Page 23 of Gang of Roses: Rebel

“So, you gonna hang around my shop all day, or you gonna help a nigga out?”

I leaned back in his chair and crossed my arms. “Depends. What you gonna give me?”

A slow grin spread across his face. “I got two tickets to see the rapper Sinful K at the Indiehood Stadium.”

My eyebrows shot up. “For real?”

“Yeah,” he said. “But if I don’t get these engines done, it ain’t happening.”

I smirked. “Don’t you have a whole crew to help you?”

“I do.” He nodded toward the garage. “But these three bikes belong to a few of my elite clients. I don’t trust nobody touching ‘em but me.”

“So basically...” I stood up and folded my arms. “You need me.”

Crow laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I just need an extra pair of hands.”

I pointed at myself. “These hands cost.”

“That’s why I’m paying you in concert tickets.”

I pretended to think it over for a second before shrugging. “Aight. But don’t be trying to boss me around.”

He smirked. “Too late. You already work for me today.”

“The hell I do.”

“We’ll see how long that attitude lasts.”

We walked into the garage, and Crow tossed me a pair of black coveralls along with some work gloves. I slipped the coveralls over my outfit and zipped them up. No way was I getting grease all over my favorite cargo pants. Crow looked me up and down before nodding.

“Don’t break nothing.”

I caught the gloves with one hand. “You say that every time.”

“Because every time you make me nervous.”

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the bike. The engine was already halfway torn apart, every bolt and part neatly lined up across the workbench. Crow always kept his workspace organized. It was one of the few things in his life he could completely control.

“Damn,” I muttered. “You already got halfway through it.”

“That’s the easy part.”

I grabbed a ratchet while Crow slid underneath the bike.

“Hand me the ten-millimeter.”

Without even looking, I reached over, grabbed the socket, and dropped it into his waiting hand. Crow paused and looked up at me.

“You remembered.”

I smirked. “I do know my way around an engine.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “You just pretend to be helpless whenever it benefits you.”