Rebel on the Run (Hot Rods)

by Rylon, Jayne

  Eli glared at Bryce from his place at the bar. “Rebel, this isn’t the time for your prejudices. Pack that shit away. I get now why you might have tried to distance yourself from everything that reminded you of where you came from, but there’s no need for that anymore. There never was. Hell, I think most of us would like to be classier if we just knew how. Don’t let a bad habit hurt Kaelyn. I know that isn’t what you want. But it’s what you’re gonna do if you’re not careful.”

  Fuck. Cobra was right. Bryce swallowed hard and abandoned his food, although he wanted to gulp it down like a Scooby snack without hardly chewing since it smelled so damn divine. Doubly infuriating since he felt like he’d have to find some fine silverware to do her meal justice.

  “I’m sorry, Kae. This is amazing. Perfect.” He touched her cheek a moment before leaning in to press his mouth to her parted lips. “You did great. I appreciate having something warm in my stomach before work.”

  “That’s what she said.” Holden couldn’t help but jump on that one.

  Sally smacked him upside the head and shushed him.

  Kaelyn pulled away from Bryce’s kiss, lacking the pliancy of the night before. “I swear, I wasn’t trying to show off or anything. I wanted to say thank you, and this is what I know. Stuff for parties. Or for my father’s guests. I’ve never made scrambled eggs. But I’ll figure it out for tomorrow.”

  “That’s not necessary.” His response was curt. Partially because she’d rejected the move he’d tried to put on her and also because the idea of her waiting on them didn’t sit right.

  “Hey, speak for yourself,” Kaige chimed in. “I loved breakfast, Kaelyn, and I’m happy to eat anything you’d like to cook, any time of the day or night. A man could starve to death around this place. I’m getting tired of pizza and takeout all the time.”

  “You must be getting old, Nova,” Alanso teased. “I could eat pizza for every meal.”

  “I’ve noticed.” Kaige poked his bald friend in the gut. “Careful or you’ll start looking like a pepperoni.”

  Al fought back. “Don’t you worry about my sausage. Besides, I do plenty to work it off.”

  Sally smiled wickedly at her husband and moaned softly.

  “Yeah, that too.” Alanso reached down and patted her ass. “But I mean real work. It’s getting loco downstairs. Speaking of… We’d better go open, Cobra.”

  Eli glanced at his watch, then shoveled more food in his face.

  “Maybe I could help out?” Kaelyn offered tentatively. “I’m not sure what I’m qualified to do, but I’m willing to learn. There must be grunt work like stocking stuff, or answering the phones, that anyone can do, right?”

  “You’re not our indentured servant.” Bryce couldn’t say why her meek offerings mashed his buttons so much. “Why don’t you rest? You didn’t get much sleep last night. Stay up here and relax. Maybe have a do over on that bath, minus the sparkle bomb someone planted. That wasn’t funny, by the way. Who bought that thing?”

  “I kind of liked the glitter-titties look.” Holden sighed, confirming the prankster had been at it again.

  Bryce threw his napkin at the bastard. He was turned away and so the smack of Kaelyn’s hand against his abdomen caught him off guard.

  “Fuck you, Rebel.” She didn’t even give him the satisfaction of hearing his name in her haughtiest tone, which probably would have made him hard as a rock. “I’ll do as I please. Just because I came to you with my problems doesn’t mean I can’t look out for myself.”

  Disgusted, she tossed the rest of her food in the garbage after a single bite.

  “Eli, I’m going to introduce myself to your dad.” She ignored Bryce as she pivoted toward the head of the garage. “It feels like the proper thing to do. After that, I’ll clean up the kitchen. Enjoy your breakfasts, okay?”

  “Sure, Kae.” Cobra smiled at her. “Make yourself at home. Do as much or little as you feel like. Anything is fine with me.”

  “Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek, got a wink from Alanso, and Mustang Sally squeezed her hand before she separated herself from the gang and went out the door, shutting it harder than was entirely necessary.

  “Way to go, Rebel.” Swinger crossed his arms. “Don’t fuck this up. I like your girl.”

  “I bet,” Bryce practically growled. “I saw exactly how much you liked her last night.”

