2

CHAPTER

Two

Motor oil, metal, rubber from tires new and ancient, the bite of new paint, and the buttery tones of leather—these were the scents that greeted Duke as he pushed open the side door of Twisted Steel on a gorgeous July morning.

Their logo, mounted high on the wall across from the main doors, caught the sunlight on the sharp edges of the letters. He’d seen it thousands of times and yet every time it moved him still.

He’d created this place with his hands, his heart, and his mind. He and his best friend Asa had started their custom build business in Asa’s cousin’s garage. Just scraping by as they created a reputation and saved every damned penny they could.

He looked around their space. They were open six days a week with Duke and Asa still part of every single project.

They continued to build—both reputation and footprint. Ground had been broken on the construction of a brand-new showroom nearly twice the size of the one they had now. A gleaming, soaring space where they’d show off current work and greet potential clients.

They didn’t get where they were by slacking and neither man planned to lose what they’d fought so hard to achieve. Which was why Duke was there at six thirty on a Thursday morning to finish a project due to be delivered the following day.

The bounce in his step, though, was entirely due to the fact that their replacement office manager was starting in just a few hours. Just thinking about Carmella Rossi made him smile.

Asa was already in their break room pouring himself a mug of coffee when Duke walked in hoping to find some caffeine. He held up the carafe before putting it back. “Just made a pot. Better get some before everyone else gets here.”

Duke grinned as he put his saddlebags away in one of the lockers lining the back wall. “Right on,” he said, grabbing his mug from the dishwasher on his way over.

Duke lifted his coffee mug in salute as Mick came in with a huge box of bagels and every kind of topping you could want. “Figured that since we have to go over the schedule, we should carb load,” Mick said.

They had a lot of finish work to do, which meant the rest of their crew would begin to show up soon enough. The custom leatherwork on the doors had been a week behind its due date, which put the entire project’s schedule at risk. And then there’d been trouble with the headers.

Mick, the third in the Twisted Steel hierarchy and the master of their build schedule, had dealt with each setback patiently and efficiently, which left Duke and Asa alone to fall into the work.

“Another reason I’m glad to have you around,” Duke said as he helped himself to one of the few rye bagels. Mick understood what it meant to have his mojo interrupted so he often played offensive line to protect the headspace Duke liked to fall into when he got his hands on any machine.

Mick had a large whiteboard calendar he rolled over, along with the laptop and the ever-present notepad he kept in his back pocket, and they had some breakfast and coffee while going over the schedule for the next week.

“We probably should have included Carmella in this meeting,” Mick said. “I’ll get with her soon to see what her preference is. I think it’s good for her to sit in a few times at least to get a feel for how we work.”

All the guys had been thrilled that Carmella accepted the job, especially knowing she did the books and managed the office for her uncle’s business for years.

Kismet, Duke thought.

“Makes sense. Did you crash here in your office or did you manage to make it home?” Duke asked Asa, who’d still been there when he’d finally left.

Asa rolled his head on his shoulders, a few cracks in his spine as he did. “I slept next to my woman. I’m getting too old for sleeping on couches. And I’m really too old to pretend I’m not way more comfortable at home with PJ.”

Eight months after Duke’s closest friend had moved in with his girlfriend PJ, there were still brawls and races, and plenty of working until all hours, but the heart of Asa’s life had settled and it looked damned good on him.

Duke was happy with his own life, but he had to admit sometimes he felt a twinge of yearning when he saw Asa and PJ together. Their connection was so clear, that sense of partnership so tangible it made Duke begin to think being with someone for the long haul was not only possible, but something he might want too.

“I’m going to get to it,” Duke said, standing and gathering his stuff, his head already in the hybrid 1934 Ford at his workstation.

Duke and machines had a thing. A hot, steamy affair. He touched them and they obeyed. As it should be. He couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t fix things, but he did recall the moment he understood it was more than a thing he did out of necessity but something he did because he loved it.

Which was a good thing because the Ford was pretty much a rebuild. The parts had taken forever to drum up and even then they had to machine a lot of their own stuff and repurpose a different Ford engine when the one it came with nearly blew up.

That’s when Duke had taken over the project. The guys they employed at Twisted Steel were all great. Skilled in their trades and consistently turned out fantastic work.

