Chapter 14
Gavin had never felt warmth like this. Nobody had ever gone out of their way for him, not once.
His fingers twitched, pride nagging him to push away kindness he hadn’t earned.
But Joanna didn’t give him a chance to say no. Right in front of his stunned face, she dove into the work with a sharp, no- nonsense focus that left him floored.
Welding. Metalwork. Patching tires. She could rebuild an engine like it was nothing.
Joanna stayed quiet, rolling up her sleeves to show a slim, pale wrist. Her fingers, smudged with grease, moved slow and steady as she wiped them with a wet wipe.
“Hey, grab the heat gun.”
“Get the welder.”
“Bring the engine.”
Gavin, a certified tough guy, turned into her errand boy, hustling for tools. When Joanna stood, wiping her hands and eyeing the now–mint motorcycle with a nod, she held out her hand.
“Pass the drill. Smallest bit,” she said.
Gavin darted to the storage room, grabbed the drill, and stuck close, totally sold.
The punk who’d swing at anyone was now a loyal puppy, practically begging for her approval.
“What’s with the drill?” he asked.
Joanna looped the cord around her wrist, flashing a sly grin. “Wanna slap some stripes on this beast? Make it look like it’ll eat someone alive.”
Gavin’s
eyes lit
- up. “Hell yeah!”
Ten minutes later, all hell broke loose.
Ariel stormed in, a crew of beefy security guards behind her. “Move it! They’re trashing the place! She hit me! No one’s around–kick her ass and toss her out!”
The Newburn family’s guards didn’t know Joanna.
Howell was busy fixing up her “princess suite,” and Samara “forgot” to mention her, so they pegged Joanna as some random troublemaker.
These guys weren’t mall cops–ex–military and cage fighters, built like tanks and cocky as hell.
They circled Joanna, who looked fragile but could wipe the floor with them.
A buzz–cut goon stepped up, giving her a cold stare. “You the one who broke in, smashed the car, and snapped our miss’s finger?”
Joanna didn’t flinch. She could drop them all without breaking a sweat.
She nodded, about to say, “Yup-”
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Chapter 14
“No way in hell, you idiots!” Gavin lunged forward, wrench in hand, shoving Joanna behind him.
He swung hard, cracking the wrench against the guard’s skull. Blood sprayed, and the guy went down.
“You wanna touch the person who saved my ass? You blind or just dumber than a bag of hammers?” he shouted.
With a quick kick, Gavin sent the guard sprawling, then marched toward Ariel, wrench swinging.
Ariel didn’t budge. She was the Newburns‘ spoiled princess, and Gavin was just the bastard kid. She thought no way he’d touch her.
She tilted her chin.“You hit our guards? Not scared Dad’ll tear you a new one?”
Gavin smirked, tossing the wrench lightly.“Scared? Get real. You send goons after her, I’ll knock you out cold!”
He swung, and Ariel dropped like a rock, blood trickling from her head as she passed out. Gavin glared at the other guards, daring them to move.
Joanna, who had zero patience for Ariel’s mean–girl nonsense, saw her shot to settle the score.
She stepped up, ready to stomp Ariel’s side.
But Gavin grabbed her hand, pulling her close. Her face hit his solid chest, his blood–stained hand gentle as he muttered, “She’s the Newburns‘ golden girl. You mess her up too bad, they’ll come for you. I got this. You’re safe with me.”
The guards stood frozen, unsure how to handle the chaos.
Then a shrill scream cut through. “Ariel! Oh my God, what happened?! Call a doctor!”
Samara ran in, panic all over her face. “You–you beat up my girl?!”
Gavin frowned, ready to shield Joanna again.
But Joanna wasn’t here for it. She pushed past him, slammed her foot onto Ariel’s back, and ground her into the dirt with one hard stomp.
Looking up at Samara, she said coolly, “Get it straight. It was me.”
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AD
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