AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Joey groans. “Aw, come on, Boss. I’m a mechanic, not a maid.”
I lean in, lowering my voice conspiratorially. “I’ll make it worth your while. How about a bonus? Say… double your day rate?”
Joey pretends to consider it, stroking his chin. “Make it triple, and you’ve got a deal.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Joey.” I laugh. “Alright, triple it is.”
Joey grins triumphantly and calls out to the other guys. “Hey, fellas, gather ‘round! Boss has got a special job for us!”
The other mechanics crowd around as Joey pops the trunk. The moment he does, the smell hits him like a truck. He recoils dramatically, holding his nose.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! What the hell died in here?”
The other guys start howling with laughter as Joey’s face contorts in disgust.
“Boss,” he says, his voice muffled behind his hand, “you’re gonna need to triple my salary for this one. No, make that quadruple!”
I can’t help but join in the laughter. “Sorry, Joey. A deal’s a deal. Triple rate, and I’ll throw in a bottle of the good stuff.”
“Make it two bottles,” Joey counters, “and I won’t ask any questions about why your trunk smells like a frat house bathroom.”
“Deal,” I agree, still chuckling.
As Joey reluctantly starts gathering cleaning supplies, Mike, another mechanic, sidles up to me.
“So, Boss,” he says, his voice low but eyes twinkling with mischief, “who’d you stuff in the trunk this time? Please tell me it was that asshole from the pizzeria who always skimps on the cheese.”
I give him a mock stern look. “Now, Mike, you know I don’t kiss and tell.”
This sets off another round of laughter and good-natured ribbing. I lean against a nearby car, soaking in the atmosphere. This shop, these guys—it’s a world away from the high-stakes negotiations and power plays of my other life. Here, I’m just the boss who occasionally brings in mysteriously soiled cars and pays well for discretion.
I watch as Joey starts hosing down the trunk, dramatically gagging the whole time.
“Alright, you fucks,” I call out, unable to keep the smile from my voice. “Show’s over. Back to work. And Joey?”
“Yeah, Boss?”
“Make sure you get in all the corners. I don’t want to smell even a hint of piss when you’re done.”
Joey salutes sarcastically. “Aye, aye, captain. Your piss-free chariot awaits.”
As I head to my office, the sounds of laughter and good-natured teasing follow me. Just another day at Angelo Pirelli’s car shop—where the cars are clean, the jokes are dirty, and the boss’s trunk sometimes smells like a port-a-potty.
But hey, that’s just business.
When I sit down at my desk, I pull out my phone and text Fee.
Went to the shop. I’ll be home late.
Fee’s response is almost immediate.
That’s fine. Shawn came over to see how we are doing, and Lou is now giving a dramatic re-enactment of her fight with Jake.
A laugh escapes my lips as I imagine Lou’s enthusiastic retelling of her victory. That kid’s got fucking spunk, that’s for sure.
I’m knee-deep in paperwork, juggling the delicate balance between our legitimate operations and the not-so-legal side of things, when my phone starts buzzing. The screen flashesRestrictedNumber, and I pause, my hand hovering over the device.
My gut tells me to ignore it. Unknown numbers rarely bring good news in my line of work. But curiosity gets the better of me. I clear my throat, adopting my best ‘don’t fuck with me’ voice, and answer.
