"Looks like you guys sorted things out." Harper smiled as she watched Mandy lead Ace merrily toward her garage. If she hadn't known they were aunt and nephew, she might have mistaken them for a young couple.
"Since you brought him to my garage, I'm guessing you want me to hook him up with a dirt bike," Harper added with a knowing grin.
"Harper, thank you for accommodating us," Mandy said gratefully, knowing there were no motorbike rentals in town. Harper had graciously offered to loan one of her bikes to Ace for the day.
"So, Harper, what will I be riding?" Ace asked, rubbing his palms together in excitement as he eyed the array of motorbikes neatly arranged in the garage. He'd never ridden a motorbike before, but with the Apex earring's driving effect, he was confident he could handle it like a pro racer.
"That one." Harper pointed to a small bike by the door. "It's a KTM 50 SX." The bike looked more like a toy than a real dirt bike.
Ace raised an eyebrow. "Harper, come on. I'm sure I can handle something bigger than 50cc. How about something in the 250cc to 450cc range? Whatever you've got available works for me," he said, his eyes gleaming as he glanced at the Kawasakis, Suzukis, and Yamahas. He couldn't wait to get his hands on one.
Harper crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Do you have any experience riding one of these?" she asked cautiously, a hint of a frown forming. Ace might be underage, but she'd seen him take down two armed men with ease. She didn't want to underestimate him.
"Yes," Ace said without hesitation. Showing no remorse for lying he added with a playful smirk, "Why don't you let me try one out? I'll show you what I've got."
"Well," Harper said, glancing around the garage, "I do have a 125cc that I could loan you, but it's old. I haven't used it in a while, so I'd need to check it out first." She tapped her chin, trying to recall where she'd last stashed her old Kawasaki.
"What about those?" Ace asked, pointing at the array of motorbikes neatly lined up in the garage. He wondered if they belonged to her customers.
"Even I'm not allowed to touch those," Harper said with a shrug, her tone tinged with helplessness. "They're from my uncle's dealership. I just rent out space in my garage to him."
Ace frowned, already knowing better than to push Harper for one of those bikes. Instead, he said, "Alright then. Does he have an electric one? I'll buy it now."
"Buddy, pump your brakes." Mandy stepped in quickly, holding up a hand before Harper could answer. "I only agreed to rent you a bike, not buy you one. Your mom would skin me alive if she found out I bought you a dirt bike of all things."
She crossed her arms, clearly exasperated. Mandy still remembered how Mary reacted when she casually mentioned gifting Ace a car for his upcoming birthday. Mary had joked she might forgive Mandy if she dated Ace instead, but never if she let him own a "Bed/death on wheels." It was crystal clear where Mary stood.
"No worries, I can afford one myself," Ace said, dismissing Mandy's concerns with a wave. Turning back to Harper, he asked, "I heard the Stark VARG is a good electric motocross bike. Do you guys have one in stock? And do you take crypto, or is it strictly cash?"
Harper blinked, staring at him in disbelief. "Wait, are you serious?" She couldn't believe a high schooler had the kind of money to buy a Stark VARG, let alone pay with cryptocurrency.
"Yes," Ace said flatly, raising an eyebrow. "So, do you have it or not?"
Harper hesitated, her gaze shifting to Mandy for confirmation. Mandy threw her hands up in defeat. "Give him what he wants," she said, shaking her head. "I'm heading home. If your mom asks, I'll just say I dropped you off at school. I want no part of this."
With that, Mandy left the garage without bothering to ask where Ace had gotten all that money. She didn't suspect him of misusing the money she'd invested in his trading venture. Based on the combat skills he'd shown her and their conversation today, it was clear her nephew was leading a second life—one that no one in their family knew about until now.
The revelation didn't shock her; instead, it explained a lot. While curiosity gnawed at her, Mandy chose not to pry. She trusted that Ace would share the truth when he was ready. For now, she was simply happy to be the first person he'd confided in. For reasons she couldn't quite explain, that mattered more to her than uncovering the details.
"Thanks, Auntie! You're the best!" Ace shouted after her, grinning, then turned back to Harper, clearly waiting for an answer.
Harper hesitated. "Well… my uncle does have a Stark VR1," she admitted. "You can get it for cheap, too—but trust me, you don't want that bike."
Ace raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
Harper sighed, conflicted. On one hand, she wanted to help her uncle make a sale. On the other, she felt indebted to Mandy's kindness and didn't want to lead Ace astray. "It's cheap because… well, the day the guy who bought it was testing it in the mountains, he wasn't wearing any protective gear. The rest is history," she said grimly. "Shockingly, the bike didn't have a single scratch. It was totally fine despite the brutal accident.
"The deceased's family returned the bike to the dealership and got their money back, but my uncle can't resell it—even with a huge discount. It's electric, which puts some people off, and… well, folks around here think it's cursed."
"A cursed bike, huh?" Ace muttered, his interest piqued. He had a feeling Harper meant the usual superstitions, not the kind of curse he could actually wield. His lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "Lead the way. I want to check it out."
Harper groaned, throwing her head back. "Ugh, you're really not gonna let this go, are you?"
With a reluctant sigh, Harper gestured for Ace to follow her. "Alright, fine. But don't say I didn't warn you." She led him to the back of the garage, her steps heavy with reluctance.
Soon, they arrived at a container office. A fat, bald man stood by the door, puffing on a cigarette. Spotting Harper arrive with a young man, he squinted and asked, "Who's that?"
"He's a customer. He's interested in buying the Stark VR1," Harper said, cutting straight to the point.
The man immediately stubbed out his cigarette on the ground, his demeanor shifting. "Harper, you told him everything about its past, right? I don't want any trouble later."
"Yes, I told him," Harper replied. Before she could say more, Ace interjected. "Harper, I handle it from here."
Harper hesitated, glancing at him. For Mandy's sake, she felt like she should stay and oversee the situation, but Ace's confident demeanor convinced her otherwise. "Alright," she said with a nod. "I'll be back at the garage if you need me."
Once Harper was out of earshot, Ace turned to the dealer and pointed to a green-and-blue motocross bike parked beside the office, plugged in for charging. "Is that the bike?"
"Yes," the dealer confirmed with a nod. "It's fully charged. Do you want to test drive it?"
"No need," Ace said, his tone brisk. "I'm willing to pay $10,000 in cryptocurrency, and I'll handle the registration myself. So, do we have a deal?" He was in a hurry; he needed to hit the road now to make it to the winery on time.
The dealer's face lit up at the offer. $10,000 was $1,000 more than his asking price. Not to mention he did not have make trip to the DMV. "Deal!" he said enthusiastically. "Here's my wallet ID. Let me go grab the keys for you."