Chapter 78: Garage

I stood in the middle of my new place. It was weird. This was my dead biological father's place only hours ago. Now, it was mine, with my stuff sitting in the middle of the floor in boxes.
"Are you sure you don't want any help unpacking?" Liam asked.
I shook my head. "You've done so much already. This is plenty. Please. I'm good."
Liam crossed his arms while I walked around, looking at the place. It was open with windows all around. The morning sun shined through, lighting up the white walls. The apartment was centered on top of a mechanic's garage with the bar underneath that. The main room opened up through two stories with a kitchen on one side and a generous sitting room on the other. A bathroom and a few storage doors connected to the room from one side. The furniture was all black leather with mahogany wood tables. It looked way too sleek and expensive for anything I could ever afford. I couldn't believe it was all mine now.
I turned around to look at it. The staircase ran up the side to the second level with a hall and a balcony that overlooked the main room. Along the hall were three doors, the main bedroom, and two others. Each had its own bathroom. And that master bedroom was mine. And I didn't even have to share the bathroom. I had to keep my jaw from gaping open as I stared.
"I can bring your stuff up to your room," Liam offered.
I couldn't even answer. I was just so astounded by the sudden change in my life. I just stood looking like I had been struck dumb.
Liam gave up and started picking up my cubes. He walked them up the stairs into my new room. I watched him disappear. Why couldn't I seem to accept this? What kind of good karma did I accrue to deserve this? Especially with Karma fucking with me right now. It was too good to be true. It was... a trick. Right? Maybe?
I looked down at my watch. I had to be at work. I hadn't even slept, but I was supposed to pull a double today and close. I reached for a suitcase that held my clothes and quickly threw a smock on over my shirt.
Liam walked back down the stairs. "Where are you going?"
"To work. I have a job. I can't just stop going."
He narrowed his eyes at me. "Why?"
"Because I have to pay rent..." The word died on my lips. I recovered quickly. "I have to pay the bills."
"You own this bar. That is your new job."
I shook my head. "No, I don't."
"Yes, you do. The paperwork will be done today. And it will be easy since you are his daughter. They will just do a paternity test."
"What? No. No, I can't just take that. It should go to Anton." We both turned to look at the sleeping form on the leather couch. I finally had them untie him, but he hadn't really been much help.
"That is not going to happen," Liam stated with finality.
"Yeah... I don't know what I was thinking. I really do need to go. I can't just stop going to my job. I would need to quit formally." That reminded me of something. "Wait, what was with you and Mr. Kline? Did you set his house on fire?"
Liam frowned. "Mr. Kline," he spat the word like it was a sour taste. "How do you know him?"
"You didn't answer my quest-."
"How do you know him?" He asked again, cutting off my words.
"I... he's... he's my manager." I struggled for words as I watched Liam's eyes turn red. "I work for him at the store."
"Quit that job."
"Why? Does it have something to do with his puppet thing? Did you light his house on fire? Wait, how did you get away from him with his power?"
"Mr. Kline, as you know him, is really a mob boss. He controls that section of town, and we have been at war with him for many years. He persuades our members away from us and steals our contracts. You shouldn't be working for him."
"And his lawn?" I asked.
Liam smiled. "We did set his lawn on fire, but that is all we managed. Orcs are immune to his mind control, but the other brothers are not. We have to be careful when we strike. We were only looking for you, but when we saw him, we took the opportunity."
I nodded. "I see. How did you find me?"
"We tracked you using smell. Giants have a good sense of smell."
I threw a light jacket on over my smock. "Good to know. Alright, I'm off. Have a good day."
Liam grabbed my arm. "You shouldn't go there. If he finds out you are with us, he will hold you hostage."
I pried Liam's iron grip off my upper arm. "Then, he better not find out."
I pulled a little power from his hand where my fingers touched him. His face went slack. I kept my eyes up, so I didn't have to see the other things that my power did to him.
I patted his chest. "Hold down the fort. I'll be back later."
I snuck out while Liam's eyes were still closed. His moan of pleasure was a little disturbing. I was sure I would get used to it after a time, but right now, it was just weird. I slipped down the stairs to the first floor, which was a garage and mechanic shop. A few of the brothers worked on various machines.
One man rolled out from under the hornet as I approached. He looked up at me. "My beloved, are you sure you want to keep this car? It needs a lot of work."
I frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Well, I'm fixing it, of course. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."
I stared in shock. "I... well... yes. I would like it to get fixed. But no hurry. I actually need to go to work, so... could you maybe look at it later?"
"But it's not safe. Let me drive you."
He rose to his feet. The man was jacked. His white T-shirt strained against his muscles as he moved. It was incredibly distracting. He caught me watching and smiled.
"Umm... no. That's okay. You can work on it when I come home tonight." The word home on my lips seemed odd, but it was currently accurate. "What's your name?"
"Cole." His blue eyes were cool as he looked me up and down. His curly black hair was a little disheveled from working under the car.
I stuck my hand out for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you."
"Beloved," he said. He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips.
I couldn't help the smile. I tried to keep my blush under control. This was all just too weird. I decided he deserved a nice reward and pulled a bit of his energy. His face softened, and his eyes closed.
"Keys?" I asked while still pulling at his energy.
He pulled the keys from his pocket. His pants were tight, leaving not much to the imagination. I wondered briefly if I continued to give him pleasure what would happen. I jerked my hand away. Let's not find out. I wouldn't want an accident to happen here in front of all these people, but... That could be fun later.
I patted his strong arm. "Sorry I'm just late. I need to get going."
I scooted around him and opened the creaky door on the hornet. Every mechanic in the shop turned and looked at me. I plastered on a smile and waved to them before I shut the protesting door again.
I turned the key. The starter clicked several times. I pumped the gas, and the hornet choked to life. The men in the garage stared at me in horror as I shifted and rolled out. I waved one more time before I headed to work.