by Parker, Ali
I drew up short of the table when I realized I knew the two people sitting at it.
Mark Denning and Evelyn.
I looked desperately around to see if there was another server I could trade off with, but nobody else was in my section. I took a deep breath and hoped they wouldn’t recognize me as I marched over and put their drinks down. Without looking at either of them, I flipped open my notebook and poised my pen over the page. “Have you two decided what you’d like to order?”
Evelyn closed her menu and crossed her legs as she picked up her martini. She took a sip as she looked up at me. Even though I wasn’t looking at her, I swear I could feel her eyes narrow. “You’re Laina Harris, aren’t you?”
I slid my pen through the metal rings at the top of the notepad. “Yes.”
Evelyn smiled at me. She was a beautiful woman. I’d always thought so. She was all curving lines. Her hips, her ass, her tits, her lips—everything was feminine and full. She had dark hair and darker eyes and a gaze that made you feel like she was unraveling all your secrets just by looking at you. Her edge of mystery was unnerving. No wonder Mason had been in love with her. She was a smoke show.
Evelyn ran a red-painted fingernail along her jaw. “Would you care to sit, Laina?”
I shook my head. “I’m on shift. But I can take your orders.”
Evelyn looked across the table at Mark, who had leaned back and was resting his left arm across the back of the chair beside him. He gazed up at me, a smile playing on his thin lips. “Come on, doll. We just want to talk for a minute.”
“No. And don’t call me doll. Please.”
Mark’s smile was unsettling. “Of course.”
Evelyn crossed her arms and rested her elbows on the table. Her full tits nearly spilled out of the top of her low-cut black dress. “Mark tells me you’re running in the same circle as Mason Thomas.”
I studied her. What was she getting at? “He’s friends with my brother.”
“And that’s all?”
I decided to play dumb. “All what?”
She smirked. “There’s nothing more to your relationship with Mason than the connection through your brother.”
“Saturday was the first time I’d seen Mason in half a year.”
“Me too,” she purred.
“I didn’t see you there,” I said.
“I know.”
Bitch. She was trying to intimidate me. She was making a mistake. I didn’t scare easily. I sighed and pulled my pen free again. “If you don’t know what you’d like to order, I can give you another couple of minutes.”
Mark laughed. “Eager to be done with us, doll?”
“I said don’t call me doll,” I hissed.
Mark held his hands up defensively. “Sorry. Old habits die hard. I can’t help myself sometimes. Especially with a pretty girl like you.”
Evelyn tapped her red fingernail on the bottom of her martini glass. “If you’re not close to Mason, maybe you’d be open to answering some of our questions about him? We’d pay you, of course.”
I stared at her. “What sort of questions?”
She smiled and leaned back. “We won’t get into the details until we’ve struck a deal.”
I straightened up to stand taller. “You can stick your money where the sun don’t shine, Evelyn. I’m not interested in helping you fight dirty. And let’s call this what it is. You’re getting desperate.” I leaned forward and planted both of my hands flat on the edge of their table. “You know he’s a threat to you, and you’re scared. As you should be.”
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t care for how you’re speaking to me, Laina.”
“I don’t give a shit what you care for.”
“Ladies,” Mark said, his voice smoother than silk. “Let’s keep things civil, shall we?”
I glanced sharply at him and then back at Evelyn. “Your martinis are on the house tonight. When you’re finished, you’ll get up and leave. You can eat somewhere else.”
I put my back to them and marched off into the back room where I collapsed against the staff storage lockers and pressed my hand to my chest. My heartbeat was going a mile a minute and sweat had broken out on the nape of my neck.
Had I really threatened Evelyn Thomas and Mark Denning?
Surely not.
Right?
Chapter 13
Mason
Benji glanced over at me when we stopped at a red light. “So you’re sure you’re okay with fifteen grand?”
“Once I see the car, I’ll know for sure.”
