The last thing Max would ever have wanted would be to hurt Channing. So it had been with a heavy heart that Max had decided to go it alone and try to solve the Judd Trax problem by himself.
The way Max figured it, the less that Channing knew, the better.
And even if this meant keeping Channing totally in the dark, then that was just the way it had to be. Of course, Max knew that Channing was smart. If Max stuck around at Channing’s place, Max was sure that Channing would work out what was going on and try to stop Max – and this just wasn’t an option as far as Max was concerned.
As Max woke up in the small, single bed motel room, he felt his head throb. One too many beers in a nearby dive bar had seen to it that Max wouldn’t be waking up feeling as fresh as a daisy that day. Far from it, in fact.
Max had found the motel on the road that led out of Los Frisco, and it was the kind of place that Max knew Channing would never frequent. It may have been Max’s pride kicking in, buteven the thought of Channing finding him in such a low rent, frankly horrible motel was something that Max couldn’t handle.
As Max wandered out of the small, damp-ridden bathroom and into the motel bedroom, he stopped and looked at his surroundings. The walls were all an off-white color and had seen better days. The carpet underneath Max’s feet was worn and lifeless too.
This place was fortunate to have been awarded the two-star rating it displayed in the reception lobby, that was for sure.
But Max had little choice. He didn’t have the money to splash out on one of the boutique hotels in Los Frisco. Even if he did have the money, Max really didn’t want to risk being spotted by Channing.
Judd had Max in a tough spot.
There was no denying that Max had been foolish to ever hang out with Judd. Maybe it was a case of Max’s street smarts being found lacking for once. Or perhaps it was just Max’s open-hearted nature that allowed a conniving snake like Judd into his life.
But there was no changing the past now.
The only thing that Max could do was to attempt to control the future. And this was going to have to include taking part in the drag race that Judd was so insistent on Max losing.
Max hated having to involve himself with Judd for a single second longer than he had to, but Max felt like he had no choice in the matter.
Such was his strength of feeling of wanting to do this all alone, Max had even kept both Harrison and Michael out ofproceedings as much as possible. Max knew that either one of them would have let him crash at their place, but he felt determined to keep his friends totally disconnected from it all.
After all, if Judd was willing to implicate Channing, then there was nothing to say that he wouldn’t try to do the same with Harrison and Michael.
That said, both Harrison and Michael were keen to offer their moral support as and where they could…
Max, remember – you can call on me any time day or night. You know I’m always up late anyway, so don’t worry. I’m here for you bro, and I know Michael is too. Anything you need, just ask. We’ve got your back, brother. Harrison.
Seconded. This Judd asshole has messed with the wrong guy, it’s only a matter of time before he realizes that. But just promise us you’ll think before you take any drastic steps. You’ve got a good life with Channing, you need to think of that. Love you, bro. Be safe. Michael.
Max smiled and sent a big heart emoji in response. Max didn’t feel like getting into a long conversation, but appreciated his friends so much. Having both Michael and Harrison back in his life was a good feeling, and Max hoped that once this situation was all over with, he would be able to get back on track with seeing his friends regularly.
Of course, the same feeling applied to Channing too. Max only hoped that Channing would understand why he had to go into dark mode to sort through the problem. The truth was that Max had never fully explained how he lost his brother, Trey.
Max had always planned on telling Channing the full story, but somehow he was never able to push through the pain of dredging up all of his old memories. In that moment, Max decided that once this was all over, he would find Channing and tell him exactly what happened to Trey.
In the meantime, the symbolism of the drag race wasn’t lost on Max.
When Max’s older brother had died in a fatal road accident, it wasn’t simply a case of one driver being distracted, or even a DUI. No, Trey had been racing. It wasn’t an official, organized street drag race like Max took part in. It was a far looser event, the type of race that gave the drag racing community a bad name.
For Trey to die in this way was a tragedy, and it pained Max to think about it even now. Worse, Max had always lived with a sense of guilt that he had got into drag racing too. Fortunately for Max, his skill had led him into the far more organized and relatively safer high-end street racing scene.
For Max to enter into a drag race as a result of being blackmailed left a sour taste in his mouth. Trey loved the thrill, the speed, and the sensation of true competition. The same was all true for Max.
So for Max to have to enter a race under duress, and then lose on purpose on top of that… it felt heartbreakingly awful.
There has to be another way.
But Judd has me where he wants me.
I just can’t see a way out…
* * *
