A Restored Man (42 page)

"I know you didn't. It's not your nature to screw anyone over."

Ty looked away then returned his focus to his brother. "If he wanted to really push this, he could do some damage. I can eventually prove it's all crap, but you know how these things go. The bad shit travels lightning fast and the rumors grow and get worse. It would take more time, effort, and probably a hell of a lot of money in legal fees to repair the damage. Then I'm worried it won't ever be the way it was before. It's not just our name above the door outside, it's Dad's too."

Aidan nodded. "I'm going to need everything you have on the counterfeit parts issue. I mean everything. I don't care if you've already gone through it. And I don't care if you've already gone back and repaired all the issues. I'll have my own research guy look into it. I'm going to talk to Cole." He finally opened the door to leave.

Ty went to follow but stopped when Aidan raised his hand. "You want to talk to him alone?"

"Yeah, I shouldn't be long. You've already given me enough about the situation to get a handle on things. I just need to know where his head is at right now. That little prick thinks like a chess player, so I'm sure he's thought of a plan already. Get me all the stuff on the parts. I'll be back in a few minutes then we'll discuss the next move."

Aidan closed the door behind him, leaving Ty alone in his office.

Ty hung his head and prayed the pounding in his skull would cease. He was tired of all this drama and bullshit. He radioed Stacie and they gathered the boxes of supporting documents she had taken months to organize with the greatest of detail. He sorted the files with the information on all the follow-up repairs that had been completed. He was focused and methodical while working with Stacie, but all he could think about was Cole and how he had paled when Robert broadcasted the truth about his record to the team.

Robert was going to pay for that. With two Calloways and a Renzo on his ass, there were no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

* * * * *

Cole pushed the sanding bar harder than usual.
Son of a bitch
. Mr. Asshole was a parasite that needed to be eliminated. He latched on to Ty's dad then tried to pull the rug out from under Ty.

Not on his watch.

There was no way in hell he'd let that bastard win. He wasn't going to mess with Ty and the wealth of progress he had made in moving forward. He was finally opening up about his parents, the accident, and had taken on a few custom projects. He was smiling more, laughing each day, and even took the time to joke with the techs during lunch.

He had fallen in love with the new Ty all over again. And there was no way that fucker was going to screw that up.

Less than two weeks and his term at Halfway House would be over. He was anxious and on alert, more careful than he'd ever been, not wanting anything to mess things up. He'd finally get his car, but more importantly, he'd get Ty 24/7. That was a far better reward for completing his term than Hunter's car.

He grabbed a fine grade sheet of sandpaper and worked to smooth the corner of the custom fender Ty had designed for their latest project.

"Hey," Jeff said, walking into the bay. "Is it safe to come in or are you going to attack me with the sanding paper?"

"Smartass," Cole mumbled under his breath, turning the paper and angling the sweeps of his hand. He wasn't sure if Jeff's show of support was for Robert's benefit or genuine, but he definitely hoped it was the latter.

"Don't mind that jerk and what he says. He's the kind of guy who'll say anything."

Cole stood and discarded the paper. He pulled off his mask and crossed his arms. "What he said, about me. It was the truth."

Jeff walked over to him and slung his arm around Cole's shoulder. "So was the fact that I didn't give a shit. I knew something was up with you. No one knows that many shortcuts on taking engines apart."

The old man had a point. Damn.

"What matters to me is this," Jeff said, flattening his hand on Cole's chest, above his heart.

"You feeling me up, old man?" Cole teased with little fight.

Jeff grabbed the back of Cole's neck and pulled him closer. "You're a smartass, kid, but I'll put up with you. The way you are with Ty. The way he's changed because of you. That's what matters to me. No one's been able to get through to him…but you did. I don't care about your record. That just tells me your love for cars runs deep. Deeper than a healthy level, but still, your passion is there. I see it, I hear it, I can feel it when you're anywhere near anything car-related. And I see that same passion for Ty. Even though you guys are horrible at hiding it."

Cole looked down at his boots, for once not wanting to say a word.

"The team supports you as well. We all want you to stay and appreciate you bringing back the old Ty. They pushed me to come over here and talk to you even though I figured you'd want some space. Now get back to work." Jeff released the hold on Cole's neck and patted him on the back before leaving.

Cole stood still and processed the older man's words. He had worked damn hard to try to not screw things up in the shop and to build a solid friendship with the guys. Even if he needed to work on rebuilding that, he was happy to hear it wasn't completely lost. He looked up when he heard footsteps approach.

Aidan walked to the booth doorway and crossed his arms. "What are you thinking?"

"Too many things right now."

Aidan leaned against the doorway. "Give me the short list."

Cole pulled off the thin protective sanding coveralls and held the bundle of material in his hand. "Aside from the Drayton prototype deal, I have this sick feeling he's after Ty. And I'm not just talking about the shop."

Aidan cocked his head. "Why?"

"He's insisting on the end of this month to steal the car, even after I mentioned next month. He said he wanted to do it before the formal announcement but that's bullshit. He hesitated. If that was his goal, there shouldn't have been a thought involved. But if I steal a car before my term is up at HH—"

Aidan pursed his lips and finished Cole's thought. "Then it's likely you'd be sent back to prison and out of the picture much quicker than if you had to go through a regular arrest and sentencing. You want to risk losing your car?"

"I don't care about the car, I care about Ty!" Cole threw the disposable coveralls in the bin and pounded his fists against the wall. He planted both hands on his waist and took a few deep breaths. He hated losing control. He hated Robert, what he was doing to Ty and, potentially, to them.

