Page 101 of Stuck with my Mechanic Daddies

I never thoughtI’d be the kind of guy standing outside a town hall, talking strategy like we were about to go to war. But here we were.

The people of Medford were gathering inside, their voices low, uneasy.

Normally, town meetings were about things like whether the fall festival should have a bigger pumpkin patch or if Old Man Carter’s chickens were a “public nuisance.”

But tonight?

Tonight, we weren’t talking about pumpkins or poultry.

We were talking about Hank Lawson. And how we were gonna stop him from gutting our town like a fish.

I crossed my arms, rocking back on my heels as I watched folks disappear through the double doors. My brothers stood beside me, all of us quiet, watching, waiting.

“This is a mistake,” Owen muttered, his jaw tight. “Lawson plays dirty. I don’t know if this will work.”

Ethan let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’re going tomakeit work.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, he won’t fuck with us twice.”

But we all knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

Lawson wasn’t gonna back off because we told him to. He was the kind of man who only understood power.

And right now, he had all of it.

“So how do we tackle this?” Ethan asked.

I shoved my hands in my pockets. “We make it personal.”

Owen frowned. “It’s already personal.”

“Not just for us,” I said. “For them.”

I gestured toward Main Street, toward the places that made Medford what it was. The Brewed Bean Cafe, where Samantha worked her ass off to keep her mom’s dream alive.

Sweet Maple Bakery, where Mrs. Cooper had been feeding this town since before I was born. The Starry Night Theater, where kids put on Christmas plays and old couples slow-danced during jazz nights.

“This isn’t just about us,” I went on. “Or Aurora. Or even Grady’s Auto. Lawson’s betting that people are too scared to fight back. That selling out is easier than standing up. We need to remind them what they’re fighting for.”

Ethan was quiet for a moment, his brows drawn together in thought. Then he nodded. “You're right. We need to get everyone on board, make them understand what's at stake.”

I felt a flicker of satisfaction until Owen cut in, his voice low.

“And what happens when Lawson decides he's done playing nice?”

A slow smirk pulled at my lips. “Then we stop playing nice, too.”

Ethan shot me a knowing look. “Mason.”

“I’m not saying we go picking fights,” I said, holding up my hands. “But I’m also not gonna sit around waiting for him to make the next move. We push back. We find out what he's really after. Aurora’s uncle didn’t just leave her the bookstore, there’s more to this, and Lawson knows it.”

Owen exhaled through his nose, rubbing his temple. “I hate that you might have a point.”

Ethan glanced back at the town hall doors, where the last stragglers were heading inside. “Then we’d better figure it out fast.”

I nodded. “Damn right.”

As we stepped into the building, I felt something I hadn't in a long time. A fight was coming. And for once, I wasn’t running from it.

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