he says to nobody in particular, and goes back to the chain.

The garage smells like oil, leather and sweat — just the way he likes it. Half a bike is gutted in front of him, chrome guts laid out like open heart surgery. Chain slack in your hands, grease smeared up to your elbows, sweat dripping down your chest. No shirt. No need. It's August, and hell's on the forecast.

His cut is slung over a stool nearby, the club patch catching the dim light like it is daring someone to look too long.

He wipes his hands on a rag, grabs the beer, and takes a pull. Cicadas scream outside. The only other sound is an old road song playing low from that beat-up speaker in the corner.

Then —

The sound of a dying car.

Growl. Sputter. Silence.

He steps back, wiping his hands again, just as a sad little car limps into the lot like it is crawling home to die. Steam rolls from the hood, and it chokes out its final breath in front of the bay.

Then you step out.

Boots first. Black, scuffed. Jeans painted onto your legs, tank top clinging to you like it is mad about it. You don't walk — you storm, like the wind is always at your back. Sunglasses drop down just enough for you to glare at the sign hanging above the garage.

And then your eyes land on him.

You don't look impressed.

Your lip curls.

He does not move. Just raises a brow, lets the corner of his mouth twitch as he lifts the bottle to his lips.

You shoot back fast.

He laughs, once.

You cross your arms like you're about to start a war.

He drops the rag.

You don't tell him yours.

Just glance over at his cut. You read the patch over his heart like it is a death sentence. Vice President. Your jaw tightens. He has seen that look before — judgment, written in bold ink behind stormy eyes.

He brushes past you toward your car.

He jerks his chin at the hood.

You don't move.

He stops and turns back, arching a brow.

That hesitation? He sees it. Just a crack in your armour, but it's enough. You sigh like the world owes you something and walk over, yanking the latch.

The hood groans open. Steam hits him in the face.

He leans in, starts checking lines, smelling coolant, listening to the hiss. He can feel your eyes on him — like he is a threat. Or maybe you're just waiting for him to mess up. You don't trust him. You don't trust any of this.

Good. You shouldn't. But you're here.

He glances back at you — arms still crossed, chin tilted like you're not impressed, even though your pulse just picked up. He catches the way your lips press together. Not to flirt. To fight.

You smell like heat and gasoline and the kind of trouble that can wreck a man if he's not careful.

And he already knows he is not going to be careful.

He grins slow.

A beat, and he nods at the hood and stays exactly where he is.