by J. A. Dennam
“I did not just get all slippery with him.”
“Bullshit! If I hadn’t stopped you, you’d both be horizontal by now!”
“Would you keep your voice down,” she hissed and pushed him through the opening. “Why are you here, anyway? Do you have some kind of death wish?”
“No, but apparently you do. Just look at you! Your face!” He stopped her before she could interrupt. “I know! It was Brett, the piece of shit, but that Cahill scum tried to run you down with a backhoe!”
She gasped in shock and pushed at him hard. Hands on hips, she glared at him accusingly. “Derek Bennett, you have a spy in here!”
“Of course I do!” he shot back. “How else am I going to keep an eye on you, on him!” And he pointed over her shoulder.
She turned around and spread her arms wide against the threat moving toward them. “Oh, no you don’t, Cahill. I’m handling it.”
Austin halted his advance at a safe enough distance, spat blood. With the siblings facing him side-by-side, the resemblance between them was not only physical but in the headstrong sense as well. “I’ll give you one last chance to leave under your own power, Derek,” he warned. “After that all bets are off.”
“You ballsey motherfucker,” Derek seethed from his corner. “I can’t believe you actually tried to off her in your own yard and then had the nerve to put the moves on her!”
“It was an accident!” Danny shrieked, her eyes widening in horror.
“What? Are you telling me he slipped in the shower and got his lips stuck to your face? That’s one; Tasp innuendo away from a shotgun wedding, little sister!”
Mac huffed around the corner and was soon followed by Frank. The scene before them was reminiscent of an old John Wayne film, but the three participants in this standoff were all soaking wet and thankfully unarmed. When Danny finally convinced her brother Stan’s diabetic reaction was a legitimate one, his focus was on Austin’s other form of revenge.
“You know he’s using you, Danny! All he wants is to fire me up and what better way than to get you into bed!”
Humiliation turned her face a deep scarlet. “For God’s sake, Derek, I work here! People are listening!”
“Everyone except you! Look at him! He’s leering at me!”
Her head shot around and she barely caught the lecherous grin fade from Austin’s taunting demeanor. Her nostrils flared and her next words were for both her brother and his tormentor.
“I can promise you if he gets anyone into bed it won’t be me.”
Austin’s eyes met hers and she saw challenge in them. Oh, he was definitely good at tormenting her brother.
“You see, Danny?” Derek accused beside her. “Take a good look and remember that whatever he does, there will always be an agenda behind it.”
Something in Austin’s face changed. The cockiness faded and was replaced with something she couldn’t quite decipher. With a fresh surge of determination, she pushed at Derek and forced him to retreat to the parked slate-black challenger blocking the driveway. “Don’t look at him,” she coached smoothly. “I’ve got this now.”
Mac and Frank quietly observed now that the danger had subsided. Both men were locked up by the car, not so much the fight anymore.
As Austin watched from a distance, Danny said a few intense words he couldn’t hear and tightly wrapped her arms around Derek’s neck. The man returned her embrace with fierce affection and whispered something in her ear. She nodded, wiped at the blood on his lip then he turned and opened the driver’s side door.
Derek gripped the top of the doorframe and faced Austin one last time. It was clear from that distance all the man wanted to do was take another stab at causing pain.
“Just go, Derek,” Austin muttered beneath his breath, anxious for the ordeal to be done. There were more delicate matters to be addressed thanks to that seed of doubt Derek Bennett had just planted in his sister’s pretty little head.
Danny stood in front of the classic muscle car as the masterpiece beneath the scooped hood roared to life. The guttural growl of the 426 Hemi seduced the eardrums, revved once, then screamed backwards in an all out charge for the open road leaving smoke and two black tire tracks in it’s wake.
“Damn,” Frank murmured. Going so fast, how the hell did the guy bank that turn on four wheels?
More screeching tires and smoke as the car lurched forward, roa
red out of sight. “You got penis envy as bad as I do?” Mac asked companionably, rubbing at the ache of love in his chest.
