Page 30 of Dean

“Oh. I’m Bane.” He reaches his hand out, and I shake it. Ben is a little more hesitant. Though Bane doesn’t seem bothered by that. “Anthony told me about this place. Said it was the best and you don’t ask questions.”

“Anthony Costello?” Ben asks.

“Yes.” He eyes Ben and then me once more, taking a step forward and tucking his hands in his pockets. “Think we can work something out?”

“Let me get Dean and Ford. See what they think.”

The guy seems to sag slightly, and I can’t help but ask. “You have an interesting name? How did you get it?”

“Oh!” He perks up slightly. “I made it up myself.”

“Oh. That’s cool.”

He grins at me widely. “Itiscool. It’s why I picked it.”

I let out a small laugh and then throw a thumb over my shoulder. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

I walk farther into the shop and see Dean bending over the engine of a car, Ford standing next to him as they speak.

At that moment, I forget how to move, how to walk. I stumble forward, and Ford huffs in amusement.

“Avery’s here.”

Dean stands up so fast, he almost clips his head on the hood of the car.

“Shit,” he murmurs as he turns around and sees me standing there. “Hey.”

“Hi, I have a guy up front asking about a custom build. Anthony sent him.”

Both of their eyebrows rise and they stalk forward, putting me behind them. Almost as if to protect me. Not that I think Bane would harm anyone. He seems more of a golden retriever than anything.

And I know Anthony isn’t a great guy, that he operates in the gray, but this is a bit dramatic. Even for them.

When we approach Bane and Ben, the two of them talking like old friends, Bane stands up straight.

“Hello. I’ve heard so much about you.” His eyes slide over their bodies. “My, oh my, you are bothveryhot.” He fans his face, and I can’t help but chuckle. Theyarehot. Ben though, his lips are turned down and he’s blushing, almost angrily.

“I’d love a picture with you. Oh, you have nice veins.”

He steps toward Dean, and I move in front of him. It might be possessive, but I do it anyway.

Plus, I found him first. I’m not going to just let him be snatched away.

“Why don’t you tell them what you’d like?” I suggest.

Bane’s bottom lip juts out. “Right, well I was thinking a vehicle I can put…people in. And I’d like it blood red. Made entirely of bones…”

“And where would we get these bones?” Ford asks.

“Oh, I have…lots of props. They’re not real at all. Very fake. But it might take a while to find the exact ones I want.”

He waggles his eyebrows at us, and I can’t help but chuckle at how silly all of this is. When he walked in, I had no idea what he’d request.

“Right. Bones. And this is what you want your car built out of?”

“Yes, I was thinking kind of like a buggy, something compact but with a trunk…for…things that aren’t dead bodies.” He shifts on his feet and grins. “I totally don’t kill people in my free time. That would be crazy. And very illegal.”

Dean’s eyebrows rise, and Ford rolls his eyes. “All right. We can draw something up. You can come back in and we can discuss specifics. And we take a down payment beforehand for the build.”

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