But this persnickety ’34 wasn’t going to submit to anyone but Duke. So, Mick kept people away from Duke, enabling a mind-set Asa referred to as “the machine whisperer.”

There was no need to hammer home who was boss. No, Duke was a chill dude for a reason. Machines didn’t give a damn how much you needed them to work. They didn’t worry about breaking down. Moods were irrelevant to whatever Duke wanted to fix so he always figured he might as well keep his act together instead of losing his shit.

Instead, they responded to patience and determination.

A little bit of magic, some luck, lots of skill, and endless patience and the ’34’s engine had a rumbling growl. And when they finished up, the car would be one of their best builds yet, bringing them enough cash—and attention as the customer was a car enthusiast with connections at several magazines—to continue to make their mark as masters of their craft.

Asa stopped by, interrupting Duke what turned out to be two hours later. “Carmella just arrived. Let’s not scare her away with our bad manners the first day.”

“Especially as I pretty much ambushed her when I made the job offer.”

Twisted Steel had been in a bind and Duke was not even the tiniest bit embarrassed at how fast he took it up as a chance to be around her more.

She walked in, impressed by the place immediately. Sure it was a shop; she’d been in them on a regular basis pretty much her entire life so there was always a sense of homecoming. But some shops were shitholes. Most were in the middle somewhere.

Twisted Steel, though, was special.

It was clear they took pride in what they did and the product they created.

“Morning, Carmella.”

Hello, tall, dark, and handsome. Hazel eyes took her in. Long, dark hair was tied back to expose one hell of a face. Tawny skin with ink peeking out here and there. He wiped his hands on a cleanup rag.

Asa Barrons. The other owner of Twisted Steel. He held out a hand and drew it back. “Sorry, I was just dealing with a funky carb. Let’s just pretend I shook your hand and then I won’t get you dirty.”

Too bad. She bet he could get a girl really, really dirty. Carmella knew PJ Colman, Asa’s girlfriend. PJ looked really happy every time Carmella saw her since getting together with Asa.

Instead of saying it and getting fired her first five minutes on the job, she smiled. “Hi there, Asa.”

“We’re glad to have you here. Let me take you to the office so you can meet Lottie.”

She followed him back to the administrative area that overlooked the work floor via a wall of glass. A petite woman with thick-rimmed glasses looked up.

“Lottie, this is Carmella, she’ll be taking over for you.”

Lottie waved as she came over and pulled Carmella into an unexpected hug. “Hi! Come on over and put your bag away. Asa, get back to work. I’ll get Carmella started after some coffee and a tour. Don’t worry, I won’t scare her off.”

“Okay then. Again, welcome to Twisted Steel, Carmella.”

Asa left and Lottie snorted. “They’re nice guys to work for. I’m bummed to be leaving.” And then she pretty much told Carmella her entire life story as she showed her where to stow her coat and other stuff.

“This’ll be your desk unless you want the other one. They, the guys I mean, use whichever desk you won’t be using a few times a day. I like this one because that one is right under the vent so it’s freezing in the summer and hot in the winter. Plus from here you can keep an eye on the floor where everyone works and the front door too. We don’t get much street traffic. They do have open hours for the showroom but there’s a receptionist over there so you don’t have to deal with any of that stuff. They only see clients by appointment. Asa and Duke have offices just through here.” Lottie indicated two side-by-side offices. “They see clients for consults usually over in the showroom, though.”

Sweet baby Jesus, how did this girl even breathe around all those words? Lottie was like a hummingbird, flitting all around, talking at hyper speed.

“Let’s go out and meet everyone. They’re finishing a job right now so I’ll warn you they might be short and a little punchy. They’ll deliver tomorrow and then there’ll be a huge feast here.” Lottie paused and looked Carmella over. “Good, you’re not wearing heels. I tried that when I first started. You’ll find yourself running around too much for heels.”

Ha. Heels in a shop? Not likely. She liked not breaking her bones too much for that.

She followed Lottie out but Duke was already approaching, smiling. “You’re here. Good. Come on so I can introduce you around.” He put his hand at her elbow and drew her away from Lottie, who didn’t even stop chattering for half a beat.

Despite Lottie’s warning, no one was anything less than friendly and welcoming to her.

Twisted Steel had a great crew. The Ford they were finishing up was stunning work. She walked around it, pausing here and there to appreciate the craftsmanship on every level.

“This is sweet,” Carmella said, meaning it.

