Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

17

CALLUM

Miles wasn’t kidding about holding up his end of our bargain. Even though I repeatedly told him the stupid bet over Nessa was off, I get an unexpected call from the garage in Goldenleaf on Monday morning. The owner, Brady, has been kind enough to allow me to store my Corvette there for the past several months in exchange for helping him out with simple mechanic jobs when I’ve got time. He doesn’t hold me to a schedule or

anything, so when I see the incoming call from him on my screen, it catches me off guard- even more so when he tells me to come down because my car’s ready to be picked up.

I catch a ride to the garage with Alec, not disclosing why I’m going. He doesn’t ask, either, because it’s not unusual for me to get a ride to the garage to work for an afternoon, either on my own car or on something for Brady. He pulls up to the garage, idling as I hop out of his truck and toss him a wave over my shoulder. Gravel crunches underneath his tires as he drives away, and I shove my hands into the pockets. of my hoodie, trudging up the driveway and into the garage.

The motion sensor chimes as I cross the threshold and Brady peeks out from behind the open hood of a car in one of the bays, his lips spreading into a wide smile when he sees me.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” he chuckles, wiping his oil -stained hands on a cloth and trudging toward me. “Thought you’d be here hanging over my shoulder when I dropped that transmission in.”

“If I knew, I would’ve,” I grumble, striding across the garage to meet him halfway.

Brady’s brow furrows. “You mean your friend didn’t tell you?”

I give a little shake of my head, frowning. While Miles told me he’d pay up on the bet, he didn’t say it’d be this soon. I thought I’d still have time to talk him out of it. Now that Nessa and I are a thing, there’s no way this won’t come back to bite me in the ass. 5

Brady whistles, shaking his head. “Damn, boy. Wish I had a friend like that. He had the transmission delivered from Denver on Saturday and paid me extra to get it dropped in ASAP.” 3

My frown deepens. Paying for the install wasn’t part of the deal.

“C’mon,” Brady calls, turning on a heel and waving for me to follow him. “It’s in bay three. I’m sure you’re dying to see it. Wait till you hear the way that engine purrs.”

While I’m uncomfortable about this whole thing, Brady’s right- I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Corvette. I’ve been working on it for the better part of a year, and the anticipation of finally getting it running has me itchy, my fingers twitching at my sides as I follow Brady across the garage.

My heart thumps faster when my car comes

into view. It still needs a new paintjob, but it looks like Brady has waxed and polished the body for the big reveal, the original black paint shining under the fluorescents overhead.

“Keys are already inside,” Brady supplies, grinning from ear to ear as he observes my reaction. I trail my fingers along the fender, approaching the drivers’ side and pulling the door open. The interior still needs some work, too, but that can come later- the priority has been to get this baby running again. For me, this is a lot more than a car. It’s freedom. No more asking for rides to get around; I can go wherever I want, whenever I want. My pulse continues to race as I lower myself into the seat, finding the keys already in the ignition. 2

“What are you waiting for?” Brady laughs, patting the hood of the car lovingly. “Fire her up!”

purring smoothly as I hit the gas a few times to

to get it out on the road and

be written all over my face, because without prompting, Brady hits the button for the door to the bay the Corvette is parked in. A low

backing away

engine again, nodding to Brady in appreciation before shifting the gear into reverse and backing

end of the drive to start down the road, I realize there’s only one thing that could make my first ride in this car better- one person, rather. I pause to shoot her a text, then rev the engine again, the tires squealing as I take off in the direction

this yours?!” Nessa asks excitedly as she pulls open the passenger door of the Corvette and slips inside. She runs

it for a while and was finally able to get ahold of the last part I needed for the engine to run.” 3

she comments, throwing her long hair over a shoulder

lean over the gearshift, grabbing her chin in a hand and pulling her lips to mine. I swallow her little gasp of surprise, claiming her mouth in a quick and dirty kiss before pulling back with a grin and resting a hand on the wheel. “Buckle up, sweetness,” I drawl with a lift

and clicking it into place. She’s casually dressed in jeans and a sweater, but damn is she a knockout. Vanessa Diaz

wide grin spreads across my lips as I pull away from the curb, the engine roaring beneath us as we take off down

wonder if I even had the capacity to truly

the closeness that we have comes from our history together and our understanding of one another. Our solid bond based upon

I know it comes from a place of insecurity, growing up as the son of such successful parents. He’s always making wagers with us because when he wins one, he feels that it proves his worth.

always been taller, stronger, better looking. Levi’s constantly comparing himself to Chase, overcompensating because he feels like he can’t measure up. He doesn’t need to, though- he’s funny as fuck and

the best of times, but he’s smarter than he seems, clever and courageous like his father. He may act out more often than the rest of us, but deep down, the guy always has the best intentions. He puts on a hard front, but he’d give someone the shirt off his back if they needed it. It’s what’ll make him such a good alpha when he steps up to lead our pack. Leading comes naturally to him; he’s been the unofficial leader of our group for as long as

and cautious than the rest of us, partly owed to their strict upbringing. They’re the balance that our group needs, always working out every possible angle and outcome when we set out to do something foolish- which is

everything I’m not- sweet and idealistic with this naïve innocence that completely boggles my fucking mind. It’s like she only sees the good in the world, even when the bad is staring her in the face. Even when it’s sharing

utterly enraptured in her presence. She makes me feel like I could be someone else. Someone… better. Someone without a dark past staining their soul, harboring a monster inside that strikes fear in others. Despite everything,

4

came down to it. But what if the person she truly needs protecting from winds up being me? We’ve

of the engine echoing through the woods around us. I used to wonder how some people could seem so damn happy all the time when life is an endless shitshow, but right now, driving down the open road in my Corvette with my girl by my side, I think I finally get it. This light feeling in my chest must be what happiness feels like. It’s a feeling I want to hold on to as long as I can.

first time, I’m reconsidering the mission I’ve been selected for. I still haven’t told her about it, and there’s still the better part of a week left

leaving the rest of them high and dry if I decided not to go. All

woods to kill me?” Nessa teases as I turn on a narrow forest road that winds up a mountain, the gravel crunching underneath my tires.

smirk, darting her a glance. “The chances are

I turn it over, lacing my fingers with hers in a gesture that feels so natural

cupholder and Nessa glances down at

and reaching down to silence the

brows shoot up. “Your stepdad?”

“Yeah.”