Chapter 39 39
Chapter 39 39
~TESSA~
I wasn’t expecting to love the place right away.
But by noon, I kind of did.
Ryder gave in faster than I thought... handed me off to Casey, the guy who handled scheduling and orders up front.
He was sharp, sarcastic, and moved like he’d been living off espresso since birth.
“This is the phone,” Casey said, pointing to the landline like it might bite. “It rings. You answer. Tell ’em we’re full through next week even if we’re not. That’s the hustle.”
I smirked. “Noted.”
There was something weirdly comforting about the noise in the shop... the low hum of drills, the clang of metal...
I just loved this place.
I felt loved...
I felt safe.
What would had been left of me if fate hadn't brought Ryder and I together?
I'm so glad me met that day at the diner...
That day changed everything... It marked the end of my slavery.
My saviour.
My hot biker saviour...
~
Every once in a while, Ryder would pass by, toss me a smirk, and say, “Still alive?”
And I’d say, “Barely.”
And we’d grin like idiots.
~
An older mechanic named Gus called me over after lunch. Big guy, deep voice, oil stains...
“Let me show you something,” he said, pointing to a disassembled cruiser frame. “This here’s a V-twin engine. Heart of the beast... Haha. If you’re gonna work the phones, at least also know how the beast breathes.”
I leaned in, fascinated.
He explained each part with slow, steady patience... camshaft, clutch, timing chain. I didn’t understand all of it, but I loved how much he loved it.
“Let me guess,” I said, “you built your first one before you hit puberty.”
“Nah,” he chuckled.
Then I heard it.
The sound of heels.
“Well well well...”
I turned... and there she was.
Debbie.
Flawless hair. Designer sunglasses.
A purse that probably cost more than my childhood home.
“Look at you,” she said, pulling her shades down and smirking. “Miss Grease Monkey in Training.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not even wearing gloves yet.”
“No, but you’re glowing,” she said, stepping closer. “You’ve got that I’m in love with a biker and pretending to be normal look.”
Gus chuckled and stepped back. “I’ll leave you ladies to it.”
As soon as he was out of earshot, Debbie leaned in conspiratorially.
“So how many times has he kissed you behind the parts shelf?”
“Zero.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Liar.”
“I’m serious.”
“Well, you better watch out. Ryder in work-mode is dangerously hot. And dangerously distracted.”
“Dis... what?”
“Distracted,” she repeated. “You’re walking into the lion’s den, babe. You think Marcus was a control freak? Mechanics are worse. Especially when they’re hot and trying to protect the girl they love.”
I stared at her.
She grinned.
“You’ll be fine,” she added sweetly. “Just don’t break anything.”
She waltzed off toward Ryder’s office without further explanation.
I exhaled slowly.
~
~RYDER~
It was getting dark.
I liked this time of day.
When the noise faded. When the machines cooled.
When it was just me and the steel.
Or now, me and her.
My goddess... my dream come true.
Tessa was at the front counter, flipping through one of the showroom catalogs like it was a damn magazine.
Her hair had a smudge of oil in it. Her cheeks were a little pink.
And she looked happier than I’d ever seen her.
I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.
She leaned back into me immediately. “You smell like motor oil.”
I grinned. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
She turned in my arms and hooked her hands behind my neck.
“I liked today,” she said.
“You weren’t bored out of your mind?”
“Are you kidding? I got a crash course in carburetors, and Debbie called me a grease monkey in training. That’s practically a compliment.”
I leaned down and kissed her... slow, but not soft.
When we pulled apart, her lips were a little swollen, her breath shaky.
“Careful,” she said. “Someone might see.”
I looked around.
The place was empty.
“They’d better not.”
She laughed, tilting her head toward the bay doors. “You ready to close up?”
“Yeah, I... ”
I stopped.
Something out of place.
Just beyond the glass showroom doors... by the edge of the lot... stood a figure.
Not moving.
Just… watching.
Too still to be casual. Too quiet to be normal.
Tessa noticed the change in my face immediately. “What is it?”
I stepped in front of her instinctively.
When I looked again...
Gone.
I moved fast to the doors and stepped outside.
Nothing.
Just shadows and the distant hum of traffic.
Was I... making things up?
But i thought I saw a figure out there?
I stood there for a long moment, jaw tight.
Then turned back inside.
Tessa was waiting.
“What did you see?”
I didn’t answer right away.
"nevermind... I was making things up in my head."
~
~RYDER~
The ride back to the mansion was quiet.
Tessa leaned into my back, her arms snug around my waist, like she always did...
We pulled into the driveway in no time, the mansion lit soft with lights.
Debbie’s car was gone. A good sign... less chaos to explain.
Inside, mum had left dinner covered on the stove.
Tessa looked up at me as we walked upstairs to our room.
“Are... you staying?" she asked, when I suddenly stopped walking.
I hesitated...
“Ryder.”
“I’ll be right back, honey,” I said. “Just have to check on something.”
She didn’t argue. Just kissed my cheek and nodded.
I waited until the bedroom door clicked shut before I pulled out my phone.
I scrolled past three MC names until I landed on one...
KNOX 🔥
He was one of the guys I trusted.
The line rang once.
“Bishop,” came the gravel-thick voice on the other end.
“I need eyes on my shop tonight. You free?”
“Always,” Knox said simply. “We expecting trouble?”
“Not yet. But I saw a guy. Out front. Watching. Could’ve been a junkie. Could’ve been worse.”
“Copy that.”
“Don’t engage. Just observe."
“You got it.”
I paused.
“Knox.”
“Yeah?”
“Be armed.”
The line clicked...