Chapter 14
Shock And Awe
ZARA
Ilean to one side, getting ready to negotiate the narrow curve right before the final stretch of the race.
The trick is decreasing the speed just enough to have better control, but not so much that I lose my momentum.
I’m barely out onto the final part of straight road; the finish line is right in front of me when I see the dirt bike coming for me.
It all happens in a blur, but the second I realize what’s happening, I accelerate. There’s no way to avoid it by swerving without getting hurt; the best way to avoid an impact is to cut in front of it before we collide.
Yes! I whiz past before the dirt bike can touch me and keep riding toward the finish line. At this speed, the room it would take to come to a complete stop is such that I would get almost to the end of the makeshift racetrack, anyway.
As I let my bike eat the rest of the track, my eyes shift to the mirrors on either side of me to try to catch what’s happening behind me.
What is Chance doing? Being behind me, he didn’t have enough time to cut out of the curve without coming into contact with the dirt bike, so he should have decelerated further than what he already had to negotiate the curve.
Rather than slowing down, however, Chance stops just in time to avoid being hit.
Lev, who was just behind him, decides to take a huge risk by not continuing on the straight stretch of road in front of him.
For a second, it looks almost like he’s about to do a U-turn, but that isn’t his intention.
He turns just enough to drive past Chance’s bike and take chase of the dirt bike that’s continuing off the road and into the grass on the opposite side from where it came.
I jump off my Ducati, handing it to one of Mason’s men who man the finish line and run off the road in the hopes of spotting Lev.
The other motorcycles are cutting the finish line one by one, but right now the race results are the least of my worries.
I follow the obvious path where the tall grass has been flattened by the motorcycle tires, stopping only when I spot Lev’s Damon Hypersoft lying sideways in front of me.
Lev is on his knees, his helmet still on his head.
His broad chest is heaving with every breath he takes.
I’m at his side in a heartbeat. “Lev, babe, are you ok?”
My boyfriend takes his helmet off, throwing it on the ground. “I’m fine.” He heaves, still catching his breath.
“Are you hurt?” I lean over him, my hand on his shoulder. I scan his tall, muscular form covered in a black and blue leather race suit for any obvious injuries.
“No. But I hit something with my front wheel, and the fall knocked the wind out of me. I had almost caught up with that fucking dirt bike.”
He accepts the hand I offer him and rises to his feet.
“I should be mad at you.” I say, hugging him and letting him brush his lips against mine when he dips his head. “But right now I’m just too relieved you’re ok.”
Lev looks in front of us in the distance. “I know I’m sorry. It’s just… I followed my instincts. Chasing after the enemy is second nature since I learned it on the ice.”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t a puck.” I scold him. “You promised you wouldn’t do anything stupid.”
He hangs his head. He knows he fucked up. “I know. But I just thought that if I got him, we would get so many answers. I don’t know why, but I have a weird feeling about this guy. Like I should know him.”
“How could you? His clothes and helmet covered him completely. Unless you caught a better glimpse while chasing him?”
He shakes his head. “No. I can’t put my finger on it, but something tells me I’ve seen him before.”
“Maybe you’re in shock?” I look at his eyes, checking his pupils for dilation. “Did you hit your head? Even with the helmet on, you could have a concussion.”
Lev reassures me. “No, I fell on my side. I’m fine, I swear.”
His words are contradicted by the wince of pain he doesn’t quite manage to hide when he bends over to grab his helmet and stand his motorcycle upright.
“You don’t look fine to me.” I bite out, grabbing the other handlebar and helping him push the Hypersoft back toward the road.
“Did you win the race?” He asks, ignoring my concern for his wellbeing.
His gait has a slight limp, even though I’m sure he’s trying to hide it. I decide to wait until later to discuss his reckless behavior and answer his question instead. “I did. I’m not sure who came in second.”
“That should at least get Morelli off your back for this week. He can’t say you didn’t do your best.”
“Yeah, I suppose. Even though he’s a lunatic, and if my victory doesn’t make him the money he wanted, I’m sure he’s going to find a way to blame me for it.
” I can’t suppress the shudder that works its way up my spine at the thought of Mason’s soulless eyes.
My throat works at the memory of the way he tightened his hands around it.
Lev’s jaw ticks as he reassures me. “Let him try. We’ve got you, Zee. Chance, Ares, and I will keep you safe.”
