14. Gage

14

GAGE

G age ripped open another box and pulled out two gallon jugs of motor oil, hefting them onto the shelves in the stockroom. Beau's place always had stock, and man did it make life easier. Gage didn't have to waste his time running to shops in Cody because they ran out of the basics.

Tim walked in, wheeling hand trucks with three more boxes stacked on top. "That's the last of it."

Gage tipped his chin and kept unloading jugs. If he timed things right, he could replace a ball joint before lunch.

Before Hadley pulled up in her little purple car to scramble every last brain cell in his head. She had a way of draining out all the common sense, leaving him defenseless .

He needed defenses against Hadley Morgan. He needed walls like Fort Knox to keep that woman out of his thoughts.

When the boxes were empty, he broke them down and hauled the cardboard to the dumpster behind the garage. Winter had decided to make another appearance and drop a foot of snow on the ground, and the only sound in the air was the crunching beneath his boots.

He tossed the cardboard into the dumpster and turned to walk back inside just as his phone rang with the ringtone reserved for his family. He cursed before pulling it out of his pocket, already dreading the news on the other end of the line.

"What?"

"Rome's here," Bruce said, not bothering to bristle at Gage's unfriendly greeting.

Gage bit back another curse. The Howards had been waiting for Rome Wilson to show up for months. There was a bunker filled with stolen guns and ammo hidden out on Howard land, and Rome had volunteered to be the runner.

Volunteered was a stretch. Rome was being paid a considerable amount to be the one to make the move. After months without a word from Rome, Gage had kinda given up on the only Wilson brother who wasn't behind bars. Rome could have been locked up or dead for all Gage knew.

But the snake lived to die another day .

The call went dead, and Gage shoved the phone back into his pocket. He hated leaving in the middle of his shift at Beau's since it brought in the best money, and it was a double slap in the face that he was being told to put his own skin on the line.

Bruce could show Rome where the bunker was. Tommy or Cain could do it. No, they had to call Gage and drag him away from his only respectable job so he could commit a dozen felonies before nightfall.

Gage burst through the back door like a bull coming out of the chute. "Beau!"

"Office!"

Gage stalked down the hallway and stopped at Beau's office. "I hate to do this, but I gotta run."

Beau scoffed. "Duty calls?"

"Something like that."

Beau leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "I need you. I really do. I like you. You work hard. What I don't like is what you do when you leave here."

"Sounds like we're on the same page."

"Then give it up. Don't leave. Stay here and earn a steady paycheck."

Gage shook his head. "It ain't that simple, boss."

Beau turned his attention back to the computer screen. "What are you working on?"

"I was about to replace the ball joint in bay three. "

Beau didn't look away from the screen. "I'll take care of it."

Gage's hands fisted and flexed at his sides. Why couldn't he tell his uncle to do his own dirty work? Why couldn't he break up with the whole Howard clan and start somewhere new?

Because not a single one of them had mentioned Thea to him since they beat her senseless. That meant they planned to finish what they started, and Gage had to figure out what they knew about her.

If he left, he wouldn't have any chance of finding out what kind of revenge they had planned for Brett and Thea. The score was far from settled, and Gage at least had a chance of overhearing things if he was still on his family's good side.

Gage clocked out and left. Thanking Beau for not giving him more of a hard time for leaving sounded like a slap in the face.

He sent Hadley a quick text as he got in his truck.

Gage: I have to go to my uncle's today.

Hadley: Ok.

Shoot. That was too easy. Was it wrong to want a little push-back? It wasn't like he wanted to cancel lunch.

Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up at Bruce's garage and didn't try to hide his irritation when he walked in. As usual, everyone was standing around while three vehicles looked like they'd just vomited parts onto the floor around them .

Bruce and Tommy laughed as they faced a taller man with dark hair. Rome had three years on Gage, but they'd always been evenly matched in strength and wit. Both of their families lived on the wrong side of the law, and they knew how to stay out of each other's way.

Rome's hair was longer than the last time Gage saw him, but his eyes held the same wild smirk that warned anyone with a brain to tread carefully.