“Uh-huh.”
While the guys continued to gaze at the smoke cloud, Austin’s attention was all on the woman. Danny finally turned and headed back for the house. Her strides were long, determined. Austin silently swore at the clear message written in her stone-like features.
She was pissed.
“That was real slick,” Danny purred nastily and drove her shoulder into his arm as she passed by.
Chapter 13
Austin followed her, his eyes boring a hole into her backside. “Come on, Danny,” he said behind her. “You don’t believe that whole agenda crap, do you?”
Her answering laugh was laced with disdain. “Does it really matter at this point?”
They sailed through the commons room and he followed her to where her tool belt still sat on the counter. “It matters to me,” he answered, watching her gear up for work once again. “And you are not stepping foot on that yard.”
She ignored his order and fastened the belt around her waist. “Derek is absolutely right. Everything you do is suspect no matter what your intentions are.” Her fingers tried to make sense of her wet hair. “You have it out for him so bad, but the ironic thing is you two are exactly alike. You have so much rage inside you. The feud comes first while everything else takes a back seat.” She jabbed a finger at him as she passed on her way out the door. “Well, I’ll thank you to leave me out of it.”
Without turning to watch her retreat he warned her one last time. “I won’t let you go back to work, Danny. Not today.”
“I’d like to see you try and stop me this time.”
Short of throwing the woman over his shoulder, his options were few. With a muffled curse, he hung his head and made a beeline for the office.
Danny was inwardly celebrating her clear victory. No attempt was made to stop her and she stalked over to Mac and the remaining vats. An air horn sounded and she looked around in puzzlement for the source without breaking stride. Soon she was walking against traffic as men cleared the yard and headed toward the commons room. “What’s going on?” she asked as Mac passed her.
“Early dismissal,” he explained with a smile and motioned her to follow.
“What?” she whined in dismay. “Tell me he didn’t just rob you of a half-day’s pay.”
“Hell no! There’d be mutiny afoot if that happened.” Mac draped a big arm over her shoulders and made sure she kept up. “That sweet sound, my lady, means time off with pay.”
“Are you serious?” Danny’s head spun. The monetary loss in payroll alone would be staggering. But Cahill, true to form, had made the sacrifice and gotten his way.
That’s all that mattered.
____________
“Okay, Monkey, let’s hear it,” Torsten boomed as he slammed his half-empty beer mug down beside her and took a seat. The cigar in his teeth emitted a dank odor. “Tell these jerks how you mounted that yellow bitch and rode her till she broke.”
Danny coughed and waved at the air under her nose to clear it. She wasn’t used to this kind of raucous joint, but she’d been brought to a hangout frequented by the crew. The marquee outside boasted Tuesday draft specials and the locals were in the mood for a bargain.
“Don’t be an ass, Torsten,” Mac grumbled from her other side. “Show some respect.”
Torsten went deathly still.
“Yeah,” Danny faced him and she scowled with theatrical offense. “Watch your fuckin’ language, there’s a lady present.�
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Men howled and her mouth split into a wide grin. Torsten released his breath and collapsed on the table in a dramatic display of relief. “Holy God, I was worried there for a minute. Thought I’d get neutered with a rubber band.”
Danny laughed and rubbed the back of Torsten’s neck. “It’s okay, ya big jerk. You ain’t my first rodeo.”
Her eyes caught sight of Austin as he watched her from the bar. He was looking particularly delicious in a casual button-front shirt and a pair of comfortable faded jeans that boldly advertised male virility. The shirt was tucked in, sleeves rolled up to the elbows and the top two buttons openly challenged any woman with a pair of eyes to peek inside. Danny’s jaw clenched tightly when she watched the two women beside him blatantly attempt to do just thato chalt.
The man knew them, that was apparent. In fact, since the two hussies entered the joint they hadn’t left him alone until he’d politely offered to buy them a round.
“Danny!”
Refocusing took a moment. “Yeah, Mac.” She looked at her friend with a raised brow.
