Page 42 of Captive of Outlaws

“All set,” he says. I turn around, hoping to God my face isn’t as red as it feels, and smile.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Will grins. “You ready to play with some big boy toys?”

“OH MY GOD,” I SAY.“Oh my god. Oh my god.”

I sound like an absolute airhead, but I don’t care. The fleet of cars in front of me is completely OMG-worthy, and I don’t care what it makes me sound like to admire it. These cars deserve it.

“They are pretty sweet,” Will admits. “Just a shame no onetakes care of them properly.”

Rob strides in the side door of the garage, shaking his head. “Some of us are busy working, Will,” he says. “Don’t have a lot of time to get under the hood of things.”

“Then why do you hoard them like a total pack rat?” Will fires back.

“Because they deserve to be owned by someone who appreciates them, not some rich asshole who keeps them locked up in a garage and never dares put a mile on them.”

“What, like you?” I blurt out, then put a hand on my mouth. “Oops. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“No, it’s all right,” Rob says, laughing. “I guess I can see how you would get that impression.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets. “But no, these aren’t going to be mine forever. I have plans for them. I really only need one car at a time, after all. And Will’s not wrong. I probably bit off more than I can chew in terms of rehabbing them. Definitely more of a side project. But if it’s something you’re willing to take on, Maren...”

Willing?I think.Shit, I’dpayto work on these. Outwardly, I try to keep it cool. “Absolutely,” I say. “Do you care where I start?”

“I defer to you.” Rob says, doing a palms-up gesture. He steps back and sizes me up and down. “I see Jack’s wardrobe arrived.”

I smile. “Yes, it did. I really—I can’t thank you enough for that.”

Rob waves me off. “Don’t mention it. You literally came here with the clothes on your back.”

I try one last time. “I’ll repay you. I insist.”

“Maren, enough,” Rob says, his voice firm. “The clothesare a gift, and that’s final. We’ve been through this.”

“Careful,” Will says. “Keep refusing, and he’ll end up gifting you a car.”

I blush. “Well, I don’t want one. The Mustang is the only girl for me. I’m monogamous that way.”

Will raises an eyebrow and looks at Rob.

“Don’t even,” Rob grits out in a low voice that only Will is supposed to hear.

I pace up and down the row of cars, pretending I didn’t hear it. I feel like a kid in the proverbial candy shop. Delicately, I skate my fingertip over the hood of the Camaro. “I guess I can get started just by doing a little diagnostic work,” I say. “Figure out what’s wrong with them. Make a punch list of things to take care of.”

“Like I said, it’s all on you, Maren.” Rob flashes a grin. “I love to see you happy.”

Even as he says it, a twisting icy feeling squirms in my stomach. Because obviously, these cars came from whatever enterprise he’s doing...outside the law. And even if he has noble ambitions for them, giving them away or whatever—which I find incredibly suspect, but okay—I’m still sort of complicit in it by fixing them up, and that makes me feel weird.

“Don’t think this means I endorse whatever the hell it is you do, though,” I put in. “I’m doing it for the love of the cars.”

“As you wish,” Rob says. “Oh, and by the way...” He digs in his pocket and pulls out a brand new smartphone. “For you.”

“What?” I instantly refuse. “No way. I won’t. I can’t.”

“You will and you can,” he says simply. “You deservesomething that can actually be useful. Besides, a decent phone will make it easier to keep in touch with you if you get to the edges of the property.”

“That’s exactly it,” I retort. “There’s probably some kind of tracking device in there, so you can find me all the time.”

Will sucks his teeth, looking at Rob, who shrugs.

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