Torque by Gillian Archer (10 ebook reader txt) 📕

But he wasn’t paying any attention to me. Ducking his head toward the guy with a clipboard next to him—who I’d never seen before—he said, “Let’s put Amber on the callback list. I think she’s definitely a contender. Thanks, honey. We’ll be in touch.”

Amber walked away with a display of hip shaking and hair fluffing I’d never seen outside a strip club. And it didn’t give me any warm, fuzzy feelings about what was going on.

“What’s with all the women?” Austin hollered as he entered the room from the same door as I had. “We got work to do today, James. What the fuck?”

Ryan followed on his heels, wide-eyed, looking everywhere and nowhere. Like he didn’t want to be caught looking.

I couldn’t blame him. A lot of the shirts in the room were very…lowcut.

“Ah, good. You’re here.” James clapped his hands as he approached us. His fake smile slipped. “Wait, where’s Dylan? We need Dylan here too.”

Austin shook his head. “Don’t think he’ll be in today. He’s got nothing to work on, and the big reveal isn’t ‘til tomorrow. He’ll be here then.” Austin tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at James. “I’ve answered your question, now answer mine.”

“We’re interviewing ladies for the front desk job. We’ve got this amazing idea that we turn it into—”

“A circus.” I cut in. “Because that’s what it’s looking like to me.”

“How the hell did you get all these women here so fast?” Ryan asked with a frown. “We only agreed to the new hire on Monday.”

James rocked back on his heels and avoiding looking at us. He was like a fucking kid, trying to hide the truth from his parents. So fucking annoying. And obvious.

“What did you do?” Austin asked, his tone low and menacing.

Honestly, it was refreshing to see him actually give a fuck. Austin had been so cavalier about the business lately. Although it’d literally taken an invasion of models to wake him up.

“What?” James smiled his shark smile. “This isn’t anything you guys haven’t already agreed to. What’s the problem?”

“The problems are many.” Austin stepped into James’ personal space as his voice dropped into a menacing tone. “One, we have a bike to finish. As you well know since you’re filming the reveal tomorrow. Two, you have too many people in here who aren’t wearing any of the required PPE. OSHA would have a fucking field day if they showed up for an inspection today. And three, you aren’t hiring anyone. Personnel decisions at Badass Builds are to be made by us and only us. Check the fucking contract.”

Austin whirled on his heel and stomped out of the shop toward the hall and—I assumed—his office.

I gave James a smirk. “You heard the man. Get these fucking people out of our shop.”

“But I don’t… I can’t—” James gasped and stuttered, completely at a loss for the first time I think I’ve ever known him.

“We’re not kicking you guys out, James.” Ryan cut in.

I turned and gave my brother a what the hell look. There were limits, and we were way beyond mine.

Ryan refused to look in my direction. “You guys gotta clear out of the shop, though. How about you do your interviews in the front? Next to that kickass mural of our logo that Dylan painted.”

“That could work.” James nodded slowly. “But we still need—”

“You’re the best, James.” Ryan cut him off as he clapped James on the shoulder. “You might want to split your crews up because we still have to finish that bike. We’re on a deadline.”

“But—” James tried to get his point across again, but he was talking to Ryan’s back.

Because Ryan had already taken off in the same direction as Austin, leaving James and I standing there gaping like fucking trout.

I tore off after him, pissed as hell that he’d left me out of another decision. Again.

“What the fuck was that?” I shouted at his retreating back. I vaguely registered the sound of a film crew hustling behind me, but I was too pissed to care about it.

Ryan waved a hand behind him as he strode into Austin’s office.

“Since when do you get to make unilateral decisions that affect the shop?” I yelled as I blew into Austin’s office.

“Who me?” Austin asked from behind his desk.

“No, this asshole,” I retorted, jerking a thumb at Ryan. “Ry just told James to keep on doing the fucking interviews. What the hell, bro?”

The door behind me opened wider as a cameraman pushed into the cramped office. That really didn’t help with my frustration. I hitched a shoulder as more people jostled behind me.

“You did what?” Austin roared. “Bullshit!”

Ryan lifted his palms in a placating gesture. Like he hadn’t just stirred up this whole hornets’ nest. “Hear me out.”

“What’s there to fucking hear?” I yelled back. “You want to let James hire some actress wannabe to sit at our front desk. No confusion there!”

Ryan took a breath, and I swore I heard him counting under his breath before he finally spoke. “No, I want you to sit in on the interviews and pick someone with half a brain who’ll fit in with our crew of assholes. That’s what I want.”

“Huh.” Austin sat back in his chair.

It took me a second to get my bearings back. Ryan had kinda stole my thunder there. Finally, I shook my head. “Why me?”

“What?” Ry blinked back at me. “Would you rather spend your day wiring the fucking cereal bike?”

“Fuck no.” Wiring jobs were the worst. All those tiny fucking wires to keep track of. Add in the fact that I get frustrated easily and usually at least one tool went through the wall. Last time it’d been Ryan’s crimper. But in my defense… Yeah, there was no way to finish that.

“Besides, James will want you there.” Austin leaned back in his chair, the only one of us who looked comfortable with five guys in his tiny office. “He wants us to hire someone you