  “You invited me in,” Holden reminded him. “Is it a problem that I think she’s sexy as hell and I can’t wait to have a chance to do more than embarrass myself on her fabulous, sparkling rack?”

  “Damn it.” Alanso pouted. “What did we miss out on?”

  Roman held Bryce back. Probably for the best since they didn’t have time for a fist fight this morning.

  “Only Rebel here reuniting with Kaelyn properly while I watched.” Swinger gloated a little, though not enough to be disrespectful. In fact, he seemed awed. Reverent. “She was glorious. And if he chases her away, I might go after her myself.”

  “The hell you will.” Bryce didn’t give a shit if all six of the other Hot Rod guys tried to immobilize him, they wouldn’t keep him from Kaelyn or from destroying anyone who tried.

  If only he’d given himself the same lecture.

  “I’m going to hit the shower, then get to work.” He rubbed his temples, finished his breakfast in three chomps then stormed off before someone could say something else to make his head explode.

  As he was walking away, he heard Kaige mutter, “And I thought I was the idiot with the temper.”

  Bryce had a lot to think about. He hoped manual labor would work off some of his frustration and maybe help suppress the hunger for Kaelyn that pesky pseudo-kiss hadn’t done shit to sate.

  Kaelyn knocked softly on the door to the cute cabin across the driveway from the Hot Rods garage. She was about to search for a doorbell when the door opened and a man who looked a lot more handsome and buff than she’d expected told her to come on in.

  “Wow.” She blinked a few times. “You look just like Eli. I mean, I know he’s your son, but…he’s a lucky guy if he turns into you in a few years.”

  Tom barked out a laugh. “Nice to meet you too, Ms. DuChamp. You’re a polite one for sure.”

  He didn’t offer to shake her hand. Instead, he wrapped her in a paternal hug that had her longing to lay her head on his shoulder. As she’d never done with her own father.

  “No, she’s a smart one. A good eye on her.” A middle-aged black woman sat at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea.

  “Please, call me Kaelyn,” she said to Tom before turning to his visitor. “But is this a bad time? I can come back. I didn’t know you had company and I don’t want to interrupt.”

  “There isn’t any such thing as a guest at Hot Rods. I’ve learned you just make yourself at home. Then you are.” The woman stood and shooed Kae toward their gathering before pouring her a cup of tea. “I’m Nola’s mom, in case you’re wondering.”

  “Ms. Brown.” Kaelyn smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too, lovely girl.” She passed Kaelyn the simple cup that held a delicious-smelling brew, then nudged a ceramic pot of honey toward her. A spoonful dissolved quickly in the rich amber liquid.

  “I wish it were under better circumstances.” Tom sighed. “We’d gotten lucky there for quite a few years. It seemed like my kids had put their troubles behind them. And now…”

  “I think the universe was waiting for them to be ready. They’re grown. They can hurdle these obstacles tossed in their way. You’ve proved that already, Tommy.”

  Tommy? Kaelyn giggled inside at how Ms. Brown handled the eldest Hot Rod.

  “I guess.” He scrubbed his hand through his hair, making his silvery spikes stand on end. “I’d rather be able to take care of it for them.”

  “You’ve raised them right. They’re equipped to deal with this stuff,” Ms. Brown promised him. “Look at Alanso, Sally and Kaige. They’re moving on after facing their pasts. The rest will do
fine battling their demons. And then everyone can go forward. Happy. Whole.”

  Though she spoke to Tom, she looked straight into Kaelyn’s eyes, broadcasting her message loud and clear.

  “She’s right about one thing for certain, Kaelyn.” Tom cleared his throat. “No one will hurt any of our Hot Rods under my watch. That includes you. I’m pretty sure your dad isn’t going to let you go as easily as Bryce’s dad did with him. You’re a loose end. There’s no way for him to explain where you’ve gone. He doesn’t have anything on you to hold over your head like he did Rebel. He’ll come for you.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “Should I leave before he gets here? I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”

  “Don’t you dare, child,” Ms. Brown snapped. “Let us help you. Tommy’s been collecting dirt on Bryce’s dad. And yours. They can’t be lifelong politicians and never have stepped in it somewhere. We’ll find something you can use to buy your freedom.”

  “I hope so.” She swallowed the last of her tea, letting it warm the chill in her core.

