forward and dropped the rag onto Red’s sneakered foot. Fuel splashed onto the woman’s sandal and she gave a little squeal.
‘You fuckin’ –’ began Red.
‘Hi,’ I said.
They all froze and turned around.
‘Anyone like to put in an order for food from the van?’
Bolo gave me a strained smile and nodded. ‘C-come in. It’s Tara, isn’t it?’
I pulled my phone from my pocket and stepped up close to the bike. Red kicked the soaked rag away with his foot and the mechanic retreated to the back of the garage.
‘Would you like something too?’ I asked the woman brightly.
Up close she was beautiful. Her face was perfect but for a thin scar that tapered from one corner of her mouth down under her chin. She had straight, silky blonde hair, a tiny waist and killer nails. And the way her aura was interacting with Lu Red’s, it seemed the pair had something going on.
‘No. My boyfriend might, though,’ she purred, putting a possessive hand on Red’s arm.
Her ploy was so see-through I wanted to laugh. She’d picked me for a groupie and was marking her territory. I wanted to say, ‘Puh-lease, I only date men over six feet tall,’ but I kept my mouth shut this time and looked at Red.
He was staring at Clem with an expression sourer than JoBob’s lemons. ‘Uh, yeah. Chicken and mayo on wholemeal. No butter,’ he said.
‘Drinks?’
‘Coke.’
‘Righto. What time did you want to pick it up?’
He glanced at his watch. ‘Looks like I might make it out to practice after all. So I’ll take it early. Eleven thirty.’
I nodded and turned to Bolo.
‘No, thanks,’ he said.
I gave Clem another quick look. He had his back to us, his head buried in a crate looking for something.
‘It’ll be waiting for you,’ I said to Red.
After leaving the stall, I took a couple of steps around the corner and stopped. Within seconds their voices were raised again and the argument continued. Red blamed Clem for being lazy and useless. Clem came back at him saying that Red was too busy sniffing after her to know what was going on. Bolo chimed in with some ‘Calm downs’ and a promise to get to the bottom of it, then it all quietened down.
By the time I got back to the van, Cass was having a D&M with a scruffy teenager wearing a dusty uniform.
‘Hi, Cass,’ I said. ‘Hi, T-Dog.’
The boy’s mouth sagged open. ‘How’d you know my name?’
‘You just look like a T-Dog.’
He gave me a scared look, mumbled something about having to sweep the pit office and scarpered.
Cass screwed her face up at me. ‘You freaked him out.’
‘Faint heart never won fair lady,’ I countered, but she didn’t seem to have a clue what that meant.
We got into the van and did the rest of the food prep while I told Cass about the argument I’d overheard at Moto-Sane.
‘So the rider’s blaming the mechanic for putting a rag in the petrol tank?’ she said.
‘Yeah.’
‘Maybe it was an accident?’
‘Try telling Bolo that.’
Sharee appeared to drop in her order, interrupting our discussion. She was wearing a bright-red tee-shirt that said ‘Bike Me’. Today’s earrings were red guitars.
‘How’re you settling in?’ she asked us.
‘Fine. Other than the fact that some of the natives aren’t all that friendly,’ I said. ‘Or happy.’
‘Oh?’
‘Just walked in on a big argument in the Moto-Sane stall.’
‘Don’t tell me!’ She slapped her hand to her forehead. ‘Lu and Clem going at it again? It’s been like that all season. Someone needs to bang their heads together.’
‘What’s the problem?’ I asked.
She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. ‘I think Clem’s hot for Lu’s girlfriend, and Lu knows it.’
Cass gave soft derisive grunt, which thankfully Sharee didn’t hear.
‘Really?’ I said.
‘Lu is so in love with her. He’d never cope if she left him.’
‘Is that likely?’
Sharee thought about it for a moment. ‘She wouldn’t leave him for Clem, I
‘You fuckin’ –’ began Red.
‘Hi,’ I said.
They all froze and turned around.
‘Anyone like to put in an order for food from the van?’
Bolo gave me a strained smile and nodded. ‘C-come in. It’s Tara, isn’t it?’
I pulled my phone from my pocket and stepped up close to the bike. Red kicked the soaked rag away with his foot and the mechanic retreated to the back of the garage.
‘Would you like something too?’ I asked the woman brightly.
Up close she was beautiful. Her face was perfect but for a thin scar that tapered from one corner of her mouth down under her chin. She had straight, silky blonde hair, a tiny waist and killer nails. And the way her aura was interacting with Lu Red’s, it seemed the pair had something going on.
‘No. My boyfriend might, though,’ she purred, putting a possessive hand on Red’s arm.
Her ploy was so see-through I wanted to laugh. She’d picked me for a groupie and was marking her territory. I wanted to say, ‘Puh-lease, I only date men over six feet tall,’ but I kept my mouth shut this time and looked at Red.
He was staring at Clem with an expression sourer than JoBob’s lemons. ‘Uh, yeah. Chicken and mayo on wholemeal. No butter,’ he said.
‘Drinks?’
‘Coke.’
‘Righto. What time did you want to pick it up?’
He glanced at his watch. ‘Looks like I might make it out to practice after all. So I’ll take it early. Eleven thirty.’
I nodded and turned to Bolo.
‘No, thanks,’ he said.
I gave Clem another quick look. He had his back to us, his head buried in a crate looking for something.
‘It’ll be waiting for you,’ I said to Red.
After leaving the stall, I took a couple of steps around the corner and stopped. Within seconds their voices were raised again and the argument continued. Red blamed Clem for being lazy and useless. Clem came back at him saying that Red was too busy sniffing after her to know what was going on. Bolo chimed in with some ‘Calm downs’ and a promise to get to the bottom of it, then it all quietened down.
By the time I got back to the van, Cass was having a D&M with a scruffy teenager wearing a dusty uniform.
‘Hi, Cass,’ I said. ‘Hi, T-Dog.’
The boy’s mouth sagged open. ‘How’d you know my name?’
‘You just look like a T-Dog.’
He gave me a scared look, mumbled something about having to sweep the pit office and scarpered.
Cass screwed her face up at me. ‘You freaked him out.’
‘Faint heart never won fair lady,’ I countered, but she didn’t seem to have a clue what that meant.
We got into the van and did the rest of the food prep while I told Cass about the argument I’d overheard at Moto-Sane.
‘So the rider’s blaming the mechanic for putting a rag in the petrol tank?’ she said.
‘Yeah.’
‘Maybe it was an accident?’
‘Try telling Bolo that.’
Sharee appeared to drop in her order, interrupting our discussion. She was wearing a bright-red tee-shirt that said ‘Bike Me’. Today’s earrings were red guitars.
‘How’re you settling in?’ she asked us.
‘Fine. Other than the fact that some of the natives aren’t all that friendly,’ I said. ‘Or happy.’
‘Oh?’
‘Just walked in on a big argument in the Moto-Sane stall.’
‘Don’t tell me!’ She slapped her hand to her forehead. ‘Lu and Clem going at it again? It’s been like that all season. Someone needs to bang their heads together.’
‘What’s the problem?’ I asked.
She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. ‘I think Clem’s hot for Lu’s girlfriend, and Lu knows it.’
Cass gave soft derisive grunt, which thankfully Sharee didn’t hear.
‘Really?’ I said.
‘Lu is so in love with her. He’d never cope if she left him.’
‘Is that likely?’
Sharee thought about it for a moment. ‘She wouldn’t leave him for Clem, I
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