His big face took up her vision and mirrored concern. “You’re awfully interested in what Boss is doing over there.”
Ever since Mac had overheard Derek’s heated accusations earlier that day, his concerns were legitimate. Danny knew the big lug was only worried about her. “No…not at all.” She fumbled for an excuse. “I was just checking out that chick in the red. You know, the one with all the cleavage.” Just how he likes them. “I’d kill for her shoes.”
Mac chuckled and indicated her mug. “Beer’s getting warm. Better drink up.”
Danny sighed and lifted the heavy hunk of glass to her lips. She didn’t care for the mild, hoppy taste of beer. And ever since the drugging, she was leery of alcoholic beverages, but was too embarrassed by the whole incident to bring it up. Besides, there was nothing to worry about here. She was among friends.
Her insides warmed at the thought. These rude, crude, lazy misfits were her friends. Who’d-a thought? It was kind of refreshing being one of the crew, rather than the boss of one. As a female supervisor, the rules were different for her than they were for men. While she was just one of the guys on the job, she certainly wasn’t during her free time. But this way, mingling came at a more relaxed level.
After another round, Danny had to admit she was every bit as relaxed as if she were sitting around the table with her family. The new kid was catching hell for his instant crush on the woman who dominated the yard earlier that day.
“Come on, Danny, let me cook for you tomorrow night. I promise you, after one taste of my grandma’s lasagna, you’ll fall in love with me.”
Men hollered in comical protest and Danny took a nut from the snack bowl. “You couldn’t follow a pilot car let alone a recipe, kid,” she teased, throwing the nut to go along with the ultimate kiss-off.
“Oh! Oh! That hurt!” The kid clutched his heart and laughed with everyone else. “I can so follow a pilot car!”
Her ribs hurt from laughter and tears were just a few more raucous jokes away. Then she noticed Austin had shaken off the hussies and joined the group sometime when she hadn’t been looking. He was straddling the chair, laughing and conversing with the guys at the end of the table, just as comfortable as the rest of them.
The man was filthy rich. He was their boss. And he was obviously one of them.
Mac’s elbow bumped hers. “So, tell me more about this car, Danny.”
“What car, Mac?” His look said seriously? and Danny ate nuts through a knowing smile. “Ah. ‘The Challenger.’ ” Her brother to a tee.
“Aside from what’s under the bonnet, because let’s face it...we all know what a 426 Hemi sounds like.”
“Kay. What do you want to know?”
“Four speed manual?” She nodded. “What year?”
“1970. R/T, of course,” she volunteered, but he probably already knew that.
“Wheelbase?”
“110 inch. Super Track Pack with the SureGrip axle, power front disk brakes, dual exhaust...”
“Posi Traction from the looks of the skids and the smoke.”
She nodded again. “Four-eleven gear ratio. She’s quick off the starting line, but she tacks about 3k on the highway.”
Mac was impressed. “Your brother must race a lot.”
“Not a whole lot. But the only time he lost a race was when he plum forgot to start.” Her mouth curled up at Mac’s incredulous look. “My friend, Melanie, threw the flag. She was in a string bikini.”
Now that made sense. The kid started taking mental notes. “What kind of hood?”
“Shaker,” Mac supplied. He remembered how it had vibrated with horsepower and he crunched on a pretzel. “Always reminded me of a pair of nostrils.”
Danny regarded him thoughtfully. “Yes, come to think of it. Kinda like a lion’s nose, all snarled and mean.”
The kid propped his chin in his hand and stared with drunken worship. For the car he’d never seen or the woman who could talk cars, he wasn’t sure which one. “What about the interior?”
Other guys were listening. “Black. It has the standard instrument panel, but Derek put in a pistol grip gear lever to replace the one it came with. Likes how it feels in his hand.”
“So, he restored it. All original?”
“Yes, very picky about that.”
“Rallye wheels?”
Her arm plunked to the tabletop and she stared at the kid through half-lidded eyes. “Are you testing me?”
