“Do what you have to do,” I tell the inspector. “Make it as fast and as quick as you can. I don’t have all the money in the world to close my doors for more than a few days.”
He nods and goes back to his van to get whatever the hell he needs out. I make up a sign, explaining that the café is close due to an emergency and then I look over at the garage, that is full of cars and motorbikes, ready for a full day’s work.
He’s not going to get away with this.
No.
He’s going to regret it.
I’ll make sure of it.
5
I SKID INTO THE DRIVEWAY leading up to Riggs’ garage, a garage that is only next door but I drove around the block before rolling in. With the help of Dom, I made sure I knew exactly what I was talking about when I came in here today. I’ll make the mother of all scenes, I’ll make sure it spreads far and wide that Riggs is doing dirty work in here, and nobody should come to his garage.
If he wants to have my business shut down, I’ll do the same kind of damage to his.
The lot is full, there are people waiting for their cars, enough that the scene I’m about to make won’t go unnoticed. They’ll tell their friends and the word will spread. Gossip in a town like this is an evil thing, and it’s something that I know for a fact will travel by the time I’ve even left the parking lot.
I squeal up to the entrance of an empty parking bay and slam my brakes on before getting out of the car and bellowing at the top of my lungs. “I want to speak to the manager! Immediately!”
All the heads of the people waiting turn toward me.
Hugh and Adan come out of the garage, covered in grease and oil, and they look at me with confused expressions. Hugh is the one to speak. “What are you doin’ here, Evelina? Can we help you with something?”
“You can help me alright,” I shout. “My car, the one you all fixed here, was flagged yesterday for having stolen parts. Stolen parts! I cannot believe you’d fix people’s cars with parts that don’t belong to you, how dare you. I could have been fined! Fined! What sort of business are you running here? I’m a woman, a single woman, I gave you my money and this is what you give me in return? How dare you.”
The two of them look confused.
Riggs walks out, clearly hearing the commotion, and when he sees me his eyes flash with rage. He storms over and stops in front of me, grabbing my arm. “What the fuck are you doin’?”
“Do not touch me! How dare you manhandle me,” I scream, jerking my arm out of his. “Is this how you treat your customers?”
His eyes flare and he leans in closer, hissing in my ear, “You fuckin’ stop, or so help me god ...”
“Are you threatening me?” I gasp, stepping back. “A customer you’ve done wrong by, and you’re threatening me ...”
His eyes widen, almost in shock. I press my hands over my face and begin sobbing. I learned when I was just a child how to sob on cue. You could say I have quite the flair for dramatics. I was born this way. I can’t help it.
A woman who is waiting for her car comes over and puts her arm around me, and I continue to sob and ramble about the poor service and how unfair it is being a single mother and trusting someone else to do the job right. She calms me down and then glares angrily at Riggs who is staring at me in utter shock. He actually looks surprised that I could pull this off so well.
He has no idea how well I did in drama at school.
“I demand a full refund,” I say, wiping my eyes. “I can’t believe you’d use stolen car parts on my car. Who does that?”
“Can I speak to you, alone, in the office,” Riggs says, voice tight.
“Are you ashamed of what you’ve done?” the old lady asks.
“I’d like to know, too,” a man growls from the seat outside the front doors.
“I’m not ashamed of anything, there has clearly been a misunderstanding,” Riggs says through gritted teeth. “I don’t use stolen parts and I’ll show you, if you’d like to see them in packages, from the company we purchased them from. Perhaps this was something put on by someone else, and the blame is being directed at me.”
“If that’s the case,” I say, swiping my eyes. “Why did you threaten me?”
“I didn’t fuckin’ threaten you,” Riggs growls.
“Sir,” the lady gasps, “how dare you speak to her like this! I won’t be bringing my car here again, terrible business.”
And there it is, all I need to put doubt in people’s minds about Cash Riggs and his business.
I give him a look that shows him just how pleased I am about this, and he looks like he’s about to explode.
“I need to go,” I say, exhaling sadly. “I have to find a mechanic to help me now. I hope you do better. I really do.”
With that, I turn on my heel and get into my car, driving out. I go around the block once more before parking in my apartment and getting out. By the time I reach the front door, the pounding from someone outside echoes through my living space.
“Open this fuckin’ door, you psycho bitch!”
He’s angry.
Oh, yes, he’s angry.
He should join the club.
I walk over and swing the door open to see a very angry, very red biker standing in my doorway. I cross my arms and raise my brows.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he roars. “That’s my business.”
“Your business?” I laugh bitterly. “What about my business? The one you sent a god damned inspector to and is now closed for onwards of two fucking days? What about that?”
He glares at me.
I glare right back.
“You want a war, you’ve fuckin’ got one. I was playin’ nice until now, I won’t be any more.”
“If this is a war, we need rules,” I say, crossing my arms. “You want me gone, I want you gone. Whoever wins leaves, but we don’t play dirty anymore.”
He narrows his eyes. “I’m not up for fuckin’ games.”
“Then leave, take your business, and go somewhere else. I don’t want you here. This has been my space for a long time, and I’ve worked hard for it. I don’t need you and your garage bringing that down, and it does. You’re loud, you’re rude, and I want you gone.”
He crosses his arms too. “Took me fuckin’ years to find a good space, I just moved my entire club and life here, I’m not leavin’. I’m also not changin’ the way I do things. We’re a club, we are what we are, we have a right to be there.”
“At the expense of everyone else’s sanity? I don’t think so. You want to stay, then keep it down, be respectful, and understand that you don’t own the god damned town.”
He leans in close, with a wild grin. “But I do, darlin’. That’s the problem.”
I want to slap that smirk right off his face.
“Then I’ll fight you, I’ll fight you every step of the way.”
“I’m not leavin’, so you want this little match, you got it. Name the rules.”
I didn’t think he’d actually go for it, I thought for sure after today he’d consider leaving. I was wrong.