Page 45 of Fanatic

Tickled, I began laughing alongside Nitro and Taillights at the startled expression on Harper’s face before he grinned. “Hey. Great to meet you.”

“Will you be okay to have Danny in a couple of hours? I gotta pop into the office and collect more files. Jimenez has some names for me,” Willow asked, looking up at me.

“Anyone going with you?”

“Fanatic, I’m armed, don’t stress!”

“You’re carrying?” Harper exclaimed. “What are you? A bodyguard? I’ve got a body right here you can guard.”

Willow winced and sneered. “Shit, I threw up in my mouth.”

“Dude, that was seriously fucked and perverted,” I told Harper, who laughed.

“Yeah, that crap sounded better in my head. Sorry, but anyway, what do you do?”

“I’m a Fed. As in FBI, Harper,” Willow replied.

Harper’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth. Taillights clasped a hand over it.

Willow held a hand up. “Don’t bother,” she warned.

“Come on, before Willow starts digging your grave,” I said to Harper, who nodded and followed me and Willow into my office at the garage. Excited, I pulled up the laptop, threw the design into the projector, and let Harper look.

“Fuck,” Harper exclaimed and approached the large screen on the wall. He angled his head one way and another.

Willow

The design Fanatic was showing Harper was out of the world good, and I wondered if Fanatic realised that. Apart from his initial exclamation, Harper had gone quiet as Fanatic rotated the blueprint. Nitro and Taillights had stepped up and were examining it carefully.

“What specs this running to?” Nitro asked.

I tuned out as the four men began talking about engines and lord knows what else. For half an hour, they went back and forth before Harper nodded.

“You have a sale, my man, especially with that artwork. That’s the icing on the cake.”

Fanatic smiled, and I nearly did a happy dance. This meant big things for him.

“You got a year waiting list?” Nitro questioned.

“Yeah,” Fanatic answered.

“What if I give you twenty per cent more to bump me up?” Nitro asked.

“Generous offer, my man. But if I start games like that, my rep takes a hit. If you want a car from me, it’s worth waiting a year for,” Fanatic replied.

“Thirty,” Nitro pushed.

“Nope, no can do.”

“You’re honest. I’ll wait and put a fifty-k deposit down to secure my slot,” Nitro said.

“You were testing Fanatic?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah. A man’s integrity means a lot. Means I ain’t gotta take the car apart because I can’t trust him. If Fanatic says he’s put or done something, I know Fanatic isn’t bullshittin’ me,” Nitro responded.

“If Fanatic could be bought, then his shit might not be genuine,” Taillights replied.

Okay, I guess that made sense.

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