Penance Read online

“The pleasure’s all mine… in more ways than one, Sass.” His eyebrows waggle up and down as I step closer and lean in planting a chaste kiss on his lips. “I’ll call you later,” he offers as I pull back and nod.

  “So you’re the dick spendin’ all his time with my girl?” a gruff voice calls out who I instantly recognize.

  I spin to see Dad stepping over to us as I plaster on the biggest of smiles while Sensei’s eyes widen. “Dad, I thought you’d be inside, or in the house doing… stuff?”

  He grunts out a snort as he places his hand on Sensei’s shoulder looking him up and down. “And miss this… no bloody way.”

  “Smokin’ Joe, I just want to say that I truly—”

  “Save it, kid. What are your intentions for my daughter?” he grunts.

  I roll my eyes. “Jesus, Dad.”

  Sensei shifts uncomfortably but puffs out his chest. “She’s a good woman, Joe. Do I know where we’re heading? Not entirely. But do I know I want her in my life, yes, sir.”

  Dad chuckles which then turns into a fit of coughing. I pat his back as I wince at him. “All I’m saying is that I want to be around for the wedding. You hearing me?”

  “Shit, Dad, you’re gonna scare the poor guy off.”

  Sensei smiles wide. “Sir, if you’re giving your blessing for me to be with Ayla, that means more to me than you know.”

  Dad stands taller and sighs. “Look, kid, all I know is she’s different whenever she’s around you. Don’t fuckin’ know why or what the hell it is about you. I certainly don’t see the appeal, but if my girl is happy, that’s all I fuckin’ want. You keep her happy, you keep me happy, we’re all damn happy… you understand?”

  Watching Sensei getting an earful from my dad, is not why he came to drop me off at work this morning, but he’s taking this shit so damn easily, almost like he’s been expecting it to happen at some stage. But hell, we haven’t even had this discussion ourselves, so him having it with my dad is kind of strange.

  “I understand. I’ll take care of her, don’t worry about that.”

  Warmth flows through me as I relax slightly looking at the ease in Sensei’s body language. He doesn’t seem uptight about this conversation at all unlike me.

  “Right, I’m gonna go do some actual work—”

  “Dad, you should be taking it easy—”

  “Spanner, I can rest when I’m dead.”

  I groan. “That’s what I’m worried about,” I mutter under my breath as he waddles off inside the garage as I turn back to Sensei.

  He smiles, and I pull my lips in together. “So… I had no idea that was coming.”

  He chuckles. “It’s fine, Sass. It was bound to happen one day. Better to get it out the way.”

  Raising my brow, I smirk. “You’re not angry?”

  He pulls me to him, a tingle shudders down my spine as I look into his eyes. “No, in fact, I like that Joe said it’s okay to go forward. Would have made it awkward if he’d said no.”

  Bobbing my head, I smile. “Okay, we’re going to discuss this more, but for now, I have to start work.”

  He nods. “Yes, good idea. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Okay… laters,” I chime as I hand him my helmet for him to put on. He slides it over his head and revs the bike as I step back, and he winks at me then slowly edges the bike around and takes off out of the garage and down the street with me watching his sexy ass as he rides away.

  Letting out a contented sigh, the unmistakable sound of the gravel crunching alerts me to two sets of feet coming up behind me. I already know who they are as they both step up. One arm loops over my shoulders pulling me to him, and I turn to see Bowie while Heath grins.

  “So are you two officially a thing now?” Heath asks.

  Raising my brow, I shrug because I don’t actually know. We’ve not had a discussion about being exclusive, but in my opinion, we probably should be. Maybe it’s too soon to be talking like that. But I guess after that discussion with Dad, it’s a step closer in that direction.

  “Wow! You should see how your face crinkles when you start thinking too hard, sis,” Bowie mocks as he pulls me closer to him in a teasing way.

  “Shut up! I don’t think we have an official title. But we’re hanging out and getting to know each other, I suppose.”

  Bowie chuckles. “That’s code for fucking, Heath.”

  Heath groans and punches Bowie in the arm as I sink further into myself. “Yeah, I got that part, dickhead. I don’t need the confirmation, though, thanks,” Heath grunts.

