Chapter 30
LENNON
Three days later…
Nashville, Tennessee
I pull up to his expansive house and exit my car before taking off my sunglasses. Almost on cue, he rushes down the front steps and greets me with open arms and a kiss for each cheek. Once he’s done hugging me, he steps back and takes my face in his hands.
“Mia cara amica,” he says with a smile.
I laugh for the first time in days. “Vinny, you know I can’t speak Italian even though I wish I could. What did you say?”
He laughs as his dark eyes twinkle. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen Vincent Rossi. And most people don’t get to see this side of him, so I count myself lucky. That’s one reason I know I can trust him. It’s simple really…he trusts me. And trust for a man like Vincent Rossi is not easily given.
He’s from a wealthy Italian family, and though they have several successful businesses, especially in the music industry, they also have a history of dabbling in things I’d be better off not knowing about.
They don’t have any business tied to the racing world, but they were one of my original sponsors because they simply love racing and took a chance on me.
They also have big-time connections here in Nashville.
Vinny is several years older than me, but we struck up a friendship as I was making a name for myself.
“I said ‘my dear friend,’” he says with a chuckle.
“Ah. Maybe someday you can teach me how to speak it,” I say with a smile.
“You’re so much like Lennon it’s scary. She used to beg me to teach her when she would race here in Nashville.
I’m so sorry for your loss and that I didn’t get to attend her funeral.
But I trust your family received the flowers we sent.
I must admit, I’m a bit surprised to hear from you.
I know we’re friends, but obviously I didn’t know you as well as I knew Lennon,” he says as we walk toward his house.
I stop walking and he spins around to face me. “London, are you all right?” he asks.
I stare out across his manicured grounds before swallowing down the lump in my throat enough to answer. “Is it safe to talk here?” I ask.
“Of course. You can say anything you want. My security isn’t close enough to hear conversation, and even if they were, they’ve all been vetted thoroughly.”
I nod while chewing on my lower lip.
“I have some rather shocking news, and I need your help,” I tell him.
“Okay. What can I help you with?” he asks as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“I’m sure you heard after the accident, I had amnesia,” I say to start off this tale…except this isn’t just a story in a book or a movie on a screen…it’s my real life.
“I did,” he confirms.
“Well, it turns out, I’m not…” I pause, silently shaking my head. Telling the twisted truth is harder than expected, but I’ve got to get over it if I have any hope of my plan working.
“You’re not what?” he asks with his dark brows furrowed and I peer at my shoes.
“I’m not London after all. They made a mistake in identifying me,” I say as I bring my gaze back to meet his.
His lips part and I swear I see tears shimmer in his eyes as he pulls me into an even tighter embrace than his first one.
“Lennon. I can’t believe it’s really you. How? How did this happen?” he asks as soon as he releases me.
“It’s complicated. But long story short, I’ve had someone threatening me for a while.”
He holds his hand up to stop me from going further with narrowed eyes.
“So, are you saying this accident wasn’t an accident at all?” he asks in a clipped, angry tone.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. And to answer your ‘how’ question, when he ran us off the road, he stopped long enough to get out of the car and snatch the only identifying piece of evidence from London and me.
She was…gone, and I lost all my memories,” I say through fighting another wave of tears.
Vinny grabs my hands and squeezes them gently, letting me know he’s listening, and he cares.
“I’m so sorry about London, amore. I can’t even begin to imagine what you must be going through,” he says gently with his lips turned down in a sad way.
I nod, unable to answer. But he sees my struggle and swipes the first tear off my cheek that trickles down anyway.
“Don’t try to bottle up your pain in front of me, amore. This…you and me…we’re friends and I’m here for you. And nothing you say to me leaves this space between us.”
“I was hoping you’d still say that. I know we haven’t talked as much over the last few years, but I need help flying under the radar for a few days. And I also need your help reappearing when I’m ready.”
“I’ll make it happen; whatever you need,” he says as he takes my hand and walks with me into his house where I proceed to tell him the whole story from loving Dash Conrad to finding myself again to what my plan is.
