Chapter 3
Every setof eyes in our small group fell to my waist. Willy stumbled back like I’d shot him, and Jesse seemed more perplexed than anything. I hadn’t even thought anything of it. It wasn’t like I was carrying a watermelon down there. I was barely showing at all, which is why I’d had no fucking idea until this week. Hell, I didn’t know how Hayes could even tell. The doctors had called it a cryptic pregnancy. I called it a kick in the uterus—quite literally.
“Yep. I’d appreciate it if you kept that to yourself.” I didn’t know if he was still working for Ryclo, but mechanics gossiped nearly as much as a knitting circle.
I was worried if word got back to Brick Willtot that I was possibly knocked up with his grandchild, I was in for a world of trouble. Even the thought made my blood turn to ice. He was rich, powerful, and grief-stricken. I was a nobody, with a dangerous job and no support system. If he tried to take the baby in court, I’d stand no fucking chance.
So I was going to lie out my ass. “Five months along. I made some mistakes after… everything.” I could have a baby a month early. It happened a lot. Let them think that my baby was from a seedy one-night stand.
I should have known Willy wouldn’t drop it. “Who’s the father?”
Lie, lie, lie.“Some loser I met in a bar while I was drowning my sorrows. Also, none of anyone’s damn business. It’s mine, and that’s all that matters.” Willy’s eyes promised this wasn’t over, but he dropped it.
But the question had drawn Hayes’s focus to Willy. “Who are you?”
“Will Love. Tally’s friend.” He basically chewed on the word friend; that was how much emphasis he put on it. His tone suggested we were way more than friends, and that, ladies and gentleman, was the reason I’d never gotten any dates in high school.
They eyed each other up and down, like they were going to brawl. Finally, Hayes gave a sniff. “Can’t be too good a friend if you couldn’t tell she was pregnant. It’s obvious as shit to anyone who’s spent any time with her.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes to the heavens. “Neither of you have ever seen me naked, so you can stop the damn posturing.” Jesse laughed, and I was glad one of us was enjoying the moment. “What the hell are you doing here, Hayes?”
My old mechanic shrugged. “Same thing you’re probably doing here—answering the call-out in Palo Alto. I thought while I was in town, I’d catch up with Jesse. We’re friends from way back.”
I blinked dumbly at him. “Uh, I’m here because I need the prize money, so I don’t have to raise my kid in a mold-infested roach hotel.”
Jesse frowned at my words. “You really don’t know? It’s been the talk of the industry for the last couple of months.”
I swallowed down the ache in my chest that came from knowing I’d lost my dreams. Someone had stolen them away, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly on the Christmas card list anymore.”
Rage flashed across Hayes’s face. “I know. I left Ryclo soon after you. I couldn’t give everything to a team who’d do that shit to one of its drivers. I told Ryker where he could shove it. I’ve drifted around for a couple of months, but when VANT Enterprises announced they wanted to get into racing—particularly open-wheel—well, I wanted in. They have the money and the drive to do big things.”
His passion was a mirror of my own, or it had been, up until a few months ago. Now he was talking about a dream I no longer had a place in.
I pasted a smile on my face. “Sounds great. IndyCar? Or Formula racing?” I’d never driven anything but stock cars at a competitive level, but if it went vroom-vroom around a track, I was here for it.
And just like that, we were back to being coworkers, as Hayes told me all about VANT’s supposed trajectory. IndyCar first, then maybe try and petition the FIA for a team status, perhaps buy out an existing team and rebrand it.
I ate up his words, even as my heart broke. Hayes had always been as passionate about motorsports as I’d been, and one of the few people on the team who used to sit and talk with me about it like we were buddies, not like they thought I was just a novelty to appease the fans.
The only other person who’d talked like that with me had been Buck. But Buck was dead.
A sleek red Ferrari pulled into the lot, and to say it turned heads would be an understatement. People stopped and watched as it purred past them. It was like a beautiful woman walking down a catwalk—you held your breath until they were gone from sight once more.
It pulled up beside the Dodge Demon, and an older man slid from the driver’s seat. “Holy shit,” Hayes whispered, but I was too busy staring at the woman who’d just climbed out of the passenger seat of the Demon. She must have been in her fifties, but man, if I could look half that good in my fifties, I”d sell my soul to the devil right then and there.
The guy, who must have been a similar age to the woman, leaned forward and kissed her softly. He was handsome, his Mediterranean features obvious, even in the darkness.
Another guy climbed out of the driver’s seat of the Demon, coming over to stand beside them. To say they stuck out in this crowd would be a gross understatement. Apart from being at least thirty years older than most people here, they screamed money. Everything about them dripped with wealth and affluence.
Cat, the woman who’d checked out Willy’s Porsche for enhancements, went over and spoke to them. She smiled brightly at them, before looking over in our direction. The entire group turned toward us, and I had the sudden urge to hide.
Jesse chuckled softly. “Like Candyman, you said their name too many times and they appeared, Hayes.”
The guy from the Ferrari walked toward us, and I whipped my head toward Hayes and Jesse. “Who’s that?”
But I was surprised when Willy answered. “Antony Barbieri. One of the best lawyers on the West Coast and co-founder of VANT Enterprises.”
Now it was my turn to stare, wide-eyed. The man had that swagger of someone who knew their own power. The dude was a silver fox, that was for sure—if powerful older men were your thing. Unfortunately, it had never been my thing; I was always a sucker for the wild boys with little to no regard for their own physical wellbeing. I was doomed to this heartache. It had been all but written in the stars.
Antony Barbieri stopped in front of Hayes. “Mr. Davis, it is good to see you again so soon.”
