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“Is someone picking them up?”
“It’s all set. Floyd will be getting them and driving them to their hotel. He’ll bring them back and forth.”
“Is that what he meant about being a taxi?” she asked. Early this morning, when he’d picked us up at the airport, he’d commented about a busy week of being a taxi. At the time, he’d meant taking Bristol and me wherever we needed to be. Floyd didn’t mind. As a widower, the NASCAR circuit had become his life and his family. When it came to assisting me, he was indispensable—transporting me around the country, driving me anywhere I had to go, and setting up the RV—including stocking it.
“Yeah. He volunteered, actually. He’s met my family several times—in fact, he came on vacation with us a couple times. He and my dad get on well. Too well sometimes. They like to gang up on me.”
She rested her chin on her hand, smiling down at me. “Good.”
“Traitor.”
“Yeah. Spoiler alert: I’ll probably gang up on you, too.”
My fingers buried in her hair, pulling her lips up to mine. “As long as you’re with me.”
“Always.”
* * *
My dad was like a proverbial kid in a candy story as he stood at the freestanding stainless-steel countertop in the hauler, looking at race stats—mine versus the other drivers. Since he ran a team of four cars in the amateur league he was thrilled to be allowed to see this—something his brother had never allowed.
I appreciated his eye, too. As a substitute driver for another who’d already qualified, I’d be starting dead last in the pack. It would take all my skill to avoid getting wrecked by other’s back there while I navigated my way up the line toward the front runners. My chances of landing in the top ten, much less winning, were slim, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t drive my ass off and try.
“Traitor!” a voice yelled followed by a ruckus of a toolchest being shoved and loose wrenches flying. Immediately, some of the crew moved closer to me, and I saw Troy emerge from his office as Darius stormed toward me.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Troy demanded, moving in right beside me.
“Talking to my ungrateful nephew,” Darius snapped as if he hadn’t brought on everything himself, firing me, and was now trespassing in another team’s hauler.
“Ungrateful?” I echoed, crossing me arms and standing square to him. “What should I be grateful for? You firing me without notice? You dragging me into what amounted to indentured servitude? You lying about paying my mom’s medical bills?” I took a step closer, not caring that we had an audience. “Or maybe I should be thanking you for orchestrating the smear campaign to ‘spice up’ my image because I was so boring?” I pointed at him. “Which wasyourfault.”
“You can’t just go drive for another team. I’ll sue your ass off.”
“No, you won’t,” I answered, not letting him agitate me. “My lawyer reviewed all the paperwork, as well you know since we’re suing you. You’re free of me. I’m fucking free of you. You have no hold on me anymore. There is nothing else you can do to me, and you brought this on yourself! Everyone knows you fired me. Thatyousevered my contract. It’s been all over the news. And since you were the one to initiate it, I’m not bound by any conditions.”
“Because of your conduct,” Darius muttered under his breath, like a child being scolded.
“What conduct? Falling in love? You know all the other bullshit was just that. Bullshit staged by you and Marta. Me being caught up in the Pendleton Motorsports crap is done. I’m racing for Pressure, and I’m with Bristol. I wish you and Teddy the best of luck, which is more than either of you deserve. That’s it. Leave me the fuck alone.”
My dad stepped up beside me while Darius blustered. With Troy to my other side, the three of us were an immovable wall. I knew the crew were a second wall behind us.
“Get out,” my dad growled. Despite his low voice emerging in a calm, even cadence, I’d never heard him sound more deadly. “You are not my family. Not anymore. We never want to see or hear from you ever again.”
“And don’t youeverfucking skulk into my garages or haulers ever again,” Troy added, sounding almost as deadly as my dad, though his tone was clearly pissed. “I’ll have you physically removed then report you if you trespass again.”
A tic worked in Darius’ cheek while he clearly ground his teeth. Ignoring them, he glared at me. “You’re going to regret this. You’re going to pay for betraying me.”
Betrayinghim?
Before I could say a word, he spun on his heel and stormed out in a near-silent cloud of barely suppressed rage, though he probably would have slammed the door if the hydraulic hinges hadn’t impeded the action.
“Asshole,” my dad muttered. Shaking his head, he looked over at me. “Pleasecrush him.”
Troy laughed, patting my dad’s shoulder. “I knew I liked you. You’ll be sitting with me on Sunday, right?”
My father grinned, returning to kid-meeting-Santa mode. “Of course. It will be our pleasure. We can cheer on Ax while he kicks that Teddy kid’s ass and makes Darius eat his heart out.”
Troy looked at me. “You okay, kid.”
