She glanced between them and back to Chase. Her body took on a defensive posture. The skittish behavior sent up red flags. Someone had hurt her badly.
“Nice to meet you, Symone. What a beautiful name.” Pan smiled, oozing charm.
She scowled and Monster snickered. She turned her multicolored gaze on him and he tensed, waiting for disgust. Her eyes softened slightly.
“Welcome aboard. We can be loud and rowdy, especially when all the brothers are in here working, but we don’t mean any harm by it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied.
Their gazes held and the others in the room all but disappeared. Such a fascinating woman. A mystery he wanted to solve.
She glanced away.
Chase cleared her throat. “Alrighty then, I’ll start showing her around. If you need us, we’ll be in the office. “
“Alright, thanks, C,” Pan said. He turned on his heels and strode back to the garage.
Unsure what to say, Monster nodded and followed him. Dazed, he returned to the motorcycle and knelt down.
“Okay, what the hell was that?” Pan asked.
“What?”
“Exactly.” Pan pointed his index finger. “You’re bewitched.”
Monster snickered. “Bro, you’re buying too much into the whole Peter Pan reference.”
“No, don’t do that,” Pan snapped.
Monster glanced up. “Do what?”
“Act like nothing passed between you and Symone. You barely look at girls and the two of you could not take your eyes off each other.”
Monster shook his head. “It’s clear we have things in common. I felt a kinship. It’s obvious why.”
“Don’t use that copout. This is about more than scarred flesh.”
Monster narrowed his eyes. “‘Cause you’d know, pretty boy?”
“Fuck you. I’m your twin. I know when something’s up.”
“Well, when you figure it out, can you clue me in?” Monster raised an eyebrow.
“You’re so fucking annoying,” Pan seethed.
“Right back at you.”
“I’m going to check the due dates on the bikes to see where we need to focus once we finish this one up today.” Pan walked off.
Monster chuckled. Usually, the shoe was on the other foot. The shift in the tides filled him with a feeling he hadn’t had in years…hope. As the others filled in, the usual organized chaos began. He loved the smell of oil, the feel of the metal in his hands, and the familiar motion of repair. Motorcycles had always been his love. He got it honest from his father. Thoughts of Freebird, as always were mixed with one part happiness, then one part anger and disappointment. He’d been a great dad for most of their life, then he took a turn down a dark path that had been the entire family’s downfall.
“Hey man, did you see the office manager?” Monkey asked as he strolled in twenty minutes later.
“Yeah, I saw her,” Pan replied.
Monster paused and glanced up at the dark-haired Spaniard he swore should’ve been nicknamed Rico Suave for his wooing skills.
“I bet you won’t be running this one off like you did Sarah,” Monkey said.