The Deeper We Get (The Harder I Fall #2)

by Jessica Gibson

  Just like all the other times, I talked myself out of it. I didn’t need any more drama, and Scarlet was drowning in it.

  Instead of driving home I rode around the city. I needed to find a job in a hurry or I was going to go crazy. I stopped at the first bike shop I found, just off some random street I couldn't remember the name of.

  The place was called Doyle’s. It felt like coming home, the sounds of tools clanging and the smell of oil.

  “What can I help you with?” asked a huge man in coveralls from the back of the shop.

  “You hiring?”

  He stepped out from behind the bike he was working on and wiped his hands on his pants. “Do you have experience?”

  “I do. I rebuilt my bike myself, and I worked at a shop in New York for over a year.”

  “New York huh? What are you doing here?” He eyed me suspiciously.

  “College.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “USC.”

  “Smart. I like smart. What do you want to work here for?” He narrowed his eyes.

  “I’ll go crazy if I don’t.” I shrugged.

  “I get that.” He tapped a finger on his thigh. “We aren’t hiring per say, but I guess we could take you on and see how it goes. Go on back to the office and fill out the paperwork and give my niece your schedule so we can get your hours set.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yep. If you rebuilt that Indian yourself there isn’t much more I need to know is there? I’m Frank Doyle.”

  “Chad Langer.” I shook his hand and followed him back to the office.

  “Okay, Scarlet will sort you out.”

  Scarlet. What were the odds that it was my Scarlet? She wasn’t my Scarlet, but I had begun to think of her that way.

  Sure enough, sitting behind the big desk was my Scarlet. She looked just as surprised to see me as I was her.

  “Everything okay?” Frank asked when he saw her expression.

  “Yeah. This is the guy who kicked the shit out of Max the other night and let me use his phone.”

  Frank turned to me. “You have my thanks for that. Max is a dipshit, and I’m hoping Scarlet’s finally come to her senses about him.” He shot her a look.

  Don’t stare at her. Don’t stare at her. She was so damn hot, more so than I had remembered.

  “I’ll leave you to it then.” Frank patted my shoulder on his way out.

  “Did you know I worked here?” she inquired suspiciously.

  “How the hell could I?”

  “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just...I’m embarrassed. That wasn’t one of my finest moments.”

  “I’ve been there. Don’t worry about it. Frank said something about papers to sign?” I pushed past the awkwardness.

  She got up and went to the big file cabinet on the other side of the room. I sucked in a breath—she was wearing tight, low slung jeans and a tank top that clung in all the right places. This girl was going to be trouble.

  Pull it together. You’ve been around hot girls before.

  She was saying something, but I hadn’t been paying attention. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I said, I need you to fill all of these out and then leave me the hours you can work. Look, is this going to be weird? Us working together?”

  “Why would it?”

  “I don’t know, you beat the crap out of my boyfriend for starters.”

  “So you’re still with him?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Complicated how?”

  “I barely know you, I don’t have to explain my relationship with to you.”

  “Hey, you started this conversation, not me. But if you want my opinion, you deserve better than some douchebag who hits you.”

  Her head snapped up. “Who said anything about him hitting me?”

  “I didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to see the signs. His whole demeanor toward you plus the bruises on your arms.”

  “God, you are straight to the point. No beating around the bush for you is there?”

  “Did you want me to dance around it and have both of us pretend we didn't know that I knew? This isn’t an episode of Friends, and I always shoot straight.”

  “Max is a jerk, but mostly harmless.”

  “Look, I don’t know you. You don't owe me any explanation. Just know that you’re worth more.”

  “How do you know? You just said you don't know me.”

  “I know because no one deserves to be hit. Ever.” I took the papers from her and left my school schedule on her desk.

  I walked back through the shop and yelled for Frank to call me when he knew the days he wanted me to work.

  School sucked. I hated it. All I wanted was to be in the garage working on bikes. I trudged through my first week of my classes—my only bright spots were work and the new boxing gym I joined by my apartment.

  Something in me craved violence. Boxing was a way to unleash the beast without getting in trouble for it.

  Today was a day I needed to fight. I needed to work out my aggression or I would explode. I signed in at the desk and waited for my turn in the ring. It was usually a first-come, first-served sort of deal.

  Wrapping my hands put me in sort of a Zen state. I knew what would come next, and I was hungry for it. Another guy sat next to me watching the sparring match and wrapping his hands. He was roughly my size and looked to be the same age. I hoped we sparred together because I had seen him in the ring before, and he looked like he would be fun to hit for five minutes.

  “You next up?” he asked.

  “I think so. There wasn’t anyone else on the list.”

  He nodded. “I guess we’re sparring.”

  “Looks like it.” I continued to wrap my hands, but inwardly I was smiling. This was going to be fun.

  We watched in silence until it was our turn, the tension vibrating off of me in waves. After a quick roll of my shoulders I stood up to enter the ring.

  “You both know the rules I assume,” the club trainer Sully asked from the corner.

  “Yeah.” I knocked gloves with my opponent, and the fight began.