  “You’re so protective of me. Sensei’s a great guy, Heath. I promise you, if you got to know him, you’d really like him. I think you guys could be good friends.”

  “Well, bring him over one night, and I’ll make my own mind up... So Dad knows you’re seeing him?” Heath bursts my bubble.

  I grimace. “Yes, I don’t know how he gathered there’s something going on. But I guess he’s not blind.”

  “You need to figure out where you’re going with this, Ayla. Especially if this is more than just a fling.”

  I roll my eyes. “Fine! When did you become the fun police?”

  He chuckles. “When you started dating one percenters and going to their clubhouse all week.”

  Bowie snickers and I scoff. “They’re not like that. Sure, I assume they’re not completely aboveboard, but they’re not hardened criminals either, Heath. Dad wouldn’t work for them all these years if he thought they were scum, you know that.”

  “Oooh… she’s got you there, bro,” Bowie defends pulling me tighter to him almost in a headlock.

  Heath huffs and tilts his head. “Okay, you’re right. I’ll give him a chance. Bring him by the house so we can officially check him out, yeah?”

  Tensing slightly, I know exactly how that will go. They will test Sensei to see if he’s good enough for me. Mock him. Push him to breaking point. Fuck! But this will have to happen sooner or later, and I guess maybe it’s better to rip off the Band-Aid as it were. “Fine.”

  Bowie chuckles bringing his other hand up as he pulls me into a headlock and gives me a noogie. I try to fight him off smacking at his hand as Heath laughs at him. “Good choice, big sister.”

  “Get off me, you dumb fuck,” I call out as Bowie persists in tussling my hair while I continue to slap at his arms until he lets me go. I finally break free from him as both my brothers laugh and go to walk off.

  Heath turns back to look at me. “I want to meet him, Ayla… soon.”

  Groaning, I nod. “Okay. God, you’re like a dog with a bone, you’re so whiny.”

  He snorts and walks inside the garage while I smile and go about fixing up my hair as I follow in behind and step off to grab my job sheets for the day.

  Dad’s not in his office again, so I sink slightly. I wanted to talk to him more about Sensei, but I guess that will have to wait until later. Stepping up to the desk, I grab my sheet and look it over, seeing a busy day scheduled, but I smile loving the multitude of jobs cataloged on the sheet. As I turn around, the click of the door behind me startles me as Vince comes into view.

  Shit! I tense all over hating that he’s trying this on again.

  “Vince, good morning. Sorry, slick, I don’t have time to chat…”

  His gray eyes turn darker as a stern look comes over his face. The air in the room turns stale and frigid as an icy blast washes over my skin. The normal playful, flirty look from him is gone, and an intense hardness takes hold. Instantly, I feel uneasy as he looks me up and down. The urge to duck around behind Dad’s desk and grab some kind of weapon is seeming more like an obvious choice right now, but he takes a step closer stopping my plan as he shakes his head.

  “You know, Spanner, seeing you is always the highlight of my day.” His words are kind, but his voice is dark, laced with venom.

  I weakly smile. “Well, that’s nice… can I go now?”

  He steps closer again making me back up, my knees hitting the edge of Dad’s desk.


  “But, today it’s like you’re trying to make me angry… why would you do that?”

  Scrunching up my face in confusion as I let out a huff. “I… I don’t know what you mean.”

  He inches closer again making me have to sit back on the desk.

  Shit! Bad move. Now I’m trapped.

  “Riding in here with that idiot biker. You think I wouldn’t see that? You think I wouldn’t notice him?”

  I let out a loud scoff. “You think that’s any of your business?”

  Vince steps into my space placing his closed fist on the desk right beside my thigh. His face inches nearer to mine. Instinctively, I turn my nose up as his horrendous body odor assaults my senses, while his floppy blond hair falls into his face menacingly. “I think you’ve been playing your little games with me all this time, and you knew we were heading somewhere. But for you to be suddenly off with a biker… it’s bad manners, Spanner.”

  I scoff, suddenly feeling a litter braver. I thrust my hands forward and shove his chest making him stumble back as I jump from the desk and point a finger at him. “You think there was something going on between us? You’re insane, Vince! I’ve never once showed you any kind of reciprocated attraction. If anything, I thought I was quite clear on my feelings toward you, slick.”

