Chapter 4

Rebeka walked into Steve’s Repair Shop at six in the morning with a cup of the strongest coffee in town in her hand. Steve looked up from the customer at the desk and waved. “Rebeka! You’re late!”

Rebeka glanced at the huge black man as she walked into the back office to grab her coveralls. “Yeah, well. I had…business to attend to. And I had to get my coffee.” She walked back out into the main area after pulling on the plain blue suit over her jeans and tee. “What’s in the shop that needs my touch?”

Steve grinned. “You mean, other than me? A few minor things that I’m letting the younger ones take care of. But don’t feel bad; I left a major oil leak just for you.”

“Grand. Let me go hurl. That’s just what I wanted to do with my morning.”

“Hey, ’Beka.” Steve rushed over to Rebeka just as she opened the door to the repair area. “Aren’t you supposed to have a suit?”

Rebeka grinned as she thought of the still sleeping form of Alex. “I ditched him. Man’s gotta sleep like a rock.”

Steve narrowed his eyes playfully. “You cheatin’ on me, hon?”

Rebeka laughed. “There’s nothing there for me to cheat on.”

Steve winced. “Ouch. Penalty. That was a hit below the belt.”

Rebeka grinned. “Shut up and do your job. Let me do mine.” With that, Rebeka stepped down into the shop and slammed the door in Steve’s face.

Still laughing, she walked around the shop and checked on the lower mechanics’ work, making small tweaks where needed and patting all of them on the back for the good work. By the time she was finished with that, the shop was buzzing with activity. Only the customers and Rebeka noticed Steve’s six brothers - equally as muscular - standing randomly throughout the shop. She, Steve, and the six of them were the only ones who knew that they were there for her protection. Just about everyone else ignored them.

The six lifts in the shop were full by eight. Rebeka had already fixed the “huge” oil leak, which had been barely dripping, and was working on the easy job of replacing a battery when Steve called her to the front. She wiped her greasy hands on her coveralls and followed Steve into the air-conditioned haven.

Steve gestured to a man standing in an elegant suit. “He wanted to see the head mechanic. Apparently he has a dire emergency that needs your immediate attention.”

Rebeka snorted. “They way he’s dressed, it’s probably a malfunctioning sensor or some bullshit like that. What snob comes into a shop in a suit?” She sighed. “I’ll go see what mister snooty needs.”

As she walked over to greet the customers, the phone rang.

- Under Fire -

Alex woke to an empty house. It was too quiet to be anything else.

Swearing viciously about a particular long-haired, blue-eyed, annoying woman, Alex searched the house and found a note confirming his suspicions.

Alex - Left for work. Number’s 562-8990. Be back around five. It’s Marta’s day off.

Still swearing, he called the number. The man who picked up had a bass voice that was warm and friendly, even over the phone to a stranger. “Steve’s Repair Shop, this is Steve, how can I lube you?”

“Is Rebeka there?” Alex forgot to keep the snarl out of his voice.

On the other end, Steve tensed. “She’s busy.” He glanced over at Rebeka’s slow walk to the customer. “Can I take your name and number; tell her to call you back?”

Alex growled. “Just tell her that Alex is going to kill her.” Alex slammed the phone back on the hook without waiting for a response.

Steve went to get his brothers.

- Under Fire -

Rebeka ambled up to the man in the suit, who was glancing at his watch in irritation. He spotted her and waved her over. “Excuse me, but that man that just went back out into the shop said that the head mechanic was coming. Do you happen to know where he is? I have a very important meeting to get to.”

Rebeka put on her best I’m-a-brunette-idiot smile. “Well, gee, mister. I’ve never known about a ‘he’ head mechanic.”

The man was obviously annoyed by Rebeka’s response. “Do you know where the head mechanic is?”

“Right in front of you,” Rebeka stated, dropping the idiot brunette act.

The man shook his head. “The real head mechanic. I have a very big problem with my Porsche.”

Rebeka smiled brightly and settled herself into the dumb brunette routine. “So you have a Porsche, too! I could probably fix whatever’s wrong with it, even without the head mechanic’s help!”

The man growled but glanced at his watch again and gave in. “Fine. But I’m getting a second opinion as soon as I have time to.” He turned and walked purposefully out of the door.

Rebeka laughed quietly as she walked to the door after him. A gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned to see Steve with two of his bigger brothers behind him. They both had wary eyes on the parking lot at Rebeka’s back.

The look in Steve’s eyes answered the question on the tip of her tongue. Panic clutched at her throat. Steve put a calming hand on her arm. “It’s just precaution, hon. You’re safe here.”

Rebeka nodded and clenched her shaky hands into fists at her sides before striding out of the door, her chin up in defiance to the memory of the man that shadowed her. The two brothers - Llamar and Krys - followed closely.

The man in the suit already had the hood up and was tapping his foot impatiently by the front door. He seemed relieved when he saw the two large black men flanking Rebeka, though he was more troubled when it was Rebeka’s nose that was pushed into the engine compartment and the two men stared around the parking lot.

