Page 106 of Total Shutdown

The best plan right now would be to walk away and cool off—I know it.

Fuck that.

“No, Cameron. I didn’t want the promotion because, believe it or not, I enjoy what I do—bringing bikes back to life and getting my hands dirty.”

I feel my phone buzz in the pocket of my overalls, but I ignore it, determined to have it out with this guy once and for all.

“You wouldn’t have been offered the job anyway,” I hear Cameron breathe quietly.

“I’m sorry. You might want to speak up so I can hear your bullshit,” I reply.

He sneers, his anger getting the better of him. “I said, ‘You wouldn’t have been offered the job anyway,’ since the owner knows how unpredictable you are.” He takes another step toward me. “That’s what I tried to warn your boyfriend about when he was here—that you like to use men and then drop them when you’re finished. A little like your life.” He scoffs again, only harder this time. “You were fired from your last job, and you’re this close to it happening again.” He pinches his thumb and forefinger together.

Right now, I have five hundred dollars left from my grandparents and around a hundred in my checking account. Altogether, that’s not enough to cover this month’s rent, but I’ve had it.

No one speaks to me like that. No one gets a chance to make me feel anything less than what I am—a fucking good person who’s kick-ass at my job.

I pull at the buttons of my overalls, and his eyes drop to my chest.

He’s a fucking pervert, even now.

“Let me save you from any further aggravation,boss. I quit.”

* * *

There’s only somuch comfort snacks and Richard Gere can bring. Okay, I don’t have a thing for him, but Julia Roberts? A queen.

I wonder what she would do in my position—no money, no job, and putting off a call to her landlord, asking for an extension on the rent. Vivian Ward would probably throw on her big-girl pants and sort her shit out, reminding herself that women don’t work for assholes with tiny-dick behavior.

I’m reaching across the couch to grab my phone when a couple of knocks stop me in my tracks, and I stare at my front door, confused as to who it is and how they got past the building entrance.

“Who is it?” I shout, already heading for the door and brushing pieces of popcorn from my Metallica shirt.

Attractive.

“The boyfriend you’ve been ignoring all day.” Sawyer’s voice filters in from the other side.

I grimace. I haven’t checked my phone since I felt it vibrate mid-Cameron conflict.

“I’m sorry,” I say, sliding the bolt across and pulling the door open.

Ugh, he looks glorious—all freshly showered with a backward Blades cap, dressed in gray sweats and a hoodie.

Sawyer immediately steps inside, kicking my door shut as his hands fall to my hips. He checks me over. “I’ve been going out of my mind. You didn’t reply to my texts, and then after practice, I called the garage, and Cameron told me he fired you?” He snarls, “What the fuck did he say to you? And,please,for the love of God, tell me that prick didn’t try to touch you because I will be in lockup so fucking fast.”

I hold up a hand, already feeling better for having my man around me. Even if he is a rambling mess. “Wait, he told you he got rid of me?” I burst out laughing. “He has some balls—I’ll give him that.”

All at once, Sawyer looks confused and relieved. “I thought he fired you because of me and what I’d said to him.” He flushes. “I told him to back the fuck off and stop making you work crazy hours. But you quit?”

I drop my head into his chest, nodding. “Yep. He was a prick to me and then rude about you, and that was the final straw.”

I choose not to tell Sawyer about the lecherous looks Cameron gave me; I don’t have the money for his bail.

I release a heavy sigh against him, worrying about where I’m going to find another job and lack of money taking hold of me. “I couldn’t work there anymore. I couldn’t stand to look at him, and he treated me like shit. I only held out as long as I did because I love what I do.” I inhale Sawyer’s clean scent, which eases some of the stress. “Trouble is, there aren’t a whole lot of Harley garages around town, and I’m going to struggle with paying my rent if I don’t find something soon.”

“Look at me, Collins,” Sawyer says softly.

I lift my head but keep my chin resting on his chest.