A week later…
“Are you sure about this?” I ask Vinny again as we arrive at the speedway where up-and-coming racers compete against one another trying to make a name for themselves and catch the attention of sponsors alike.
This is a track I’ve raced countless times.
We get out of his SUV and I’m already in my racing jacket with my helmet and gloves tucked under my arm.
I’m about to do something with a name, that’s for sure.
Some will think I’m here making a new one, continuing a legacy if you will, but those who know…
those who are paying attention will know it’s not a continuation; it’s the genuine article.
It’s me reintroducing my name to the world and letting them know Lennon Tyler hasn’t gone anywhere.
“I’m sure, amore. This is the race to get you back in the spotlight—in whatever light you need.
And the car you’ll be driving is the best. It’s ready.
Let’s go check it out,” Vinny says while pulling me along with him to a green-and-black Camry which looks very similar to my car waiting for my return in North Carolina.
“You’re sure the team letting me drive this is all right with it?” I ask.
“I took care of everything, Lennon,” he says quietly against my ear as he presses a kiss to my cheek. “You give ’em hell like I know you can. Don’t hold back. Show them what you’re made of.”
I smile at my friend and wonder how he hasn’t found his person yet. Someone will be very lucky to have his love. He deserves all the happiness in the world.
He introduces me—as a Tyler Motorsports racer—to the team he sponsors who’s allowing me to race their car tonight.
He’s trying to help me remain as anonymous as possible until I’m ready.
He mentioned telling the team not to gawk or ask questions when they saw me, and that in itself lets me play either role I want to—London or… me.
He told me earlier there will be cameras here. Lots of press because he spread a rumor that tonight would be a race any racing fan wouldn’t dare want to miss, promising a big reveal.
As the team meets me, I feel their curious glances on me. My face and the Tyler name are no strangers to the racing world. I made lots of waves in my racing career. The fact I’m a woman with so many wins and achievements in racing garners even more attention for me and my family.
The moment the first flash of a camera catches my attention, I square my shoulders back. No turning back now.
As always, Vinny heads off anyone trying to get too close. He tells them they’ll have to wait until after the race is over before turning to me with a wink.
He escorts me to where the race car is waiting on the grid. They have me in the pole position much to my surprise on a track with nineteen other cars. This race will run fifty laps. As we get closer to it, cameras are flashing from everywhere and stunned drivers gawk as I walk by.
My blood is pumping with a familiar adrenaline and I feel alive.
“Wow, you look just like Lennon Tyler,” a driver beside me says as he studies me.
Vinny stares him down, all his sweet tendencies out the door and he’s back to his prickly self the outside world normally sees.
“I’m a twin. Didn’t you know?” I ask with a quirk of my lips. It wasn’t an admission or even a lie.
The guy blinks a few times like he isn’t sure what he’s seeing or what he should say, so he goes with, “Good luck out there.”
“Thanks, you too,” I reply flashing my signature smile before glancing back at Vinny.
A ghost of a smile passes over Vinny’s lips.
“Blow their doors off, amore. I know the goal here but try to have fun too. And remember, I’ll be in your comms if you need me.”
He kisses my cheeks and walks away toward where he’ll be stationed.
I glance around the track and still find other drivers watching me along with reporters who have gathered close by. As much as I love racing, and as many times as I’ve done this exact race on this very track, it’s almost surreal to me. A distant memory from a simpler time.
I put my helmet in the driver’s seat before pulling out my gloves and sliding them on one at a time, but not without running my thumb over both my and my sister’s bracelets. I check the comms in my helmet as I pick it back up. Once satisfied, I pull it on and immediately hear Vinny in my ear.
“That’s my girl. Now get behind the wheel where you belong,” he says.
I smile. “I hear you loud and clear.”
When I slide into the driver’s seat, I familiarize myself with everything from the gauges and switches to the roll bars designed to protect me.
After a few more minutes, the pace car takes its place, and after three laps, the green flag starts waving.
My hip tightens as I shift through the gears, but I ignore the dull pain as it starts to bloom and remind myself to breathe.
I’ve held the lead for almost all the race, showing my hand and every maneuver I’m known for. Everything from dive bombs to misdirection.
