"Nope." I smiled. "And if you want one, it's gonna cost you a lot more than food and borrowed wheels."
"How much more?"
Truth time."Trust me, you can't afford it."
With an impish smile, she said, "You're awful cocky for someone looking for a job."
I felt my own lips twitch at the corners. "Andyou'reawful curious for someone who needs help."
Again, color rose to her cheeks. "Yeah, but it's not like I'm desperate." It was a lie – a pretty one, but a lie nonetheless. I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. Shewasdesperate, even if she was too proud to admit it.
When I said nothing, she kept talking. "I mean, sure, I need to hire someone, but this isreallystrange."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Stranger than Shark Bike?"
"Definitely." Her fingers twisted the hem of her shirt. "Just tell me, you're not hiding from the police or anything, are you?"
The question was too naïve to take seriously. "If I were, I wouldn't say."
She frowned. "Well, that's comforting."
Funny or not, I hadn't meant to worry her. "Trust me, I'm on nobody's wanted list."
She gave me a dubious look. "So you're harmless?"
I wouldn't gothatfar.I was no pussy.Still, I got the gist of her question. "Sure, why not?"
She studied my face. "That sounds like a dodge."
"Yeah, well…" I glanced around. "If someone's robbing the place, harmless isn't much help, is it?"
She made a scoffing sound. "We're not gonna get robbed."
"Good to know." I held her gaze. "So…am I hired?"
Something in her eyes flickered. It looked like hope with a dash of disbelief.
I kept my gaze locked on hers. "It's a real offer."
"Yeah, but why?" She tilted her head. "I mean, there's no training, no break room, no benefits package. And the hours aren't terrific. We're open six days a week…not thatyou'dhave to work that."
I didn'thaveto. Iwantedto. I had a whole month to kill, preferably away from the shithole that Ryder had stuffed me in. "Six is fine."
She blinked like she'd misheard. "Really?"
"Six, seven, whatever. I've got the time."
Judging from her face, she was still looking for the catch. "Tell me something. Do you even own a bike?"
I owned a bunch of them – just not the kind she thought. But why complicate things? "Sure. Just not here."
"But…do you know how to fix them?"
If she only knew. "I can manage."
"But there's a lot of grease," she said.
"So?"
