CLAIMED BY THE BLACK RIDGE ALPHAS

Chapter 2. Oil and Eyes That See Too Much

The three black bikes were already outside when I unlocked the bay at seven. Engines still warm. I didn’t wait for anyone. I rolled the middle one in and got under it before the coffee finished brewing.

Damien walked in twenty minutes later. “Primary still giving you trouble?”

“The bearings are shot. Whoever ran this last didn’t care about the noise.”

He crouched near the front wheel. “We care now.”

I kept my eyes on the work. “You always show up this early?”

“Only when the work matters.”

Ryder came in next with two cups again. “Black. No sugar. I remember.”

I took it without looking up. “You planning to keep doing this?”

“Until you tell me to stop.”

Knox stayed by the door like yesterday. He didn’t speak. He just watched my hands.

I set the cup down harder than I needed to. “You three got a shift schedule I don’t know about?”

Ryder grinned. “We’re thorough.”

“You’re in the way.”

Damien stood. “We’ll give you space. Check in later.”

They left for an hour. The quiet felt wrong after they were gone. I got more done without them, but the air still carried that same weight.

When they came back Ryder leaned on the bench like he paid rent there. “You always work with your jaw locked like that?”

“Only when people talk while I’m measuring tolerances.”

“I’ll be quieter.”

“Doubt it.”

Damien ran a hand along the frame I had already straightened. “Clean work.”

The words sat heavier than they should have. I wiped my hands. “It’s what you paid for.”

Knox finally moved closer. He reached for the same wrench I was reaching for. Our fingers hit. Neither of us pulled back right away. The heat from his skin stayed on mine longer than the contact lasted.

I cleared my throat. “You need something?”

“No.”

He stepped back. The space between us felt too small even after he moved.

Mia showed up at noon with a paper bag and her usual look that said she already had opinions. “Those the club guys?”

“They’re the paying guys.”

She glanced at Knox by the door, then at Damien checking his phone near the bikes, then at Ryder who was pretending to inspect handlebars while watching me. “The quiet one looks like he could end a conversation with a stare. The tall one’s all control. And the smiling one? He’s the problem. Always is.”

“They’re just customers.”

“Customers don’t stare like that.”

Ryder walked over. “You must be the friend.”

Mia didn’t smile. “And you must be the one who talks too much.”

“Guilty.”

Damien joined them. “We should let you two eat.”

I nodded. “Good idea.”

They stepped outside but didn’t leave the lot. I could still feel them through the open doors.

Mia lowered her voice. “You okay?”

“I’m working.”

“You’re distracted.”

“I’m fine.”

She didn’t believe me. I didn’t either.

After she left the three of them came back in. Ryder stayed longest. “You free for a short ride later? Test the first bike under real weight.”

“I test them here.”

“Road’s different.”

“I know how roads work.”

Damien’s voice cut in from the side. “It’s an offer, not an order.”

“Feels like both.”

Knox spoke from his spot near the wall. “You always this quick to push back?”

“You always this quick to watch?”

“Yes.”

The single word landed harder than a longer answer would have.

I turned back to the engine. “The first bike will be ready tomorrow. You can pick it up then. No need to stay until closing.”

Ryder pushed off the bench. “We’ll see.”

They left again around four. I thought the quiet would help. It didn’t. Every sound outside made me look up.

At six I started locking the side door. Knox was already standing in the shadows of the bay.

“The club doesn’t hire outsiders,” he said. Voice quiet. Almost careful. “Ever.”

I turned with the keys still in my hand. “Then why am I here?”

“Because the rules don’t cover you.”

I waited for more. He didn’t give it.

“That’s it? That’s the explanation?”

“For now.”

“You always talk in pieces?”

“Only when the whole thing would scare people off.”

I locked the door harder than I needed to. “I’m not scared of work.”

“I know.”

He looked at me for another long second. Something moved behind his eyes that I couldn’t name. Then he turned and walked toward his bike without another word.

The scent of him stayed in the bay after he left. Leather and something cleaner, wilder. I stood there longer than I should have, keys digging into my palm.

I drove home with the windows down. The night air didn’t clear my head. At the house I showered until the water ran cold and still felt the brush of his fingers on mine.

Sleep came late. In the dream the three of them were closer than the bay ever allowed. Damien’s voice low near my ear. Ryder’s hand at my waist. Knox’s eyes holding mine without blinking. No one spoke. They just stayed there, watching, waiting.

I woke with my pulse too fast and an ache low in my stomach that made me angry at myself. The sheets were twisted. The room felt too warm.

I stared at the ceiling until the first gray light and told myself it was just the work and the money and the strange way they looked at me.

I almost believed it.

Almost.