Fuck, she knew she had me. I wasn’t always here full-time and if I wanted the shop to stay open, I needed her. Or I needed to hire someone else and frankly, the thought of training a new person sucked worse than putting up with Kendall’s surly ass. I shoved out of my chair and took care of business. Two hours later, I was working on one of my custom surfboard orders when Kendall sauntered into the workshop eating a muffin.
“These are fucking fantastic. Sparkle can bake her ass off.” She licked a finger.
I ran the planer over the board two more times. “I cut her loose.”
“Huh.” Kendall took the last bite then brushed her hands off. “Just as well, my ass was starting to get big.”
I checked the lines of the board. “Fishin’ for compliments now?”
She hopped up on the counter and crossed her legs. “With all the women you fuck, I would’ve thought you’d be more clued in.”
“If I ignore you, will you go away?” I checked my watch. Shit, the day was dragging.
“Got somewhere to be?” she asked knowingly.
“I’m running an errand at lunch. If you wanna get food, go now.” I went back to shaping the surfboard.
“I just ate.”
“Great,” I said absently, wondering what Siren was up to.
“So, how is she?”
I stopped what I was doing and looked pointedly at her. Black shiny hair to her shoulders with blunt bangs, doll face, hourglass figure, always dressed in leather, she was hot but she was also vicious. “What do you want, Kendall?”
“Is she safe?”
How the hell should I know? I was here. “Yes.”
“There’re some things you don’t know—”
I stopped her. “I’m not havin’ this conversation with you.” As much as I entrusted her with shit for the business, I didn’t begin to pretend to know what her motives were. And I didn’t want to hear what she had to say about Nic. Chances were it was tainted by Kendall’s hatred of all things people. Not to mention I wasn’t about to go down that road with her. Siren was off-limits. Kendall didn’t get to talk shit about her, period.
“Don’t you think you should know who Randy is?”
“A loser mechanic who beats his woman?”
The bell over the front door chimed.
“He’s protected, Talon,” she said soberly.
I inclined my head toward the front of the store. “Go take care of the customers. I can handle Carter and any protection Candle might throw his way.”
She shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I glanced at my watch again. Fuck this. I left all my tools out and headed to my office to grab my keys. I stuck my head in the main shop long enough to yell out to Kendall. “Call if you need me.”
Kendall waved me off as she rang up a customer.
I was in the Challenger, weaving in and out of midday traffic, when my phone rang. Glancing at the display, I cursed when I saw my home number. “What’s wrong, Siren?”
“Talon?” she asked tentatively.
“Yeah, darlin’. You okay?”
“I, um, I called the shop and Kendall gave me the number.”
“I should’ve left it with you. You okay?” My heart was pounding in my throat.
“Are you coming home?”
A pang of something hit my chest when she said home. “On my way now. Why?”
“He’s here.”
“What?” I stepped on the accelerator. “And you let him in?”
“No, of course not. I didn’t even answer the door but I think he knows I’m here.”
“Did you talk to him?” I heard banging in the background.
Siren’s voice dropped to a whisper. “No but he keeps knocking on the door.”
“Okay, hang tight. I’m almost there.”
“I didn’t mean to cause you trouble,” she said even quieter.
“What I’d say about that?”
“You said you would help me,” she admitted.
“That’s right, I offered. You didn’t cause me anythin’. I chose to help you. Got that?”
“Okay…I just didn’t think he’d find me here, at least not so fast.”
Fucking Kendall. “That’s my fault.” Goddamn it, that was a stupid move asking her to check into Randy. “I’m pullin’ in now. Where are you?”
“In the stairwell so he couldn’t see me. He was looking in the windows.”
“Go up to my room and stay there. I’ll see you as soon as I get rid of him.”
“Okay.”
I hung up and gunned it down the driveway. Randy’s piece-of-shit truck was blocking my garage but I didn’t see him anywhere. I threw the Challenger in park and jumped out. “What do you want, Carter?” I called out, slamming my door.