  His lip curls up as he steps toward me again, but I stand firm, and he grits his teeth while glaring at me. “You think you can talk to me like that? You think you can backtrack when you clearly have mixed emotions running through you?”

  I shove him again. He takes a step back, but then when his eyes meet mine, there’s a fire burning there. My stomach sinks, and instantly I know I’m in trouble. I glance past him through the window to see Heath watching and making his way over. But then I look back to Vince—his eyes hard, stern, a bead of sweat running down his temple—he’s shaking his head.

  “I don’t have mixed emotions, Vince. I only have one emotion for you... impartial.”

  He grunts as his nostrils flare, and instantly I know I’ve done the wrong thing when he lunges for me, his hands thrusting out and wrapping around my neck quicker than I can react. His thick fingers latch tight around my throat, squeezing and blocking off my air supply as I fall back on the desk knocking things off. He lands on top of me, a vein in his forehead throbbing with the force of his attack as I cough, splutter, and claw at his hands trying like mad to get him off of me.

  As I hear the door slam open to a mass of yelling, it’s all masked through the ringing in my ears as I start to zone in and out. Gasping for air that simply isn’t coming as the firmness around my neck presses tighter and tighter. My head feels like it’s going to explode, my lungs burn, and the pain…

  My eyes close, and I stop struggling as I vaguely hear an “oomph.”

  Then, suddenly, the pressure is released.

  Pulling in a loud intake of air, I slump against the desk completely as I’m freed from his grasp. With my eyes closed, I hear commotion, but can’t focus on anything right now. I need to concentrate on breathing.

  In. Out.

  In. Out.

  I know someone’s above me. I realize they’re looking over me and assessing my neck, but I don’t know who. I know there’re multiple people in the room, but I don’t care, I just need oxygen.

  In. Out.

  In. Out.

  “Ayla,” a familiar voice softly speaks near my ear, and I slowly come back to the present as I try to focus on the voice. “Ayla… c’mon, sis, come back to us.” Bowie’s desperate voice is enough for me to open my eyes to see his scared ones looking back at me. His panting body is hunched over me as I sniff and look at him. He visibly relaxes as he brings his hand to my cheek and cups it. “You had me worried there for a moment.”

  “You, fucking little asshole, I knew Dad should have fired your ass,” I hear Heath snap as I slowly sit up from the desk with Bowie helping me. Heath’s sitting on top of Vince’s back who’s face down on the linoleum with Heath pulling one hand behind Vince’s back for good measure.

  “Smokin’ Joe’ll keep me on, I’m too much of an asset to lose. Plus, Spanner was asking for it,” Vince grunts out, and Heath pulls back further on his arm making Vince groan out in pain.

  Kyle, our apprentice, rushes in with Dad by his side. Dad opens his eyes wide taking in the scene before him. “What the ever-loving shit?”

  “Vince tried to strangle Ayla. We all saw it. Even from inside the garage workshop,” Kyle defends before any of us even need to.

  “He bloody what?” Dad almost screams and then his throat catches, and he lets out a loud cough.

  Even though I’m still having issues trying to pull in oxygen, I wince and look to Dad who rushes over moving his hands to my throat and running his fingers over the welts and bruising I know will be forming.

  “You. Fucking. Little. Shit. I only kept you on because you’re fucking good at your job, but now not only are ya bloody fired, but I’m calling the fucking cops on your ass, ya arrogant little son of a bitch,” Dad bursts out.

  “You can’t fire me, I’m the best there—” Vince is cut off while Heath smooshes Vince’s face further into the floor.

  “No one is irreplaceable, you mongrel. You’re gonna rot in jail for this. Come near my daughter again… I’ll fucking kill you myself. And if I don’t, my boys will. Then if they don’t succeed, I know a certain biker club that won’t hesitate to fucking come after ya. You’re safer in jail, lad.” Dad looks at me giving me a slight nod, and I smile.

  So he really is on team Sensei.

