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I had abandoned all of them. I knew that. But fuck, I thought I was doing the right thing back then.
I leaned back under the hood of the car, doing my best to wiggle the alternator out of the tight, crooked ass space Chevrolet had put it in. Chevys were good, reliable vehicles, but damn, when it came to fixing something, it was a pain in the ass, especially in cars and SUVs.
Cam popped out of the office a few hours later and pointed a finger at me. I simply arched a brow in his direction. “I organized your officeagain. Don’t fuck it up, you hear me? Otherwise, I’m going to throw every tool in this garage at your face.”
I snorted. “Sure, Cam.”
He looked at his expensive watch. The silver caught in the light, making it glint. Cameron had expensive tastes—shoes, clothes, jewelry, cars. Even his bed sheets were some insane thread count. And he had Ace following right in his footsteps, considering Cam spoiled him so damn much. Between Cam and Arlo, Ace would never want for a damn thing in his life.
“We’re all going out to the bar in a bit. You coming?”
I shook my head. I was hungry, but I’d just stop in town on my way to the clubhouse and grab a burger and some fries. I had other plans—like getting an escort that was paid to deal with my darker desires.
I learned real fucking quick that normal women weren’t built for the kind of shit I liked.
Which was why Cameron’s idea of me ever getting a woman was nothing more than a funny joke to laugh about later.
Men like me didn’t get happily-ever-afters.
“Nah,” I told him, waving him off. “You guys go on ahead. I’m gonna finish up here and head home.”
Cam sighed, his features softening. “Jax, you know you don’t have to?—”
I pointed my wrench in his direction, my eyes hardening. He clenched his jaw. “Don’t,” I warned him. The guys knew what I paid for a couple of nights a week, and they knew discussing it was off-limits. I might let Cameron slide with a lot of shit, but not this. “Go.”
He huffed. “I just—Jax, you’re not a monster,” he said quietly.
I clenched my jaw. “Cameron, get the fuck out of my garage.” He was pushing my buttons, and I didn’t want to take my anger out on him. Did I like being like this? No. But I also couldn’t seem to get off unless I was causing some kind of pain.
What kind of regular woman would want that kind of shit?
Cameron slammed the office door behind him when he left, and I flinched. Dropping the wrench in the toolbox, I slammed the hood closed on the car I was working on before stomping outside and lighting a cigarette. Cameron’s expensive ass car spun out of the lot, nearly hitting Arlo, who was on his way in, one of his guys following behind him in another truck.
“What?” I grunted when he got out of the truck.
Arlo sighed. “Cameron put you in a bad mood?”
I shrugged. “He pushes too fucking much.” I jerked my head in the direction of his truck. “What’s going on?”
Arlo dropped the truck keys into my palm. “Keeps running hot. Probably a simple fix, but I don’t feel like dealing with it. Can you have it done by Friday? I need it for Monday morning.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll get it done.”
Arlo clapped me on the back. “Thanks, brother. And be safe tonight, you hear?”
He already knew without asking that I wouldn’t be joining them at the bar. I didn’t drink. Smoking a cigarette like I was now was few and far between. Ace smoked weed on a daily basis, but I didn’t dare touch it. I’d done enough of that shit as a kid.
“Oh, and I think Shaw’s got something in the works,” Arlo told me. “So keep an ear out.”
I nodded once. If Shaw had something in the works, then that meant we’d have a shipment soon. Which meant more money in our pockets.
Arlo squeezed my shoulder before heading off toward the waiting truck. The guy had already gotten out and settled into the passenger seat so Arlo could drive. Arlo turned back to face me, his hand resting on the door handle. “Be safe, Jax. I mean it.”
I nodded once. “Always,” I promised him.
CHAPTER THREE
Blakely
