Say It's Forever Read online

  “That’s it.”

  He shook his shaved blond head, a grin spreading to his face as he pushed the button to lower the lift.

  Brock had been the first mechanic I’d brought onto my team. Dude was quick with a wrench and possessed this natural instinct with diagnosing issues. Swore the asshole could get an engine that had been rusting for twenty years out in a deserted field to spark.

  He also ran his mouth twenty-four seven.

  “This a joke? A test? Or is business runnin’ dry and you’re getting desperate? Thought we were booked solid for a year?”

  Considering it was Saturday and we were all working double-time to keep up with the workload, the answer to that was obvious.

  “Helping out a friend,” I said, giving him a look that told him the reason the car was there was none of his concern.

  “She pretty?” he cracked.

  “That required to do something nice?” I growled. Had to restrain myself from punching the scrawny punk in his smug face. But that would probably lay him out for the week, and I needed him on a ’63 Ford pickup that was set to roll next month.

  He shrugged. “Hey, man, I just know what it takes to get a spot here, and you have me rollin’ up with an old sedan? You must be getting something out of it.”

  I ignored him, and instead, I turned my attention to watch as Darius made a left into the lot in his black pickup truck.

  Darius had only been with us for the last month. Guy was the opposite of Brock. Quiet and intense. Tatted and hard and nearly as big as me. Lost in thought most of the time, though he got the job done. He was a basic technician that’d come from one of the dealerships, but he was hungry to learn, and I was desperate for help.

  Like Brock had said, we were booked a solid year, and I was turning away clients left and right.

  Brock was moving to unlatch the chains on Salem’s car when Darius came to a stop and jumped out of his truck. “What’s going on?”

  He stormed across the lot, his attention locked on the sedan.

  Awesome.

  I was gonna get shit from him, too.

  Then I was stilling, tingles rushing my flesh as a shock of energy came blasting through the shop. As fierce as the storm from last night. I eased around to find Salem coming down the stairs from my loft above.

  The breath knocked from my lungs.

  Fuck me.

  This girl was even prettier than I’d remembered from last night.

  Crazy hot.

  Wicked sexy.

  Back in her clothes she’d been wearing last night, though her face was bare, and all that black hair was piled in a crazy knot on her head.

  Nothing but a perfect fantasy floating down from my loft.

  Figured it’d been the storm that had left that feeling zinging in the air, and it would have disappeared this morning.

  This connection that made me want to explore something I knew damned well I shouldn’t explore.

  Couldn’t explore.

  But it was there, pulling through the atmosphere, vibrating along this invisible band that had us tied.

  Neither of us could look away.

  Thunderbolt eyes speared me from across the space, piercing me through and holding me hostage.

  Wondered if anyone else noticed, the way we just fuckin’ stared.

  Tangled in a beat.

  Held in a moment.

  Something powerful lit in my veins.

  Need.

  Possession.

  Girl was nothing but an enchantress.

  Black-fuckin’-magic.

  Because what she had me feeling wasn’t possible.

  “Ah, she’s pretty, all right.” Brock spewing his bullshit broke me out of the spell. “Knew you had to be gettin’ something out of it, and that something is fine as hell.”

  Fuck the Ford.

  I started to go for him except Darius had me grinding on the brakes when he charged Salem’s direction, his footsteps enraged. He stopped halfway to her, right in the middle of us.

  His hands were clenched into fists as his attention darted between me and the girl.

  Swore, he had murder written in his expression.

  Knew that look well.

  He turned that venom on her. “Salem, the fuck are you doing here?”

  Well shit.

  She told me she didn’t have a man waiting on her, and I had a feeling that things had just gotten messy and fast.

  Had the urge to yank him back, stand between them, especially considering she’d come walking down like she’d been properly fucked when, unfortunately, that wasn’t even close to the way things had gone down.

  Except Salem rolled her eyes in annoyance as she hit the landing and strode our way. All fierce fire and stormy conviction. “I called you fifteen times and texted you more. My car broke down.”

  Darius’ eyes swept back to take in her car.

  Brock was standing beside it, dude grinning like the fuckin’ Joker, laughing under his breath as he took in the scene. No doubt, he was eating up the tension.

  The way Darius looked back at me like he was envisioning peeling the flesh from my bones.

  “Tried calling you this morning,” Darius grated, though he was still glaring at me when he said it.

  “My phone died, and I was asleep and safe because some nice guy stopped to help me in the middle of a downpour. That was it.”

  “I bet he helped her,” Brock needled.

  I spun and pointed at him, the threat whipping from my tongue. “One more, Brock, and I end you.”

  He laughed like it was hysterical.

  “Was about to lose my mind, Salem,” Darius grated, swiveling his focus to the girl.

  “Did my texts from last night come through this morning? The ones where I told you what happened and that I was fine?” Her voice was a challenge.

  “Yeah.” He seemed reluctant to admit it.

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “So, you knew I was okay?”

  He roughed a hand over his head. “Yeah.”

  “Then I’m pretty sure this anger is misplaced.”

  Coming to the quick decision of where to place it, Darius turned to glare at me.