  More important now, she had to break loose. She wanted to stay. Here. With this amazing family. If they’d have her. At least long enough to come up with a long-term plan. If Bryce wasn’t flipping from hot to cold.

  He’d scorched her last night. And froze her this morning.

  The tea, and Tom’s concern, thawed her. Ms. Brown’s too.

  “It’s not only your father that’s upsetting you, is it?” Ms. Brown asked softly.

  “No.” Though ridiculous to spill her guts to near-strangers, they made it easy to confide in them. If the Hot Rods respected these two, she knew they were worthy of her trust. “I’m still in shock that I found Bryce again, I guess. So thrilled. But angry too. Part of me wants to kick him in the balls.”

  She put her hand over her mouth, embarrassed that she’d admitted it.

  “It’s a common occurrence around men.” Ms. Brown chuckled. “Especially ones you love.”

  “I don’t—” Okay, there was no point in denying that either. She’d loved Bryce since they were children. Except now, she might love him love him. Or could pretty easily if she wasn’t careful.

  “Look, Kaelyn. I’m gonna be blunt. I don’t know why certain crap happens in life, especially to good folks. But I wouldn’t pass up another shot with the woman I lost if I found out she was still around. Circumstances wouldn’t matter a damn. You’ve got something most people never get. More valuable than a thousand of your dad’s estates. Maybe there is such a thing as fate.” Tom blinked a few times. “For my sake, give it a chance. Give Bryce a chance.”

  “That’s good advice, honey.” Nola’s mom nodded. “I lost my husband young. Forever ago. It still hurts every day. I know what you felt when you thought your Rebel was gone. But if I had the chance for even one more second with my man, I’d take it. Time is not something you should waste.”

  Kaelyn brushed tears from her cheeks. She hated that she’d cried so much in the past week. Still, their truth was undeniable. “But he has to let me be who I need to be, not who he thinks I am.”

  “Those are details. You can work on showing him he’s being a dumbass.” Tom spoke to Kaelyn, but his hand snuck across his lap to Nola’s mom’s, as if her words had worked miracles on him too. “When you have that attraction to someone, it’d be a shame to waste it.”

  The sparks flying between Tom and Nola’s mom could have burned down the kitchen. Kae hoped that they took their own advice. Time was precious and, if what Bryce had confided in her last night was true, both of these lovely people had spent decades grieving.

  Sure, they’d had their families to raise. But now…

  “Hell, Ms. Brown, I don’t even know your name.” Tom shook his head with a wry grin. “But I never asked, and shushed you when you tried to tell me anyway, ’cause it kinda turns me on to call you Ms. Brown.”

  “Tom! Not in front of the girl.” Ms. Brown put a hand to her chest as if scandalized. However, the twinkle in her eyes proved she was teasing. “Wilhelmina.”

  Tom snorted at such an old-fashioned label for such a spunky lady.

  Ms. Brown snorted. “You can call me Willie. I know, I know, joke all you want.”

  “Willie Brown. It has a nice ring to it.” Tom smiled at her, edging closer on the bench seat of the table.

  “I think I should leave you two alone.” Kaelyn cleared her throat.

  Tom didn’t seem to notice as he stared at Nola’s mom, leaning in slightly until Kaelyn wondered if he was going to kiss the pretty older woman right then and there.

  “You come back any time, you hear?” Tom spoke to Kaelyn, though he didn’t glance away from Ms. Brown. “My door is always open for you or any of the rest of my kids.”

  “Our kids,” Ms. Brown corrected.

  “Thank you, Mr. London.”

  “Tom, remember?” he corrected, finally peeking at her with a devilish grin that reminded her a lot of Eli when he was near his soul mates. “And by ‘my door is always open’, I mean, unless it’s shut. Just for a little while.”

  “I’ve waited too long for this to last ‘a little while’.” Ms. Brown harrumphed then rested her palm on Tom’s cheek lightly so he knew she was only teasing.

  “O-kay.” Kaelyn laughed as she wrinkled her nose in mock disgust at the mushy display from the Hot Rods’ parental units. She normally wouldn’t have risked being rude to someone she’d barely met, but they’d put her completely at ease. She couldn’t wait to torment Nola and Eli with their parents’ escapades. “I’m going back to the house to take care of the mess I made of the kitchen. Then I guess I’ll be in the garage. Thanks for the chat.”