Duke grinned. “I can’t lie, it’s fucking gorgeous. I’m glad it turned out so well, but damn, I’ll be sorry I can’t keep her.” He polished up the chrome of a side mirror.

He charmed her, this man who looked at his work through the eyes of a little boy.

He straightened, looking all around her at floor level. “Hey, where’s Ginger?”

“She’s at home. First day at a new job so I figured I’d bring her in next week. Just the mornings probably. She’s too social and would be in everything if I had her here all the time.”

“Well, it’s up to you, but she’s welcome.”

Carmella thanked him again and got back to work.

She spent the afternoon getting a quick and dirty education on how Twisted Steel liked its books handled. Carmella figured once Lottie was gone, she could apply some discipline and things would be a lot smoother. The other woman was sweet and friendly, but it appeared there was a lot of pestering of the crew over things like time sheets and invoicing.

Carmella liked to run a very tight front office so she’d have to see just how much change the folks at Twisted Steel would tolerate.

At quitting time, Lottie patted Carmella’s hand. “It’s time to clock out. You can work pretty much your own hours. I do eight to five but you can do nine to six or whatever. They’re here late all the time but there’s stuff you need to do during regular business hours. I’m sure you’ll get it all. It’s not like you’re new to this or anything. I’ll see you in the morning. I need to go home and help pack. John, that’s my husband, he says to thank you for jumping in so fast to help.” She smiled brightly up at Carmella. “We’ll go through payroll together first thing. Friday is doughnuts and bagels in the morning and they’re delivering that ’thirty-four so there’ll be more food after that too.”

Carmella asked her question quickly while Lottie appeared to be breathing instead of speaking. “Do I need to pick them up?”

“Nope. They’ll be delivered here first thing. Duke takes care of all that. Just come hungry.”

As Lottie and Carmella started to leave, Duke looked up from his work and jogged over to the doors. “Hey, how was your first day?”

Lottie answered, “She’s a natural. She’s gonna be great though I do hope you guys miss me at least a little.”

Duke put his arm around Lottie’s shoulder. “Of course we’ll miss you. It’ll probably be way quieter around here, that’s for sure.” He winked and Lottie laughed.

“See you in the morning.” Lottie scampered out and Carmella let out a long breath.

Duke laughed. “Yeah, she’s got a lot of energy. Sort of a tiny female Tigger sometimes.”

“I hope you guys don’t get disappointed. I don’t think I have the stamina to talk that much. Plus I like breathing now and then.”

He laughed. “You’ll do fine. I have no doubts. Thanks again for pitching in. We’re a family here as you’ll come to find out. Lottie needs this move, but she’s leaving the place in good hands.”

“I’ll do my best not to let you down,” Carmella said with a smirk. “I’m excited to see the finished project and the customer’s face when he sees it for the first time.”

“Best part of the deal other than the check.” Duke stepped back. “I’ll see you in the morning. Drive safe.”

It was good to have a job again. Being worried about money sent her back to a place she hated to go. A place where her helplessness wasn’t something she could get around.

A good-paying job gave her independence. It gave her the ability to make her own choices. And that meant she’d always be in charge of her destiny. She’d do whatever it took to keep from depending on anyone else to survive.

While dinner cooked, she played ball with Ginger for a few minutes and tossed some clothes in the washer. She’d sort of been on summer vacation schedule, though having to deal with her mother’s appointments got Carmella out on a regular basis.

The stability of gainful employment and a real schedule would benefit mother and daughter both, Carmella hoped. As she settled at the dinner table, Ginger joined her, lying over Carmella’s feet.

“I think this is going to work out, Ginger. If I can keep from thinking with my pink parts, that is. Something about Duke Bradshaw makes me want to fall on my back and open my thighs wide. He’s a menace.”

Ginger gave Carmella a growl-bark that Carmella figured was a canine version of girl, me too.

The paperwork she’d filled out had included a retirement plan. A retirement plan! They matched a percentage of the total she put into it monthly. It wasn’t that she’d never thought of such a thing but it had always seemed like something other people had and she never would.

And they liked dogs. Really, she wondered when she’d find out they were all in league with Satan or something. The place seemed so awesome she was sure there’d be another shoe dropping at some point.

Unless she found out something horrifying, she’d take this news as wonderful and let herself be hopeful instead of hopeless.