I drove into town early the next morning. Hector said he got me a job at a local auto-repair shop and I didn't wanna be late on my first day.

I finally found the place. It was small, two bay garage. A few old junkers sat next to the building, while a pair of new cars sat on lifts inside. There was a man underneath one of the cars. He looked over as I pulled into the parking lot.

I stepped out. "You Mickey?"

   The man gave me a smile, wiping his greasy hands on a rag before sticking one towards me. "You must be Dani. The marshal told me all about you."

   I hesitated before shaking his hand. "So, you know why I'm here?"

   He shrugged. "Just that you're in the witness protection. I've had a few of you guys through here over the years. Government subsidies help keep the lights on."

   I nodded. "Alright. Well, let's get to work then."

   He nodded back. "The Honda in bay one needs an oil change. Can you manage that?"

   I smirked. "I could get that done in my sleep."

   He returned my smirk. "I think I'm gonna like you..."

   As the hours ticked by, I found myself changing oil and tires, doing brake jobs and wheel alignments. Simple things. Mickey saved the tougher jobs for himself.

   I closed the hood on my last car before making my way over to the second bay, where Mickey was angrily moving around under the hood of an old Ford pick-up.

"Need a hand?" I asked.

He stood up, wiping his hands on his overalls. "That intake is a little heavy, sure you can lift it?"

"Outta the way, pretty boy." I countered.

He laughed, stepping back from the truck. "Alright. Be my guest."

I leaned under the hood, inspecting the intake manifold, immediately seeing the problem. "Got a pry-bar laying around? Whoever rebuilt this engine used way to much gasket sealer."

He nodded and walked off, returning a minute later with the tool I requested.

We pulled the intake off and I carried it over to a nearby work bench.

"Shit, I was afraid of that." Mickey said from under the hood.

I walked back. "What's wrong?"

He stood up, facing me. "There's a crack in the lifter valley. The motor's junk."

Before I could reply, we heard a honk from outside.

"Could you go check on that?" Mickey asked. "I got a phone call to make."

I nodded before heading outside, seeing Maria stepping out of her car.

She flashed me a smile. "Fancy seeing you here. Car trouble?"

I shook my head. "Nope. New job."

She nodded. "In that case, maybe you can help me out."

I gave her a smirk. "What seems to be the problem, ma'am?"

She giggled. "My cars leaking."

I knelt down in front of the car, peering underneath it. "Leaking what?"

"Uh, well, I don't really know." She replied.

I stood up and had her pop the hood. "You're leaking coolant. Looks like a blown head gasket."

She gave me a confused look. "Is that bad?"

I nudged her. "Normally, yes. But, my boss is a whizz. He'll have it fixed up for you in no time."

"What will I have fixed up in no time?" Mickey asked as he exited the shop, joining us by Maria's car.

"Bad head gasket. Think you can handle it?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes and smiled. "I can have that fixed up for you by tomorrow morning."

Maria looked a little disappointed. "Ok, I guess I'll find a ride back."

"I can give you a ride." I said quickly. It was kind of embarrassing how excited I was at the idea.

She flashed me a grateful smile. A little extra something hidden behind her eyes. "Really?"

I ran my hand through my hair. "Sure, I'm about off the clock anyway."

Mickey looked between the two of us, a look on his face I didn't quite like. "I'll clock you out, you ladies have fun."

I shot him a glare before leading Maria to my car.

She looked over it. "Wow... It's older than I thought."

I looked over at her from the drivers side. "Easy, she's sensitive."

Maria laughed as we got in. I started the car up and headed back home...

I dropped Maria at Trudy's and told her I'd be back after a quick shower and change of clothes.

The warm water ran down my back, my hand leaning against the shower wall. 'That woman is entirely to cute for her own good...' I thought before turning the water off and stepping out.

I toweled off before looking at my reflection in the foggy mirror. "Get it together. This isn't permanent."

With a sigh, I got changed and headed out the door.

As I walked down my driveway, a motorcycle came to a stop at the end of it, blocking my path.

Buddy leaned back on his bike, looking me up and down. "Well, hello, and welcome to the neighborhood."

I just nodded before attempting to walk past him.

"That's a beautiful car you got." He said, stepping off his bike.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. "Thanks... Nice bike."

He looked back to his Harley before refacing me. "Thanks. I don't believe I caught your name?"

"That's because I didn't tell you my name." I replied.

He let out a slight chuckle. "If that's how you want to play it. Just know, this is my neighborhood. I run the show. Is that going to be a problem?"

I gave him a smirk. "Not at all, Buddy."

Then, I turned on my heel and continued my walk...

Buddy wasn't anything new. I've dealt with guys like him plenty of times in the past. They shake down a few people and all of a sudden they were king shit.

And, maybe to everyone else around here, he was. But, to someone like me? He was just a wannabe. A two-bit hood. Nothing I couldn't handle...