His heart is in the right place, but he didn’t see that look in Mason’s eyes. He already told me about his uncle’s human trafficking ring. That guy is a sociopath, and if he decides I’m not worth keeping on the racetrack, the alternative is scarier than death.
There’s a crowd at the finish line. Mason’s hired staff are immediately there to collect money from the people who bet on the wrong bike, and money is changing hands and helping the losers take their bikes back to the hangar.
I spot my Ducati being loaded onto a small trailer attached to a black truck that I know belongs to Mason.
One motorcycle is visible right after the curve, and I realize that it’s Chance’s MTT 420-RR.
My stepbrother is still on it, but he isn’t moving. The stand must be keeping it upright, and by the looks of it, he hasn’t crossed the finish line. He’s still facing us and not the other way around like he would be if he were returning to the clearing after the race.
“Maybe Chance’s bike broke down.” I say, quickening my pace toward him.
I’m vaguely aware that Lev is handing his own bike to Mason’s men as I reach Chance at the same time as Ares.
Ares
Like last week, I rushed to the finish line to see the end of the race.
But this time I don’t need to try to blend in with the rest of Morelli’s staff.
“Deputy,” he calls out with an arrogant smirk. “Want a ride to the finish line?”
I climb onto one of the black trucks he has brought this time to help tow the bikes that have problems after the race.
Maybe I shouldn’t trust this motherfucker, but this is a case of keeping my enemies closer. If I have my eyes on him, he can’t be foolish enough to try anything with Zara.
“Why the fuck are you so happy?” I can’t help but ask as he turns on the ignition.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Didn’t you watch the race from the same projector I set up by the starting line?
I’m thinking next week I’ll get one for the finish line, too.
So no matter where people decide to go to watch the race, they won’t miss any of the action. Maybe get even more people to film.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, why not install some giant screens? Like they have at real races and music festivals.”
He doesn’t detect the sarcasm in my tone and nods. “That’s a great idea. I swear you’re wasted as a cop. If you ever get sick of being the sheriff’s little bitch, we should talk.”
“Why?” I bark out an incredulous laugh. “So I can be your little bitch?”
Morelli’s smirk widens. “Why not? I pay heaps better than the police.”
I have no doubt that’s true. “Thank you, but pass. I was joking about the screens, by the way.”
“You might have been joking, but it’s a great idea.”
“It would be if this entire thing weren’t illegal in so many ways that we would be here all night if I had to tell you how many fucking laws you’re breaking.”
The asshole looks entertained. “I’m well aware of that. What’s up? Are you worried your daddy would be mad if you came to work for me?”
“Without even thinking about the fact that my father is the mayor, did you forget that you’re blackmailing my brothers and my girl?
If I didn’t put a bullet in your head, it’s just because I’m not sure I can protect Zara and my family from your uncle’s vendetta.
But there’s no way you and I could ever work together. ”
His smile widens as if what I just said was funny.
“Suit yourself. I guess you got a trust fund to ensure you don’t have to live on a cop’s salary.
Your dad was an NHL legend. In my family, there are no trust funds and no hand out.
You want to live a nice life? You work hard and get your hands dirty. ”
“You don’t say.” I sneer at the thought that all the soap in the world wouldn’t be enough to get this asshole’s hands clean. “Look, just drive to the finish line, yeah? We aren’t here to get to know each other.”
“So fucking rude.” Mason looks genuinely put out by my behavior.
I swear to God the guy’s a fucking sociopath.
“Hey, slow down. That’s my brother.” I point out Chance’s MTT coming into view in the middle of the racetrack right after the last curve. “His bike must have broken down.”
It’s not much of a surprise that the bikes might have issues since they haven’t been used much in the last two years. Our old mechanic held onto them for us when I didn’t have the heart to sell them, but I don’t know how much maintenance he has done on them.
“I’ll come off here.” I open the truck’s door even before Morelli has time to fully stop, equally eager to leave his company and to get to Chance.
The feeling that something is wrong takes hold of me even before I reach him.
Chance is sitting upright with his helmet still on, his bike resting on its side stand.
As I turn around to face him, I notice that his eyes are squeezed shut and his head is oscillating back and forth. His lips are moving as if he were whispering something, but it’s too loud around us for me to hear what it is until I lean closer.