Chapter 57

MELANIE.

I’D SEEN A LOT OF MAGNIFICENT SIGHTS IN MY SHORT LIFETIME.

The underwater waterfall, the northern lights, Michelangelo’s David, that place that never has nights, to mention but a few. But at this very moment, none of them compared to the view right in front of me.

The garage had two levels. Rows and rows of cars arranged in some order I’ll figure out later spread out around the curved space. Each car I could see from where I stood was shiny with not a speck of dirt on them. It was like a showroom for some sports magazine.

I couldn’t utter a word. I walked deeper into the space feeling like I should take my shoes off because it was holy ground and bow at the altar of splendor. I quickly sent up an apology to whatever celestial beings were up there; they probably didn’t like sharing their status with mere objects. But mere objects they were not.

I spotted a vintage Mercedes and immediately remembered the number of times my dad had pointed it out to me when we pored over magazines or it came up on TV in a movie scene. If he were here, he would have wept with joy.

“Melanie?” a voice cut through my reverie, reminding me that I wasn’t alone here. I spun to face Jordan; I had to clear my throat before I spoke because it had gotten clogged for some reason.

“Are all these…yours?” I asked.

He looked around too, as if trying to see it through my eyes, before he nodded.

“Yes. I’ve been collecting them over the years” he said.

I walked over to the closest one, a Maserati GranCabrio of 433 horsepower and a top speed of 290 km/hr, and ran a hand over the corner of the windshield.

“Isn’t this a convertible?” I asked.

“It is. I put the top up when it’s not in use” Jordan answered as he walked to stand beside me.

“Okay. So, why exactly are we here?” I asked, dropping my hand.

He cocked a brow “I guess you must’ve been too busy ogling them to hear me. I said you should choose one.”

For the second time today, I was at a loss for words “Me?” I finally spluttered, poking myself in the chest like there was anyone else he could’ve been talking to.

“No, the ghost of Christmas past standing right behind you. Of course it’s you” his answer held a bit of annoyance this time.

“My car is going to come from here?!” I twirled in the space, ignoring his sarcasm.

“I thought you would just get me an ordinary one, like a Camry or something. Why?” I asked.

He lifted his shoulders half an inch “You’re my assistant, you live here, I’m not going to insult my garage by putting a Camry in it” he stated. That would’ve been it, but something in the way he started fiddling with something in his pocket told me there was more to it “Is this some kind of compensation because you feel bad about what happened?”.

I gasped “Jordan Andres Alonso, are you bribing me?!”

“Don’t be ridiculous” he snapped, but I saw his fist clench through the material of his pocket.

I placed a hand on my hip and cocked it.

“I mean, this is the second time I’m getting beat up because I work for you. You gave bonuses to the staff at the villa when it went under attack and took care of Julio’s medical bills. You gave Mia and the others compensation after the bank heist. You bought souvenirs for Blaine’s family and covered the medical expenses. I think I see a pattern” I teased, pleased when his jaw clenched. I was having way too much fun.

“I take care of those under me. It’s not a crime” he said.

“That just sounds like a line from The Godfather. Are you also a mafia boss?” I shot back.

He looked at me in silence and I gasped “No way!”.

Jordan closed his eyes and looked up to the heavens as if praying for patience “No, Melanie, I’m not a mafia boss. Now, are you going to pick a car?” he said slowly.

I nodded.

“Good” he muttered and we walked forward. We hadn’t taken more than a few steps when I halted as a new thought occurred to me.

His sigh echoed in the space as I turned around.

“Did Rosa get to pick a car from here?” I asked suspiciously. “No she didn’t” he said.

Before I could ask another question he answered it, “None of the other assistants got to pick a car. Blaine didn’t get to pick a car. Yes, you’re the first person to get the option of picking a car. Now, for the love of all that is holy, pick a goddamn car” he gritted out.

Inordinately pleased by that information I practically skipped to the center of the garage and looked around. After a few minutes I figured out the order in which they were arranged.

Beginning from the left curved end there were convertibles, next were sports cars. From the right were SUVs and All-terrains.

Smack dab in the middle were two stretch limos, one in black and one silver.

“What’s on the second level?” I asked. “Mostly vintage cars, some nondescript cars in black and some trucks” was his reply. I itched to go up there and inspect the vintages but I’d played around enough.

“There are so many choices. I’m conflicted” I said finally, expecting another sigh or show of impatience from him. To my surprise, he did neither.

“Okay. How about you leave it up to fate?” he asked. When I looked at him curiously he gestured for me to follow and walked to one wall.

He pressed some numbers on a keypad then his fingerprint before a hatch opened on the floor directly in front of him and a pedestal rose up.

“Sometimes when I can’t decide I play a little game” he explained. On the pedestal was a wheel of some sort with keys to the cars in little spaces around it. There was a small red arrow in the middle.

Amused I spun the wheel when he said I should and we both waited for it to stop. I think Jordan even stopped breathing.

The wheel stopped and for a moment it was a battle between a red and a blue key before finally resting on the blue. I caught Jordan’s smile as I picked it up and pressed a button.

Immediately the lights of an Aston Martin flashed, one of the few cars in here that wasn’t black or silver. I almost pinched myself to be sure I wasn’t dreaming as I walked to it. Did I really just become the owner of an Aston?

Man, I should get beat up every day.

“Not a bad choice,” Jordan said and I had to agree. I hated fate- she was a miserable, entitled bitch- but it seemed like she was in a good mood today. I stroked the blue coat of paint on my- my!- car as a grin spread over my face and faced Jordan.

“Thank you” it was probably the most sincere thing I’d ever said to him. In typical Jordan fashion he gave a single nod in acknowledgement. There was only one thing left to do. I opened the driver’s side door as my grin turned wicked.

“I’m going to take this baby out on a spin.”