Page 107 of Call it Reckless

“You’re right. We’re not going to get anything extra done here. We might as well get the ball rolling so we can free those poor creatures sooner rather than later.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE

Bristol

“Have you been hearing any knocking sounds or other strange noises while you drive?” I asked Nick the next morning. My other guys were busy with previous appointments, but I wanted Nick out of my hair.

I had a hard time believing Reid was friends with him, but maybe as a guy, he didn’t notice how Nick kept staring at my chest, even in Reid’s house. There was something smarmy about him, though I couldn’t put my finger on it more than just his inappropriate looks.

I’d already run a computer diagnostic on the van’s engine, but even beforehand, I was sure he had a major issue going on.

His cheeks flushed a little pink. “Well, to be honest, I keep the music up pretty loud while I drive,” he confessed. “But now that I think about it, it seemed like it grew a little weak.”

“Any lights on the dashboard?”

“Yeah, but once I jumped the battery back in Chattanooga, I didn’t notice it. At least, not until I started up this side of the mountain.”

“Well, Mr. Rhodes, you have more than a dead battery. You have a bad alternator. Once it goes, your engine loses power. Eventually, it gives out altogether. It was already weak but putting it under the additional pressure of driving up inclines, it just wasn’t getting enough voltage.”

“And how long will it take to fix?”

“Once I get the part, it will only take a couple of hours.”

“Once you get the part?”

“Yep. Unfortunately, yours isn’t the only car that has had this problem in the last week. I’ve replaced two others, and my new order hasn’t come in yet. I’ll send one of my guys to the auto store in another town to get a new one, but it will take him a couple of hours to get it and get back. I’m afraid you just have bad timing. Fortunately, we have a great diner and some neat stores you can kill some time in. It’s not too bad of a walk, and the weather is nice.” There was no way I would offer him a ride.

“I don’t suppose I could talk you into—”

However he planned to finish that sentence, I wasn’t interested. “I’ll give you a call with an update.”

I headed back into the first bay where Chad was working. He ignored me as I passed. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be able to keep him unless he fixed his attitude. But for now, I couldn’t afford to be down another mechanic. But I was thinking maybe I needed to add another one or two and have them work in shifts. That way, I’d have an alternate to bring in if someone called out for any reason.

I was getting ready to write a new schedule to see how it would affect the hours I gave everyone when my cell rang.

“Hey. How’s it going?”

“Bri, we need to talk.”

“Reid, what’s the matter? Is Lex okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. Let me start again. I have a lot going on here, and I think I have a case about to break wide open.”

“Oh, well that’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes. But can we meet for lunch?”

I laughed. “Lunch? Again? Is this our new code for sex? This is going to become a habit, isn’t it?”

There was a moment of silence, then he chuckled. “I guess it did kind of sound like that, didn’t it? But no, I need to talk to you about something. It’s important, and I’d rather not do it over the phone.”

My heart froze. “If this is a breakup call, I’d rather you just do me the courtesy of saying it outright. Don’t waste my time trying to find a way to be nice about it because I guarantee, there won’t be anything nice about it.”

“What? No! Why would you go there? Is there something you’re worried about?”

I hesitated. “Well, no, but when a guy says, ‘we need to talk,’ it usually doesn’t end well.”

“This is why we should talk in person, but let me be very clear, I have no intention of breaking up.”

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