"What did you say?"

Cole looked up and blew out a deep breath. "What the fuck did I say wrong now?" He focused again on Aidan.

"That was probably the smartest thing you've
ever
said."

He tried to compose himself and contain the anger still thrumming through his body. "I want that asshole to pay, Aidan. For what he's done to Ty, and for trying to take him from me."

"I'll make sure that happens," Aidan said with a hint of a smile in his eyes, although it didn't reach his lips. "He tried to play you, didn't he?"

Cole smirked. "That's why I think he broadcasted my record to everyone, to piss me off and get me to act irrational. He must have picked up on how I feel about Ty. Apparently we suck at hiding it so that doesn't say much about his skills. But I'm sure he knew I was going to agree to steal the car because of that."

"He just didn't count on you involving the law."

Cole snorted a laugh. "Aidan, I hate to break it to you, but you walk a bended path. You're straight up legit, don't get me wrong, but you're twisted, man." He held up his hands and shook his head, unable to hide the smile that escaped. "Your flavor of justice is a little colored on the dark side."

Aidan raised an eyebrow and straightened. What the hell was he going to say? Aidan was a lot of things but he wasn't a liar.

Cole smiled smugly. "I figured if anyone can help take down that son of a bitch, it's you. So you're stuck with me."

Aidan half chuckled. "You're not so bad and I know you're doing all this because of Ty. So you've built up some credit with me. Ty's gathering all the stuff on the counterfeit parts and I'm taking that with me. I need to make a few phone calls to find out just how much leeway I have on this and what charges I can nail him with. But I need a rough idea of what's going through your twisted mind."

"So I've built up credit? That's good to know," Cole said.

Aidan narrowed his eyes. "A very, very small amount of credit. Don't blow it," he said slowly in his warning tone.

Cole chuckled. Aidan should know better than to give Cole any wiggle room to wreak havoc. They bounced around ideas of how best to approach the situation and what was needed. In less than ten minutes, Aidan walked away with a promise to call once he had spoken to a few of his contacts and had more details.

He was glad Aidan was on his side on this one. For once in his life, he just wanted some peace and to tone things down a bit. He looked forward to the quiet time with Ty, without the constant chatter or the anxiety of looking over his shoulder. He was settling quite nicely into this new, calmer, legal life.

Robert was trying to take that from him, and there was no way he was going to sit idly by and let that happen.

Ty shifted in his seat again, waiting for Drayton's meeting to end. A little over a week after Robert's ultimatum and everything was set in motion. Only one critical element remained, which they now patiently waited to discuss with Drayton. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the high, white ceiling. Everything was either white or translucent with strategically placed chrome pieces to define corners of the room. The posters, awards, and art on the walls added splashes of color, breathing life into the space. He closed his eyes and a wave of ideas for new projects flooded his mind.

He looked over to Aidan who sat stoic and silent across from them, staring down Cole. He glanced over and Cole was staring at Aidan just as intently. He blew out a frustrated breath. He was going to age a decade around these two. He reached out and threaded his fingers with Cole's, smiling when Cole's gaze instantly snapped in his direction. His heart raced when that million-watt smile gleamed at him. He'd never get tired of seeing that toothy grin.

"You flinched," Aidan said with a smug smile.

Ty sighed when Cole's laser focus snapped back to Aidan. "You would too if you got as much red hot monkey sex as I did, asshole."

The heat instantly rose to Ty's face as Aidan grumbled a curse. Cole leaned over and planted a kiss on Ty's heated cheek. He pitched his voice low as he spoke so only Ty could hear. "You're hot when you're all red and flustered. I like knowing I do that to you."

"Get a room," Aidan mumbled with a lowered brow.

"I wish you two would get along," Ty said, his voice slightly thicker than usual.

They both looked at Ty, equal scowls on their faces. "We do," Aidan and Cole said in unison.

Ty shook his head. He figured as long as Aidan wasn't waving his gun around, things must be fine.

A tall blonde woman approached them. "Drayton is ready to see you now," she said.

They stood and followed the woman down a hallway to the end. Ty walked in and was instantly greeted with the natural sunlight filtering through the full-length windows wrapping around the huge corner office. Drayton's desk was set up in the corner of the room, facing the doorway with his design work area to the left, out of sight unless you were physically inside the room. To the right of his desk, there was a sitting area with a few chairs and a table in between them. Just like the waiting area, the only splashes of color were the pictures on the wall. Rather than art or nostalgic automotive posters, his office showcased images of various exotic models in his upcoming car line. The furniture was sleek with translucent accents adding to the open, contemporary air of the space. It was new, high-end, and elegant, just like the cars he designed and sold.

"Hey, Ty. This is a nice surprise. I'm usually the one who stops by for a visit," Drayton said.

Ty extended his hand in greeting. "Yeah, I can't believe after all these years this is the first time I've ever been to your office."

Drayton smiled and drew them into the office, leading them toward the sitting area.

"This is my brother, Detective Aidan Calloway," Ty said with a warm smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Go ahead, have a seat." Drayton shook Aidan's hand in greeting. "And who's this?" he asked, gesturing toward Cole who still stood with his hands in his pockets looking at one of the exotic car drawings on the wall.

Ty was ready to respond with 'he's the guy who did your custom two-tone paint' or 'he's the one who did the last minute custom change on your rig you still rave about.' Instead, he wasn't quick enough to reply before Cole responded.

"I'm the guy who's going to steal your prototype," Cole said, shaking Drayton's hand.

Drayton raised an eyebrow, watching Cole as he took a seat. "You think you can steal my car?"