11. Gage

11

GAGE

G age faked left before weaving right just out of Travis's reach. The hits were coming quick today, and the lack of sleep wasn't doing Gage any favors.

Travis raised his gloves and grinned. "You afraid to get close today, pretty boy?"

Taking the moment to school his breathing, Gage shook out his gloved hands. "I don't really feel like sporting a broken nose today."

"You've never cared before." Travis lunged and made a jab at Gage's chin that connected.

Gage shook his head out, seeing stars against the stone wall of the gym.

So much for staying bruise-free.

"I know what it is," Travis drawled. "You got a hot date tonight. "

"Wrong."

Travis was wrong. Gage did not have a date.

He did have a meeting with Hadley later, and something told him she wouldn't be impressed by a bruised face. Thankfully, his beard would cover that one.

Why did he care what she thought? She was a minor blip on his radar–a momentary speed bump on his way to making sure Thea stayed gone.

A flash of brown in his periphery caught his attention. The instant rush in his brain died when he realized it was a guy strapping on gloves instead of Hadley's long hair.

He'd seen her before their meeting yesterday. He'd passed that pretty face in the hallway at the hospital when he'd been visiting Thea.

Hard to forget a woman like that. Long dark hair, piercing green eyes, and a thin build. He'd watched her walk away too, and that view deserved some awards on its own.

Travis wailed, and Gage turned just in time to catch a foot to the face.

Gage cursed and shook his head. The stars were back, and Travis was laughing like a hyena.

For Travis, sparring was fun. For Gage, it was a necessary outlet. He needed to stay in shape, sharpen his senses, and let out the fury he kept bottled up .

Taking a few hits helped in its own way. Every punch in the face reminded him he was alive–reminded him of his dad's fist landing on his cheek.

Yeah, he needed that rage to stay clear. It was the motivation he needed to get out of the rut that was now just a part of his life.

Sparring started off as a way to protect himself against his dad. Now, no one had the guts to stand up to him unless they had a death wish.

He also liked to imagine it was either Bruce, Tommy, or Cain's face he was pounding. It was helpful when circumstances forced him to keep his mouth shut.

"Sorry to ring your bell," Travis said through a laugh. "Well, not really. Put some ice on that before you leave."

Gage ran his tongue over his lips, tasting the blood from the inside of his cheek. "You'll pay for that later."

Travis hopped from one foot to the other. "Have to catch me first."

Gage's usual sparring partner was like the Energizer bunny. They were the same age, but Gage's energy came in spurts and only when necessary.

Travis was playing. Gage was surviving. His adrenaline kicked in when it was needed. Other times were for conserving energy.

Gage bit the strap on his glove and tore it off. "I gotta head out. "

"Oh, come on. You can't leave while you're losing."

Tearing the other glove off, Gage smiled. "I never lose."

Travis beckoned Gage with his gloves. "One more."

"Nah, man. My shift starts in half an hour."

"Tomorrow, same time, same place?" Travis asked.

"You got it."

Travis wasn't a guy Gage would normally strike up a friendship with, but their work schedules aligned so they were usually at the gym at the same time. Gage left for his shift at Beau's while Travis headed out to save lives as a paramedic for the Blackwater Fire Department.

Talk about a story of opposites. Gage was running moonshine and dealing stolen car parts while Travis did noble work.

A text came through on Gage's phone as he slid into his truck.

Hadley: I'll be there a little after noon.

Gage quickly locked the phone. He didn't need thoughts of Hadley scrambling in his head all day. He'd already taken a foot to the face for letting his guard down.

Beau's truck was already parked outside Blackwater Automotive. Gage headed straight for the office where his boss was busy staring at a computer screen like it held the secrets to life.

"What's the word, boss?"

Beau picked up a stack of job orders. "The F-150 needs new brake pads, oil change and filter change on the Altima, the Tacoma needs a head gasket replacement, and the Ram needs a ball joint replacement."

Tim walked in as Beau was finishing up the job list. The older man worked hard and never caused problems–probably because he kept his mouth shut and did his job.

"Tim, you can start on the Dodge."

"Mm-hmm," Tim hummed as he punched the time clock. He turned to Gage and spit tobacco juice into a bottle. "Who was that young girl hangin' out here yesterday?"

Great. Gage was depending on the guys not asking questions, and now he had to come up with answers on the fly.

"Nobody." He stepped around Tim to clock in.

"Isn't that Hadley? Cheyenne Keeton's sister?" Beau asked.

Shoot, Gage had also been counting on no one knowing her. And Brett hadn't mentioned Hadley's sister. "Not sure. We just started hanging out."

"Looks a little young for you," Tim added.

Mayday. Mayday. He knew absolutely nothing about Hadley, and he was failing the interrogation. "She's legal."

At least he hoped she was legal. Brett wasn't stupid enough to send a minor into this dumpster fire.

Tim spat into his bottle again. "Might need to see her license, just to be on the safe side."

"I'll do that." Gage headed straight for the door and out into the garage to get to work. The last thing he needed was to get caught in another lie.

No matter how much he tried, focusing on anything other than Hadley was difficult. What if she was a minor? He didn't need anyone looking at him too close, even if they were only wondering if he was dating a minor.

Gage stretched his neck and shoulders. There was a tension in his upper back that wouldn't go away, no matter how much he tried to forget about Hadley.

The lunch bell rang, and the rest of the guys drifted off to the break room. Gage kept working on the Tacoma, since Hadley wasn't expected to show up for a little bit. When he'd replaced the head gasket, he washed his hands and walked out to his truck.