“What?” The kid was completely clueless. “I like Rallye wheels.”
Mac chuckled. “They didn’t come standard with the hemi cars that year...at least I don’t think so.”
“Nope.” This was something Danny thought Derek had been too picky about. “Just the plain steel 15 X 7’s. But I agree with you, kid, the Rallye wheels look better.”
The kid cracked a dreamy smile and searched out the rim of his beer mug with it.
“So.” Mac wasn’t finished yet as he wiped foam from his mustache. “What kind of front seat? Bench or buckets?”
Danny was slowly beginning to realize just how infatuated her friend was with classic cars. Who knew? Of course, this was what friends went out for, to drink and find stuff like this out about each other. “Bench seat,” she provided with a smirk. “For the ladies, of course, so they can slide in closer.”
“I’ll bet your brother gets plenty of puss...” the ‘s’ dragged out of the kid’s mouth, and slowly died off.
“Yes, he does,” Danny agreed impassively. “He’s a regular man-whore, that one. But I think he has more of a thing for Melanie than he lets on.”
It was the second time that name came up. “That chick who got you beat up?”
Thanks for the reminder, Mac. “Don’t rag on her,” Danny said, suddenly depressed. “She’s a good friend and she’s pretty messed up about that.”
Little did she know, her comment stirred up some hard feelings at the end of the table. Austin was listening, catching bits of information as they floated his way. Completely ignored Torsten’s ramblings of God only knew. The man even called him out on it.
“Yo. Boss.” Now that Torsten had his undivided attention, he said, “You been listening to a word that’s come out of my mouth since one beer ago?”
“Sure.”
“Okay. How many turkeys did we fry at my family’s picnic last weekend?”
“Uh...” Wild guess. “Three?”
Frank snickered in his hand. “He’s a lost cause, man. Just let him lust in peace already.”
Austin didn’t like the sound of that. “I wasn’t lusting over anything. I thought the man said three turkeys, dammit.”
Priceless, Frank thought, and spoke low. “Man, Torsten didn’t fry any turkeys, he’s fuckin’ with ya. You are so enamored with that girl, you got hearts in your eyes.”
“I do not.” Austin wasn’t the type to sit like a fool and gaze at any woman with hearts in his eyes.
Torsten shook his head, reading the man like an open book. “He’s gonna need something stronger than that pale ale, Frank.”
That didn’t sit well with him, either. “She’s an employee, Torsten. Not happening.” Then to Frank. “And talk like that can start the kind of trouble I don’t need.”
Frank’s turn. “Boss, you are standing your ground in quicksand. If you don’t want us to know you so well, then quit hanging out with us.”
But he liked hanging out with them. Not so much at the moment...
Something came up down the table that pricked his ears and he found himself answering a question that Danny couldn’t.
“It was Plum Crazy,” he contributed loudly, bringing all the attention to himself. “Cracked and faded, but that was the original color.” Damn, he thought when those brown eyes met his in surprise. He was enamored. Who the hell was he kidding?
“How did you know that?” Danny asked with a frown.
“Because I’m the one who found that car for him.”
Something rough shadowed his face when he said it. It made Danny think he was butting in to challenge anything warm and fuzzy she may have said about Derek. Did he really want to go there with all these people listening? “Then, it wasn’t long after that you two parted ways.”
He tipped the chair forward, arms crossed over the back. “Not long at all. Never got to see it run.”
Mac said with pride, “Sure got an earful of her today.”
Frank said, “I don’t think that’s the ‘she’ he was focused on, Mac.”
Austin fumed. Frank had too much of a loud mouth. At least Mac was being more discreet about his confrontation with Danny’s brother.
“Why did he paint it black?” Mac mumbled as Danny anxiously tried to read their boss’s thoughts beside him. “Plum Crazy was a great High Impact color.”
“Derek hates purple,” she answered distractedly, fixing Austin with a wary stare over her tipped mug. Maybe the beer was making her too comfortable and she should back off of it a bit.
