“Shakespeare?”
“She’s beautiful, and therefore to be wooed; She is woman, and therefore to be won.”
“Okay, Shakespeare, let’s get you into the car.”
“Saks, my name’s Saks.”
“Yes, Mr. Anthony Parks.”
With a grumble, Saks settled into the front seat of Chrissy’s hand-me-down Cadillac. She disappeared and the clack of her heels on the wood staircase rang through the parking lot. Then a door shut and her heels clattered on the steps. She tossed a backpack into the back of the car.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Lady things,” she said mysteriously.
“Uh-huh.” If he had more energy, he’d have pushed for more info. Instead, he decided she could tell him whatever she wanted.
“Look, I’m supposed to keep an eye on you. That doesn’t mean I can’t take a shower and change into something clean.”
“Don’t wear clothes on my account,” he said with a wicked smile on his lips. “It might facilitate my healing to see your beautiful body bounce around my apartment.”
“Oh, no, lover boy. No more excitement. Just rest and healing.”
“Crap. I need to call my boss.”
“Go ahead,” she said as she pulled the Caddy onto the road.
Saks pulled his cell phone from his jacket and called Luke. “Hey, Luke.”
“Saks?”
“I had an accident with the car last night.”
“What? You okay?” Luke’s alarmed voice slammed into Saks’ ear.
“Yeah. Fine. Sort of. It’s just the hood fell on my head and gave me a bit of a concussion. I’m not supposed to drive or work for a couple days.”
“Does it hurt?”
“What?”
“Your head. Because I can’t imagine anything hurting that hard head of yours.”
“Very funny,” said Saks dryly. Saks imagined Luke sitting at the desk of the bike shop, laughing his head off at the idea of the car hood hitting Saks. At least Saks’ predicament amused rather than annoyed him.
“I have a doctor’s note,” said Saks.
“Fuck a doctor’s note. You need a couple days, you got it. Gives me a good excuse to put an ad in the paper for your job.”
“Asshole.”
“Damn straight,” Luke said, laughing. “I might even hire George back.”
Now Luke was going too far. George was an FBI agent who wormed his way into the shop by an inflated résumé courtesy of his employers. When the investigation ended so did George’s employment. The guy was damned near useless at the shop.
“You’d do better to hire Pepper back.”
Oops. Now he knew he suffered brain damage. Pepper was another embedded agent, this time DEA, who actually could repair bikes. But while George was a mild annoyance, Pepper’s actions put both Saks and Luke’s wife in extreme danger. Pepper was persona non- grata at Central Valley Bike Repair, though he retained his membership in name only in the Spawn. Oakie wouldn’t move for a vote to remove him. As long as Pepper stayed away from the Spawn, Luke didn’t press the issue.