Page 38 of Throttle Therapy

Joker pulled what looked like a pen light from his pocket, but when he hit the button to turn it on, Roadkill realized it was a laser pointer.

“This one.Do you think you can reach it?Rub across it really gently.You don’t want it to cut you if there’s something sharp.”

Lacey bent over and stuck her arm down into the engine.She turned her head to one side as she stretched to reach then straightened.“It’s rough, but not sharp.Does that make sense?”

“It does, squirt.Good job.”Joker looked at Papa Smurf, “Are we writing down the list of what needs to be done to this or are you keeping it in your head?”

“I’ve been keeping it in my head, but I’m thinking we should write it down.It’s getting long enough, I’m starting to worry about remembering it all.And the last thing we want is to put our girls out on the road in something not safe.”

Roadkill grabbed a clipboard off the top and offered it to the older man.Papa Smurf took it without a word.

“We about to ready to call it a day?Jenna’s adding up the invoices, and I was going to try to talk her into pizza tonight.”

“Pizza?Like take out, not homemade or frozen?”Lacey looked up at him, an excited light in her eyes.

“Well, that’s half the battle, I think,” Joker said.“With squirt on your side, she’ll either give in quicker or get pissed you’re enlisting her sister to gang up against her.”

“Yeah, I’m going to have to be careful about that.”

“How about you talk her into going to the clubhouse for a few.Introduce her to Elizabeth,” Papa Smurf said.“If there’s pizza there and you all eat, what can she say?”

“Good idea.”Roadkill pulled out his phone.“What do you eat on your pizza, squirt, and what’s your sister’s favorite?”

She told him and he typed up a message to Shawn with what to pick up then hit send.Then he sent a message to Hex asking if they were around and letting him know he was brining someone to the clubhouse that he’d like for the president and his old lady to meet.

“How long till you’re ready to go?”he asked the girl.

“Any time.I just need to grab my backpack from the breakroom and we can go.”

He nodded, watching the way Papa Smurf and Joker stood on either side of the girl, as if protecting her from both sides.They’d taken to her fast.He just hoped the rest of the job worked out for Jenna.

A screech behind him told them the door opened.

“You really need to fix that.I can’t imagine how irritating it gets all day,” Roadkill said to Papa Smurf.

“I know.But I have a hard time reaching it and there’s never a stool nearby when I’m thinking about it.”

“I’ll add it to the list of things I started this morning,” Jenna said from where she’d stuck her head through the door.“I’m done.The cashbox with today’s invoices is sitting on your desk.Do you need anything else before I go?”

“Nope.You did great today.See you at eight tomorrow?”Papa Smurf turned to look at her.

“I’ll be here,” she said.

“I’ll get my bag,” Lacey said, as she moved around him.

“Wash your hands too.You’ve got grease on them,” Jenna called as Lacey headed into the back.When the girl was gone, she turned her gaze back to the three of them.“She’s not getting in the way and causing trouble, is she?”

“Not at all,” Papa Smurf said.

“She’s been helping,” Joker said.

Jenna watched him a moment as if she wasn’t sure if they were telling the truth or not, then she nodded once and looked at Roadkill.“Want me to wait in the truck?”

“I’ll come with you.”He looked at the guys.“See you later,” he said before heading outside.

“I know you’ve been working all day, and you’re probably tired, but I’ve got a friend I’d like you to meet.”

She took a deep breath and pushed it out in a rush.