Free It Takes Three to Fly by Mia Ashlinn Page B

that led into the actual shop. As she crossed the threshold, the cool air disintegrated and the August heat stifled her once again, sucking the oxygen right out of her lungs.
    She inhaled slowly, and the metallic scent amplified around her, drifting into her nostrils with each breath she took. When she moved further into the room, more smells assaulted her senses—oil, gasoline, exhaust, and even a whiff of male sweat.
    Rotating her head to the side, she let her gaze drift over one bay after another until she saw Landon and Shane standing next to a car, chatting with her arch nemesis. Of course, Leila had to be here. Life sucked like that.
    With her head held high and her shoulders back, Katie-Anne sauntered across the garage with every ounce of sex appeal she could muster. She pursed her lips, batted her eyes, and thrust out her small breasts. When she was within hearing distance of the three people, she called out, “Shane. Landon.”
    Shane and Landon’s heads shot up and away from Leila, who scowled murderously at her. The taller of the two men, Landon, stared at her, dumbfounded, but that only lasted a second before anger seemed to settle into his features. The shorter, dark-headed man, Shane, barked, “Go,” to Leila. And she did, leaving them alone.
    Uh-oh. They know about our game.
    “I hope you are not here to pull a stunt like your friends,” Shane clipped out when she moved to stand between her dream men. “Because I have no doubt that it will not be appreciated by us.”
    Knowing that this wasn’t going to go well, Katie-Anne almost spun around and walked out. This scenario would be ugly, and she would end up hurt. But it was like a train wreck—you don’t want to look, but you can’t seem to take your eyes off it.
    Tuning out all of the engine noises and metal clinks, she touched Shane’s jumpsuit and toyed with one of the buttons. “I don’t know what you are talking about, big guy. I’m only here to see the two bad boys of Serenity, Kansas.”
    Shane eyed her cautiously, the distrust evident in his face. “So you’re slumming it, huh?” He flicked his gaze over her clothes with arctic eyes that made her feel dirty then glanced at Landon. “It would explain the outfit,” he remarked pompously.
    My outfit? She cringed internally, realizing that he’d gotten the wrong impression of her clothing choice. That morning, she’d snagged the dress that she’d been working on with her pen pal, Maddie Moore. They’d sent it back and forth in the mail for each step from concept until the finished project. It was one of her favorite dresses, but she’d never been gutsy enough to wear it in public. Her mother had dressed her until her death two years ago and, since then, Katie-Anne had not branched her look out. That’s what I get for trying.
    Katie-Anne forced herself to continue to stand proud, to pretend that it didn’t hurt her to know how little they thought of her. “I’m not slumming it,” she replied with a giant, pasted on smile. “Actually, I came by to discuss a mutually beneficial business proposal for you two.”
    As usual, Landon was the voice of reason. He wiped away every emotion from his face and suggested, “Why don’t we go outside to discuss this?”
    “No,” she shot back before thinking. “This venue is perfectly fine.” Well, not really, but I’ll take it over being alone with you for this conversation.
    “Fine,” Shane snapped. “Just get on with it. The working men don’t have time to play around with the little rich girl.”
    Katie-Anne gulped as nervousness plagued her. If he was already acting so aggressive, she had no chance against him when she was done talking. Screw it. “I want to pay you for your services,” she blurted out.
    “Excuse me?” Shane asked, obviously not comprehending what she meant. Landon didn’t seem much better. He didn’t speak, merely observed.
    Damn it. Do I have to spell it out? Apparently, she did. “I’m looking for a