Sentinel - Devil Riders MC Book 1 (MC Romance Novel with FREE Bonus Novel!) (19 page)

Chapter Two

Tess

Tess pulled into the little parking lot a little while after 1pm. Checking her GPS to make sure she had the right place, she took a moment to look around while she made sure she had all the paperwork she needed.

It was, as usual, a brutally hot day - not a single cloud in the azure sky, the sun beating down mercilessly. For now, here in the car with the air conditioner on full blast, Tess was pretty comfortable, but she knew from experience that as soon as she stepped outside it would be a whole different story.

Mike’s place was a beat-up old shop on the outskirts of town - the small parking lot was cracked and overgrown, and the little sign above the door was faded and barely readable. Tess couldn’t see anybody around, and she wasn’t even sure that the place was open at all.

She decided to walk over and take a closer look, hoping that she hadn’t driven all this way out into the desert for nothing. It wouldn’t be the first time a parolee had flaked out on her.

She grabbed her briefcase, and, bracing herself for the heat, stepped out of the car. It immediately hit her in a wave that took her breath away. No matter how long she lived here, she knew that she’d never get used to the heat of the desert in summer.

Shading her eyes with one hand, Tess walked quickly over to the building, scanning for any signs of movement or activity. By the time she reached the entrance, her white blouse was stuck to her skin and sweat beaded her brow.

She felt sticky and uncomfortable, but there was nothing for it. Tess peered into the cool darkness of the workshop. Once her eyes had adjusted, she found herself standing in a dirty and messy space. A couple of cars in various states of disassembly were there, along with tools and other detritus scattered around.

“Hello? It’s Tess Bailey, from the California Probation Service. Is there anyone here?”

Silence. If there was anyone at the shop, it didn’t seem like they were out here. Tess turned to exit and look for another door out the front, when she heard the clanking sound of a tool dropping to the hard concrete floor.

She whirled back around, trying to locate the source of the noise.

“Is someone in here? I have an appointment to meet with the owner this afternoon.”

There was a scraping sound - it seemed to be coming from underneath one of the cars. Tess walked slowly over to it, leaned down and peered under the car. She exclaimed in shock as an oil and grease-smeared face peered back at her.

“Eli! Jesus Christ you scared me. Why didn’t you tell me you were in here when I came in?”

He rolled himself out from under the car and stood in front of her, stretching. Tess’ eyes were drawn to his flat stomach, peeking out from under the dirty white vest that he wore.

He just shrugged, infuriatingly.

Where Tess’ first reaction had been shock, her second was accusatory.

“Eli, I told you yesterday that you can’t start work until I’ve approved the job. You can get in serious trouble if I report that you started before I did my inspection.”

His eyes narrowed and his expression darkened.

“I wasn’t working. I was just taking a look.”

Tess rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

“Don’t bullshit me, Eli Flint. You think I was born yesterday?”

He reached over to one side and began wiping his hands with a filthy rag, then just shrugged again, staring directly into Tess’ eyes with that intense look of his.

“So write me up. I’ll find something else.”

Tess sighed.

“Look, Eli. I’m not gonna write you up. But I need you to work with me on this. Rules are rules, and I don’t have a choice but to follow them. You make my life easier, I can make yours easier. Are we on the same page here?”

He was silent for a moment, and then nodded brusquely.

“Mike’s in the office. Sleeping probably, lazy old bastard. Want me to go get him for you?”

Tess shook her head.

“No, you wait here. I need to meet with him in private.”

She turned to go back out the way she came, leaving Eli standing in the cool darkness of the workshop. Just as she was leaving, his voice called out from behind her.

“I promise not to touch these cars while you’re gone, Miss Bailey. Cross my heart.”

She looked back and he was standing there, a crooked smile on his face.

She opened her mouth to respond, then just shook her head and left him there. He was still smiling.

*****

Tess pushed open the door to the ‘office’. The glass was smeared with decades of dust and dirt, and she couldn’t even see inside. Once she actually went in, that turned out to be somewhat of a blessing.

The room was shabby and dilapidated. There was a ratty old couch and a grimy coffee table sitting next to it. The magazines that were scattered across it must have been years out of date, covered in a thin film of dust.

There were faded pictures on the walls, from what must have been the heyday of Mike’s Machine Shop. Gleaming muscle cars and huge powerful bikes, with smiling men standing around them.

The air conditioning unit was broken, and the only ventilation was a crappy little fan that gamely blew the hot air from one side of the room to another. Tess pushed her hair back out of her face, fantasising about the shower she was going to have once this day was over.

Who’d choose to live in god-damned desert, anyway?

“You the woman from the probation department?”

