CHAPTER 11

Asa

“The outside isn’t much to look at and the interior is trashed, but the engine is solid, and with a little love and care she could be a beauty.”

I pulled my head out of the window of the 1971 Chevy Nova I was considering buying and looked at Wheeler. I didn’t know him really well but Nash assured me he was a good guy and wouldn’t screw me over. Plus Rome had agreed to tag along with me while I looked at cars, and even with a squealing, blond toddler running around his legs, he still didn’t come across as a guy anyone wanted to mess with. Especially since he was considering sinking a healthy amount of cash into this garage in the near future. He was watching the baby like a hawk to make sure she didn’t grab anything off the greasy ground and put it into her mouth and texting on his phone. He wasn’t paying very much attention to me or the mechanic.

“I like it. She’s a classic.” Even with the rust on the body and the totally trashed interior.

Wheeler nodded and leaned against the fender. He was a little bit shorter than me, had shaggy auburn hair and wild ink on either side of his neck. He hadn’t said much but it was obvious he loved his cars and wouldn’t just let any Joe in off the street to take a gander at his inventory.

“I was going to save it for a project car, but I just got in an old Plymouth Wayfarer and that’s going to take some major work. I’d rather let the Nova go and sink the money into that.”

I nodded like I understood and appreciated his dilemma. I liked a nice car as much as the next guy, but really I just needed something that would run and get me from one place to the next. It was a far cry from how I used to look at a ride. Before the coma all I had cared about was the flash, the expense, and how I looked to others driving around in a car that cost more than some houses.

“How much do you want for it?” The engine was in good shape but in no way restored or souped up, so I was hoping he would be reasonable. Before he could answer, I was hit in the shins by a giggling little body that gazed up at me with gigantic blue eyes. RJ stuck her plump little arms up and stared at me until I hoisted her up off the ground. She laughed at me and reached out to poke my nose. She was the perfect mix of Rome and Cora. Now that she was mobile and talking, she was a complete handful.

Wheeler grinned at us and told me, “Five grand.”

It was more than I wanted to spend. I had it—I mean, I had practically zero expenses but buying the car meant less money to pay off my medical debt. RJ laughed again and used her tiny hands to pat my cheeks. She was singing some little baby song, and I couldn’t help but smile at her.

“Is that the best you can do?”

His light blue gaze shifted between me and the baby. A tiny smile pulled at his mouth and he dipped his chin down. “Normally I would stick hard and fast. But since you’re friends with Nash and the crew from the Marked, and the fact that RJ seems to dig you obviously means you’re a good guy, I’ll drop it down to forty-two hundred.”

RJ was too little to know any better, but I wasn’t about to tell Wheeler that. I shifted the little girl to the other side so he and I could shake on the price and looked at Rome as he suddenly appeared at my side. The baby instantly stuck her hands out and started chanting, “Da-Da-Da-Da,” as the large man relieved me of my fluffy bundle.

“You make a deal?” I nodded and so did Wheeler. Rome grunted his approval and turned to look at me. “I need to make a stop before we head back to the Bar. Is that all right?”

I couldn’t really argue. I hadn’t been sure if I was going to buy a car today or not, so it wasn’t like I was ready to take the Nova home this minute and I needed a ride back downtown. Wheeler and I exchanged information and I told him I would be in touch in the next couple of days. I really wanted to have a set of wheels locked down before Ayden showed up the following week for spring break.

I climbed up into Rome’s massive truck while he locked RJ down in her car seat, and asked him where we were going. He had been even more brooding and withdrawn than normal ever since we had watched the video of Avett taking the money out of the cash register behind the bar. I don’t know what she had said to the new bartender to make him think it was okay, but it was there in irrefutable proof that she had stolen the missing money right from under our noses. Rome had had a long talk with Brite about the situation, but Avett hadn’t shown back up at the Bar, so both of us had been spared the awkwardness of having to actually fire her. According to Rome, Brite was all for him filing charges against Avett, but Rome just couldn’t do it.