by KJ Dahlen
When they were up on the patio, Byron sat down on one of the loungers and pulled her down into his lap. She laid her head on his chest but didn’t say anything.
They sat there a long time before Kelly finally said, “This has to stop.”
Byron nodded. “Yes, it does but you know Caden doesn’t want that, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do and I know why too.”
Byron tilted his head at her.
“He wants me rattled so I make a mistake,” Kelly explained.
“A mistake?” he frowned.
Kelly nodded. “He knows grandpa and I are building another engine. He saw it when he broke into the shop. He knows the last engine we built together made big money and he wants his share of that money.”
“Well, that’s just too damn bad isn’t it?” Byron growled. “You told him yesterday the money was gone.”
“And I meant it.”
“Then let it be, sweetness,” Byron urged her. “Don’t let him do this to you and Joe. “
“That’s easier said then done.” She sighed. “It’s hard to let him go, as much as I may want to. I’ve loved him as a brother all my life, even when I knew he wasn’t my brother. He’s still my mother’s child.”
“I’m not saying you can’t love him as a brother, just don’t let him distract you. You have to build a wall between your heart and the rest of you. Protect yourself against him.”
Kelly nodded. “Yeah, I’ll have to work on that. He’s hurt me and Gramps for the last time.”
“So don’t let him take this away from you. This is something you and Joe love to do. Don’t let Caden hurt you like that.”
“You’re right.” Kelly sat up and got to her feet. Holding out her hand to him.
Byron reached out and pulled her back down into his lap. Crushing her lips with his own he kissed her long and deep.
When he broke the kiss, she nearly whimpered as she rested her forehead against his. “You truly do know how to tempt a woman, don’t you?” she whispered.
“I should hope so.” He chuckled. “I’ve been trying hard enough to tempt you.”
“And you have but like you just told me I have work to do and mister...” She poked him in the chest. “...so do you.”
“Yeah, I do but I’m so far ahead of you guys, I can afford to take a day or two off.” He grinned.
“Oh, I doubt that, big guy.” Kelly grinned back at him.
“And why is that?”
“Because your timing is off slightly and your fuel ratio is not quite there yet. Your engine is riding a little rough and that’s gonna cost you on the track.”
Byron frowned as he thought about her comments. “What do you mean my timings off and the ratio isn’t right? How the hell do you know that?”
“You can hear it, every twelfth cycle, its hesitating slightly.”
Byron looked puzzled. “Are you sure?”
Kelly shrugged. “You don’t have to believe me but next time you run the engine, listen carefully and you can hear it for yourself.” She got up and went over to the steps. “Are you coming?”
Byron got to his feet and walked over to the steps. From this height, he could see three full city block in all directions. Something flashed a block away and the flash caught his eye. He turned his head and watched as a car slowly approached the parking lot.
It was Ted McGee’s vehicle. Byron grabbed his phone and called the shop to let Mountain and Bowie know Ted was on his way. He turned to Kelly. “Babe, I need you to trust me for something.”
“Ok.” She nodded. Then she turned her head and saw the car pull in. “Who is that?”
“That’s Ted McGee and he’s looking for you. I don’t want him to find you. Can you stay up here and out of sight until we get rid of him?”
Kelly nodded, then turned and went back to the lounge chair. She sat down with a heavy sigh and looked up at him. “Get rid of him and come back. We can maybe mess around a little more before we go back to work.”
Byron gave her a wink as he grinned then turned to the stairway. Reaching the last step, he marched over to where Mountain and Bowie were standing.
Ted had gotten out of his vehicle and was standing there.
“What the hell are you doing back here?” Byron growled. “God damn you must be deaf or fucking something!”
Ted reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar. Taking his time to light it, he peered through the smoke at them as he ignored Byron’s comments. “I still want that car but I’m interested in something much more important. I know for a fact that Joe and Kelly Abalone are here working on a new engine. I want first dibs on it when it’s finished.”
“You are full of shit. Just No. Now get off this property,” Byron stated.
“Now boy,” he cajoled. “You haven’t heard my offer yet. They haven’t heard my offer either. Why don’t you bring one or both of them out here to listen to what I have to say?”
“I told you no, now get lost and don’t come back or we’ll call the cops on you.” Byron glared at him.
“You can’t do that.” Ted grinned. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You haven’t done anything right either McGee.” Mountain rumbled from deep in his chest. “We have the right to refuse service to anyone. We have asked you to leave and not come back and you haven’t heard us. Now get back in your God dammed car and drive away.”
Ted just shrugged. “I’ll leave for now, but I’ll keep coming back here until I get what I want. I want that car and I want that new engine. And Ted McGee always gets what he wants.”
“Not this time, fucker,” Byron growled.
Ted’s smile just got bigger as he dropped his cigar and ground out the butt. He then got into his vehicle and drove away.
~*~
Kelly was smiling later that afternoon as she remembered Byron coming back up to the patio and the wild make out session they had before Byron took her hand and led her back to the shop. He’d deposited her next to her grandfather and smacked her on the butt as he walked back to his own vehicle.
