Page 34 of Zen's Crash

I pat his chest and respond with a laugh. “That would be my idea of heaven.”

He twirls me out of his arms and puts me at his side. “Come. I’ll show you my apartment.”

“Let me guess—you live over your shop, right?”

He nods. “I sure do. Walter and Rob live in an apartment in the basement. Although we’re not related, we’re like one big happy family around these parts.”

“I’ll just bet you are,” I tell him. “This has got to be the best job in the whole world.”

Yeah, we’re nerding out together. I realize that a moment too late, but what the hell—his shop is seriously nice. Honestly, I could live here and be a happy woman. If I thought the downstairs was nice, his apartment upstairs is like something from a sci-fi novel. He has motion-activated neon strip lighting around the top and bottom of the rooms. Everything is black and gray. The walls are smooth, and all the fixtures are antique bronze.

And his computer setup is like nothing I’ve ever seen. His gaming chair is a zero-gravity cockpit chair. He has a bank of monitors that covers the better part of an entire wall in his living room. I realize at this point that he is all he says he is, and I feel so bad that I thought he was lying to get into my pants.

“I know I’m probably fangirling all over you, but your computer setup is amazing.”

“I hope I don’t seem arrogant by agreeing with you. This setup is where most of the money for the apartment upgrade went. I balanced it out by keeping everything else in basic colors to streamline the whole look.”

“Well, you did a fabulous job.”

“Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee, tea, or soda?”

“I wouldn’t mind a bottle of water, if you have some.”

“Of course. Give me a second.”

We walk to his kitchen, and he gets me a cold bottle of water from his fridge and takes one for himself. Before we can strike up another conversation, his phone jingles. When he reads the message, he murmurs, “One of my club brothers just came with your computer. Let’s head down before Tank gets too comfortable tormenting my employees.”

I can’t tell whether or not Zen is joking about that. By the time we make it down to his shop, there’s a middle-aged man in a Savage Legion cut leaning on the counter beside my desktop, talking to Walter and Rob. He waves one hand around and asks, “So you two really know how all this shit works?”

The one named Walter responds, “Yeah, mostly. What we don’t know, we can research and find out.”

“That’s damn impressive. Have you ever thought about carrying other electronic supplies like biometric safes and door locks?” Looking from Walter to Rob and back again, he adds, “You see, I own a bunch of rental properties, and it seems like keeping those locks operational is a fucking full-time job. If you sold shit like that, I could buy it, install it, and my residents could come to you when it needs repairing. That would save a big headache for a guy like me.”

Walter scratches the back of his neck, looking like he doesn’t quite know what to make of Zen’s club brother. So Zen steps in to speak with his club brother—who also happens to be a club officer, if the patch on his leather vest is any indication. “We could definitely do something like that. Do you want me to shoot you wholesale links or just use my own judgment?”

“Using your own judgment sure sounds good to me,” he responds in a relieved tone. Slapping the top of my computer, he grins. “I got her here in one piece. She fell off my bike twice and has a few scratches, but I know Walter here can resuscitate her if necessary.”

My panic flares to life in an instant. “You dropped my desktop?” I rush forward to have a look at it. As I’m giving it a once-over, Zen tells his club brother sharply, “Don’t even joke about shit like that, Tank. Lexi has been through enough. She doesn’t need the extra trauma of thinking you destroyed her only computer.”

When I glance over my shoulder, I see his friend has the decency to look ashamed of himself. “Yeah, I guess I deserved that. I’m sorry about that, darlin’. I didn’t really drop your computer. I strapped it into the passenger side of a truck and was real careful with it, just like Zen asked.”

Turning to him, my anxiety falls away. “I get it—you like to tease people. Is that it?”

He shrugs his big shoulders. “Yeah, a guy like me has to get his jollies where he can, ya know?”

“I get it,” I tell him. “And I won’t be so gullible next time we meet.”

“You’re quick, smart, and don’t hold a grudge. Just the perfect old lady for our Zen. It’s been forever since he found a woman to his liking.”

My eyebrows shoot up and I joke, “Is that so? I never would have guessed that. He struck me as a smooth-talking ladies’ man.”

The older man snorts a laugh. “Zen, a ladies’ man? That don’t sound right to me.”

Zen moves forward and starts walking his friend to the door. “Well, thanks, Tank, for dropping off the computer. I hate that you have to leave, but I know you have properties to attend to.”

“Now, hold up, Zen. You know I’m your security for the day. I ain’t leaving you and your new lady friend uncovered, not with a killer on the loose.”

Walter and Rob immediately start whispering. To be honest, they seem like they’re panicking a bit. Meanwhile, Tank pats the side of his cut. “I even brought my Glock in case that asshole shows up again. You and me, we ain’t gonna let him do to your lady friend what he did to her old man. I’m gonna drop that fucker if he gets within a hundred yards of her.”

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