Tess jumped in surprise, for the second time since she’d arrived. She whirled around to see a scruffy-looking elderly guy sitting in a battered old leather chair behind the desk next to the door.

Don’t either of these guys know it’s rude to surprise people like that?

Gathering her wits, Tess approached him, flashing her ID card.

“Yes, that’s me. Tess Bailey, from the California Department of Corrections.”

He stood and extended a filthy hand, which Tess reluctantly shook. His hands were hard and calloused - the hands of a man who’d spent his life earning his living with them.

“Mike Wrentham. Take a seat, Tess. I hope you don’t mind if I call you Tess? I’m too old to bother with misters and misses. You can call me Mike.”

Tess looked at the seat he’d offered her. She sat on it gingerly - it looked about ready to collapse at any moment, but after an initial creak of protest it seemed steady enough.

Mike leaned forward and placed his hands on his desk.

“So. What do you need from me?”

Tess pulled out some paperwork from her folder and handed him a few sheets.

“I just need you to sign these, and I have a few questions for you too.”

Mike pulled a grimy pair of reading glasses from his pocket and pored over the paperwork for a few minutes. After he seemed satisfied, he signed them and handed them back to Tess. She checked them over, and then placed them back into her folder.

“Do you have any other employees, aside from Eli?”

Mike laughed softly, but it was more like a wheeze than any real amusement.

“Does it look like I do, Tess? The place is hardly buzzing with activity now, is it?”

Tess frowned, puzzled.

“Well, if there’s no work, why are you taking on Eli?”

Mike leaned back and fixed her with a look.

“I’m taking him on because he’s a good kid who just happened to get dealt a bad hand in life, and made some bad choices. We all make mistakes, Tess, it’s just that his were dumber than most.”

Mike sighed, and his eyes took on a faraway look, as if he was recalling some event from his past.

“I’ve known Eli his whole life - his grandmother, Grace...we used to have a thing, her and I. Way back. Now, it never came to anything, but we’ve always been friends since then. Eli’s parents died when he was just a little kid - he doesn’t even remember them at all. Grace has raised him ever since, and tried her best, too. But round here, there aren’t many opportunities for a kid like Eli.”

He shook his head.

“So when it turned out he’d joined Tex and those Sons of Flame bastards, I can’t say I was surprised. Disappointed, sure, but not surprised. They reel in these kids with promises of easy money and a wild lifestyle, but they don’t think twice before dropping them to the kerb, just like they did with Eli.”

Mike leaned forward once again and looked Tess earnestly in the eye.

“Eli’s a good man, Tess. Sure, I know that he comes across like a contrarian asshole when you meet him, and God knows he gets on my nerves, but he just wants to take care of his Grandma and put all this shit with the Sons of Flame behind him. If you give him the opportunity, he’ll show you what he can do. I guarantee it.”

Tess had sat silently, listening to the old man talk, and she knew he meant what he said. She barely knew Eli, but she also had that sense - that he was a good man just trying to put right the mistakes of his past.

“I understand you, Mike. I’m not here to try and get Eli to trip up. I honestly want everyone I work with to become productive, rehabilitated members of society. I can see how much you care for him, and I know how much this job means to him, so I’m going to sign it off and he can start tomorrow morning. I’ll file the paperwork this afternoon when I get back to the office.”

Mike smiled at her.

“You’re a good lady, Tess. Eli’s lucky he got assigned to you and not some jaded old asshole.”

Tess grinned back.

“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment Mike.”

She gathered all her things together and stood.

“I’ll see myself out. Try not to let Eli do any work today - he’s not officially allowed to do anything until tomorrow.”

Mike just looked at her - a look that said they both knew how ridiculous the request was, knowing Eli.

Before she left, Tess said, “I’ll go and give him the good news.”

Mike nodded in response, closed his eyes, and leaned back in chair once more.

Tess went back to the workshop, where Eli was waiting. He was studiously trying his best to look unconcerned and unruffled, but she could see the tension in his body as he awaited her decision.

“Well, I’ve spoken to Mike and he’s filled out all the paperwork, so you’re cleared to start work tomorrow, Eli.”

He visibly relaxed.

“Good. That’s all I want. To start working.”

You’re welcome,
Tess thought, but she didn’t say anything.

“Well, I’ve got a long drive back so I’m gonna get going. If you have any questions, you know how to contact me. Your next appointment with me is next month at the office, but I sometimes drop in on parolees in the workplace, just to make sure everything is going as it should.”

Eli nodded brusquely.

“You do that, Miss Bailey. You won’t find any problems with me.”

And with that, he turned back around and busied himself with some part or another on the workbench.