He grabbed his cap off the dash and started to reach for the pack of cigarettes in the console and hesitated. He was lucky enough to be a social smoker. Despite his family's tendency to drink and smoke themselves into early graves, Gage could pick up a pack and put them back down just as quickly. It was probably the only thing that kept him above ground.

The crunch of tires on gravel turned Gage's attention. Hadley's purple car was creeping up beside him.

He looked back at the cigarettes. He could push her away with one light. He should push her away.

She turned her car off and shut the door as she got out. "Hey, you."

Gage stood and shut the truck door. "Hey."

Coward.

He really needed to turn around and get a cigarette. Hadley was looking up at him like he'd just offered her a cupcake, and he needed to squash that hope in her eyes.

For her sake, of course.

She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "I thought you said your mom's appointment was this week. I didn't know you meant it was happening yesterday."

Gage adjusted his cap and scanned the parking lot. "Yeah, I got the dates mixed up."

"No problem. Thea will be excited to get an update so soon."

Tim strolled past the garage bay whistling an upbeat tune. Instead of heading over to the car in the third bay, he hung around the truck in bay one, making no effort to act like he wasn't spying.

Gage turned back to Hadley. "Listen, the guys were asking about you, and I told them we're hanging out. So, if anyone asks, that's the story."

Hadley grinned. "I knew you liked me."

"I do not like you. I needed a lie, and I lied. The only way we're seeing each other is by standing in this parking lot."

Hadley tried to hide her smile, but she was definitely pleased. "Whatever you say, sweetie."

"No, not sweetie. Not anything."

Where was a cigarette when he needed it?

"Mm-hmm," Hadley hummed. She opened the passenger door of her car and pulled out a bag and a drink. "You get turkey today. Don't want you to get burnt out on roast beef."

"Thanks." Gage took the bag, carefully skirting the implication that there would be enough of these meetings for him to get tired of his favorite food.

He lowered the tailgate and pulled out the sandwich. "So, the problem with my lie this morning was that the guys think you're a minor."

Hadley crossed her arms over her chest and rested her hip against the truck. "I'm not."

Gage studied her while he chewed. "Mind if I ask for proof?"

Hadley rolled her eyes and dug around in her car. Finally, she whipped out her license, carefully covering her address information.

Smart girl.

She was barely twenty-years-old, but that was old enough. Could this innocent-looking woman really be only five years younger than him?

"Good enough for you?" she asked.

Gage took one last look at her license photo. His looked like a mugshot, but Hadley practically radiated light against a dull background.

"Yeah. Your last name is Morgan?"

Hadley pulled her license back and put it back in her car. "To the best of my knowledge."

Okay, he deserved the cold shoulder. Still, it made him want to apologize for being a jerk yesterday.

Nope. That would be two steps back in the plan to keep Hadley at a safe distance.

"You have any siblings?" he asked.

Hadley crossed her arms again and shook her head. "I'm gonna stop you right there. This isn't about me."

Gage took a huge bite of the sandwich to hide the grin threatening to blow his cover. What did it say about him that he liked it when she threw his words back at him?

"Fair enough. How's Thea?"

"Same as yesterday. I think she and Brett should figure out a way to work things out between them, but I don't really get a say in that," Hadley said as she hopped up onto the tailgate and casually kicked her dangling legs.

"That's a terrible idea."

Hadley tilted her head. "Thanks for your opinion. Agree to disagree?"

"I guess so."

Hadley gathered her hair and pulled it to one side so it flowed over her shoulder like a waterfall. "How's your mom?"

How was his mom? His useless brain was completely empty, as if Hadley had drained it as soon as she showed up. He pulled his attention from her face to look down, but then her legs were in his line of sight.

Taking the last bite of the sandwich and turning around to prop his back against the tailgate, Gage took a few seconds to forget about the captivating woman beside him. "She got chosen for the experimental treatment."

"That's good news! Gage, this could be a game changer."

He'd been excited about not having to find a way to pay for the treatment. He'd barely stopped to think about whether or not it would work. His initial reaction was to assume it wouldn't. Then he wouldn't be surprised if it didn't.

"I guess it could. "

"It will. I know it will," Hadley said, shoving Gage's arm.

Gage barely moved and looked up at Hadley like she could lose her fingers if she touched him again.

"Gage, stop scowling. This is good news. How can you not be excited?"

"Because I don't have anything to be excited about yet."

Hadley groaned. "Men. I'll never understand you."

"Right back atcha."

Hadley's phone buzzed, and she leaned to the side to pull it out of her back pocket. The smile on her face faded as she read the message.

"Gotta go." She hopped off the tailgate and straightened her shirt. "Nice talk. We should do this again sometime."

Gage straightened. That was it? She was leaving.

Oh no. He wasn't ready for their time to end, and the realization sat like lead in his gut.

Hadley glanced at the garage before stepping up to Gage. She stood toe-to-toe with him for a split second before lifting up onto her toes and pressing a kiss to his bearded cheek.

Gage's entire body went warm, and his hands itched to reach for her.

With a quick smile, she whispered, "I think that's what I would do if we were hanging out ."

Staring down at her, unable to breathe, all the warmth in Gage's body left in an instant. His reaction to Hadley's innocent move was all too real and completely dangerous.

Gage cleared his throat and turned to slam the tailgate shut. "Thanks. I'll let you know when I know more."

"I'll be waiting," Hadley sang as she bounced off to her ridiculous purple car.

As soon as she was out of sight, Gage grabbed the cigarettes from his truck and stomped back to the garage. It was a whole-pack kinda day.