  He circled around me, trying to find an opening to attack, but I didn’t give him one. I attacked first, landing blow after blow to his midsection. He knocked me away and managed to land a solid punch to my chin. Even with the head guard, I was knocked back. I grinned and launched at him, raining blows to his sides.

  It turned out we were pretty evenly matched, for every hit I got in, he got one back. By the end of the match we were both sweaty and tired.

  “Good fight, man.” He shook my hand once we had taken our gloves off.

  “You too.”

  “I’m Vin Trager.”

  “Chad Langer.”

  “I’ve seen you fight before, I was glad that we were paired up today.”

  “Same here. We’re evenly matched. I hate when it’s too easy, there’s no fun in that.”

  “Exactly. How long have you been boxing?”

  “The last four years or so, you?”

  “Most of my life. Sully is my uncle, so I grew up here.”

  “This place is a godsend for me, I just moved from New York a couple of weeks ago. I would have gone insane without boxing.”

  “I hear you man. What do you think of California so far?”

  “The jury’s still out. But it’s looking better now that I have this place and a job.”

  “You come for school?”

  “Yeah, going to USC.”

  “Good school.”

  “It’s okay. I’m not really the school type, but here I am anyway.”

  “I’m just going to grab some food, you want to come?”

  “I could eat.” This was what I needed, someone who I could let beat me up on a semi-regular basis and then go to dinner with afterwards. Vin seemed like he would fit the bill for me.

  “Meet you out back in ten.” He walked back to the office area, and I went to change in the locker room. />
  The shower was practically screaming my name when I walked through the door, but I settled for a quick rinse.

  Vin was waiting out back talking to a guy I’d seen around the gym.

  “Chad, this is my brother Ian.”

  I should have known they were related, they looked almost identical. Tall with dark hair and eyes.

  “Hey, nice to meet you.” I shook his hand.

  “I saw you in the ring with Vin today, you held your own. Not many around here can do that. I’m impressed.”

  “Thanks. Would it be cocky to say the same thing about myself?”

  “Nah man, just honest.” Ian grinned.

  “Let’s grab Mexican, I’m starving.” Vin started walking toward a big black Bronco.

  “I’ll follow you, I’ve got my bike.”

  We ate at some hole in the wall place a few blocks away. I had always liked Mexican food, but apparently what I had been eating all along wasn’t that. I got what they called a California burrito; with beans, cheese, carne asada, guacamole, rice, and french fries. Pretty much heaven rolled up in a huge warm tortilla.

  “How the hell have I lived this long and not had something like this?” I was in awe.

  “Dude, you’ve never lived in California. Besides Mexico, you won’t find more authentic Mexican food anywhere in the country. You’ll just get that Tex-Mex nonsense pretending to be authentic,” Vin responded.

  “You’re officially initiated into the state now.” Ian laughed.

  “What else do I need to try?”

  “I think the question really should be, what shouldn’t you try?”

  “I guess I have a lot of learning to do.” I laughed

  “No worries, we’ll teach you.” Ian grinned.

  “So you guys have lived here a long time?”

  “Born and raised,” Vin answered.

  “Must have been nice, to have the beach all year round.”

  “It gets cold here too.” Ian laughed. “You couldn’t pay me to go in the water after October, even with a wetsuit. That shit is ball freezing cold.”

  “So you surf? Or is that a stereotype?”

  “I used to surf, Ian still does. I’m more interested in boxing than waves.”

  “You’re looking at it wrong, it’s not so much the waves as it is the hot chicks who like to lay out on the sand,” Ian declared.

  “That’s one thing I will say about living here, you don’t have a shortage of beautiful women,” I smirked.

  “New York was hurting in the sex appeal?”

  “Who could tell, everyone was always covered up for months at a time, and in the summer months we were all sweaty.”

  They laughed.

  “Really though, we did all right. I never complained.” We spent the rest of the time laughing and joking around. I didn’t feel so out of place anymore. Maybe California wasn’t going to be as bad as it seemed, even if the sun did shine all the damned time.

  Just as we were getting ready to leave she walked in with another girl, looking entirely too appealing. My mouth dried up just looking at her. I needed distance from her, not to keep running into her wherever I went.

  “Hey, why am I not surprised to see you here?” Scarlet waved and came to hug Vin and Ian.

  “We had to show our boy Chad here the best food in town.” Vin nodded in my direction.

  Apparently Scarlet and the Trager brothers knew each other from somewhere.

  She smiled at me nervously. “Hey.” Her voice was soft.

  “Hey.”

  “You guys know each other?” Vin raised a brow.

  “We just met, Chad is working for Frank now.”

  I noticed she didn’t mention the encounter at the beach, not that I could blame her. “How do you all know each other?” I gestured to everyone around us.

  “We all went to high school together,” she answered. “This is my best friend Taryn.” She slung her arm around the skinny brunette she had walked in with.

  Taryn’s eyes widened and Scarlet elbowed her in the side. I wasn’t sure what that was all about but then again girls were weird sometimes.