  Dad must have known about Sensei early on, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about it before this morning. I need to let Dad know I really like Sensei, and I’m hoping it goes somewhere, and that for me, this isn’t a fling. I don’t know how Sensei feels about it, of course, and I guess maybe I should find out, but for now, I’m happy with how our relationship is progressing.

  Vince seems to quiet down now that Dad has threatened him. Whether it’s from the threat of my family or of the motorcycle club coming after him, I’m not sure. But either way, I think Vince knows now that I’m a protected woman, and he realizes he can’t mess with me.

  There’s sounds of sirens in the distance, and I’m happy that someone in the garage called the cops on him. It gives me joy that the rest of my team backs me. There’s always one idiot, but now we’ll be removing him from our workplace, and it will be all the better for it. Vince will be gone, and I will feel one hundred percent comfortable at work. This, even though my throat is hurting, my head is pounding, and I feel weak, it will be a good thing.

  The squad car pulls into the yard and two officers, a man and a woman, stride into the garage. They step into the office to see Vince on the floor and raise their brows.

  “I’m going to guess this is the man who did the assaulting?” the male officer asks as he bends down with handcuffs and places them around Vince’s wrists behind his back.

  “This is bullshit! Fuck! Shouldn’t I be innocent until proven guilty?” Vince calls out.

  “We need to take you in for questioning,” the officer tells Vince.

  Heath stands while the officer pulls Vince to a standing position, his eyes instantly meet mine. My hard glare obviously rattles him because within seconds, he shakes his head and his eyes move away from mine.

  “You’re nothing but a worthless whore, Spanner, throwing your pussy around to anything that will take it. You disgust me.” He spits at my feet as the cop escorts him out of the office.

  I inhale sharply in anger as the female officer stays in the room with us. She looks at my throat and points at it with her pen. “My name’s Officer Olivia Grier. I need you to be honest with me, Ayla. Those marks on your throat, are they from him?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I splutter out in hoarse sounds. “He attacked me when I turned down his advances.”

  She nods and lets out a heavy breath like she was expecting that answer. “Okay. I’ll need you to come to the station to
make a statement, if you’re able. Are you feeling okay, or do you need to be looked over medically?” Her face gives off a hard edge, but her tone is actually caring.

  I wave my hand through the air. “I’m fine. I’d like to make a statement and press charges.”

  Wow! It really hurts to talk.

  It sounds breathy, raspy, and strained, and my throat feels scratchy.

  Heath and Bowie both shake their heads folding their arms at the same time like twins.

  “Ayla, you need to be checked out first, just to make sure you’re okay.” Heath’s eyes are determined, and Bowie’s are the same but show compassion.

  Dad steps in beside me and wraps his arm around me. “I would like to take my daughter to be checked out first. She’s stubborn, and won’t go of her own accord, but I want to make sure she’s okay and then bring her to the station. Is that acceptable, officer?”

  I click my tongue to the roof of my mouth in disapproval, but the officer nods and smiles. “I think that’s the best option, too. Best to be safe. We’ll see you at the station later.” She turns and walks out.

  Letting out a huff, I turn to Dad with a stern face. “I’m fine. Honestly! A little sore, a croaky voice and a killer headache, but I’m fine.”

  “Ayla, ya mean too much to us to simply let this go. Heath and Bowie will take ya to the hospital to have ya checked out, and then to the station if you’re okay. No arguments.”

  I groan. “You can’t be without three of your head mechanics today. No, sorry, I mean four because Vince is gone now, too.”

  Dad rubs the back of his neck with a slight cough. “Fine! Heath, you take Ayla. Bowie, you stay behind.”

  Bowie nods and leans in kissing my cheek, and I give him a smile. He walks off to get on with his work.

  Dad turns to Heath and gives him a stern glare. “Don’t let them talk her out of pressing charges.”

  Heath nods and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “Got it. Vince is going away. I’ll look after her, Dad. Don’t worry.”

  “Good, now get her to a bloody hospital,” Dad demands and then starts coughing.

  Now I know what it’s like not to be able to breathe, and even though I was compassionate before now I really feel for Dad even more. I hate he’s going through this. I wish I could help him, but then again, if he won’t help himself, there’s not much I can do.