They talked the rest of the way to Silverstone Towing, and when he pulled onto a short driveway, Taylor could only stare in surprise at the complex in front of her. “Jeez, Eagle, you were right—it looks like a drug den or something. Razor wire on top of the fence, the tall weeds, the cameras . . . what are you hiding in there? Drugs? Gold?”
Eagle chuckled, not offended in the least. “Skylar said it looked like a motorcycle-gang clubhouse the first time she saw it.”
“Yeah, that too,” Taylor agreed.
She watched as Eagle lowered his window and leaned out to punch at least ten numbers onto a keypad. The gate in front of them opened surprisingly quickly, and when she looked behind them after they’d driven through, Taylor saw that it closed just as fast.
“It’s not smart to have a slow gate,” Eagle told her, obviously seeing where she was looking. “There’s a sensor that knows when the vehicle has gone by, and it triggers the gate to shut. Two cars can’t enter at the same time, and the fast motion of the gate is to try to prevent anyone from slipping in after a vehicle.”
Taylor nodded, but that was honestly something she’d never thought of before. As they drove toward the largest of the buildings, she noted that while there were tall weeds around the property, they seemed to be more strategic than out of control. The grass up against the buildings was neatly trimmed, and there were no big bushes anywhere.
Eagle parked his Jeep toward the back of the building, at the end of a row of other vehicles, and glanced at her when he’d turned off the engine. “So?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Impressive,” Taylor told him honestly. “And you’re right, I probably would’ve freaked if I’d driven myself here.”
He smirked. “Yup. We purposely make this place look kind of shitty. Helps us fly under the radar in this neighborhood.”
“You could move,” she suggested.
“But the location is perfect,” Eagle countered. “We’re near the outer loop and I-65, and we can get downtown within ten minutes as well. Besides, a lot of our employees live not too far from here, and if we moved, that would inconvenience them.”
He turned to get out, but Taylor put a hand on his arm, stopping him. Eagle glanced back at her.
“Why would that matter?” she asked, genuinely curious to hear his answer.
“Because our employees are the lifeblood of Silverstone Towing. Without them, we’re nothing.” And with that, Eagle climbed out of the car.
Taylor shook her head in disbelief. She hadn’t met many business owners who cared that much about their employees. For most, it was all about the bottom line. Money. If it made fiscal sense to change location, that was what was done, and the employees had to deal. Altering the outward appearance of their business to try to match its location was a smart business move. But she had a gut feeling not moving was more about their employees than being close to the interstates.
Her door opened, and Taylor jerked in surprise. As she climbed out, Eagle put his hand under her elbow to help her stand, letting go once she was steady on her feet. Her skin tingled where he’d touched her.
He’s your friend, she told herself. Relationships don’t work out for you, remember?
It was hard to remember that when so far everything Eagle had done impressed the hell out of her.
He punched in another long stream of numbers on a keypad next to the door, and it opened with a click.
“I’d bring you in the front door, but then we’d have to walk all the way around the building, which would be stupid. So you won’t get the full effect of the place, but I’ll show you the front entrance later.”
Taylor wondered what was up with the front entrance, but didn’t have time to ask, because Eagle led her down a hall and into a large absolutely beautiful great room. The ceiling was high, and the room looked extremely homey and comfortable.
There were leather couches and chairs in the living area along with a huge television. A delicious smell permeated the room, coming from the fanciest kitchen she’d ever seen against the far wall. There were two huge refrigerators, a six-burner gas stove, and a granite bar that had at least a dozen stools pushed up under it.
“Welcome to Silverstone Towing,” Eagle said softly.
Taylor turned to him with huge eyes. “I . . . this is hard to believe,” she stammered.
Eagle chuckled. “I know. The outside looks like nothing special, but we wanted the inside to be a home away from home for everyone.”
“You’ve succeeded. Wow,” Taylor said.
“Hey, Eagle!” a man called out as he entered from a hallway on the other side of the room.
“Hey, Robert,” Eagle returned. Then he put his hand on the small of Taylor’s back and gently urged her forward.
Her belly rolled, but she pasted a smile on her face as they walked toward the man.
Eagle reached out and shook Robert’s hand, then turned to her. “Taylor, this is Robert. He’s one of our drivers.”
Robert nodded at her. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Busy tonight?” Eagle asked the man.
“Not so far. I’m just on a quick break for dinner. I was here when Archer was making the sauce earlier. I thought it smelled good then, but damn, now it’s like an Italian restaurant in here.”
Taylor couldn’t argue with him.
“Who else is here?” Eagle asked.
“Bull, Smoke, and Gramps are downstairs in your room; Christine’s in dispatch; Jose doesn’t go on duty for another hour, but he’s taking a nap in one of the rooms; and I think Thomas is on his way for lasagna too.”
“Jose’s baby is still colicky?” Eagle guessed.
“Yeah. His mother-in-law is here right now. His wife went out with friends for a break, and her mom kicked him out, told him to get some sleep before his shift,” Robert said.
“Good,” Eagle said with a satisfied smile.
Taylor could only listen in awe.
“Well, it was great meeting you,” Robert told her. “But I need to get dinner before I’m called back on duty. Hope to see you around.”
“Same,” Taylor said, watching as the man made a beeline for the kitchen.
“You want a tour, or do you want to eat first?” Eagle asked her.
“Tour,” Taylor said immediately. She couldn’t wait to see more of the building.
Eagle smiled and held out his hand, indicating she should precede him. She walked through the large room and into the hallway Robert had come out of. She peered into a few of the rooms, seeing both small bedrooms as well as spaces set up so people could watch TV or play video games. There was a huge bathroom at the end of the hallway as well, complete with showers.
“I heard Robert say Christine was working dispatch, but I only see one bathroom . . .” She trailed off, not knowing how to ask her question without being disrespectful.
But Eagle understood what she wanted to know without her having to ask. “There’s a private bathroom and shower downstairs for anyone who isn’t comfortable using the communal one up here. We try very hard to be tolerant and accepting around here,” Eagle told her. “As long as everyone’s respectful of each other, we all get along fine. We’re happy to make accommodations as needed too.”