Chapter 17
Victor
“Tyson Harris! Is that you?” A booming voice calls out over the sounds of metal clanking, sanding machines, and guys hollering.
When I look to find the origin of the voice, I see a tall, muscle-bound middle-aged man walking out from underneath the mechanic shop’s garage door. The sign above him reads Tony’s Garage.
I lean into Ty as we approach, “I’m assuming Mr. Clean is Tony?” The man is a giant and covered in tattoos. His arms are covered in what looks to be full sleeves with colorful ink crawling up his neck, covering his bald head, and a few small markings on his face.
“Yes, it sure is, my friend,” Ty affirms under his breath as Tony comes to stand directly in front of us.
He wipes his hand on the tattered rag he is holding and reaches out to shake Ty’s hand.
His hands are the size of gorilla paws. Once Tony has a hold of Ty’s hand, he pulls him in for a one-armed man-hug, slapping him on the back.
“Ty, good to see you, brother! Is this the guy you were telling me about?” Tony looks over at me and reaches out his hand, “Kid, right? At least that’s what Ty’s been calling you.”
Shaking his mammoth calloused hand, I chuckle, “Yeah, my team calls me Kid. The name is Victor. I answer to both.” I explain with a shrug.
“Good to know,” Tony responds with his own version of a chuckle, though it’s more of a rumble of thunder with his low octave. “Ty said he would be bringing you by to meet the guys. When can you start?”
I inquisitively look over at Ty, “Start?”
Tony doesn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, Ty said you were looking for some work to keep you busy. Give you a mission outside in civilian life, and all that. He also said you could turn a wrench with the best of ‘em. I’m assuming Ty wouldn’t lie to me,” Tony’s half-grin looks insidious, “he knows better.” Slapping Ty on the back, Tony lets out a loud laugh while Ty lurches forward on contact.
I hold back a laugh when I answer, “Yeah, man, if you have work, I’m good to start whenever.
” Ty told me about this place on the way over, but didn’t actually tell me that this was what he was talking about when referring to helping me gain a new mission.
Guess his communication skills need some work, too.
“Great. Come on in, I’ll show you around.
” Tony turns and walks us through the front door of the customer service side of the garage first. The smell of that fancy car shampoo hits me as we walk through the doors, then the sounds of pop music playing over the speakers, and a silvery voice singing along from behind the counter, though I can’t see anyone.
“Hey, Jessi!” Tony yells. “Keep that shit down, we have a new guy and he doesn’t need to be scared off the first day with your princess-pop bullshit.
” Tony runs a hand down his face and groans.
“Oh, T, you know you love it when I sing to you.” A petite blonde with big brown eyes pops up from behind the counter with a megawatt smile plastered across her face. She can’t be older than 25.
Jessi, I guess her name is, bounds out from behind the desk to greet us in the middle of the waiting area.
“Oooh, T, you brought fresh meat.” She eyes me up and down and quirks a mischievous grin at me.
I’m pretty sure I have never in my life felt quite this much like a ribeye in the butcher case at a steakhouse before.
“Hi.” She says sweetly while reaching out her hand, “I’m Jessi, but you can call me whatever you want, handsome.” She says with a wink.
“Hi.” I shake her hand and try to be polite, but not overly friendly. The last thing I need is a 25-year-old fangirl following me around.
“Jessi, tone down the thirst-trap vibe. This is Kid. He’s going to be working here, and he’s married.
” Tony draws out the last word while Ty covers his mouth and coughs to stifle a laugh.
Tony shifts his attention to me without a second glance at the girl, “Come on, Kid, I’ll introduce you to everyone. ”
As we walk through the rest of the building and then finally into the shop, Tony explains that he started this garage ten years ago after he got out of prison.
He said it was difficult to find a job as a felon, so he started his own business and now all he hires are people like him, ex-cons, former military, recovering drug addicts and alcoholics, basically those who need and want to work for a second chance.
It’s an amazing concept and seems to be working.
After meeting everyone and getting a feel for the place, I let Tony know that I can be back at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow to start. I shake his hand in agreement for me to come in, fill out paperwork, and get started learning the ropes.
“Always a pleasure, Tony!” Ty calls out as we head back to Ty’s blacked-out Ford Raptor.
“Later, my friend!” Tony booms back before heading back into the garage.
Settling into the passenger seat, I look over at Ty, who’s smiling. “What are you grinning about?”
Ty shrugs his shoulders, “Nothing, man, just watch out for Jessi. If G sees her looking at you like a snack pack again, the claws might come out.”
Letting out a huff, I shake my head. “Gabbi hasn’t been jealous of me in a very long time. Besides, I’m not planning on interacting with her, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Who is she anyway? I mean, how did she get a job working there?”
“Jessi’s Tony’s niece. His brother asked him to give her a job to keep her out of trouble.
” Ty rolls his eyes, “Little does her dad realize, she is the fucking trouble. And as for Gabbi not being jealous, Kid, you might want to open your eyes. She still loves you; you all are just having a disconnect right now. You remember what G was like when you first got back together? All I’m saying is just be careful of that one because you may try and stay away from Jessi, but from the looks she was giving you today, she has no intention of staying away from you. ”
His reference to Gabbi made me grin like an idiot.
When Gabbi and I first got back together, after a couple of years going our separate ways, she had to deal with some remnants of my single life.
One night, she sent a girl home with a black eye, a busted lip, and a couple of broken fingers.
After that, all the women within a 20-mile radius of the military base knew I was Gabbi’s man and stayed out of her way. God, she was a firecracker.
With the stupid grin still on my face, I look over at Ty and ask him to make a quick stop on the way home.