by Jane Henry
“It’s nothing,” she says with a toss of her head.
I lean in. “It’s not nothing,” I say to her. “And if you don’t tell me why you’re behaving this way, I’m gonna pick you up, take you to my truck, pull that skirt of yours up and spank the truth right outta you.”
She crosses her arms on her chest and shoots me a venomous look. “Maybe you should tell me, daddy.” She narrows her eyes when she says daddy like that’s some sorta clue, but I’m baffled.
We can’t talk, though, because the door to the shop opens again and Grease comes in with something that needs my attention right away.
“Conversation’s not over, Tanya,” I tell her. Grease shoots me a sympathetic look, but guys don’t talk about relationship shit, so he says nothing. I answer his question, and when I go back to the main office, Tanya’s gone.
Chapter Eleven
Tanya
I should maybe give Levi a chance. But honest to God, I hardly know the guy. I’m so mad at myself for falling for a guy like him anyway. I need him to do work no one else could, and I allowed him to manipulate me like a fool.
Of course he got a girl pregnant. What makes me think I’m so special? I could cry. Hell, I think I might. So when he goes back in the shop, I decide I’m going for a little walk. It’ll piss him off when he finds out I left, but I don’t care. Maybe I want to piss him off. I take my bag and leave, head out the front door, and let it shut behind me. I know I’m being childish, but I’m more angry at myself than I am at him. I never should have let myself fall for a guy like Levi.
I’m hurt, really. And I feel entitled to take a little time to nurse my wounds.
He hasn’t even done anything, really. So things got hot and heavy there for a bit. Soon, the car will be finished, and I’ll never have to see him again. I have nothing to offer him. To a man like Levi, I’m likely shallow and superficial. I’ve got more money than I know what to do with and things that are important to me probably seem stupid to him.
But I’ve got to have something. Something to look forward to. Something that makes me happy. And maybe I like the thrill of a photo shoot. Maybe I enjoy the luxurious things in life I’ve worked hard for.
As I walk down the street alone, though, I wonder. How satisfying are these things if I have no one to share my life with? My hopes, and my dreams? And even more, my fears and struggles?
I walk and I walk and I walk. I don’t know how long. I have no idea where.
My phone rings. If it’s Levi, I am not answering it. I lift it and see Jacked Up on the screen. I silence the phone and walk a little faster. Maybe he’ll wonder where I went.
Good.
My phone rings again, and I snatch it out of my purse, ready to tell Levi to go shove it. I answer it and huff into the phone, “What?”
“Tanya?”
It’s Blaise.
“Oh, hi Blaise. Sorry about that,” I mutter. I look around me and realize I have no idea where I am. I walked off in such a huff, I’m in some sort of neighborhood I’ve never seen before, and it doesn’t look very nice. Definitely not a place where a girl wearing Prada should be walking.
I swallow hard and feel my skin prickle when a guy lighting up a smoke in a wrought-iron stairwell gives me a lewd once-over.
“Tanya, I just got the best news ever,” Blaise says.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes,” he continues. “They’ve doubled their offer.”
“Doubled?” He continues to tell me the rules and conditions. I squirm a little, but I have to admit I like the idea of Levi finding out a did a full front nude photo shoot for a car magazine. That’ll serve him right.
“I’ll do it,” I breathe.
“Only thing is, they need you to do it soon.”
“How soon?”
“They’re ready when you are.”
I take in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and nod. “I’ll do it today.”
I get the address from him and shove it in my bag, then look around me wildly. I’ve just made a crazy, spur-of-the-moment decision, but I have no regrets.
Do I?
Only damn problem is, I have no idea where I am. I look around me and try to see back where I walked to, but my head was so in the clouds I don’t have a clue. There’s a cluster of guys over by a convenience store sharing a joint. The sweet, acrid smell churns my stomach a little. I need to get out of here.
Flashing my most winsome smile, I approach them. “Boys? Can someone help me?”
