“No,” I croak. “You have no fucking idea how much it’s hurting.”
“We do,” Jace says gently. “Honey, you know we do.”
“He used me,” I spit, hating the tears welling in my eyes. “Then he took everything. I won’t just lie down and let that happen. I won’t.”
“I think you’ve got a good set of balls on you,” Oscar says.
Everyone turns to look at him, shocked.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“You’ve fought your whole life, Quinnie.” He smiles. “Keep doing it.”
I nod, tying my hair in a ponytail. “I won’t do anything illegal, but if Tazen Watts thinks he can just shove me out, he’s very … very wrong.”
“You need to be careful, Quinn,” Jace mutters. “You could get into a lot of trouble.”
“Yeah, and if I don’t do this, I’ll never forgive myself. Trust me, guys. Please.”
With a sigh, Jace nods. Lenny walks over and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Got your back no matter what, Quinn. You know that. Be careful, yeah?”
“Yeah, Lenny.”
I look at them and I know I’m doing this for them as much as I am for myself.
At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
CHAPTER TEN
I throw my Mustang into park and slide out of the driver’s side. I slam the door and stride up to the garage, as if nothing has changed. I hold my chin high and my back straight as I push through the front doors. I step into the dimly lit space and immediately see Tazen standing with a gorgeous blonde. She has a hand on his chest and is smiling up at him, giggling.
My heart feels like it’s going to drop out.
It shouldn’t hurt, but it does.
Keep it together, Quinn. Don’t let him see what he did to you.
I start walking towards them, and at the sounds of my boots scuffing across the floor, Tazen jerks and looks to me. His eyes flash with surprise, before his face becomes tired, like he isn’t ready to deal with me again. “What are you doing here?”
I flash him my best smile. “Good morning, boss.”
He shakes his head, pushing the girl back and striding towards me. I try not to notice his tight shirt and those amazing jeans hanging on his hips. When he reaches me, he curls a hand around my upper arm and turns me towards the door. “What sort of game are you playing here, Quinn? I’m in no mood for it.”
“I’m working here,” I say simply.
“You’re not.”
I cross my arms. “I am.”
“No, you’re fucking not.”
I lean in close. “Yes, I fucking am.”
“Jesus,” he snaps.
“Ah, Taz,” the blonde says. “Should I leave?”
He turns to her and grunts. “Yeah, I’ll call you.”
“Don’t bet on it.” I smile sweetly. “He had his tongue down my throat only days ago. This guy is a first-class player.”
Her face scrunches and she turns to him. “Seriously?”
He grunts and glares at me. “We’re not exclusive, Bonny.”
Bonny. What were her parents thinking?
“No,” she says, crossing her arms. “But you said I was special, different and…”
“Oh, I know the next one,” I say, jumping up and down, waving my hand around. “Real! He said you were real.”
Tazen looks like he wants to strangle me. I keep my smile¸ even though inside I’m falling to pieces.
“No, but why would he have said that to you?”
Because I am real. Obviously. That actually makes my heart soften just a little, because he clearly didn’t say it to her.
“Look, Bonny,” he begins but she puts a perfectly manicured hand up.
“I deserve better,” she declares.
“Girl power!” I say, fist bumping the air.
Tazen steps closer to me, and curls his arm around my head and then presses a hand over my mouth. I want to bite him, but I just can’t manage it. So I stomp on his foot.
“Stay still,” he snaps.
I snort.
Bonny stares at us, then shakes her head. “This is too weird.”
“I’ll call you, Bonny. Explain.”
She huffs. “No thanks, like I said, I can do better.”
“Yeah,” Tazen snorts. “Whatever you say.”
Ooh, Bonny got burned.
Her face scrunches and she turns, storming out of the garage, picking up her purse on the way. When she’s gone, Tazen lets me go and spins so he’s facing me. “Leave, now.”
“Nope,” I say, stepping past him.
“I’ll call the fucking cops.”
I laugh. “I’ve been servicing their cruisers for years, so good luck with that.”
“Fuck!” he barks as I disappear into the office.
That’s right, Tazen Watts. You messed with the wrong girl.
* * *
“You’re doing it wrong,” I say, leaning a hip on a pole in the middle of the garage.
A young apprentice of Tazen’s is trying to fit a tire on the nearly final custom build that is due to go out tomorrow. It’s a super cool two-door convertible that’s bright candy apple red with white leather interior. It has a V8 engine that is awe-inspiring, and sounds even better. The convertible nearly tops a race car in speed.
“What the hell would you know?” he snaps at me.
“I’m a mechanic, and a good one. You’re doing it wrong.”
“Oh fuck off.”
I snort. “Oh, boss,” I call to Tazen who is monitoring the installation of an engine into a sleek, yellow build. “Potty mouth over here doesn’t seem to know how to fit a tire.”
“Stop tormenting him, woman!” Tazen finally barks.
“No. If I stop this car is going to be a shambles. If you give me a job, I can show you how epically awesome I am.”
“Not gonna happen. You can stand there until you get bored.”
“Seriously, boss?” the apprentice mutters. “Can’t you just kick her ass out?”
Tazen’s eyes grow hard. “It would be easier to poke my own eyeballs out than it would be to get rid of her.”
I snort laugh. “Admit it, Tazen. You like me.”
His lip quirks, but he says nothing. He just turns back to the job he was doing. I’m right, he likes me.
I turn back to the apprentice. “Do you want me to show you how it’s done?”
“No,” he grunts. “Not havin’ no wack job telling me how to fit a tire.”
I laugh. “Okay then, your loss. But you should know that is the wrong tire and that’s why it isn’t fitting correctly.” I turn and begin walking away, calling, “You’re welcome.”
When I reach the front of the garage, I slip outside and press my back against the wall. This isn’t as easy as it looks. Testing Tazen is truly testing everything inside of me, because all I want to do is throttle him. I hate watching, piece by piece, as my garage disappears before my eyes. In its place, slick cars and shiny equipment. If I’m honest, it’s impressive. Tazen has three builds currently going, and he’s brought his entire team over from California.