Kelly caught her grandfather’s grin and chuckled. “He’s a bully to your granddaughter and all you do is smile? What kind of grandpa are you?”
“The kind of grandfather that can appreciate a good-hearted man and he didn’t do anything to you that I wouldn’t have,” Joe chided her. “Now get back to work, girl. That man of yours is far enough ahead of us.”
Kelly shook her head. “He may be ahead of us but have you heard his engine run? His ratio is off slightly and his timing is off on the twelfth cycle.”
Mountain stood behind her and crossing his arms over his chest, he asked, “What are you talking about, little girl?”
Kelly turned to the big man. “You can hear it if you listen close enough.”
Mountain turned to Byron and yelled out at him, “Hey By, start up your motor once.”
Kelly walked over to the music and shut it down. The silence was almost deafening for a moment as their ears adjusted to the lack of noise.
Joe came over to where she was standing and listened as Byron turned his engine over.
It sounded great for the first moment then began to spit on the twelfth cycle just like Kelly told them. It came right back but it wasn’t as smooth as it should have been.
Mountain, Byron, Dante and Bowie listened to a few more rounds then slowly looked over at Kelly.
Kelly had already gone back to her engine leaving Joe standing there alone. Mountain was the one who asked, “How did she know? I mean Byron hasn’t started his engine without that damn music blaring so loud you can’t hear yourself think. How did she hear that miss?”
Joe shrugged. “She’s been like that since she was four. She can listen to something and tell you exactly what’s wrong with an engine. That’s how she knew there was something wrong with her dad’s engine that day. She called him to the pits and Dom didn’t question it, he was on his way back when Ted hit him.”
“Would she know
how to fix it?” Byron asked.
Joe grinned. “All you gotta do is ask her.”
The Morgan brothers all watched this monumental event as Byron went over and asked Kelly how to fix the problem with his car.
Kelly laughed and went over to his car and for a few minutes, they were busy fiddling with the many parts and pieces they needed to adjust. Finally, she stood back and wiped the grease from her hands. “Try that now.”
Byron sat down behind the wheel and fired up the engine. The sweet sound of all cylinders firing in succession sounded smooth and effortless.
One by one, the Morgan brother’s faces transformed with smiles.
“Now that is the sweet sound of success.” Mountain tilted his head back.
“That’s my girl.” Joe grinned.
“That car is gonna win the race in a couple of weeks,” Dante boasted.
“You putting that car in a race soon?” Joe asked.
Mountain nodded. “There’s a classics race coming up in two weeks. Only cars from the 60’s and 70’s are allowed to race.” He pointed at Byron’s 67 Shelby Mustang. “He’s built that car up from the frame and now he’s got the engine purring like a kitten, he’s gonna walk away from the race with another blue ribbon.”
“So what did McGee want today?” Joe finally asked.
“What else? For you and Kelly to build him an engine,” Mountain told him. “Just like yesterday.”
Joe shook his head. “That old bastard never gives up does he?”
“Seems like he’s fucking dense about that,” Dante swore. “The man has never been told no before has he?”
“Nope, to him that word doesn’t exist,” Joe agreed. “He thinks money can buy whatever he wants and that everyone and everything has a price. He raised his only son to believe the same thing.”
“Well, isn’t Caden his son as well?” Mountain asked.
“Yeah, but he won’t acknowledge him. “ Joe shook his head. “According to Ted, he only has one son and that is Jack.”
“Wow.” Mountain shook his head. “That’s one seriously fucked up way of looking at his kids. “
“Ted McGee is a fucked up sort of guy.” Joe snorted. Looking around the shop he took note of the new security cameras. “I see you got eyes in here. That’s probably a good thing.”
“Yeah, we don’t want any more after hour visitors.” Mountain shrugged. “And it’s too close to race time to take any chances with the car either. Especially, since that bastard has been coming around. One of the guards at the track called me last night. He told me of a late entry. Seems...” Mountain lifted his fingers and air quoted, “ ‘Lightening Jack McGee’ has deemed to grace us with his entry.”
Joe shook his head.
“Why the hell would McGee want to take a chance with his car in a small race like ours?” Dante asked. “We’re small potatoes compared to the Daytona circuit.”
Joe looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers. “I’ll bet you ten to one, he’s gonna make Byron a side bet. If he wins the race, he’ll get the Roadster.”
“And if he loses?” Dante asked.
“Oh, Lightening Jack has no intention of losing.” Joe shook his head.
Mountain looked over at his younger brother then both turned to look at Byron. “I think I need to make a phone call,” he said under his breath.”
Chapter Eleven
Later that same night, Kelly finally threw a tarp over the engine she and Joe were working on. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she noted it was almost midnight. Once again, she’d gotten lost the inner workings of an engine.
A cold wet nose bumped her leg and Kelly startled as she screamed. Looking down, she saw ole Blue standing there. His tail was waging and Kelly laughed. “Blue! You scared the life out of me.”
“Sorry bout that, Miss Kelly,” Wes called out from the lunchroom doorway. “He kinda got away from me for a moment.”
“That’s ok Wes. I didn’t know anyone was still here. It is close to midnight.”