A tall, muscular guy who’s easily ten years my junior steps in the front.
“Well hello there,” he says, making the rest of them snicker.
“I seem to have lost my way,” I tell him. Hopefully I can charm him. “Do you know how to get back to…” I almost tell him my address, but that feels wrong. I could tell him Levi’s, but that’s also just not smart. “Jacked Up?” I finish.
“Classic car shop?” he asks.
They mutter among themselves and I hear the name Levi DeRocco. One guy shakes his head and another’s eyes go wide.
“You his girl?” the blond asks, his jaw hardening. And then I realize, they don’t want to come near me if I’m his. Seems his reputation has preceded me.
I swallow. Am I?
“No,” I say, not sure if it’s the truth or a lie. “But I work there.” Or did?
I just need to get out of here.
“I’ll take you,” blondie says.
“I’ll pay you,” I tell him.
He shoots me a lewd grin. “That you will.”
The rest of them hoot and holler, and my blood runs cold. What do I do now? But whatever. I have to get out of here.
He takes my hand and leads me down the street, the sounds of the others fading, and thankfully when we get to a small, beat-up car in front of a fire hydrant, he lets go of my arm and the façade fades. “I’ll take you back,” he says. “I want to know the truth, though.” He’s sober now, with none of the swagger he had in front of the others. Seems he was putting on a front for them. I breathe out a sigh of relief. He asks me with a look of concern, “Are you Levi’s?”
I shift uncomfortably. “I was,” I tell him, looking down.
He nods. “Fair enough. I’m not gonna touch you, and I don’t want your money. I do want to go home tonight with all my teeth and my nuts in place, though. Got it?”
I give him a watery smile. “Yeah,” I say. “Got it.” I get in the passenger side door, and it’s thankfully clean in here. In silence, we drive out of this little neighborhood, and after a few minutes, things begin to look familiar again.
“Here,” I tell him, when we’re right near Jacked Up. “Um, maybe drop me here.”
“Jesus Christ,” the kid mutters. “Knew you were his.”
“I’m not,” I say, but he only gives me a sidelong glance.
He purses his lips and rolls his eyes. “Look, lady, I don’t really give a shit if you got into a little spat with Levi or whatever. You’ll kiss and make up and live happily ever after, but you and I never met, yeah?”
I nod. “Yeah,” I say. “And thank you.”
He’s young, and a little tough around the edges, but he seems genuine enough.
“Um, do you have any idea how to get to…” my voice trails off as I take out my phone and read the address.
He looks, reads the address, and nods. “GPS directions there are shit. Take the main road here until you get to the Five Corners intersection, then go over the bridge. After that, directions will pan out.”
I smile at him gratefully, then take a wad of cash out of my wallet, drop it on the seat, then leave before he can respond. I get out of the car, and head to the shop, the sound of his car accelerating fading into the distance.
I get to my car, but as I open the door, my phone rings again. The skin prickles on my neck, as if someone’s watching me. I look around me, see no one, and ignore the phone ringing.
I pull out the address Blaise gave me. I have a job to do.
Chapter Twelve
Levii
I don’t know where that little brat went to, but when I get my hands on her she won’t sit for a goddamned week.
The truck is shit for looking for someone, so loud and cumbersome, but I give it my best shot. It rumbles like a motherfucker and takes corners like a fucking elephant. Still, I’ve got nothing. I come back to the shop around lunchtime, and she’s not there.
What the hell? This morning, things were great.
Maybe she isn’t who I thought she was. It’s only been a few days, but I thought I had a pretty good read on her. I thought we had a good thing going. I’m into her, more than I’ve ever been into anyone, and just this morning she started asking what it meant to be my babygirl.
And if this babygirl thinks she can go around flouncing away when she’s upset about something, the first rule she’ll learn is that I do not appreciate childish behavior like that.
But hell, we didn’t even fight. So I’m kinda bewildered.