"There's the man I came to see," Rome said as he held out a hand.

Gage accepted the handshake with a grip that held its own warning. "Not sure why you need me. Bruce and Tommy lost their legs?"

Rome let out a hearty laugh and slapped Gage on the back. "That's why you're my favorite, man. Most people are allergic to hard work."

Gage avoided Bruce and Tommy's stares and crossed his arms over his chest. "Where you been? I thought the law might'a got you."

"They might catch me, but they can't keep me. Nah, I got a job down in Kansas City."

"What kinda job?" Gage asked.

"Nothing worth writing home about."

"Come on, now. You gotta tell us," Cain said.

Rome shook his head. "Would you believe me if I said I was a dog walker?"

The entire room broke out in laughter, including Gage. Bruce doubled over, Cain hunched against the toolbox, and Tommy threw his head back as he cackled.

"I'm serious. It was some rich old lady, and she paid me two hundred dollars in cash to walk her dogs twice a day."

"You've got to be kidding. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life," Bruce said as he wiped his eyes.

It was ridiculous to imagine. Rome was built like an NFL quarterback and had tattoos running down both arms and up both sides of his neck. What kind of rich woman would hire him to do anything?

"Was she blind?" Gage asked.

Rome grinned. "No. Actually, she liked what she saw." He winked and crossed his arms over his chest, keeping the smirk on his face.

Tommy spat a wad of tobacco into his water bottle. "Can't say I blame you for coming back, but you know Bobby and Zach are still locked up. I'm sure the law will jump at any chance to complete the set."

"I'll keep my ear to the ground. I still can't believe they were stupid enough to get caught. It's like the two of them don't have brains when I'm not around."

That was something Gage could agree with, but Rome's decision-making skills were questionable too. They might all skirt the law on a regular basis, but Rome had a tendency to get bold and reckless .

The crunching of wheels on gravel turned everyone's attention to the open bay door. Gage's heart stopped as Hadley's unmistakable purple car crept toward the garage.

"Who's that?" Bruce asked.

Gage bolted around the car and lengthened his stride as Hadley's car crept closer to the garage.

No, no, no, no, no. She couldn't be here. Gage barely forced a breath as she parked her car beside his truck.

He had to hurry. No one else could see her here. He broke into a jog, but she'd already rounded the back of the car before he got to her.

Hadley's hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, showcasing every inch of her smooth neck. As soon as she spotted him, her eyes lit up like neon lights in the night. Her lips stretched into a smile that had his heart short-circuiting.

"Hey! I brought–"

Gage reached her side and took her arm, turning her around as quickly as possible. "You have to go."

"But you said we were having lunch."

"I meant lunch is canceled. You can't be here." He opened her door and practically folded her into the car. His skin flashed hot and cold as sweat beaded on the back of his neck.

"But I–"

"I'll text you later. Don't look back," Gage ordered as he closed the door and stalked back toward the garage. If he was the praying kind, he'd beg a higher power to rush her as far away from there as fast as possible.

Even rushing her away wouldn't help. Everyone inside the garage probably got a good look at her, and now she'd be a person of interest to his family and Rome.

Gage huffed a breath out his nose. She'd just tied herself to him, and not in a good way. A bright-red target might as well be painted on her back.

Back inside the garage, Gage wiped every trace of emotion from his features and locked his attention on Rome. "You ready to head out?"

"Who was that?" Cain's smirk and taunting tone lit a fire under Gage's skin.

Gage leveled his cousin with a warning glare. "Nobody."

"Hm. I might have to go after her." Cain turned to Rome and jerked his head the way Hadley drove off. "You see those legs?"

Gage took a step toward Cain and let the fire in his chest build into a raging inferno. Lifting his chin and shoulders, Gage measured his words carefully. "Touch her and die."

Cain chuckled, and the sound was anything but jovial. It was a laugh of madness mixed with unchecked entitlement. "We'll see about that."

Gage jerked his chin at Rome. "Let's go. "

Ignoring the same wild grin on Rome's face, Gage stalked toward his truck. He had to think of a way to minimize his involvement with Hadley before his family used her against him.