Page 5 of Diesel
“You the shop owner?”Diesel asked.
Sophie stiffened.“I ...yeah.I’m Sophie.”
Diesel stepped closer.His boots were heavy on the sidewalk, his presence somehow swallowing the space around them.He didn’t smile.Just looked at the shop, then back at her.
“You were inside when it happened?”Diesel asked, frowning.
She nodded.“I’d forgotten my wallet.They didn’t know I was there.”
He gave another tight nod, then turned to Tom.“We’ll find them,” Diesel said.
There was no bravado in his tone, no posturing.Just quiet certainty.
Sophie wasn’t sure whether that comforted or scared her more.
“Appreciate it,” Tom said, clapping Diesel on the shoulder like they were old friends.
They probably were.Sophie crossed her arms, trying to stay warm.She felt awkward suddenly—small, fragile in the face of all this male steel and confidence.
She wasn’t used to men like Diesel.He didn’t talk much.Didn’t fill the silence.Just watched the world like he was deciding whether it was worth fixing or burning down.Still...
Her eyes drifted to his hands.Calloused.Strong.The veins on his forearms visible beneath his sleeves.A scar peeked out from his jawline, but it wasn’t ugly.It added something rough and real to the harsh lines of his face.
She swallowed.No.Definitely not her type.But something in her chest fluttered anyway.Maybe it was adrenaline.Maybe it was just relief that someone, anyone, was finally on her side in this.
Tom turned to her.“You don’t have to go inside today.I’ll take care of cleanup once the cops finish their bit.”
Sophie shook her head.“No.I need to see it.I need to ...start fixing it.”
Diesel looked at her again and this time, his gaze softened just slightly.A flicker.Like maybe he understood.For reasons she couldn’t explain, Sophie found herself standing a little straighter.
****
Diesel pulled up toPetal & Stem just after six, the sky still dark enough that the streetlamps hadn’t shut off.His bike rumbled low beneath him, its familiar purr grounding him in a way nothing else could.
He killed the engine and kicked down the stand, dismounting with a smooth, practiced motion.Then he set about establishing his post.He had one folding camp chair, a thermos of black coffee, and a secondhand paperback he probably wouldn’t open.
He wasn’t here to read.The shop still looked like hell.Broken window boarded up.Police tape fluttering in the morning breeze like some half-hearted apology.Diesel scowled at the sight, then settled into the chair with a grunt, arms crossed, boots planted.
Tom hadn’t needed to explain.One look at the grainy, shaky, and useless security footage, and Diesel had known exactly what kind of cowards they were dealing with—hooded, fast, and reckless.Random or not, it didn’t matter.Someone had targeted this place, and that made it his problem now.
He didn’t owe much in this life, but he owed Beast.And Beast had made it clear that Sophie was under Sentinels’ protection now.
Diesel had worked worse details.Surveillance, escort jobs, back-alley retrievals.But sitting outside a flower shop like some kind of grizzled mall cop?It felt too ...quiet.
Around seven, the sun finally rose, lighting up the street in slow, golden strokes.Shops began to open.People walked dogs or jogged past him without making eye contact.
A couple cast him wary glances.He couldn’t blame them.With his size, his leather cut, and the scowl that rarely left his face, he wasn’t exactly approachable.Which was just how he liked it.
The shop door creaked open.Sophie stepped outside, carrying two cups of coffee.Diesel tensed before he could stop himself.He watched her involuntarily as she crossed the sidewalk toward him.Light sweater.Ponytail.That soft, natural look that didn't need effort to be beautiful.She was the kind of woman he’d always tried to keep at arm’s length.
“Morning,” she said, offering a tentative smile and holding out one of the cups.“Figured you might want something that didn’t taste like burnt tires.”
Diesel didn’t move.His first instinct was to brush her off.Polite but distant.That was the play.He didn’t do “friendly.”And he sure as hell didn’t do coffee with civilians.
“I’m good,” he said, nodding to the thermos beside his boot.
Sophie hesitated.Her fingers tightened on the cup for a second before she nodded and took a small step back.“Right.Sure.Well, if you change your mind, I’m inside.”
