Page 22 of Mechanic

My eyes dart to Shawna. I restrain a chuckle at the wide-eyed glare she has aimed in my direction. Focusing back on Aymond, I decide to acquiesce to his suggestion.

“Th-thank you, sir. That is very kind of you,” I finally respond, proud of myself that I only stuttered slightly.

“You are welcome,” he says, turning away from the table. Aymond takes several steps before looking over his shoulder at me. “Safe travels to New York. Don’t let Roderick give you too hard a time.” He winks at me before straightening up and walking away, which seems like it would be uncharacteristic of Aymond Burnett.

“Good luck in New York, Antonia,” Gary, one of the pit bosses, says before walking away.

It takes a moment for my muddled brain to catch up. By the time it does, Gary is nowhere to be found.

Shawna starts laughing. No doubt it has something to do with my expression. If my face appears as dumbfounded as I feel, there is good reason to laugh.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” Shawna says, gripping my elbow and dragging me with her toward the locker room.

Security met Shawna and me in the locker room. Going through the final checks, they deemed me clear to leave. There wasn’t much in the way of personal possessions in my locker, so it didn’t take long.

Since I needed an escort to my car, Shawna volunteered.

Being an odd time of day for staff to be coming or going, the elevator arrived almost immediately after being called. And the ride was pensive.

Reaching my car, I can’t make eye contact with Shawna. We stand in silence as I scrape the toe of my shoe on the concrete floor of the parking garage. A hand on my forearm causes my head to jerk up.

“You’re nervous,” Shawna states flatly. Jerking my head once in the affirmative, Shawna continues. “I would be shocked if you weren’t,” she says with a scoff.

“Babe,” she starts. “This is a great opportunity. Grip it with both hands, and don’t let go. This fresh start will do you good. Instead of going out tonight, I will grab a bottle of wine and takeout.”

Shawna holds her hand up to cut me off as my mouth opens to speak.

“Your lack of furniture is not going to bother me. While I am there, we can work on getting you ready to leave.”

“You’re leaving?!” The angry male voice startles both of us, causing our heads to whip around. Tony is angry. His glare is primarily focused on me.

From the corner of my eye, I catch Shawna mimicking Tony’s pose, arms crossed over her chest as she stares him down.

“Y-yeah,” I respond, refusing to elaborate.

Wanting to get away from Tony, I unlock my car and toss the stuff from my locker into the backseat.

Shawna breaks her stare down with Tony long enough to give me a quick hug.

“See you later,” she whispers in my ear.

Climbing behind the wheel and starting the car, my eyes meet Shawna’s as she waits patiently for me to back out of the parking spot.

Tony steps out of the way, just enough that I don’t run him over,sadly. No matter how much I would love to, him moving was probably for the best.

Just before I round the bend, heading for the exit, I catch what appears to be a heated argument between Shawna and Tony. My first instinct is to go back and help my friend. A smirk crosses my lips knowing that Shawna can take care of herself and is able to handle Tony.

My alarm goes off, causing me to groan at the ungodly hour.

As soon as I got home from the Wildfire, my attention became hyper-focused on my new adventure.

True to her word, Shawna helped me finish my packing. My heart was lighter by the time our evening ended. Over wine and sushi, we laughed and cried over the memories we have shared.

Shawna made me promise to video call at least once a week and let her know how things are going.

My back up alarm blares, forcing me to get my tired ass into the shower. Since there is a three-hour time difference, I figured it would be easier to get acclimated if I started adjusting myself to the time change as soon as possible. Not to mention getting a head start on my travels.

After a quick shower, I pack my overnight bag into the car. Doing one more sweep through the apartment to make sure nothing is left behind, my keys get dropped off at the rental office, and I am on my way.

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