Page 30 of Mechanic

I start work Monday morning, and while I am looking forward to getting back to the daily grind, working the daytime shift isgoing to suck. As most people work daytime know, the casino has less foot traffic.

Stepping inside The Whiskey Genie, it takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the dim lighting.

Spotting a familiar face at the bar, I quickly approach. Smiling as I plop down into the empty seat next to her, my tone is light.

“Hey girl, how are you? I didn’t think I would find you here this early.”

Narrowing her eyes at me, her tone is short, catching me off guard. “Do I know you?”

My head rears back as if she slapped me. This is nothing like the girl I met two days ago.

“Rhodee, I’m, ah, sorry,” I stutter out. “I guess I misunderstood our conversation the other day. I’ll, ah, leave you alone,” I say as I start to rise from the bar stool. Her sudden laughter has my movements stopping to glare at her.

My eyes widen when her mirror image steps up just behind her. As my gaze bounces between the two women, my jaw becomes unhinged as a third woman steps into our circle.

Three…there are three of them. Looking between the two newcomers, it is easy to guess which one is actually Rhodee by the broad smile on her face.

“Rhodee?” I ask, looking at the smiling girl just to confirm.

She nods, unable to speak, as all three of them start laughing.

“Antonia, these are my sisters, Roree and Raelee. We are identical triplets,” she says, stating the obvious. “Girls, this is Antonia. She works at the casino.”

Now that Rhodee has apparently given her stamp of approval, both Roree and Raelee pull me into a quick hug.

“Don’t you three pull her into your bullshit,” Gypsy barks out, addressing Rhodee and her sisters, eyes narrowed.

The sisters wear innocent expressions as Gypsy points her finger at each girl.

“I don’t know what you mean, Gypsy,” Roree says too quickly.

My smile broadens as Gypsy plants her hands on her hips, staring the girls down.

“Every fucking time the three of you are here together, a fucking fight breaks out, and my place gets trashed.”

Shock has me gasping as the triplets ignore the venom in Gypsy’s words.

“Let’s go shoot some pool while we can still get a table. Come on, Antonia, we can play teams,” Raelee says, walking away.

Roree and Rhodee trail after her, none of them checking to make sure I am following.

“This is going to be a long fucking night,” Gypsy mutters as she sets my drink in front of me.

She confuses me more as she pulls out her phone.

“Hey, Chayce. Can you send one of your brothers down to the Genie?” She pauses, listening to the other person speak.

“Why?!” she exclaims in response, her voice carrying over the music blaring from the jukebox. “I’ll fucking tell youwhy! The fucking Martin triplets are here,that’sfucking why!”

Cursing can be heard through the phone as she pulls it away from her ear and ends the call without another word.

“Antonia!” Roree, I think, shouts from the corner of the large room.

“You better join them,” Gypsy tells me defeatedly. “They have pulled you in,” she says a bit cryptically before going back to pouring drinks.

Chapter 19

Roderick

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