Chapter 3: The Deal

Maya didn't sleep that night. She kept staring at the text message until her phone finally died at three in the morning. Then she just stared at the ceiling trying to convince herself it was probably some stupid prank. Vipers had better things to do than threaten random college girls over text.

Except she wasn't random anymore. She'd been seen with the Iron Wolves and apparently that mattered in whatever twisted world these motorcycle clubs lived in.

Saturday morning arrived with Maya feeling like she'd been hit by a truck. She dragged herself out of bed and plugged in her phone. Seventeen percent battery and no new messages. That should have made her feel better but somehow it made everything worse.

Her shift at the coffee shop started at seven. Maya showed up ten minutes early because being late meant getting written up and she couldn't afford to lose this job. The morning rush kept her busy enough that she didn't think about last night until her break at ten.

She was in the back room eating a stale muffin someone left in the break room when her phone rang. Unknown number. Maya's stomach dropped but she answered anyway because ignoring problems never made them go away.

"Maya?" Wrench's voice came through scratchy like he was calling from inside a metal box.

Relief flooded through her so fast she almost laughed. "Yeah it's me."

"Good news. My guy came through early. Got your part this morning."

"That's great." Maya did the math again in her head. One hundred dollars. She had thirty in checking. Her next paycheck wouldn't come until Thursday. "When do you need payment?"

"Whenever you pick up the bike. No rush."

"I work until two today. Can I come by after?"

"Sure thing. See you then."

Wrench hung up and Maya stared at her phone trying to figure out how to magically create seventy dollars in the next four hours. She could ask Riley for a loan but Riley was broke too. Sophie definitely didn't have money. Maya's mom would help if she asked but her mom was already working herself into an early grave and Maya refused to add to that burden.

She finished her shift and caught the bus toward the east side. The ride took forty minutes and dropped her off six blocks from the clubhouse. Maya walked fast with her keys threaded between her fingers like she'd learned in that self defense class the university offered freshman year.

The clubhouse parking lot was half full when she arrived. Fewer bikes than last night but still enough to make Maya nervous. She headed straight for the garage where Wrench was bent over someone's Harley with grease up to his elbows.

"Hey Maya." He straightened up and wiped his hands on that same rag from yesterday. "Your bike's ready. Want to take a look?"

Maya followed him to where her Kawasaki sat looking better than it had in months. "You cleaned it."

"Had some time this morning. Figured while I was in there I'd check your oil and tighten your chain. Both were overdue."

Something in Maya's chest went tight. "How much extra do I owe you for that?"

"Nothing. Just basic maintenance." Wrench grabbed a clipboard off his workbench. "Part was sixty. Labor forty. One hundred even."

Maya pulled out her wallet knowing exactly what she'd find inside. Thirty two dollars in cash and a debit card connected to an account with nothing in it. "Can I pay you in installments?"

Wrench looked at her for a long moment then glanced toward the door connecting to the clubhouse. "Let me go talk to Dom real quick."

"Wait I don't want him involved in this."

But Wrench was already gone through the door. Maya stood there feeling her face burn with embarrassment. This was exactly what she didn't want. Charity from people who thought throwing money around solved everything.

Wrench came back a minute later with Dominic following behind him. Dominic wore jeans and a black t shirt instead of his leather jacket. Somehow he still managed to look like he owned everything he walked past.

"Wrench says you want to pay in installments." Dominic leaned against the workbench with his arms crossed.

"I can pay you back. I just need time."

"How much time?"

Maya did the math again. If she skipped groceries this week and walked everywhere instead of taking the bus she could probably scrape together another twenty dollars. "Two weeks maybe three."

"That's not going to work." Dominic said it flat like he was discussing the weather.

"Then I'll get it to you faster."

"I don't want your money Maya."

"I'm not taking a handout."

"Good because I'm not offering one." Dominic pushed off the workbench and walked closer. "I'm offering you a job."

Maya's eyes narrowed. "What kind of job?"

"The club's record keeping is a disaster. Previous guy was an idiot who didn't know a spreadsheet from a phone book. We need someone organized to sort through everything and set up a proper system."

"Why me?"

"You're in business school right? This is basically what you're studying."

"How do you know what I'm studying?"

Dominic smiled like he knew a secret. "I pay attention."

That shouldn't have made Maya's stomach flip but it did. She shoved the feeling down and focused on the practical side of things. "How much does it pay?"

"Work off your debt first. After that we can talk hourly rate if you want to keep going."

Maya wanted to refuse on principle. She didn't want to owe these people anything. But she also didn't want to lose her bike and she definitely didn't want to skip meals for the next month trying to pay this off. "How bad are the records?"

"Come look." Dominic headed toward the clubhouse door.

Maya followed him through into the main room which was quieter than last night. Only five people were around. Two guys played pool in the corner. A woman Maya didn't recognize sat at the bar doing something on her phone. Everyone looked up when Maya walked in but nobody said anything.

Dominic led her to a back office that looked like a tornado had hit it. Papers covered every surface. Boxes overflowed with receipts and invoices. A filing cabinet in the corner had drawers hanging open with folders shoved in at random angles.

"This is what I'm working with." Dominic gestured at the chaos. "Everything from the last three years is in here somewhere. Income from the shop. Expenses for club operations. Lease agreements for the building. All of it."

Maya walked around the small office taking in the disaster. Part of her wanted to run. Another part of her saw the challenge and wanted to prove she could fix it. That second part won. "This is going to take more than a couple days."

"I know."

"And I have classes and my other jobs."

"Work around your schedule. Come when you can."

Maya picked up a random folder and flipped through it. Receipts from two years ago mixed with invoices from last month. No dates. No labels. No system at all. "Whoever did this before should never touch paperwork again."

"Agreed." Dominic watched her examine the mess. "So you'll do it?"

Maya should say no. Should grab her bike and leave and never come back. But she thought about the hundred dollars she didn't have and the text message from last night that might have been real. If the Vipers were actually watching her then maybe being connected to the Iron Wolves wasn't the worst thing. Maybe it was the only thing keeping her safe.

"I'll do it." Maya set the folder down and turned to face him. "But once my debt is paid we're even. I don't owe you anything after that."

"Deal." Dominic held out his hand.

Maya hesitated then shook it. His hand was warm and calloused in a way that surprised her. She pulled away first and wiped her palm on her jeans like she could erase the feeling of his skin against hers.

"When can you start?" Dominic asked.

"I have my library shift tonight but I'm free tomorrow afternoon."

"Sunday works. I'll be here most of the day."

Maya nodded and headed toward the door. She needed to get out of this office before she did something stupid like ask why everyone here seemed to respect him. Why the guys at the pool table straightened up when he walked past. Why the woman at the bar smiled at him but didn't try to flirt. He was supposed to be a playboy who used people but everyone here treated him like he actually mattered to them.

None of that was Maya's business. She was here to work off a debt and nothing more. This was temporary. A few weeks of organizing files and then she'd be gone.

She repeated that to herself as she walked through the clubhouse. As Dominic followed her to the garage. As Wrench helped her start her Kawasaki and it purred to life like it was brand new. As she put on her helmet and felt Dominic watching her.

This was temporary. She didn't belong in this world of leather and motorcycles and people who solved problems with their fists. She belonged in classrooms and coffee shops and a future she was building brick by brick with her own two hands.

"Maya." Dominic's voice stopped her before she could ride away.

"What?"

"Be careful going home."

"I'm always careful."

"I mean it. If you see anything suspicious you call me."

Maya revved her engine instead of answering. She pulled out of the parking lot without looking back but she felt his eyes on her the whole way to the street.

This was temporary. She just needed to keep telling herself that until it became true.