Rebeka found the problem easily. One of the belts had worn thin. Once again, a small problem was blown out of proportion. When she began to laugh, the man went into such a frenzy that Lamar and Krys didn’t notice a black sedan pull into the parking lot or the man storm out of it.

- Under Fire -

Alex flung open the door to Steve’s Repair Shop and got curious looks from the customers seated within. A giant black man at the counter smiled cautiously but warmly at him. “Welcome to Steve’s. I’m Steve. Got a problem with your car?”

“Can I see Rebeka?”

The man’s smile faltered for a moment, then creased his features again. “What’s your name, just so she knows who she’s dealing with?”

“Alex.”

“Hold on just a minute.” Steve slid out from behind the counter and walked into the back, where Alex noticed a door. It opened to reveal six lifts, all full with cars. It closed behind Steve.

Alex left Steve to find Rebeka and took a quick survey of the room. It was small, though it fit a dozen chairs and a counter comfortably. The entire front of the main area was glass.

Alex was looking at the wall opposite the door to the shop when it opened silently and three men stepped into the room. Two split off and went to a second door to the right of the first one. After that door was quietly closed, Steve walked up to Alex and tapped him on the shoulder.

Steve smiled as warmly as he could. “Rebeka will join you in the back office shortly.”

Alex grunted in affirmation and followed Steve to the door that had been closed moments before. Steve opened it and shoved the unsuspecting Alex in, then closed it quickly behind him.

Alex spun into the darkness, every instinct telling him that he wasn’t alone in the crowded area. His suspicion was confirmed when he was tugged backward into a hard body. The cold prick of a knife hovered just below Alex’s hairline on the back of his neck, stilling even the thought of moving.

The lights flicked on, illuminating an office and a burly black man, the arms of another were what held Alex in place.

The one that had turned on the lights shoved his face into Alex’s. “So this’s the bastard that wants ta kill Miss Rebeka.”

“Kill her? What the hell are you talking about?” Alex frantically looked for an escape route. He found it when the door opened again.

Rebeka walked easily into the office, glancing around as if nothing was wrong. Her eyes landed on Alex, then widened. “Alex? What the hell are you doing here?”

The man in front behind Rebeka pushed Rebeka in, squeezed himself in, and then closed the door. Alex recognized him as Steve. Steve shot a disgusted look at Alex. “This is the asshole that called and threatened to kill you this morning.”

Rebeka shook her head. “That’s impossible. He’s my suit.”

Steve looked at Alex incredulously. “This wimp’s your suit?”

Alex snarled. “I wouldn’t be such a wimp if you got the fucking knife off of my neck. I like to keep my head on somedays.”

Rebeka waved to the man behind Alex. The knife was taken off of his neck and slid into some unknown pocket. Alex rubbed at the back of his neck. “I thought you didn’t want a bodyguard.”

Rebeka smiled at him. “These guys aren’t bodyguards. Bodyguards, as you have so eloquently shown us this morning, follow people around. Now if you’ll excuse me, oh paranoid one, I need to get back to work.” Rebeka turned and stormed out of the door.

Alex followed closely behind, chasing Rebeka into the shop and around the lifts. Several of the mechanics looked up from their work when Rebeka stormed past, but got back to work as when they saw the snarl plastered on her face.

“Rebeka, you should have told me where you were.”

“Why?” Rebeka continued walking toward an unknown destination. “I’m perfectly safe here, so why the hell should you care?”

“Safe? For the sake of all that’s holy, this place is wide open. Someone could easily kidnap you and no one would even notice.”

Rebeka stopped abruptly and spun on him with the ghost of a smile on her face. “Really. We don’t want any trouble here,” she said, raising her voice higher than was necessary.

All work in the shop stopped. Every hired hand immediately rushed to stand in front of Rebeka with weapons that varied from wrenches to blowtorches. Each face had a hardened look that spoke of loyalty to the woman they were protecting.

Alex threw his hands up in a gesture of peace. “I get the point, Rebeka.”

The group didn’t back off until Rebeka waved them off, and then they only did so reluctantly, shooting wary glances over their shoulders at Alex as they returned to their work.

The smile on Rebeka’s face had turned smug. “I rest my case.”

“So all of these people know who you are.”

Rebeka lowered her voice so that only Alex could hear. “What, do you think I’m stupid? Here I’m Rebeka Richey.” Alex noticed something dark flash in her eyes as she mentioned the name, then vanish. “Why don’t you go pack up your stuff and settle into the house. I’ll be fine until I get back.”

Alex considered arguing but decided against it. “Just one question. If they don’t know who you are, then why do they protect you?”

Rebeka smiled genuinely. “Because they know I’d do the same for them.”

Satisfied, Alex turned away and headed back for the sedan, ignoring the small niggling fear that she wasn’t as safe at Steve’s as she pretended to be.