Jax's Little Obsession

/MAYA/

I lay flat on my back on the concrete floor, my arm wedged deep into the tight frame of an old chopper. My knuckles were gray with grease and my muscles ached from fighting a stubborn exhaust pipe that wouldn't budge.

I gave the wrench one last yank. I think I might have gotten hurt in the process but at least it was fixed now.

"You’re a legend, Maya," Rico called out from the doorway.

I blinked against the flickering garage light and rolled out from under the bike, wiping my face with the back of my arm. Rico was leaning against the door frame, holding a half-eaten sandwich in one hand and a dirty rag in the other. He had a huge grin on his face which meant he had something to spill.

"A legend who can't pay her electric bill," I said, tossing my tool onto the floor. "What are you so happy about anyway?"

"That fuel-injection job you finished last night?" Rico tossed his rag onto a stool, his eyes wide. "It completely smoked a Worth supercar at the lights on Main Street an hour ago. Those rich kids thought they could flex on us. We totally humiliated them and you should have seen the look on their faces. The whole block is basically talking about it.”

I scoffed before folding my arms. Of course they got smoked last night, they're all money and no talent anyway.

"Rich boys have too much money and zero brains," I said, walking over to the sink to scrub my hands with the cheap soap that never really worked. "But bragging rights don't pay our rent, Rico. A win at a traffic light doesn't keep the city from taking this place."

Rico’s grin faded. "Is it still that bad?"

"Worse," I sighed, watching the black grease swirl down the drain. "The Worth family is buying up every single deed on the street. I got another notice yesterday, they want us out."

"You gonna sell?" he asked quietly.

I stopped scrubbing and looked at my reflection in the cracked mirror. 

Nineteen, dark circles under my eyes, wearing an old shirt of my dad's that was three sizes too big. This shop was all he left me besides a mountain of debt. It was my only ticket out of here, the only way I'd ever save enough to get a real engineering degree. This was all I could do and all I had really.

I turned around, gripping the edge of the sink. "They can pry the keys from my hands when I'm dead."

“As it should be," Rico said, but his voice sounded less confident than usual. We both knew how things worked around here. This neighborhood had nothing to offer and could only be referred to as dirt and if the rich wanted to buy out the entire place for a redevelopment, there was hardly anything we could do about it except holding our ground for as long as we can.

Right then, the front door rattled, followed by three knocks. In a neighborhood this poor, no one knocked with that much elegance if I could term it that way.

"Stay back," I told Rico, throwing my towel on the counter.

I walked into the small front waiting room. Standing outside the glass door was a guy who looked completely ridiculous in this neighborhood. He was wearing a gray suit and had a leather briefcase held tightly against his chest like he was afraid the air out here would hurt him.

Argh! Rich people.

I unlocked the door but only opened it a crack. "We’re closed."

The guy forced a quick, fake smile. "Are you Maya Hunter?"

"Who's asking?"

"My name is Mr. Owen. I represent Worth Development," he said, pulling a white envelope from his briefcase. He tried to hand it through the gap. "This is the final offer for the property."

I leaned against the frame with crossed my arms, staring down at the envelope then at him. "I already told your office no and three times last month at that. I'm not changing my mind."

Owen’s smile vanished. He lowered the envelope, his voice instantly losing its polite edge. "Miss Hunter, let's be realistic. Look around you, the city has already approved the rezoning. This entire block is being torn down for luxury condos and your shop is a safety hazard. If you don't take this, the city will just use eminent domain to force you out, and you’ll get half the cash."

My chest tightened and I could feel my anger boiling up. I considered threatening him or even hitting him but looking at him now, I didn't think it was worth it. His hands shook slightly and his eyes kept darting down the street. He was trying to sound like a big shot, but he was terrified of being in the slums after dark. He just wanted a quick win to show his bosses.

"An eyesore?" I let out a sharp laugh, stepping out onto the pavement so he had to back up. "This place keeps my mother alive. You go back to Worth Industries and tell them my land isn't for sale. I don't care how many zeros you write on that paper."

"It's foolish to still hold on to your pride even in this state," Owen sounded a lot more threatening now. "The Worth family always gets what they want. It would be smart to take the money before things get messy for you."

I grabbed a wrench off the nearest counter and walked closer towards him. "Is that a threat? Because if you don't take your fancy briefcase and get off my sidewalk right now, you're going to find out exactly what other functions this wrench has to offer."

Owen went pale, his eyes going wide as he looked at the wrench in my hand. He stumbled backward, nearly tripping over a crack in the pavement, and quickly stuffed the envelope away. "You're making a massive mistake."

"Get lost," I snapped.

I slammed the door shut and locked it, my heart hammering against my ribs. I stood there watching through the glass as he hopped in his car and zoomed off.

Rico stepped out from the back, looking worried. "Man, you really scared him. But Maya... he isn't lying about the Worths. They don't take 'no' for an answer."

"I know," I whispered, the anger leaving me all at once, replaced by dread.

I went over to the front window to pull down the metal security shutters for the night. As I reached for the handle, a flash of moving light across the dark street stopped me.

The streetlights on that side of the road were totally burned out, but parked right under the shadow of an abandoned warehouse was a vehicle that stuck out in an eerie way. It was large, black SUV with no license plate.

I squinted my eyes to see better but the windows were tinted but I could tell someone was in the car. There was no way someone with such an expensive car would leave their car running in this kind of neighborhood. I felt a strange feeling creep up my spine that I didn't want to look at it anymore.

I slowly reached up, grabbed the handle of the metal shutter, and yanked it down with everything I had, locking myself inside the dark shop.