"Afternoon, Devil," Ransom nods, his cop eyes scanning the garage, taking in everything.
"Ransom. What brings you by?"
"Just thought I'd see how my boy's first day is going." His gaze lands on Keegan, who's gone pale but keeps working. "Hope he's not giving you any trouble."
"Kid's doing fine. Got good hands and pays attention."
Cap, the dumbass, decides this is the perfect time to open his mouth.
"Yeah, we're teaching him real good. Showing him all our... special techniques."
The way he says it, with that smirk, makes it sound like something it's not. Ransom's eyes narrow, and I can practically see his hackles rising.
"That so?" Ransom's voice drops to that cop tone that makes grown men nervous.
"Cap's just running his mouth," I say quickly. "Your boy's learning basic maintenance, nothing more."
Gus, Ransom's German Shepherd, starts sniffing around the garage with professional interest. The dog's trained to detect drugs, and while I know we're clean, it still makes everyone tense.
"Dad," Keegan finally speaks up, his voice steady despite his obvious embarrassment. "I'm doing fine. Devil's been teaching me about engines."
Ransom studies his son for a long moment, then nods.
"Good. You mind yourself and do what you're told."
"I will."
"Devil," Ransom turns back to me, "appreciate you giving him this opportunity. Kid needs to learn some real-world skills."
"No problem. He's welcome here as long as he wants to learn."
After Ransom and Gus leave, the tension slowly bleeds out of the room. Keegan goes back to his work, but I can see the red creeping up his neck.
"Don't let it get to you, kid," I tell him quietly. "Having a cop for a father isn't easy around here, but you're not him. You earn your place on your own merit."
"Thanks," he mutters. "Some of the guys seem to think I'm here to spy or something."
"Some of the guys are idiots. You just keep your head down, work hard, and prove them wrong."
The rest of the day passes without incident. Keegan throws himself into the work, and I have to admit, the kid's got potential. By closing time, even Cap seems to have warmed up to him a little.
As we're locking up, Dime approaches, looking nervous again.
"Wish me luck," he says.
"You don't need luck, brother. Just remember what I said—be honest."
The word honest sticks in my throat like broken glass. Here I am, giving advice about honesty while sitting on secrets that could destroy everything I care about.
As I watch Dime ride off to his date and Keegan get picked up by his dad, I can't shake the feeling that I'm standing at the edge of a cliff, and sooner or later, I'm going to have to jump.
Chapter 12
Dani
"So you had fun?" I'm asking Allison a couple of days later. "Did Dime kiss you?"
A blush creeps up her neck. "Yes, and he's damn good at it. We're planning on going out again later on this week. Am I crazy?" She asks over the video. "I'm getting involved with someone who is in a motorcycle club, that's totally not me, right?"
