up and folded my arms. “You need me.”
Crow laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I just need an extra pair of hands.”
I pointed at myself. “These hands cost.”
“That’s why I’m paying you in concert tickets.”
I pretended to think it over for a second before shrugging. “Aight. But don’t be trying to boss me around.”
He smirked. “Too late. You already work for me today.”
“The hell I do.”
“We’ll see how long that attitude lasts.”
We walked into the garage, and Crow tossed me a pair of black coveralls along with some work gloves. I slipped the coveralls over my outfit and zipped them up. No way was I getting grease all over my favorite cargo pants. Crow looked me up and down before nodding.
“Don’t break nothing.”
I caught the gloves with one hand. “You say that every time.”
“Because every time you make me nervous.”
I rolled my eyes and walked over to the bike. The engine was already halfway torn apart, every bolt and part neatly lined up across the workbench. Crow always kept his workspace organized. It was one of the few things in his life he could completely control.
“Damn,” I muttered. “You already got halfway through it.”
“That’s the easy part.”
I grabbed a ratchet while Crow slid underneath the bike.
“Hand me the ten-millimeter.”
Without even looking, I reached over, grabbed the socket, and dropped it into his waiting hand. Crow paused and looked up at me.
“You remembered.”
I smirked. “I do know my way around an engine.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “You just pretend to be helpless whenever it benefits you.”
“Exactly.”
For the next half hour, we fell into an easy rhythm.
Crow called out what he needed, and I handed him the right tools before he even had to ask.
Every now and then I’d tighten a bolt or reconnect a hose while he handled the heavier work.
A couple of the mechanics walked by, throwing us curious looks.
Before I could say anything smart, Crow slid out from under the bike and made them bounce.
“You got something on your face.”
“Huh?”
Before I could wipe it away myself, Crow reached up with his thumb and gently brushed a streak of black grease from my cheek.
For a second, neither of us moved as our eyes met, and the sounds of air tools and engines faded into the background.
I cleared my throat and took a step away from Crow, suddenly feeling a little too aware of how close we had been.
“Ugh... so, the engine looks good?”
Crow leaned against the workbench and grinned. “Yeah. She’s running like she should. Couple more things tomorrow, and she’ll be ready for the customer.”
“Good.” I nodded. “I knew we’d get it done.”
He looked me over, still smiling.
“What?”
“You know... you clean up nice.”
I frowned. “Crow, I still got grease all over me.”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “I got the important part.”
I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped.
“You swear you got game.”
“I don’t swear.” He shrugged. “I know.”
“Oh, Lord.”
“What? You can’t tell me I ain’t smooth.”
“You want the truth?”
“Always.”