  I pushed a placating hand toward him since the dude looked like he was about to snap. “Hey, man, had taken a ride and got caught in the storm. On my way back, I came upon her car over on Dawson. Shady as shit over there, you know that, and I wasn’t about to leave her by herself.”

  Didn’t really need to explain myself because I hadn’t done a thing wrong. His anger wasn’t on me. I’d had no clue Salem was with someone. On top of it, she hadn’t done anything wrong, either. She’d let someone help her. There was no crime in that.

  Wasn’t like she was betraying her man by seeking refuge under my roof.

  The fact the idea of her having a man coiled my guts in some kind of twisted, pissed off jealousy?

  Yeah.

  That one was on me.

  Except Salem was scoffing and cocking her head in offended disbelief.

  Wildcat claws coming out.

  Salem was fuckin’ hot in all that ferocity.

  “You don’t need to explain to my brother why you stopped to help me, Jud. We didn’t do anything wrong, and he has no right to act like we did.”

  She emphasized brother, and shit, was that a breath of relief that punched from my lungs?

  Why, yes. Yes, it was.

  Darius glared harder.

  Fuck.

  I scrubbed a palm over my face.

  He shifted back to her, voice full of condescension. “I’m sorry if I’m concerned that I roll up to work and my sister comes waltzing out of my boss’ apartment.”

  He was back to shooting daggers at me.

  Brock howled and rocked his hips. “Friend…just how friendly are you, Jud?”

  “One more word.” My finger was back to jabbing in his direction.

  Apparently, none of us were going to make it out alive because Salem was tossing her hand in t
he air, her outrage shifting to me. “And why is my car here?”

  Surprise lifted my brows. “Uh…because it’s broken down?”

  She lifted that scarred chin, and fuck, I was itching to reach out and touch it again. “I told you I can’t afford that.”

  “Didn’t ask you to. I’ll handle it.”

  She and Darius scoffed at the same time. Maybe I should have recognized the resemblance from the get-go. “I don’t think so,” they both said.

  Lord help me.

  I roughed both palms over my face. “I’m just trying to help out over here.”

  “Help—”

  The second Brock opened his mouth, I picked up a wrench and threw it at him before he could get it out. It hit him square in the chest and dropped him to his knees. Dude started rolling around on the shiny black concrete.

  Crying and laughing like the fool he was.

  He was lucky he was good.

  I turned back to Salem who looked like she was about to freak out right about then. She glanced at her brother. “Do you have time to give me a ride home?”

  He gave her a tight nod. “Yup. Just give me a second to take my things to my station.” He lifted the bag he’d dumped to the ground in front of him. “That is, if it’s okay with the boss?”

  There was a challenge in that, and hell, I thought I’d learned more about the guy in the last two minutes than I had since he started working here.

  I jutted my chin. “No problem.”

  “Good.” Salem spat it, then stormed on those heels out the open bay door and toward Darius’ truck.

  “Hey,” I called from behind her, unable to do anything but follow.

  Girl this gravity that I couldn’t shake.

  I needed to completely cut off this bullshit.

  But there I was, chasing her out into the bright light of the coming day, the ground damp and the air humid from last night’s storm.

  “What the hell?” I demanded when she refused to look back at me. “Salem. Wait.”

  I nearly stumbled when she whirled on me like a hurricane. “I’m not a charity case.”

  “Didn’t imply that you are.”

  She gestured wildly at the front of her car visible through the bay door. “Do you expect to get paid for that?”

  I rocked back on my heels and scratched the back of my neck, unsure of what the right answer was supposed to be here. “Uh, no.”

  Her head cocked to the side, voice hard. “Charity case. I told you last night that this place was going to be too much, and you hauled my car in, anyway?”

  “Everyone needs a little help every once in a while, Salem. Not a thing wrong with that. And if this is about what happened with your brother, he has to know you weren’t doing a walk of shame, that you—”

  She flew into my face.

  The words died on my tongue as that severity cracked.

  A whip.

  In a heartbeat, my guts were tangled in those thunderbolt eyes.

  She poked me in the chest. “Walk of shame? If I fucked you, it’d be because I wanted to, and I wouldn’t feel an ounce of shame, so you and my brother can both kiss my ass.”

  Uh…wow.

  I didn’t know if I should be turned on or offended.

  Visions hit me like a backhand of lust.

  Okay, fine.

  Definitely turned on, so there I went, easing in, my words rumbled near her ear. “Might like that. Don’t tempt me, enchantress.”

  Screeching, she tossed her hands up and stomped the rest of the way to Darius’ truck before she swung back to face me as she opened the door. “Fine, fix my car, Jud, but I will figure out a way to pay for it. I refuse to owe you anything.”

  She hopped in and slammed it shut, and I just stood there staring as Darius passed by, the dude eyeing me with outright distrust as he went.

  He climbed into the driver’s side and started the truck and whipped out of the lot, the loud engine roaring as he disappeared down the street.

  While I stood there wondering what the fuck had just happened.

  Laughter ripped from behind. “Whelp, there went your balls, boss.”

  I strode back into the shop, not bothering to tell Brock where to shove it.

