22. Sam #3
“Not sure who the owner is but they will most likely be tipped off. We only have maybe 10 to 15 minutes to snoop,” she warns me, her light eyes dancing with mischief.
Our vehicle barrels toward the stalls and the second the driver puts it in park, we get out.
Isla uses her fancy gadget on the biggest stall, and my breath gets trapped in my throat when a sleek, red covering comes into view.
It's easy to tell that underneath is a car. My fingers shake as I step toward it. As much as I need the proof, I’m also nervous for this to all come crashing down.
The big what if is swinging over me like a blade ready to drop.
Carefully, I slide the edge up, and a very familiar, red and white car comes unwrapped. Jameson’s car.
“Why?” I say out loud, unable to think clearly.
It’s easy to see the car is cared for. It's also been updated over the years. There is no denying that the images from Vegas are undeniably Jameson. I trust Isla’s intel.
I just don’t get why he’s doing it and why he wouldn’t tell me.
Racing at the track used to be fun in high school.
The stakes weren’t nearly as high, but Jameson never hid it.
In fact, I raced with him multiple times.
Never once did I criticize or ask him to stop.
Yet, it's a huge part of who he is, and he hasn’t told me.
“If you ask your boyfriend, I’m sure he’ll tell you,” a deep, masculine voice answers me.
Isla twists around and my head snaps up.
The red covering falls from my grasp, the car covered once more.
Romeo stands in the open area wearing another suit, the top buttons on his crisp white shirt open at the neck.
Given the fact that we broke into his private property, he doesn’t look that mad. He actually looks amused.
“How did you know it was me?”
His emerald eyes sweep over Isla and me and a hint of a smile plays on his lips. “I was in the area when my phone let me know someone hacked the garage. Be glad it was me and not my men who found you ladies.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him, backing away and stealing my spine. “We shouldn’t have done it.”
He eyes me speculatively. “You’re a long way from Michigan. Why would you come here to see Kane’s car?”
“I needed to see if it was true.” My shoulders shrug.
“And now that you know, what are you going to do with it? Will you stop him from racing?” he questions further and something about his tone lights a fire in my stomach.
“I would never stop him. I do have a lot of questions for him though such as why is he hiding it? Why did he lie about seeing our friend in Vegas? Sure, I’m worried for him and the implication that these races are dangerous, but I’ve never stopped Jameson from doing the things he loves,” I argue, my chin lifting in defiance.
It might be stupid letting my sass show in front of this man, who is probably more dangerous that I assume.
Romeo watches us until the silence is thick in the air.
When he cracks a smile and laughs, I almost flinch.
“Damn girly. I do not envy your man when you get home. I almost felt my own balls shrivel up during your little speech.”
Isla relaxes next to me before taking my hand in hers. I still haven’t taken my gaze off the man in front of us. “We should go. I apologize for breaking in.”
Romeo’s eyes flick to Isla with interest. “It’s not every day a wisp of a girl cracks my security. Wish I could be mad, doll, but more than anything, I’m curious.”
Isla’s face flames red, and she ducks her head. “Ahh, it’s a learned skill.”
The man takes pity on her and moves to let us pass. He walks out of the stall a few steps behind, escorting us to the waiting SUV. Another man is waiting by our doors. Horror washes over me when I see he has a gun trained on the driver.
“Oh no!” Isla walks faster to the car.
“Ace, drop your weapon,” Romeo tells the man who glares at him questioningly. “It’s all good. This is Kane’s woman and her friend. The ladies are headed back to Michigan.”
Ace grunts and a flash of a smile tugs his very full lips. “Give Kane our regards.”
I nod at him, paralyzed with fear, knowing he’s carrying a gun, and scoot to get in the SUV. Isla slides in next to me and our driver starts the engine. Romeo taps the window and it lowers right next to me. He flashes another smile.
“Kane is expecting you to go right to his place when you get back.”
My stomach completely bottoms out as we take off down the road.
My heart flips in my chest. I power up my phone, and within seconds, there's 34 text messages and 21 missed calls from Jameson flashing on my screen. Five messages are from our friends wanting to make sure I’m okay.
I reply to the girls quickly briefing them on what happened.
I don’t answer Jameson though. I don’t know what to say yet.
Isla sits quietly next to me. “What are you going to do?”
I shake my head, watching the sky around us turn to night with stars shining brightly. “I have no idea.”