Cole

 

As I drive to the shop, my head is all over the place. I can’t stop thinking about J, Justin, the damn DiMarco brothers, and my conversation with Nan. I’m mentally making a list of all the things I need to do today when my phone rings. Ash.

 

It’s about time.

 

“Ash, I need a favor, man.”

 

“You do realize it’s, like, five thirty in the morning, right?”

 

“It’s Darren. He was in an accident last night. I am about ninety percent sure his bike was fucked with. I’m willing to bet it was DiMarco.”

 

“Well, shit. How bad is it?”

 

“It’s bad. He’s at St. Margaret’s in the ICU. I am just leaving there, headed for the shop. I’m going to get that bike up in the rack, check that shit with a fine-tooth comb. If they touched it, I’ll find it.”

 

“Where’s J?”

 

“I left her and Nan at the hospital. It’s been a rough night, man.”

 

“I’ll see what I can find out from our man on the inside.”

 

“Thanks, brother,” I say as I pull into the parking lot of the shop.

 

“If you find anything wrong with Darren’s bike, call me. Keep your nose clean, man. Don’t go trying to be the fucking hero here. You are so close to the finish line.”

 

“I know. I know. I’m at the shop now. I’ll call you later.”

 

I pull J’s Jeep right up to my bay door and park. I look over and see Mikey’s Harley up on the wrecker in the lot. I didn’t expect it to be here already. Since it looks like I’m the first one in today, I’ll have to wait for Todd to come in and ask if he knows how it got here. I know he was going to grab a few hours’ sleep, but he should be here soon. I check my pockets, remembering I gave my keys to J. Shit. I hope her shop key is on this ring or I’ll be sitting until someone else shows.

 

Luckily, the key ring has the one I need. I get the door open, put my code into the alarm panel, then walk to the coffee pot and get that started. I’m running on fumes, but there was no way I could go home and sleep without checking out the bike. I also wasn’t about to let J drive her Jeep.

 

Just as I get the bay door open, I see Todd pulling in. Good, he can deal with the day-to-day shit. I have my hands full right now.

 

“What’s the word?” Todd asks.

 

“Same. Nothing’s changed since you left last night. He’s in ICU now. J’s been able to see him…” I look at my watch, “twice by now. She gets a few minutes every hour. Her and Nan are holding up as well as can be expected.”

 

He nods at her Jeep. “Something wrong with J’s Jeep?”

 

I knew this question was coming, but I’m still not really sure how I am going to answer. I guess as honestly and as vaguely as possible. “Told her I’d check it out. She said she heard some noises.” When his eyebrow raises, I know he doesn’t believe a word I am saying, so I decide to change the subject. “Hey, do you know how Mikey’s bike got here and why Darren had it?”

 

“I went and got it after I left the hospital. The cops were still on the scene and had it pulled up from the ravine. I just had to load it on the wrecker. Stupid to have someone else take it, then have to move it again.” He heads to the coffee pot. “Oh, I forgot to ask when we were at the hospital. What the fuck is going on between you and J?”

 

Why do people keep asking me that? “Nothing. Why?”

 

“Don’t give me that bullshit. I saw you two. Just be careful.”

 

“Man, there’s nothing to worry about. She needed a shoulder. I offered. End of story.”

 

“Sure thing,” Todd says, walking into the office, coffee in hand, to see what is on the books for today.

 

I go out and pull J’s Jeep into my bay. No idea what I am looking for, but I’m going to go over every inch of it.

 

*

 

I have been over every single piece of this Jeep. I know the guys are curious as to what is going on, but I haven’t really said anything, other than she wanted me to check it. I’m tired and cranky, so they are staying away from me.

 

Forty minutes into my inspection, I found a small device attached to the side of her engine block. I called Ash, who came out to look at it, telling me it was a tracking device. I suspected as much, but couldn’t be sure. Ash didn’t want me to do anything with it right away. For now, the Jeep is staying at the shop. Asher is coming later to have the device removed and deactivated.

 

I walk through the office to get what feels like my tenth cup of coffee, seeing Mikey sitting at Nan’s desk. “You sure that’s a good idea? She’ll kill you if you touch anything,” I say, a smirk on my face.

 

“Do you know how many times this fucking phone rings? It’s been ringing off the fucking hook for an hour. People are needy as hell, man. ‘When’s my car going to be done?’ ‘How much does this cost?’ ‘How much does that cost?’ I don’t fucking know the answer to any of them.”

 

The phone starts ringing, making me laugh. “See what the fuck I’m talking about?” He picks up the phone. “Z’s Service. What up?”

 

Oh, Lord. Nan is going to kill him and I can’t wait to watch. I stand, drinking my coffee, waiting for him to finish so I can ask about his bike.

 

When he hangs up, he just scratches his head.

 

“Mikey, why did Darren have your bike last night?”

 

He looks at me. “He’s been asking to borrow it for weeks. I’ve been looking to get rid of it and he was considering buying it. But I guess it’s gone now.”

 

“Were you having any problems with it?”

 

“No. It drove like a wet dream. That’s why I can’t understand what happened. He’s a better rider than that.”

 

“Thanks, man.”

 

I head over to Todd’s bay, seeing him working on Ms. Bradley’s brake job. “Hey, I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job, but if you want to have any customers when Darren gets back, you may want to pull Mikey out of that office.”

 

“What’s that little fuck doing now?”

 

“Well, the ‘Z’s Service. What’s up?’ greeting may turn a few people off.” I laugh.

 

“Shit. I don’t have anyone else to put in there. How long is Nan going to be out?”

 

“I’m thinking J and Nan are in it for the long haul. What about somebody’s wife, girlfriend, daughter, mistress? There has to be a woman better suited to answer these calls than Mikey.”

 

“Ah, Cole, you’re a genius. I will figure it out. You taking a car now?”

 

“No. I need to go over Mikey’s bike. There is something not right with this wreck. I want to find out what the fuck it is.”

 

“Good idea. Let me know if you need anything.”