Once it’s just Teague and me in the room, he leans forward, “What did you want to talk to me about? I assume that’s why you wanted to take a walk.”
I cut into my perfectly cooked steak and grin. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re about to find out soon.”
Half an hour later, and after the plates have been cleared, our father walks into the room with a smug look on his face. “That was an interesting call and one I took great pleasure in having. Ryder is on his way over, so I can tell him the news.”
“What news is that?” Teague asks.
“We’re getting Reggie Buchanon.”
Playing dumb, I ask, “Can you afford three drivers?”
Dad replies, “I can, but I don’t have to. Morrison Motors is dumping Ryder Stone onto the lap of Wheelie Good Tires. He’s their problem now.”
“What? Why?” I ask, continuing the ruse. Teague appears genuinely stunned by the turn of events, but then his gaze widens momentarily when it dawns on him that I’m already aware of the situation. Thankfully, he keeps his mouth shut.
Overplaying his hand, our father admits, “I warned Ryder that if he pursued you, his career would be over. I would have liked to see him ousted permanently, but he’ll mess up soon enough. He always does. My first plan didn’t work, but this is as close to getting him out of your life as I can get.”
Teague shakes his head. “On the contrary. Now, there’s nothing stopping Blake and Ryder from being together.”
Dad laughs maniacally, as if he has already won. “Blake always puts family first, and that includes you, Teague. She wouldn’t risk your inheritance to date someone she just met. This is over before it even began.” Our father’s eyes turn in my direction, piercing me with a challenging gaze. “Would you? You aren’t that selfish, are you? Ryder Stone is not worth losing everything over.”
I did not expect my father to threaten my brother, and while I try to formulate a response, Teague stands up and heads for the front door. He turns around and holds out his hand toward me. “Let’s go, Blake. You’ve done everything that Father has asked of you, and yet he still can’t find it in his heart to support you. He’ll always dangle the carrot to get what he wants. This stops now.”
“If the two of you walk out the door, then you’ll get nothing. Your racing career will be over, Teague, and you’ll lose the company, Blake.”
I hold up my hand and silently ask Teague to give me a moment. I turn toward our father. “All we ever wanted was your unconditional love and support. Instead, you gave us an ultimatum and forced our hand. Were you ever planning on letting me race for Morrison Motors after I helped reform the ‘Bad Boy?’ For the record, there isn’t anything to reform. Ryder made some mistakes when he was young, and the public has criticized him for it, but his heart is as good as one can get. Despite accusations and always being the suspect any time something goes wrong, he faces it with a positive attitude. You’ve only seen the surface because you never took the time to dig deeper. You treated him like a commodity instead of a human being. You think I’m losing everything? You’re wrong. I’m gaining my freedom, and it’s worth the sacrifice.”
Teague’s lip curls as he says, “Give Reggie our regard. You have three options, Dad. You can let me finish the season, let me go and pay the rest of my contract, or hire someone to take me out of the race like you did Reggie. I have to ask, why did you do it?”
It’s a bold accusation, and our father has never admitted to being wrong. If he did it, he’ll stand by his actions because he’ll feel that they’re justified. “I knew the moment Ryder left my office that he wouldn’t concede to my wishes. I could see it in his eyes. I needed his reputation to be ruined so that you could see him for the man he truly is, Blake.”
Tears well up in my eyes at how far my father has fallen from the pedestal I’d placed him on. “You wanted me to see him for the man youbelievehim to be. Instead, I discovered the man you really are. If Ryder and I end up together, know this: I’d rather be a Stone than a Morrison.”
Ryder
“I’msorrytosaythat this Saturday’s race will be your last with Morrison Motors,” Randall says to me without an ounce of remorse. “The official contract for the trade will be signed tomorrow, and your employment with Wheelie Good Tires begins the moment the race concludes.”
“You did all of this just to get me out of Blake’s life? What’s to stop me from seeing her now?” I ask.
Randall removes a checkbook from his desk. “How about ten million dollars to pad your bank account and the fact that Blake will get nothing from me as long as she’s with you.”
As he begins to write out the check like it’s a done deal, I rise to my full height. “Don’t bother signing it, because I won’t be cashing it. I don’t need your money, Mr. Morrison. I’d just like to know one thing before I leave. Why did you hire me to race for you in the first place?”
“Pity, mostly, and the fact that my son wouldn’t race under the Morrison banner unless I brought you along. When Morrison Motors was viewed as the company that gave the underdog a fighting chance, I kept you on. I’ve tolerated you outshining my son on the track, but you’ve served your purpose.”
I purse my lips, and disappointment coats me like a second skin. “Your actions are costing you your family.”
He signs the check anyway and shoves it at me. “Once a criminal, always a criminal. I’m sure your true colors will be revealed in time. Once that happens, I’ll be waiting for my children to return home, and I’ll do it with open arms. Theywillcome home, Ryder.” His gaze penetrates me like laser beams, and his voice drops low. “You will never be good enough for my daughter, and she’ll eventually realize it.”
“You’re right about that because no one is good enough for her, but I’ll never stop trying to be. The two of us have been brought together for a reason, and I’ll do everything in my power not to waste the precious opportunity. So, take solace in this: she’ll always have someone to lean on, even if it’s not you. I plan to help her achieve her dream of racing, so expect to see her on the track soon.”
He laughs outright at my assertion. “Blake has been out of the game too long. She’d only embarrass herself.”
This time it’s my turn to laugh. “It’s sad that I have more faith in your daughter than you do. She’s already beaten me once at Harris Hill.”
I remove the key to the borrowed McLaren 750S Spider parked out front and put it on his desk. “You’ll probably want the car back. It’s parked next to the Bugatti and the Pagani. Thank you for the opportunity you’ve given me. For that, I will forever be grateful.”
With the strings officially cut, I breathe a sigh of relief as I leave the mansion and join Blake and Teague in the ride-share that’s waiting out front.