I have shit to do, though, including finishing the job on her father’s car, so I go back to the shop. The phone rings off the wall, there are more customers coming into the shop than in the last week, and I can’t find the coffee filters. Minor details, but it all pisses me off.
Finally, by late afternoon, I’m starving and getting more pissed off by the minute, so I leave the job I’m doing, clean up, and figure I’ll get something to eat. The others have all left the shop, but Spade’s entering order details on the computer in the office.
“Have you seen Tanya today, man?” I ask.
Clicking away on the computer, he doesn’t look at me when he answers. “Saw her pull up a little while ago with some blond guy in a beat-up Ford,” he says. “No idea who that was, but she leaned over and gave him something. Didn’t see what they did, but she did kiss him. Then she got out, got into her car, and took off.”
Some blond guy? Kissed him? What the fuck is that about?
I don’t trust him. I need to lose this asshole.
I growl to myself. I don’t want him knowing I’m pissed at her but Jesus fucking Christ, I’m pissed at her. And I’m not giving up, either. There’s something special about Tanya.
She wants rules and discipline? She’ll get rules and discipline.
I call her one more time, knowing that she isn’t going to pick up the phone. Spade says he saw a guy drop her off outside the shop, though. I can do a little investigative work. The security cameras run outside the shop since we have inventory that’s worth a shit ton of money. I don’t have a need to look at them often, but I can when I need to. I go to the small room inside the shop where the security footage rolls by on camera, and it’s an easy matter to scroll back through the last couple of hours. I go a little further back than I mean to, though, all the way to this morning. Spade and Grease are in the back, and I can see the side profile of Tanya behind a bush behind them. I scowl at the screen when I see what happens. The two of them are talking. She goes rigid, shakes her head, and backs up, then turns tail and runs away.
On the second screen I see her walking to the front of the shop. Her head’s in her hands and she looks distraught. Jesus. My fists clench by my side. What did she hear them say? Where is she now? Is this my clue to what’s going on? Anger flares in my gut. I have to play a fucking detective to find out what’s going on?
I fast forward on the security footage and see her leave the shop, then keep scrolling until I see what Spade was talking about. Christ almighty, he’s right. She’s in the car of some blond kid. She doesn’t lean over and kiss him like he said, but takes what looks like a bunch of cash out of her purse, tosses it on the seat, then leaves. He lifts it up and yells to her, but she takes off.
Why would Spade lie about that? Did he think he saw them kiss?
I zone in on the plate, jot it down, and look it up. We’ve got a detailed database of this shit because we’re always looking for parts and pieces, and even though it may not be strictly legal, I don’t give a damn. I get the address registered to that plate, get in my truck, dial her one more time until it gets to voicemail, and take off.
Spade and I need to have a chat, too, but blondie’s more pressing.
When I pull up to the seedy apartment complex I found listed, there’s got to be a dozen guys sitting around on the stoop. When they see my truck they scatter like mice, except for one. Blondie.
Smart kid.
I shut the door of my truck, stalk over to him, and the kid stands his ground. Gotta respect that. I may not need to beat the truth out of him after all.
“You know who I am?” I ask him. I grew up in this neighborhood. Fucking everyone knows who I am.
He nods and swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
“Swear to God I didn’t touch her,” he says, lifting his head up and meeting my eyes.
Gotta respect a brother for that.
“Good,” I tell him. “Never met you but I don’t much like hurting guys I just met. So just tell me the truth and we’re good.”
He shrugs, but his eyes betray his fear. “She asked for a ride. Got here by accident, needed a ride. Gotta tell you, man, I asked her repeatedly if she was yours. Told her I wanted nothing to do with her if she was.”
That surprises me. “Yeah?”
He nods. “She told me she wasn’t. And anyway, man, swear to God, all I did was give her a ride.” He shrugs and looks a bit bashful. “Girl like her really shouldn’t be around these parts anyway.”
He’s got that right. “You took her back to the shop,” I say.