Tess felt more disappointed than she thought she should’ve that he wasn’t more grateful, happier. After all, he was just another case, amongst the dozens that she was currently dealing with.

But she thought about Eli Flint all the way back to the office. The enduring image was of him stretching, his taut muscles defined through his tight white shirt. She just couldn’t shake it from her mind.

Tess had never fallen for a ‘client’ before, and she told herself that she certainly wasn’t about to start now.

But there was just something…something about him…

*****

Chapter Three

Eli

Eli watched Tess walk back to her car. She was walking quickly and shading her face with her folder. He chuckled to himself - she’d been sweating just from the walk across the parking lot. He guessed she obviously didn’t spend much time out here in the desert.

She climbed into her car and pulled away quickly. Eli found himself feeling disappointed that she hadn’t looked back at him once she’d decided to leave, but immediately told himself to quit being so stupid.

She worked for the government, and she had the power to send him back to prison if he stepped out of line, so he’d keep her happy. For a little while back there he’d been afraid that she’d report him for working before she’d submitted her stupid paperwork, but he was grateful that she’d let it slide.

He had to admit that she was cute. Those pretty green eyes, the swell of her breasts underneath the white blouse she wore, and her wavy blond hair. In another world, in another situation, he might’ve even decided to do something about it. Ask her out for dinner; turn on a little bit of charm. But she was his probation officer. That was dangerous territory. She was the enemy.

He sighed and went back into the dim coolness of the workshop. It still felt weird, being able to go where he wanted, do what he felt like, whenever he felt like doing it.

The three years in prison had forced him to toughen up, to never show weakness, even for a moment. Those kinds of habits were hard to break. He knew that he was being rude to Tess, even as he was doing it. He just couldn’t help it; he couldn’t let those walls down, because bad things happened when you let your guard down.

After the events that day with Tex and the undercover police. Eli knew that he’d have a hard time trusting anyone again. Mike and his Grandma - that was it. He knew they’d always have his back, and he’d have theirs. Everyone else was a potential threat.

He hadn’t always been this way. When he was younger, before Tex had sweet-talked him into joining the Sons of Flame, Eli had gotten decent grades; he’d worked hard at school. But then he graduated, and there was no plan after that.

All the kids knew about the Sons of Flame. Sometimes you’d see them roaring through town on their bikes, chrome bodywork glinting in the scorching sunlight. The guys looked tough, like they didn’t fear anybody. Like they were untouchable.

And they had money. Sometimes they’d come over to where the kids hung out, and they’d offer money, just for little things. Take a message to this guy. Keep an eye on that house for the night. It was easy money, and Eli had taken it eagerly. Everyone knew that he was working for the Sons of Flame, and that meant he was untouchable, too.

That kind of power is intoxicating to a teenage boy without anything else going on, and, bit by bit, Eli had found himself working for Tex and the Sons of Flame more often. Eli remembered the day that Tex had formally invited him to join the gang. He wouldn’t just be an errand-boy any longer - he’d be a fully-fledged member.

And that meant a bike - a welcoming gift, from Tex himself. Eli had always wanted his own bike, so the day that Tex handed him the keys to the powerful machine, squatting there menacingly, had been one of the happiest days of Eli’s life.

But that happiness hadn’t lasted long.

From the outside, the lifestyle looked like everything a guy could dream of. Money, power, women, freedom.

Of course, it all came at a cost.

Eli had always told himself that there were some lines he wouldn’t cross. He wouldn’t hurt someone that he didn’t have a personal grievance with. He wouldn’t rob from those that couldn’t afford to lose it. And he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the safety of his Grandma.

Eli lowered himself back down to the ground in Mike’s workshop, lost in his memories as he started working on the car once more. His hands worked of their own accord, because his mind was miles away, years away.

He remembered the first time that he’d beaten someone up. He didn’t even know the guy, had never met him before. But the guy had reneged on a deal with Tex, and that just couldn’t be allowed to happen. Eli had tried to get Tex to ask someone else. After Eli’s first few protests, Tex’s demeanour had changed in an instant. His eyes had narrowed, and he’d stepped in close, right in Eli’s face, his hot breath sour and rancid.

“You don’t seem to understand me, boy,” he’d spat. “You’re the new kid. You’re fresh meat. I need you to show me how loyal you are. I need to know that you’ll do what needs to be done, when I
say
it needs to be done. You don’t want to find out what happens to people who don’t follow orders, Eli.”

Tex had stepped back a little.

“You understand?”

Eli had just nodded, aware of how dangerous Tex and the Sons could be.

“Y-yeah, Tex, I understand.”

