Page 61 of Eagle

“You know he’s going to come here.”

Yeah, because you just texted him, I thought. I opened the file cabinet. “I’m sure I can handle him.” Maybe.

Mac let out a snort. “I just hope you know what you’re doing, honey. You’re playing with fire.” He turned and left through the door that led into the bay area where they worked on vehicles. Owen, one of the prospects, and Snake had shown up earlier and were already busy working on the engine of a 1966 candy apple red Mustang.

I filed the invoices in the appropriate place and went back to my desk. The office looked a hundred percent better than it had when I’d first arrived. I’d been pleasantly surprised to find a three-tier mesh desk organizer under all the papers and junk that had been covering the desk. Now I had a place to put paid invoices, new invoices, and unpaid invoices. It was amazing how many unpaid invoices they had and how far back they went. I’d started calling customers right away on those. I felt a real sense of accomplishment by the end of each day when I was able to file away the paid invoices and start each morning with an empty basket. A phone and a pretty plant that I’d brought in decorated the other side of the desk.

I still had a long way to go to get rid of all the boxes and junk that was piled up along the walls.

The door opened and I glanced up, half-expecting to see Eagle. Instead, a pretty woman breezed inside. She was dressed in a flattering jumpsuit and wedged sandals. Her blond hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and the severity of it drew attention to her high cheekbones and heavily made-up eyes.

Feeling drab in comparison in jeans and a tee, my long hair pinned up in a messy bun and wearing no makeup at all, I plastered a welcoming smile on my face. “Hi, can I help you?”

She walked up to the desk. “You’re new here.”

Her perfume smelled nice but was a little overpowering. “Yes, I just started,” I explained.

“Is Eagle around” She glanced around the small office, as if she would find him here. “I need to talk to him.”

“Um, Eagle doesn’t work here.”

“Sometimes he does,” she fired back, sounding confident that she knew what she was talking about.

I picked up on the familiarity in her tone and frowned. Who was she to Eagle? “Are you a friend?” I winced at the sound of jealousy in my tone and then realized that I’d overstepped.

Her eyes moved over me with contemplation, and she suddenly smiled like a woman with secrets. Dirty secrets. “More than friends.”

I’d already guessed that but hearing her say it caused something in my stomach to roil. I didn’t like her. I didn’t like her arrogance. I didn’t even know her, but there was something off about her that worried me. It was a feeling that I had that I couldn’t explain. I decided to get down to business. “What’s your name? I’ll go check with Mac to see if Eagle plans to come in today.”

She hesitated briefly, a flicker of doubt entering her eyes and turning them a darker shade of brown. “Lynn,” she said simply.

“I’ll be right back.” I rose from my chair, went to the door, and stepped outside.

The first thing I noticed was the smell. It was heavy on oil, gasoline, and rubber. I wrinkled my nose and searched for Mac, finding him working on a truck. I made my way over to him. “Hey,” I said to get his attention. “There’s a woman by the name of Lynn here looking for Eagle.”

Mac straightened from the engine he was working on, his brows meeting up in a frown. “Lynn?”

I nodded.

“She pretty?” Snake asked with a leering grin. Owen’s head appeared on the other side of him, the look on his face revealing that he was interested in my answer, too.

“She’s beautiful.” I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Mac. “She wants to know if he’s going to show up to work today.”

Mac grabbed the rag he’d draped over the front of the truck and began to wipe the grease off his hands. “Eagle hasn’t worked here in months.” As he walked toward the door, I was right behind him. He opened it and stopped so abruptly that I slammed into his backside with a huff.

“The fuck you doing here?”

“I’m here to see Eagle—”

“Get the fuck out!” He looked over his shoulder at me. “You said her name was Lynn.”

I shrugged. “That’s what she told me.”

He stepped inside the office. “Out, now, Mandy!”

I shivered at the rage that was apparent in Mac’s tone. He wasn’t playing around.

Mandy? This was Eagle’s ex-girlfriend? I moved around Mac to get to my chair.

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