Chapter 5 - Shadows at the Bay Door
The crash rattled the spare wheels stacked against the garage wall. Three men stepped out of the pouring rain and into the warmth of the workshop. They didn't wear tailored suits like Vance, nor stylish designer apparel like Julian. They wore distressed leather cuts, heavy combat boots, and chains swinging from their belts. Across the back of their leather vests was a crimson patch: The Iron Scrappers.
Julian took a sharp step backward, instinctively seeking shelter behind a rolling tool cart. Vance’s two bodyguards instantly shifted their stances, hands dipping beneath their jackets toward concealed holsters.
""Shop's closed,"" Vance said, his voice dropping into a hard, dangerous baritone. ""Take your business elsewhere.""
The man in the center stepped forward. He was massive, with a shaved head, grease embedded permanently under his knuckles, and a crooked nose that had been broken more than once. His cold blue eyes bypassed Vance, bypassed the armed guards, and locked directly onto Leo.
""He doesn't belong to you, suits,"" the man growled. ""Leo. Grab your bag. We’re going.""
Leo didn't run to him. Instead, he retreated two steps until his back hit the cold front bumper of the hypercar. His eyes, usually fierce, wide with fear. ""I don't work for you anymore, Grint. I paid off my dad’s tab last month. Every cent.""
""You paid the interest, kid,"" Grint sneered, taking another heavy step forward. The wet rubber of his boots squeaked against the clean epoxy floor. ""Your old man ran up sixty grand with our chop shop before he vanished into the wind. A few crates of copper wire and scrap alternators don't clear that ledger.""
""He's a minor,"" Vance interjected smoothly, raising a hand to signal his guards to hold fire. ""Whatever debt his father left behind died with his departure. And right now, the boy is under my protection.""
Grint laughed—a dry, rasping bark. ""Protection? You think a piece of paper and a fancy wristwatch scare us, mister? That boy has the finest set of ears on the Eastern Seaboard. He can tell if a catalytic converter has platinum or palladium just by tapping it with a screwdriver. He’s our golden goose. He comes with us, or this whole fancy showroom burns tonight.""
Julian suddenly saw his opening. From behind the tool cart, his eyes flashed with petty malice. ""Take him! He was trespassing anyway! He broke in through the ductwork!""
Leo looked at Julian with pure contempt. Then he looked at Vance.
Vance didn't flinch. He glanced down at his gold watch. ""Grint, is it? You have ten seconds to walk back into the rain before my men turn you into an insurance claim.""
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Grint didn't back down. He whistled sharply.
From the alley behind him, the throaty, deafening rumble of five unbaffled V-twin engines shook the entire foundation of the garage. More men were waiting in the dark.
