Page 76 of Mustang Summer

She fisted her hands on her hips because she was a damn adult and what she did in Moore was her business.“I’m seeing someone.”

“Are you serious?”Gage sputtered.“Are you dating aWalker?You’re not only seeing the people that put your brother away, but you let the car slip out of your hands for him.”

“Tell me that’s not true.”Bill’s voice shook with livid disbelief.

She hadn’t let the car slip away, she’d shoved it hard in a different direction.“Mr.Blackwell sold the car to Brock, yes.And yes, I knew that.”Refusing to drop her gaze, she stared down her dad.“You did not steal that car, did you?”

“It’s none of your damn business,” Bill shouted, his face red with anger—and something else.Anxiety?

Gage grunted and stared her down.“I knew that was your red Mustang in Moore.There shouldn’t have been a way to connect the theft to us, but since you’re hanging around the Walkers and your loser brother set their place on fire, the first person they’re going to look at is you.”

“But you stole it anyway?”He had to have seen her before he lifted the Shelby.She had been visiting her brother, and Gage had waited until Brock was gone to grab the trailer.All the guys had been at Travis’s house.He lived at the dead end past Brock’s place.They’d have never seen Gage going in or out.Even if they had, Gage had probably been savvy enough to use a covered trailer to conceal the Shelby.

Bill threw his hands up.“We need to pay Don Milton back in two months, Jo.That car is our paycheck.Gimme your phone.”

She hugged it to her chest.“What?Why?”

“So you can’t answer the damn thing when your boyfriend calls and asks where his car went.”

Three missed calls.Why’d she have to silence it?Her eyes wide, she gripped her phone like a lifeline.“Did you unhook the internet, too?”

Bill’s stolid gaze stayed on her as if,duh, of course he had.

“I’m twenty-six.You can’t take away my electronics.”

Gage snorted and she glared at him.

“He can when he pays for everything.Right, Bill?”Gage asked.

Bill glanced at Gage, then held his hand out and wiggled his chubby fingers.“You cost the company, Jo, and you cost us.The house doesn’t pay for itself, the cable isn’t free, and your stupid phone could ruin this plan.”

“I can just tell him it wasn’t me,” she argued, transported to her sixteen-year-old self when Bill had cornered her and said no more mechanic job, that she was resigned to bookwork.Then at eighteen when he’d told her what she was majoring in because he was paying her tuition.

“But you’re linked to him and that car.He’s going to call the police and because of your brother, they’ll look here first.”

“Won’t it look more suspicious if I don’t answer?”

Gage smirked.“It’ll look like you’re not interested anymore.Chicks do it all the time.”

“I don’t.”Brock would either think she was involved, or that she’d picked a deplorable way to break up with him.

How could she have left herself in a position where he had so much control?Let the garage take care of the car insurance.Let the garage take care of the phone bill.Work for the garage.It’s our bread and butter, might as well let it take care of you.He’d always held all the financial cards and if he’d cut her off, she’d have been no better off than Jesse.

Her hand shook as she handed over the phone.There were other ways to contact Brock; she’d figure it out.

And do what?Tell him it wasn’t her and risk Bill getting caught and thrown in jail?It was one thing to pass on the offer of the Shelby and risk the business, but another to lose her dad.If she turned him in, Milton would still be out some major currency and he’d expect to get paid.Would he come calling on her or Gage?

Her instincts said both, and Gage could worry about himself, but he’d sell her out before he let anything befall him.

Bill shoved the phone in his pocket, his expression grim.It was the same one she remembered as a teenager, the one that said,I’m sorry I have to do this, but it’s for your own good.“I don’t want you helping us with this.”

As if she would assist Bill in stealing not just from Brock, but from the Walkers.

“You can’t have your hands dirty.”He spoke fast, like the urgency of the situation was fully dawning on him.“We have to flip this thing fast and get it out of here.It’s only a matter of time before the police come.Changing the VIN won’t do any good.They’re going to find it too much of a coincidence we have a ’68 Shelby GT500 with no purchase papers.I’m going to find another chop shop to run it through.You’ll stay with Gage until I take care of this mess.”

He pivoted on his heel and walked away, fully expecting her to do his bidding.

“Stay with Gage?”The other man’s smug look made her arm twitch to punch him.“This isn’t the eighteen hundreds.I don’t need to be under a man’s watchful eye.”

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