  “Nice to meet you, I’m Chad.”

  “Yeah, I know who you are.” She giggled.

  Scarlet elbowed her again. “We’ll leave you guys alone.” She tugged Taryn away.

  “Why don’t you sit with us?” Ian scooted over to make room for the girls.

  Taryn whispered something to Scarlet who was rapidly shaking her head. Apparently Taryn won out because she slid in next to Ian and Scarlet slid in next to me.

  “I’m not stalking you, I swear,” she whispered, her eyes dancing with amusement.

  “Isn’t that normally what stalkers say?” I laughed. I tried not to notice the heat between us. There was something there and neither of us could deny it.

  Everyone was talking and laughing except for me and Scarlet. She seemed just as uncomfortable. We hadn’t exactly left things great the last time we saw each other.

  “I should probably get going.” I made a move to slide out of the booth, but Scarlet was there and all I accomplished was our legs smashing together.

  “Stay.” Scarlet smiled up at me.

  That single word, her soft voice, they made me want to do just that. “I can’t.” I wanted to, but she was already affecting me more than I wanted her to.

  “Okay.” Her smile faded, and she slipped out of the booth to let me up. “See you around I guess.”

  “Yeah, I’ll see you.” I pushed my arms through the sleeve of my jacket and waved to everyone else before leaving.

  This was not good, not good at all.

  Scarlet was everywhere, I couldn’t escape her. In the weeks since I started working at the garage she was always silently watching me, waiting for me to say or do some unknown thing. We hadn't spoken much since the night at the restaurant. She was hot as hell, but not what I needed. I made up my mind not to do anything about her. She was Frank’s niece, and I didn’t need that trouble. Besides the fact that she was still semi seeing Max. He had come by the shop a few times to pick her up.

  “Hey.”

  I looked up from the engine I was cleaning to find her standing with a hand on her hip.

  “What’s up?”

  “I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to get coffee or something later?” She looked nervous, chewing on her lower lip and barely making eye contact.

  “What about Max?”

  “What about him?” she shot back. There was that fiery temper I had only gotten a glimpse of before.

  “Last I checked you were still seeing him. I don’t need to be stepping into something like that.”

  “So he’s the only issue? You would say yes if he wasn’t in the picture?”

  “I didn’t say that.” I wiped my greasy hands on my coveralls.

  “Are you always such an ass?”

  “Mostly. Which is why you shouldn’t hang out with me.”

  “I think I can make my own decisions about that. So what do you say? Coffee later?”

  “You never answered my question.” I leaned against the counter.

  “He’s not in the picture anymore.”

  “For how long?”

  “Pretty much since the night you kicked the crap out of him. It just took a while to really end it.” She crossed her arms, allowing me a glimpse of her cleavage.

  “How does Frank feel about you dating guys from the shop?”

  “He doesn’t really get to say who I do and don’t date. Besides, he likes you.”

  “I’m not saying yes to a date, I’m saying okay to coffee, that’s it.” I knew I was making a mistake. My head was screaming at me to say no—to run the other direction and not look back. But the other part of me, the part that resided behind a zipper a little to the south of my brain was saying yes. And unfortunately for me, that was the voice I listened to most of the time.

  “I wasn’t asking you on a date, just coffee. I’ll see you after work.” I watched her walk a
way, enjoying the sway of her hips and the way her ass looked in the tight jeans she wore.

  Frank eyed me from the other side of the shop, but he didn’t say anything. I went back to cleaning the engine and tried to forget about how much trouble I was getting myself into.

  That didn’t happen, because Scarlet made sure to walk by me every chance she got. She had questions about forms or needed to know the part number on something. She used any excuse she could find to interact with me.

  By the end of the day I could see how agitated Frank was by the whole situation.

  “Langer, in my office,” he called from the back.

  Shit. “Coming.” I finished cleaning up my space and trudged back to talk to him.

  “Sit please.” He looked tired.

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, well...No you didn’t do anything wrong at work. You do a great job here. The thing is, well, the thing is Scarlet.”

  “We’re just getting coffee, nothing else.”

  “She seems tough, but she’s not. She’s been through a hell of a lot in her life, and I’d hate to see her hurt again.”

  “I don’t want to hurt her, if I had wanted that I would have let Max finish what he started at the beach.”

  His jaw tightened. “Watch your step Chad. I will only put up with so much when it comes to her. You seem like a good kid, just know that I’ll be watching, always watching.”

  “You’re okay with this then?”

  “I didn't say that. Scarlet’s old enough to decide who she wants to date, I haven't been able to say much about it since she was seventeen. Just be careful with her, that’s all.”

  “I can promise you I will. I told her this was a bad idea, but she wasn’t having any of it.”

  “She never is.” He laughed.

  I was happy the tension had been relieved. I like this job a lot and didn’t want to lose it.

  “We good?”

  “Yeah, we’re good. Get out of here and have a good night.”

  “Will do. See you in a few days.”

  She was waiting for me out back when I walked out into the twilight air.