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Dutch snorted next to him. And they stood silently as Sparky went back to work.
“Truth is. He’s a good one. I give him and Mouse a lot of shit to build their character. Can’t get any better prospects than them.”
“That’s only two and still need to fill the table first, Dutch. Beggin’ for you to take the VP spot ‘til I can get Sig.”
“Lemme think about it. I’ll stop out at the farm tomorrow, bring these knuckleheads and check shit out.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Trip turned and looked out of the open bay door. “Got a favor.”
“Damn, boy, askin’ for a lot today.”
“No more runnin’ guns, no more peddlin’ drugs, no more prostitution, no more shakedowns and everything else the club used to be involved in. Doin’ it right this time.”
“Didn’t hear a favor in there.”
“Need you to work on the ’48. Get it in tiptop runnin’ condition. Maybe Bondo the rust spots ‘til I can get the bodywork done right.”
Dutch’s eyes narrowed. “For what?”
Trip was sure Dutch already knew that answer, but he said it anyway. “Gettin’ the repo business back up and runnin’.”
“Gonna need a bond, a license, a—”
“Know what’s involved. Gonna do it right.”
Dutch’s eyes were focused on the wrecker when he asked, “When you want it done?”
“Soon as possible. Gettin’ all the paperwork together and submittin’ it later this week.”
“When we stop out at the farm tomorrow, I’ll get one of ‘em to bring it back.”
Trip nodded, grateful. “Keep an ear out for a decent but cheap rollback, too, will ya?”
“Got one,” Dutch grumbled.
“One you wanna part with?”
“No.”
Trip rolled his eyes. “Then I’m lookin’ for one. I’ll start with the wrecker and a rollback and go from there.”
“How much repo-in’ you think you’re gonna do ‘round here?”
“Not gonna limit it around here, but I remember Buck keepin’ pretty busy in the wrecker.”
“Buck was busy fuckin’ women. Tellin’ Tammy he got a repo job, then he’d land in some other bitch’s bed. Also stole cars with that wrecker. You know that?”
Great. “No.”
“Now you do. Also gonna need secure storage for the vehicles you snag. Otherwise, won’t get your license.”
“Yeah, know that. Gonna put some thought into it.”
Another damn thing he needed to cross off that endless list.
Chapter Three
Her old Cherokee rattled like it was about to leave Jeep parts strewn along the long, rutted half-dirt, half-stone driveway leading up to the Davis’s farmhouse.
At least the thirty-year-old vehicle still started. Though, she wasn’t sure for how much longer, since it had over two hundred thousand miles on it. She still owed Dutch for the new exhaust he installed after the old one rusted off and dragged, creating sparks the entire trip from the bar to the garage across town.
Luckily, it had made it without lighting the whole town on fire and her managing not to get a ticket. It now had a shiny new exhaust system on it, even though the rest of the vehicle looked like dog shit.
Whatever.
She couldn’t buy a new-to-her SUV until she turned the bar around and it stopped hemorrhaging money. Hell, it wasn’t even hemorrhaging money anymore because there was no money, it was now falling into a pit of debt. Which was getting deeper by the day.
Crazy Pete’s was the only real bar in town. For that reason alone, it should be packed every night. She needed to get it turned around and soon. Problem was, to make it more inviting cost money and she didn’t have it.
She might never have it.
But she needed that bar. She needed to make it a success, because it was the only thing she had left.
The only thing and she wasn’t letting the damn thing go. Not until there was a sheriff’s sale and she was dragged out of there against her will when it was sold from underneath her.
But she couldn’t let that happen. She just couldn’t.
She released her held breath when her Jeep made it to the house in one piece and she shoved it into Park.
Stella had never been out to Clyde’s old farm. She never had a reason to be out there. The old two-story house wasn’t completely visible from the road and she wasn’t surprised to find it had a really cool wraparound porch. Or would be really cool if it was in better shape. It needed some work on both the railings and the steps from what she could see. In fact, the whole house needed a good scraping and the wood siding repainted. The brick chimney also needed repointed. The windows looked original which meant they caused drafts. And the back door...
Was beautiful with two long panes of etched glass panels in it. The antique wood door just needed a little TLC. Like the overgrown flower beds and shrubbery surrounding the house. The lawn was patchy, if you could even call it a lawn. It had been mowed but was due again for a cut. It looked more like weeds than grass.