The mark had been some overweight middle-aged shop owner. Eli and some of the more senior members had burst into his store, and Eli had beaten him down while the Sons looked on, watching to make sure he did it properly.

The guy had cried, had begged, but Eli beat him anyway. It was like he was a bystander, watching himself do it.

Once it was over, Shank had patted Eli on the back as they left.

“That’s it, boy. It gets easier with time, trust me.”

And he was right. It did get easier, every single time. And that was the most abhorrent thing of all, Eli came to realise.

He stopped working for a moment, returning to reality. He was ashamed of himself, ashamed of what he’d done. But that was all in the past now. He had a fresh start, he could move on, put all that shit behind him.

Eli tightened one last nut on the car, and checked his watch. It was time to go. He rolled himself back out from under the car, but when he emerged his face was level with a pair of boots. Big, bulky, black leather boots. And not just one pair, either. Three of them.

Eli would have recognized those boots anywhere, and his stomach twisted in fear and hatred and disgust. He looked up.

Tex stood there, arms crossed, an ugly smile on his scarred, weather-beaten face.

“Well, well, well,” the leader of the Sons of Flame drawled. “If it isn’t Eli Flint, out of the slammer early.”

He laughed, a dry sound utterly devoid of mirth.

“You behave yourself in there, boy? That why they let you out early, huh?”

Eli had spent a long time picturing this moment - the moment that he came face to face with Tex again. He’d abandoned him, left him to take the rap for that deal gone wrong. For the first year inside, Eli had told himself that he’d smash Tex’s face in, the first chance he got.

But as time went on, he mellowed out a little, got a bit more thoughtful. He had his Grandma to think about, after all.

Eli pulled himself to his feet and stood there, meeting Tex’s eyes without wavering.

“I don’t have anything to say to you.”

Eli said it simply and matter-of-fact, without any anger or any real emotion at all.

Tex looked around at his two companions, Shank and Nomad. His face was a caricature, exaggerated for effect.

“Well, boys, looks like we came all this way for nothing! Eli’s got nothin’ to say to us! And to think we bought him a little bouquet of flowers to welcome him home!”

He wheezed in laughter at his own crappy joke, and then turned back around to face Eli once more.

Eli had had enough - Tex and the Sons of Flame were in the past now, and he wanted nothing more to do with them.

“Get the fuck out, Tex. I mean it.”

For a second, Tex was actually speechless, his eyebrows raised in shock at Eli’s words. But just as quick, his eyes narrowed and that familiar, dangerous scowl encompassed his features.

“The fuck you say to me, boy?”

Eli stepped in close. His heart was pounding, sending adrenaline coursing through his veins.

“You abandoned me that day, Tex. You and Shank. After all that crap you used to talk about brotherhood, you just fucking left me there to take the fall. You never even looked back.”

Tex didn’t back down, and Eli saw that Shank and Nomad were tense, bristling and ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

“It’s just business, Eli,” Tex said. “Sometimes that’s how these things work out.”

“Business!” Eli exploded. “I’ve just spent three years in prison, you asshole! I get caught anywhere near you, and I go straight back inside.”

Eli turned around, disgust plain to see on his features.

“Just go, Tex, I’m asking you nicely. Leave me be. I got a job now, a fresh start. I’m leaving all that other shit behind me, and I ain’t looking back.”

Eli should never have turned his back, should have known exactly what Tex would do. He never saw the blow coming, until he was lying face down in a pool of sticky oil, stars dancing across his vision.

“You ain’t leaving
nothing
behind you, Eli - not until I say you can.”

Eli tried to struggle up onto his hands and knees, but a heavy kick to his stomach forced all the wind from his body.

“Stay down there while I’m talking to you, you insolent piece of shit!”

Tex was breathing heavily.

“I ain’t done with you, Eli Flint. The Sons of Flame ain’t done with you, neither. So you just keep that in mind. We’re gonna see each other again real soon.”

Through the fog of his pain, Eli heard the scuffs of their boots as the bikers moved away. Before they left, Tex spoke again.

“We been keepin’ an eye on that ol’ Grandma of yours Eli, while you were inside. Makin’ sure she’s been safe, you know. If you know what’s good for you and her, you won’t do anything stupid...I’d hate for anything to happen to such a sweet old lady.”

Eli staggered to his feet.

“If you lay a finger on her, Tex, I swear to God….”

Tex just laughed.

“Things ain’t gotta be like that, Eli. Just remember what I said. I’ll see you again
real
soon.”

The three bikers left, roaring away on their bikes as Eli slumped back down to the ground. His head was swimming and his stomach ached.

He should have known it wouldn’t be as easy as all that. It never was with Tex and the Sons of Flame.

*****