Page 9 of Untouchable

“Shit, um…” He runs his fingers through his hair, and my patience wears thinner with every second he doesn’t answer me.

I slap him on the back of the head. “Spit it out.”

He holds his arms out wide, a look of fear and frustration on his face. “Some guy, okay? He said it just stopped running while he was on the freeway and needed it looked at. He said he wasn’t from around here and that he needed it to be worked on by the best, so obviously I brought it here.” I contemplate for a minute what to do about it, then turn to face Ghost.

“Where was it?”

Ghost walks over to the bike and shows us. “Fell out of the saddle bags. I went to take them off so they wouldn’t get fucked up and the shit just fell on the ground.”

“Why the fuck would someone leave it there?” Bodine’s question is valid. No one in their right mind would leave this much fucking product on a bike.

“Put it back, exactly how it was when you found it, then call the number they left and tell them we can’t fix it. They can take it somewhere else, I don’t want this shit in my garage.”

“You got it, boss.” Bodine follows me back out onto the lot, my face is red with rage, and I know he can see it.

“Ace, I had no idea man. You know I’d never?—”

“It’s fine.” I roll my neck, trying to reel in some of my anger so it doesn’t come out directed at Bodine. “I know you wouldn’t. Come on, let’s go.” I’m fucking livid the whole ride back to the clubhouse. My garage is clean, always has been, always will be. So the fact that some dipshit with half a brain left a whole fucking brick in their bag, and it ended upon my desk, is really fucking my day up.

When we walk into the clubhouse, I walk straight behind the bar and pour myself a strong drink. Bodine walks up beside me, doing the same thing.

“Let’s keep today’s events between the two of us. Tell Mikey to keep his mouth shut about it too, until we get it handled.” He nods and takes his drink over to where Mikey is playing darts. I watch him lean in to talk in his ear, and Mikey’s nod of understanding. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a blur of light walk through the side door.

Katarina.

What the hell is she doing here? Lenny isn’t here right now, and she’s headed to the back rooms—somewhere she definitely shouldn’t be going. After finishing my drink, I head in the same direction. I look inside the gym first. Empty. Stopping next at the storage room. Also empty. The only other room is around the corner, and there’s no fucking way she’d be in there.

I stand fucking corrected.

I round the corner and see her standing in the threshold of my bedroom. I say nothing, simply watching her since I’ve not caught her attention yet. She stands there expressionless, just looking inside. Then, without a word, she turns to rush back down the hallway, her body slamming into mine when she does.

“Shit,” she mumbles when our bodies collide. I stand unmoving, my arms crossed over my chest.

“Looking for something, Little Reaper?” Her bright blue eyes grow wide, her cheeks bright with embarrassment.

She clears her throat. “I was looking for Bodine.”

My brows furrow. “In my room?”

She blinks a few times, turning her head back to look at the room while her ponytail whips me in the arm. The sweet smell of her shampoo fills my nose, and I breathe it in. It’s floral, soft—all the things she pretends she isn’t. “I…um. It used to be Bodine’s room. I guess I just forgot it wasn’t anymore.”

“You spend a lot of time in Bodine’s room before it was mine?”

Her cheeks deepen in color, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about her lack of an answer. “Is he here?” I feel the muscles in my jaw tighten as I think of Katarina and Bodine together. I look down at her, a picture of her I’ve never had before flashing in my mind. My tongue glides across my bottom lip before I bite it, forcing myself to destroy the image before it destroys me.

“Ace?” My eyes flick back up to hers, returning from the field trip they were on while roaming over her body.

I nod her in the direction of where I last saw Bodine, hearing a faint“Thank you”when she brushes past me. Fighting every instinct I have to turn around, I don’t watch her walk away. Instead, I walk into my room, shut the door behind me, and wonder what she saw when she looked inside.

CHAPTER 6

Katarina

“FRUIT PIZZA”

“Hey. Can I talk to you?” I grab Bodine’s arm, watching a look of surprise form when he sees me.

“Kat, hey! Yeah, of course.” I practically drag him out by his cuts, drawing a chuckle from him the whole way outside. “Slow down, kitty cat, you’ll break a claw,” he teases. I stop when we’re finally far enough away from any members to hear us.

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