Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Stone pursed his lips and stepped my way, tugging on the strap and popping it open. I managed to pull the helmet off, but my hair flopped forward into my face, and I had to shove it back. Damn. This could get worse.
Wanting to be careful about what I touched in this dirty place, I pulled my leather gloves from my purse and put them on. I glanced up and found Stone watching me, a frown on his face. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “But it seems like you’re not doing your job with those on.”
“I don’t want to pick up every little thing, so I have to protect myself.”
Stone shrugged. “Whatever.” He turned back to Joint. “So… how’s business these days?”
“We keepin’ busy.”
“Good to hear.”
The man who’d run off came back out, stopping beside us. “Razor says to come to his office.”
Stone nodded, but his shoulders tensed. He glanced my way, looking at my hands, and spoke under his breath. “Maybe you’d better wait here.”
My brows rose. I wasn’t about to let him go in there without me. I had a contract to uphold. “I’m sticking with you. Remember? Twenty-four seven? I can take these off anytime, you know.”
Stone’s mouth twisted, but he didn’t argue, so I followed him inside. The garage smelled of oil and grease, and we passed a couple of cars that were on lifts, with men working on them.
Continuing down a hall, Joint led us to a large office, where a man wearing a black tee with several holes in it sat behind a desk. His long, dark hair was tied back and a bushy beard covered his lower face. He held a rag in his hands, and wiped off his dirty fingers.
With our arrival, he motioned toward the chairs in front of his desk. “Hey, Stone. Good to see you in one piece.” He looked my way before glancing back to Stone. “What can I do for you?”
Joint stayed at the door, blocking us in, and the other guy sat down behind us. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, but I tried not to show any fear. Besides, Stone could take them all out, right? After his greeting, Razor sat back in his chair like he was a king holding court.
Stone didn’t seem fazed by any of this, and his voice had a hard edge to it. “I’m looking for the guy who sent me the text that nearly got me blown up. As you said before, it wasn’t you. But it had to be someone who knows we have a working relationship.”
Razor set the rag on his desk and leaned toward us. “You think it’s one of my men?”
Stone shrugged. “Who else would use your number? That’s why I’m here. I’m sure it’s not someone loyal to you, but I’m wondering if you have anyone new… say… in the last month or so.”
Razor glanced behind us at Joint. “What do you think?”
“We have a couple of newer recruits, but I doubt they’d be dumb enough to go against Stone.”
I sat forward. “Do any of them have short hair and a beard?” Glancing at the men around me, I realized they all wore beards, and my eyes bulged. “Uh… and who also wears a ball cap?”
Razor smirked. “Not everyone’s here today, but you can talk to the guys out there.” He shook his head. “But I don’t think it would be any of them.” Rubbing his beard, he pursed his lips and met Stone’s gaze. “I can’t imagine any of my crew setting you up.”
Stone nodded. “I get that, but it only takes one.”
Razor scowled. “Fine… do what you gotta do. Let me know if you figure it out; that way I’ll know how to handle the situation.”
He was warning Stone to let him take care of it, and the way Stone grumbled under his breath, I knew he didn’t want to do that.
Stone glanced my way. “Anything here you want to touch? Like that rag?” He motioned to the greasy rag sitting on Razor’s desk.
“Uh… no.” I narrowed my eyes at him so he’d know it wasn’t funny.
He shrugged. “Fine.” He turned to Razor. “Thanks for your help. We’ll go talk to the others.” Pivoting, he faced Joint. “I might want to meet your new recruits. When would be a good time for that?”
Joint glanced at Razor for his okay before answering. “Come to the park tonight around eleven. They’ll be there then.”
“Thanks.”
Joint moved aside to let us pass, and we stepped into the garage. Stone leaned close to me and spoke in a low tone. “Feel free to touch anything you want out here.”
My lips turned down. “I know how to do my job.”
He ignored that and continued around a couple of cars to one on the opposite side. The man working on the engine glanced up, then did a double-take. He grabbed a rag and wiped his hands. “Stone… what are you doing here?”