He nods.
“Any idea where she went after that?”
His eyes brighten and he looks hopeful, probably convinced that getting into my good favor is in his best interest. He’s not wrong.
“Yeah, she asked me how to get to the Corner District,” he says. “I told her GPS gets confusing and gave her directions to get there safely.”
I feel like clouds have just parted on a sunny day, and I’m basking in a beam of sunlight.
“Excellent,” I tell him, reaching out to give him a fist bump. He bumps my fist and smiles.
“Um, she gave me some money,” he says, taking a large roll of bills out of his pocket. “It’s way too much.” He goes to hand it to me.
“Keep it, kid,” I tell him. “And thank you.”
I get back in my truck and head to the District. I have no idea where she is or what she’s doing, but I’ll find her. And when I do, she’ll have a few things to answer for.
Chapter Thirteen
Tanya
This feels wrong. It didn’t used to. I used to love stripping down and posing for the camera. I felt like a goddess with my body on display. Now, after stripping for Levi, and feeling his hands all over my body… now, it doesn’t feel right anymore.
We take over ninety shots before I’m so hungry and thirsty I need something, but Blaise frowns when I suggest a break.
“No eating and drinking on a shoot,” he says, dismissing me with a wave of his hand. Blaise is short and balding, with gray hair and circular glasses perched high on his nose. He’s the best agent in the industry but can be a slave driver during a shoot.
The photographer shoots me a sympathetic smile. “Fifty more, cherie, and we are done,” he says in a thick French accent.
I swallow and nod with a sigh. The photographer hands me a silk scarf. “Tie that around your neck and let the ends dangle right above your breasts,” he says.
I nod. We’re in a dark room with drawn black velvet curtains. There’s some furniture and props, and the make-up artist sits by the door. She leaps to her feet when there’s a loud commotion outside the door.
I blink when the door swings open and look wildly around to cover myself up with something, but all I’ve got is this silk. My jaw drops when Levi storms into the room.
Holy shit. He looks like he could murder someone with his bare hands.
But God. He’s beautiful, like an avenging angel with lig
ht shining around him. And when I look at him, my heart sinks to my toes. I fucked up. I fucked up bad. And he’s pissed off, but he has a right to be. When his eyes meet mine, I feel the truth down to my bones.
Everything I thought was a lie.
Spade played me for a fool. But more importantly, I do mean something to him. This man came to find me. He came for me.
“Get out of here!” Blaise shouts, but Levi shoots him a glare so withering Blaise slinks into the corner like a scolded puppy. The photographer steps back from his camera, and just in time, too, because Levi crosses the room, picks it up in his massive hands, and literally smashes the thing.
“Not your fault,” he says to the photographer. “But no one looks at my girl dressed like that and lives to tell about it. Consider this your warning.” The photographer looks around the room wildly, but Levi’s already moved on.
“They’re already uploaded to the cloud!” Blaise stammers from the corner, but Levi swings his gaze to his with enough heat to melt an iceberg.
“They were uploaded to the cloud,” he says. “Already talked to the owner out front and wrote a check so that I now personally own every one of those goddamned photos.” He looks at the photographer. “And you can bill me for the equipment. No hard feelings?”
The photographer just blinks at Levi’s large, tattooed, seriously furious body and nods. He says something incoherent that sounds like “Ungh.” Then Levi turns to me.
I was angry at him. Now I’m a little scared and sad and I feel like I’m going to cry. He crosses the room to me in three long strides.
“And you, little girl,” he says. He tugs the end of the scarf I’m still wearing and pulls me to him, lifts me into the air, and tosses me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing at all, “will come with me.” He stalks out of the room. When we get to the mercifully vacant changing room, he places me down on my feet, locates my pile of clothes, then dresses me himself without speaking a word. I can feel the anger radiating off him in waves. I don’t know what to say at first, so I say nothing. It isn’t until he slips my second shoe on that I finally find my tongue.
