Page 34 of Reckless Vengeance

“Damn. You and Slash? Never would’ve guessed that. Sure, you had obvious sexual tension, but feelings? I’m sorry, girl.”

“So, you want to train here sometimes?” I asked, needing to change the subject.

“Just you and me?”

“Zeena can come too. I know the house is obnoxious and the guys will probably hang around sometimes, but it’s safe and has the best equipment money can buy. What do you think?”

“I think Zee will cream her panties in here. She’s a sucker for a proper setup,” she chuckled. “What about Caden’s mom? She won’t like you fighting here, right?”

“She doesn’t have to know we get violent. She’s always working and we can lock the door,” I winked, watching as she explored the equipment.

“Do you think I could maybe crash here tonight?” she asked without looking at me, making me frown.

“Of course. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Junkie neighbor kicked the door down the other day looking for his brother. The brother was locked up years ago, so he’s on some kind of drug trip. I’m not really sleeping that great since the door hasn’t been properly fixed. I don’t really own any tools to put it back on, and I can’t afford to get a professional in.” Heat coated her cheeks as she glanced at me, and I knew it took a lot for her to tell me all of this. “I just need a good sleep and a hot shower.”

“You saw the size of this place, right? You can have your own room, if you want.”

“No, I just need to crash for one night to get my head back on straight, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it. We can have a movie night or something. I know you don’t like handouts, but want me to help fix your door? There’s tools here. Won’t be brand-new but it would be secure. You can owe me a favor in the future, so it’s technically not for free.”

“What kind of favor?” she hedged, and I gave her a knowing look.

“Nothing that will get you arrested or hurt. Friend favors, not business ones.”

That made her relax, and she nodded. “Okay. You sure you can fix it and not make it worse?”

“If the door is off the frame, can it get worse?”

“You’d find a way,” she joked, giving me a smile. “Thanks, Donovan.”

“Your electricity back on?”

“Yeah. Should we go there then come back here? Before it gets dark?”

“Probably a good idea. We’ll take your car, if that’s okay? Mine’s really recognizable.”

“I’m not sure how much gas I have.”

“Stop at the gas station on the way. I’ll fill it up.”

“Then I’d owe you two favors,” she scowled, rubbing the back of her neck. “I hate owing people.”

“Fixing a door and putting gas in the car isn’t exactly a big favor. Besides, it was my idea to use your car, so technically I’d owe you gas anyway,” I promised, walking towards the door.

She followed me as I poked my nose into Josie’s office, her phone pressed to her ear and an irritated look on her face. Whoever was on the phone was really pissing her off.

She muted it and sighed, giving me a small smile. “I take back what I said about running your own business. It sucks.”

“Maybe you need new employees?”

“You’re not wrong,” she huffed, her eyes sliding to Mule and back to me. “What are you girls up to?”

“We’re heading out for an hour. Do you have a drill or a screwdriver?” I asked, her eyes narrowing.

“Dare I ask what for?”