As I round the final turn, the same guy who said I look like Lennon is closing in on my right side, so I shift gears again and give this car all I can. This race is mine.
“There’s my girl. Get it!” I hear Vinny in my ear.
I see the checkered flag waving me across the finish line as sweat pours down my face. The pain ricochetting through my hip and shoulder is shredding me. It’s all I can do to hold on until I get the car stopped safely.
“I need you out here now, Vinny. Please,” I say hoarsely as the pain starts to zap any remaining energy.
“On my way, amore. Hold tight.”
The track before me is almost spinning. I won the race, and people are going to expect me to be ecstatic when I’m barely hanging on by a thread.
Vinny reaches me in about two minutes and he’s helping me out as his security detail practically form a wall around us giving me the privacy I need.
I pull off my helmet letting it drop back into the driver’s seat. He takes one look at my face and frames it with his hands.
“How can I help?” he asks, concern etched in his features as his gaze hastily searches me for any obvious injury.
“I’m hurting. My injuries from the wreck…I’m not one hundred percent yet. My body wasn’t ready for this, but I hoped with it being a shorter race I could fake it,” I admit. A fact I never told him as I divulged this plan.
His lips press together in frustration, but when he speaks, he’s only encouraging. “You did it. You’re the most badass woman I know. If you can pretend to be okay for about ten minutes, I’ll get you out of here before anyone catches wind of anything but pure excitement.”
I close my eyes and nod as he releases my face.
“Take a few deep breaths and you’ll give one quick comment to the reporter I hand-picked and we’re out of here,” he says.
I let out a humorless laugh. “Breathing deeply isn’t the easiest feat since the wreck either. My lung collapsed and my ribs were broken.”
His gaze widens a bit before he’s grabbing a bottle of water from one of his guys and giving it to me.
“Here, drink this,” he says in a tone I know better than to argue with. I don’t have any energy left to fight back if I wanted to.
After I take several swallows, I feel less light-headed and give him a nod to let him know I’m ready. Before we take off in the direction of his reporter, I reach back in the car to grab my helmet.
The reporter meets us with a coy smile firmly in place on her pink lips.
“What a race! How do you feel?” she asks as a camera is trained on me with a microphone held close enough to catch my words.
“I feel great,” I answer.
“What do you have to say about stepping into your sister’s racing shoes?”
“I suppose the Tyler legacy lives to see another day,” I answer.
“That’s all the questions she’s taking,” Vinny says as he takes my free hand in his, tugging me further from the camera flashes and curious, even dumbfounded glances of the crowd.
Once we’re back in the safety of his SUV again, he wastes no time driving me back to his house.
When we’re inside he walks me to the guest room he’s been letting me stay in.
“Do I need to call a doctor?” he asks as his brows furrow in concern.
“No, I’m fine. I’ll just take a quick shower and crash,” I tell him.
He smiles as he walks up to me and then presses a quick kiss to my head. “How about you don’t do anything relative to crashing again, yeah?”
I giggle before the pain grips my ribs, cutting me off.
“Don’t think for one second I won’t sit in that chair all night and babysit you, Lennon.”
I pat him on the arm. “I know you would, but I’m fine. Promise.”
His eyes narrow for a moment before he relents.
“Goodnight. I’m down the hall if you need anything.”
After my shower, I go to plug my phone in and see a new message from the unknown number, just like I knew I would…well, I hoped I would. It looks like I was right. He’s been virtually silent since I left North Carolina, but I knew this move would break the ice.
Unknown number: It seems like you’ve decided to fully engage in the game now, princess.
Me: I think that move would be called a checkmate.
Unknown number: It’s cute you think you’re about to capture me. But, princess, you’d have to know who I am for it to work.
Me: You’re a coward, then. Hiding behind anonymous texts and notes.
Unknown number: Once you know who I am, the game is over. But if you think you’re ready for our finale, I’ll be waiting for you with your race car at home.
Me: Name the day and time.
Unknown number: Tomorrow night at ten. Come alone.
Me: I am alone thanks to you.
Unknown number: Not true. You’ve got me, princess.