  Not when I had the sinking feeling the motherfucker was right.

  FOUR

  SALEM

  Crap. Crap. Crap.

  I peered back at the huge industrial shop as Darius floored the accelerator out of the lot and sped down the road. The hulking man stood where I’d left him, his mouth gaping open in shock and a bit of hurt and something else that slipped beneath my skin like the kindling of flames.

  An old-seeded fire that had long died out that threatened to burst back to life.

  My stomach was in knots and my pulse thundered like an out-of-control freight train that blew into town. A coming disaster that I wasn’t sure I could derail. Because falling prey to what that man had to offer would likely destroy the bare semblance of any control I possessed.

  It was a promise of the type of recklessness I could not afford.

  Not to mention the fact that Darius was seething in his seat beside me. He white-knuckled the steering wheel as harsh breaths panted from his nose.

  “What the fuck, Salem?” he hissed as the building disappeared from view.

  My brow curled as I shifted my head to look at him. “Excuse me? I already told you that my car broke down and he stopped to help me. Do you have a problem with that?”

  I couldn’t keep the pissiness from my voice. He didn’t get to do this.

  His words were shards. “I was worried about you.”

  Uneasily, I readjusted my bag on my lap. “I tried to call you a bunch of times, Darius. Service was out for everyone. I was coming downstairs to ask him if I could borrow his phone to call you.”

  A grunt left him, and he pitched me a hard glance. “He’s my boss.”

  “Which I didn’t know, considering I just got here last week, and you never told me where you’re working. I thought you were still at the dealership?”

  He released a strained sigh, a wash of bashfulness softening his formidable features. “Didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure if it was going to work out. Not exactly qualified to be working there.”

  Tenderness pulled at my chest. “Of course, you are. Who wouldn’t want you working for them? I thought we didn’t keep secrets from each other?”

  He cut me a glance. “Don’t we?”

  There was an accusation there.

  “Darius.” Frustration laced his name.

  He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, he’s my boss and he’s—”

  “He’s what?” I challenged, defensiveness making a rebound.

  No, I might not know the guy, but the one thing I knew was he’d been kind.

  The thousand emotions I’d felt last night scattered through my consciousness.

  The cornerstone of a man I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

  Hard and cocky. Sweet and flirty. Overbearing and…dark. I guessed it was that layer hidden beneath that sexy smirk that held the power to knock me from my feet.

  It billowed through me then. The memory in the night. The feeling of not being alone when the torment came. Like the man could give me comfort in the storm that hit me night after night.

  I shook my head out of the stupor. God knew, those thoughts were dangerous.

  I couldn’t go there.

  But if I were being honest, I had to admit there was something about him.

  Something that compelled me to look closer. To touch and explore and feel. A piece that ached to come alive under those massive hands.

  Yeah. Definitely dangerous.

  Still, regret fluttered, shame at the way I’d reacted.

  Instead of thanking him, I’d blown up in his face.

  Darius seemed to war, peeking at me every couple of seconds as he flew down the street, his words controlled as he bit them out. “He’s my boss, Salem, and you need to stay away from h
im. Simple as that.”

  But it was the way my brother looked like he was about to snap the steering wheel from the dash that made me think it wasn’t so simple.

  The way his jaw locked, and rigidness took to his spine.

  His anxiety ripped through the air and banged through the cab.

  Slowing, he made a right into an old neighborhood. Here, the houses were quaint and modest, fronted by lawns and ancient, towering trees.

  Darius’ breaths filled the air.

  Anguish tightened my chest, but still, granite filled the words. “I took care of myself for four years, Darius. You can’t tell me who I can and cannot see.”

  Not with Jud. Not with anyone else.

  “And I barely got you back, Salem. You think I didn’t worry about you every second of every day? Do you think I wasn’t terrified? Do you think I didn’t know you were out there, fuckin’ scared and hiding for all that time?”

  He blanched with the admission. “Spent years not sleeping through the night. Not knowing how you were or where you were. Desperate for the rare calls you made to let us know you were safe. Having no way to change it or make it better. And now that we brought this family back together? I will do anything—absolutely anything—to make sure you two are safe.”

  Sadness swept through my being. “It’s not your responsibility, Darius.”

  Foreboding whispered through my consciousness. A warning that I’d been a fool, agreeing to come here. That maybe Darius was wrong. That it would never be time, and it would never be safe, and thinking it would only destroy us in the end.

  But there was no question Darius was right on one account. We would never find a normal life if we were running forever. Would never find peace or safety or stability.

  I owed her that. Wanted it more than anything.

  I had to take the chance.

  For her.

  Years had passed without a word or a trace, and I had to pray it was enough.

  Darius’ brow pinched as he made a left into the single drive of the house he’d been renting for the last three months. “It is my responsibility,” he countered, blowing out a sigh as he put his truck into park and shut off the engine.

  But he didn’t make a move to get out. Instead, he shifted, reached out, and set his hand on my arm. His voice tightened with the plea. “I need you to know that I will do anything to keep you safe, Salem. For you to have a good life. No matter the cost. It’s time.”