Page 123 of Stuck with my Mechanic Daddies

Then I saw it—the flicker of something behind his eyes.

Amusement.

Satisfaction.

Because he wasn’t just playing the long game. He’d done this before.

“Why do you think Page Turners hasn't been burned to the ground already?” he said, voice soft and venomous.

I went still.

Hank smiled, slow and deliberate, before finishing the rest of his whiskey.

“Some people don’t take well to being backed into a corner,” he mused. “They make bad decisions. Get desperate. It’s tragic, really.”

He set the glass down.

“But me?” He leaned forward, his gaze locking onto mine. “I prefer to let people destroy themselves.”

I saw red. The way he smirked, the way he clearly enjoyed this. It was like he wanted me to throw the first punch.

He wanted to bait me into doing something reckless, something he could twist in his favor.

But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

Still, my voice came out sharp as a blade. “You're a real piece of work, you know that?”

Hank chuckled, leaning back in his chair like he had all the time in the world. “I’ve been called worse.”

“You're tormenting Aurora. You set up my shop to fail. And for what? Some power trip? This town isn’t yours, Hank.”

His smile didn’t waver.

“That's where you're wrong.” He gestured vaguely to the office around him. “Medford already belongs to me. I just haven’t collected all the pieces yet.”

I shook my head. “You think you can buy loyalty? That people are going to roll over just because you're waving a little money around?”

Hank exhaled, sounding bored.

“It’s not about money. It’s about control.” His gaze darkened. “Your family’s been in my way for decades. My father should’ve run you out of town when he had the chance.”

The words hit harder than they should have.

He stood, adjusting his jacket like he was already done with this conversation. “So here’s the deal, Ethan. You can take the easy way out—sell, cut your losses, move on—or you can be stubborn, keep fighting, and watch everything fall apart anyway.”

I let out a sharp laugh, shaking my head. “You really think you're untouchable, don’t you?”

Hank’s smirk deepened. “I know I am.”

That was it. The final push.

I took a slow step back, nodding to myself.

He thought he’d won. He thought he had everything lined up perfectly, that he’d forced us into a corner with no way out.

And maybe, a day ago, I would’ve fallen for it.

Maybe I would’ve lost my temper, let him push me into doing something I couldn’t take back.

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