Damien (Slater Brothers #5)(23)

What the fuck?

I choked. “What?”

“Don’t worry, he was released without charge thanks to the landlord of the place not pressin’ charges.” Harley laughed, his shoulders shaking. “The fuckin’ eejit tried to use a fire escape as a back door after he was refused entry a third time. He ran from the security guards too but dropped like a fly when they tasered ’im.”

“He was tasered and arrested?” I asked, wide-eyed.

“Fainted and everythin’.” Harley cackled. “Don’t tell ’im I told you that; his ego is still sore about it.”

“I just spoke to ’im two nights ago, and he never mentioned anythin’.”

“And you won’t hear ’im speak a word. He made me and me da promise to never speak of it.”

“Your da?”

“He was with me when Date called me from the garda station.”

I facepalmed. “This week can’t get any worse.”

“Famous last words,” Harley murmured.

I was mad. Steaming bloody mad.

“Where is he?”

“Now, Alannah,” Harley said, raising his hands in front of his chest. “He only wanted to check on—”

I walked away from Harley, hearing him curse before he jogged to catch up with me.

“Dante Collins!” I hollered. “Where are you?”

He was across the shop, lifting a large piece of a car engine up into the air on a floor jack. He paused what he was doing, then looked over his shoulder, and when he saw me, he smiled. That smile slowly slid off his face as I approached him, and I wondered if he saw how mad I was, or if Harley was doing hand signals as he trailed along behind me.

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped at Dante when I came to a stop in front of him and thumped him in the chest. “Tasered and arrested? Are you naturally thick, Date, or were you born this way?”

“Born this way,” JJ and Gavin called out in unison from somewhere in the shop.

Dante rolled his eyes at his brothers before looking back at me.

“I needed to see you, to talk to you ... but since you made that impossible before our phone call, I had to go to extreme lengths.”

I scowled. “You’re lucky the owner of the buildin’ didn’t press charges.”

“The owner of the buildin’ is me future—”

“Your future reason for goin’ to prison if you try to break into his buildin’ again,” JJ all but shouted.

Dante cringed as he looked at his brother over my shoulder, before switching his gaze back to me. “What JJ said.”

“I don’t even want to know what you’re both talkin’ about,” I scowled, rubbing my temple with my fingers.

“Hey,” he said, stepping closer. “Everythin’ is okay. There’s no problem.”

I scoffed.

“Sex with you has caused me nothin’ but problems.”

Dante grinned devilishly. “It was worth it, though, right?”

I hated that I tried and failed to hide a smile.

“Are you here to see me?”

I shook my head. “To collect me car.”

“I finished replacin’ that diesel pump this mornin’ but give me five more minutes. I want to check the oil level on your car. I think it’s runnin’ low.”

Dante jogged over to my car and popped the bonnet. I stared at him and placed my hands on my hips. I scanned my eyes around the shop, keeping watch for Damien, but there were several cars and equipment that blocked my view. The garage’s extension meant the place was huge, but more space meant it had to be filled with something.

“Your body language is screamin’ how uncomfortable you are,” Harley murmured as he came to my side. “Relax.”

“How relaxed would you be if the lad you have history with worked with the lad you were sleepin’ with?”

Harley folded his arms over his chest. “Very uncomfortable, considerin’ I’m straight.”

I shoved a now laughing Harley away from me.

“You’re bloody hilarious.”

He came back to my side, slung his arm over my shoulder, and said, “Damien’s in the back room sortin’ new tools into the trolley drawers.”

Harley went over to Dante then and began doing God knows what with my car engine. I looked over at the doorway that led to the back of the shop, and before I could rationally think otherwise, I walked towards it. When I entered the room, I had to walk around large tool trolleys, but when I saw Damien’s white hair, my feet and my heart stopped. My eyes roamed over him. He had on black work trousers, the ones that had a million different pockets and hugged a man’s arse deliciously. He was wearing thick soled boots, and a fleece jumper with the shop logo on it. It was the only matching uniform item of clothing that the men in the shop wore.

I took a breath and said, “Damien?”

Instantly, he tensed and kept his back to me.

“Can I talk to you, please?”

He remained silent, tense and unmoving.

“I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now, but I’d be really grateful if we could talk. Please.”

Nothing.

“It’s okay,” I said, my shoulders sagging. “I get it.”