Hayes flushed, reaching out to shake hands. “Uh, absolutely, sir. But please, call me Hayes.”
The silver fox grinned broadly. “Call me Antony, then. Do you make a habit of street racing?”
Whoops. Guess who got busted with their hands down their pants?
“Uh, no, sir—I mean, Antony. I was just here supporting my friend, Jesse.” Hayes frantically indicated the tall biker. “Jesse, this is Antony Barbieri, who I interviewed with this week for the VANT Racing team.” As Jesse and Antony shook hands, Hayes eyed me, something mischievous crossing his features. Before I knew it, he was tugging me forward. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here. This is Tally Palmer. She’s a former NASCAR racer. Youngest woman to ever race at Daytona. She’s an amazing driver.”
Antony eyed me, one eyebrow raised. “Nice to meet you, Miss Palmer.” His eyes dipped to my stomach, which was still exposed.
Fucking hell.
Whatever, though. I didn’t care what some random person thought.
“And you, sir. That’s a really nice ride.” I lifted my chin at his Ferrari. “I think I’m beginning to see who was behind VANT’s desire to start a racing team.”
Antony threw back his head and laughed. “What can I say? I’m an Italian at heart, and Ferrari and Formula One are basically coded into our DNA.” He glanced between me and Hayes. “My wife, Vanessa, said you drove with quite a lot of expertise tonight, and I guess we know why now. But Hayes says you”re a former NASCAR racer?”
My whole body tensed. “Yes. My team released me from my contract partway through the season.” I hoped my frosty tone meant he wouldn’t press.
To his credit, he didn’t, but I felt his eyes appraising me. Man, no wonder he was a good lawyer. I felt weighed and measured. “I see. Well, Hayes, I’m glad we ran into you tonight—it’ll save me a phone call. Welcome to the VANT Racing team.”
Hayes let out a whoop and shook Antony’s hand again. “Thank you so much, sir.”
They sorted out a few details, then Antony left, promising to email Hayes all the paperwork. He walked back over to the little group that included who I assumed was his wife Vanessa, though maybe not, when she turned and kissed the other guy with her too. Whatever, rich people could do what they wanted; it was the boon of being rich.
Which I very much was not.
Exhaustion weighed down my bones, stress and sleep deprivation making me more tired than I’d ever been in my life. I turned to Willy. “We better go home before Colin calls the cops because he thinks we’re dead.” I smiled at Hayes, though I could feel it strain against my cheeks. “It was good to see you, Hayes,” I told him softly. It really was. It was so fucking good to see him, but it was also a painful reminder of everything I’d lost.
Surprising the shit out of me, he stepped forward and hugged me. I tried to hold myself stiff, but I melted into his arms. Hayes had been there for me in my worst moment; it almost seemed poetic that he was here right now too.
“If you need anything, call me, Tally,” he whispered against my hair.
I murmured something unintelligible against his chest. I wouldn’t be doing that, but it was nice of him to offer.
He pulled back, his brows lowered in a serious expression. “I mean it. Call me anytime. You still have my number.”
Sighing, I stepped out of the comfort of his arms. “Yeah, Hayes. I do.”
Jesse was closer than he was before, and he gave me a crooked grin. “I hope I get to race you again soon.”
I smirked back. “I won’t let you past me so easily next time.” I reached out and shook his hand, and the feeling of his long, strong fingers wrapping around mine made me a little breathless. The adrenaline was definitely catching up with me.
I climbed into the passenger seat of the Porsche, and Willy gave the guys a little nod as he slid behind the steering wheel. The tenseness of his jaw told me I was definitely going to get a lecture, but instead, he gave me the silent treatment all the way back to his side of town. He didn’t take me back to my place, just pulled up in front of his townhouse, walked around and opened my door, waiting.
Sighing heavily, I climbed out. Honestly, I didn’t really want to be alone tonight anyway. On the way past, I squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Willy. I would have eventually.”
He sucked a deep breath. “You’re lucky I love you, Tally. Go inside before you freeze.” The fire suit was actually toasty as hell, but I didn’t tell him.
Despite the late hour, Colin opened the door. Willy ushered me in and kept walking toward the stairs that led to their bedroom. “Tally is pregnant. She drove a hundred and fifty miles per hour, in the pitch black, while pregnant. You deal with her,” he said to his long-time lover, then stomped up the stairs like a drama queen.
Colin’s mouth hung open as he looked between us. Well, between me and the disappearing shoulders of his partner. “Ah, sweet thing. You look tired. Come on, I’ll grab you something to wear to bed, and we can talk about all this tomorrow.”
Colin’s softness was in direct contrast to Willy’s anger, and it almost made me cry. I swallowed it down, following him to the downstairs guest room. He flitted around, showing me the ensuite and grabbing me some sweats and one of Willy’s oversized tees from the laundry room.
Finally, he left, shutting the door, and I let the tension flow from my body, like purging poison from a snake bite. I’d survived the night; that’s what mattered most. I tried not to think of the loss, or even worse, how it had felt to lean into Hayes. I peeled my fire suit off the rest of the way, letting it land with a muffled thump.
Looking down, I realized one of the sleeves was sitting weird. Picking it up and shaking it out, I couldn’t believe my eyes when a yellow envelope fell onto the bed. My head knew exactly what it was, but my heart couldn’t believe it.
Flicking it open, I found eight rubber-band-wrapped stacks of hundreds. The buy-ins.
“How the fuck did this end up in my suit?”
Even as I asked those words out loud, I knew. Jesse had slipped it in there. The last time I’d seen the envelope, he’d been holding it.
But why would he give me forty thousand fucking dollars? And should I keep it?