“And you should have been outta here a long time ago,” Wes scolded her. “I’m surprised Byron isn’t dragging you by the hair to the bedroom.”
Kelly flushed bright red and shook her head. “I wanted to stay and finish up.”
“Girl, you better get to bed. Tomorrow is another day.” Wes nodded.
“I’m going, I’m going.” Kelly petted Blue one more time.
When she stepped out, the night air was cool and there was slight breeze. Walking across the parking lot, she almost didn’t see the man standing in the shadows until she was right on top of him. Kelly didn’t slap her hand over her mouth to prevent her scream when he stepped into the moon light. She reacted the same way she did when Blue had surprised her, by instinct. She reacted without warning and stepped into the fray. Only seconds later, the man was sailing through the air and hitting the ground with a loud thud.
Kelly peered down and saw the man gasping for breath and struggling to do so.
It was a biker, one of the many that showed up the day her brother was here.
With her heart pounding in her chest, she glared down at him. “What the hell are you doing, besides scaring the hell out of me?”
At first, the biker couldn’t speak but when she reached down to help him up, he grasped her hand and slowly got to his feet. He took several deep breathes and soon his breathing cleared. “Mountain wanted a few bodies around in case your—brother or the dipshit McGee men showed—up,” the biker told her winded.
“And you are?”
“I’m Wiley, one of the Sin’s Bastards.” Wiley grinned. “Really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you sweetheart.” Shaking his head, he grinned. “I’ll know the next time to call out and let you know I’m here.”
“That’s ok, I’m Kelly by the way. “ She put out her hand and when he took it, he heard a growl behind him.
Wiley let go with his hands up as he stepped back. “Sorry man.”
“No worries.” Byron nodded his head even though he looked displeased. Looking over at Kelly he said, “I was just on my way to drag you home.”
Kelly began to laugh. “Oh, wow. That is just what Wes said.” She moved into his arms and nuzzled his neck. “Come on my caveman, let’s go find our cave, shall we?”
Byron chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her and they went back into the house.
Wiley watched them go and shook his head.
~*~
Byron opened his apartment door and ushered her inside. “What took you half the night?”
Kelly went into the kitchen and began washing her hands with dish soap. She washed all the way to her elbows then rinsed the grey mess off her arms. “Babe, I’m a mechanic by heart, I tend to get lost in the whole process. I made real progress tonight.” She then looked at him as she wiped her arms and hands off with a towel. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure. I might even have an answer for you.” He winked at her.
Kelly raised a brow at him then she smiled. “So what’s with the added security? I mean Wes is sleeping in the shop with Blue and you got men watching over the place. Are you expecting trouble?”
Byron shrugged. “I’m not taking any chances, not with you and Joe staying here. McGee seems rather insistent to talk to you. So far, we’ve been able to keep him away but that won’t last very long I don’t think.”
“You’re right. From what I remember of the man, he always gets what he wants.” Kelly nodded. “I’d rather not see him again in this lifetime or any other lifetime.”
Byron nodded. “We did offer to protect you and your grandfather. You have a unique talent that Ted McGee would break the law to possess. I don’t think he’s going to stop coming after you and I have no doubts he’ll try to mess up my ride.”
Kelly shook her head. “He doesn’t have a Henry in his pit this time.”
“He doesn’t need a Henry in the pits, this time. All he needs is you or Joe to make a mistake and every day br
ings the race that much closer.” Byron hesitated then decided to tell her everything, “Mountain made some calls earlier today and he found out some interesting things about Ted McGee.”
Kelly shook her head. “I don’t give a damn about him. Why is that so hard for you and your brothers to understand?”
Byron shook his head, “I know you don’t but Joe might.”
She frowned. “What does my grandpa have to do with Ted McGee?”
“Ted finally got the specs for the Mach Two engine. He’s claiming its so close to the engine he got before it came to be... that the design belongs to him. He’s about ready to submit the paperwork that you and your grandfather are selling his engine under a different name and he’s already bragging to the racing world he’s going to sue your grandfather for billions of dollars.”
“But that claim isn’t true,” Kelly insisted. “The Mach one and two are different than the engine Ted stole from my dad and grandpa.”
Byron shook his head slowly. “But the lawsuit could take months and in the meantime, he will have trashed your grandfather’s name so bad, he’ll never build another engine. And neither will you. No one will trust your work again. If he can’t get it legally, he’ll trash you leaving you with nothing. That’s the way the man works.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Well, he can try but it won’t work.”
“Sweetness, it will work, he’ll ruin you and your grandfather even if it doesn’t get him a thing. He’s the type of man that would do it just because he can.”
Kelly walked over to him and lifted her hand to cup his cheek. “You don’t understand. Grandpa and Dad knew this might come up one day. They always hoped it wouldn’t but after dealing with Ted once before, they knew it might. They took precautions. They protected the Mach One and I’ve protected the Mach two. Ted can’t touch it or us.”
“How did they do that?” Byron looked confused.
“That’s our secret.” She shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Grandpa if you want to know. I can’t tell you.”