  “Anytime.” Nola’s mom repeated the offer this time. “Like…in a few hours. Come back this afternoon if Bryce still needs a kick in the pants.”

  Tom chuckled. Kaelyn hadn’t gotten the door closed entirely when he swooped in and seemed to be doing one hell of a job kissing Ms. Wilhelmina “Willie” Brown silly.

  Chapter Nine

  Kaelyn stacked invoices in a wire basket she’d dug out from a bin behind Eli’s desk, then used an old, stained cloth to dust the surface, now that she could see the whole thing. She perched on the chair behind it to admire her work. She liked sitting in the big leather monstrosity that was part of the head mechanic’s workspace. It looked like it’d come out of a fast car.

  Probably had.

  She taped a label to the bin then started organizing the already paid portion of the paperwork into folders she’d created by vendor. How they’d gotten anything accomplished in this sty left her baffled. Their skills under the hood must have been superb to compensate for the messy business side of things.

  Alanso sauntered in from the garage, probably looking for his husband. Or his wife. Or maybe both. “Joder, chica.”

  Spanish wasn’t a requirement to understand what he meant when he froze and winged a glance from the bare desktop to her then to the filing cabinets. As she looked around her, she hardly recognized the office from its previous clutter to this afternoon’s tidiness.

  “Um. Is it too much? Did I go overboard again?” She nibbled her lower lip as she considered what the place had looked like earlier this morning when Eli had rummaged around for a piece of paper. In need of something to do, she’d volunteered to search in his place. It’d taken her hours to unearth the receipt for a part he needed to exchange. So she’d gone ahead and started rearranging. The change was drastic, but she’d had a lot of nervous energy to work off.

  “It’s awesome. If Bryce doesn’t keep you, the rest of us will.” He winced when she didn’t laugh. “If Mustang was here, she’d have smacked me for that, I think. I didn’t mean it like your face tells me it sounded. He’s not loco enough to let you go, chica. Don’t trouble yourself with that.”

  How could she not let him off the hook when he tried so hard to reassure her? Kaelyn grinned. “I know what you meant. Anyway, I don’t care what Bryce thinks. I’m just hoping this is
helpful. I like to straighten stuff up. I’d be glad to work the front desk while I’m here. You know, take appointments, log shipments, do the billing, check people out…stuff like that. Help however I can. I’m not looking for a handout.”

  “First with the fancy cooking, and now this…” He smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “You’re going to be a huge help around the shop. I’ve felt worthless in my life before, Kae. You’re not. Not at all. Each of us came here with nothing. You’re no different than any of us. Just need some time to land on your feet. You’re doing a good job of it already. Cut Rebel some slack, huh? My guess is he’s afraid you’ll see working as a step down. He doesn’t have the greatest impression of rich people. I sort of understand why now. Not that I think he’s right when it comes to you or anything.”

  “What?” She sniffled as she stood. Could that be true?

  “I can speak for myself, Al.” Bryce must have been listening at the door for a bit. She hadn’t heard it open. He stepped inside and softened his rebuke by buffing the mechanic’s bald head before dropping his hand on Alanso’s shoulder, where tattoos hugged his bulging muscles on either side of a white sleeveless shirt that tucked into his unzipped coveralls. “But you’re not wrong. Mind if I take it from here.”

  “Go ahead, cabron.” Alanso shook his head. “I was screwing that to hell. I’m glad Cobra, Sally and me are out of those woods. Less talking, more fucking, that’s the way to clear up this mierda.” He mumbled to himself in Spanish as he wandered out into the garage and left them alone to work out their issues.

  “Sorry, Kaelyn.” Bryce grimaced.

  “For what? Barging in here, your friend’s crassness or for trying to put me up on a pedestal?” She couldn’t help her bitter almost-shout.

  “That last part.” He shrugged. “You’re going to have to get used to the guys and their dirty mouths, sorry. I don’t think I can train them any better than I can Buster McHightops, who pissed in Nova’s boot again this morning. And frankly, nothing is off limits to the Hot Rods or to you. So I’ll damn well show up whenever I like, often if you’re around.”