Benji nodded. The light turned green, and he pulled away from the line, and then took the first right-hand turn, which brought us down a residential street. We drove a few blocks down where the houses got nicer and nicer until we arrived outside an old white and black colonial-style house. Benji pulled up to the curb and put his car in park. “This is the one.”
I whistled. “Nice place.”
“Right?”
We both got out of the car and walked up the long driveway to the door on the side of the garage. The guy Benji had been in contact with, Tobias, had told us to come in through the garage. His kids were home and having a birthday party, and he didn’t want strangers showing up.
So we knocked once, and then Benji opened the door. I followed him inside.
The guy had a sick set up in his garage. He had an engine hoist, two motorcycles, and the RS parked in there. The floors were smooth concrete, and his workbenches were framed with aluminum. There was a lot of money in this garage. Racing memorabilia hung from the walls, and Ford emblems were literally everywhere.
Tobias stood at the back of the garage. He had on a pair of blue coveralls and was wiping his hands on a rag that he tucked into his back pocket. He turned to us and grinned. “Benji. My man. How have you been?”
They greeted each other with handshakes. “Good,” Benji said. “Thanks for taking the time to see us. We really appreciate it.”
“Not a problem. I owe you one. And it sure as shit sounds like you two are in a bit of a bind.”
“Well, mostly just him,” Benji said, hooking his thumb in my direction.
I held out my hand and introduced myself. Tobias shook it while giving me a warm smile. He was the sort of guy you could trust right away. At least, that was the impression he left me with. “Wanna check out the car?” he asked.
I nodded. “Show me.”
Tobias walked me around the car and told me all the specs like a proud dad. He informed us of all the modifications he’d done and work he’d put into it over the years—and money. The thing was an absolute beast. The torque was insane, and the suspension had been switched. It was lowered and had a wide set of tires on it.
Afterward, Tobias asked me if I’d like to take her for a spin.
I shook my head as he closed the hood. “No, man. I can see that she’s in tip-top shape. She’ll do just fine.”
“Glad to hear it. This baby is loud as hell, and the wife would give me an earful for peeling out of the driveway with all those kids in the backyard.”
I chuckled. “Not to worry. I won’t put you in the doghouse at my expense. I really appreciate this, Tobias. If I win, another five grand is yours.”
Tobias blinked. “Seriously?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I wouldn’t be racing if you hadn’t offered this up.”
Tobias looked at Benji. “Well, shit. That’s fucking awesome.”
He shook my hand again and then Benji’s. Benji paused. “Do you mind if we keep it here for the rest of the week? I’ll swing by and pick it up on Saturday around eight o’clock in the evening. We want to keep this off the radar. The less people know about this, the better.”
“No problem,” Tobias said. “I’ve been out of that racing scene for a while now. You know, kids sort of change the game on you. I just couldn’t part with this girl.” He patted the hood of the car. “She served me well. The wife hates her, but I think it’s just jealousy.”
We all
got a good laugh at that as he walked us out of the garage. We said goodbye, and Benji and I got back in his car. He started up the engine and pulled a U-turn. “That went well.”
“Sure did. He’s got a nice car in there. I’m glad he’s willing to let me race it. If she were mine, I wouldn’t let anyone behind the wheel but me.”
Benji shrugged. “Maybe he knows who you are and knows how good of a driver you are.”
“Maybe,” I said.
“And fifteen grand is fifteen grand. He’s got a family.”
“True.”
We were quiet for a few minutes as we drove in the direction of my place. I could tell Benji was thinking about something. His grip on the steering wheel always tightened when he was deep in thought. I tried to let it go, but my curiosity got the best of me. “What’s bothering you, Benji?”
He glanced over at me and then turned his attention back to the road. “Nothing. We don’t have to talk about it.”
“But we should.”
He chewed the inside of his cheek. “You might regret saying that.”
“Maybe.”
He sighed. “I’m thinking about you and my sister.”
“Oh.” I should have seen that coming.
“Yeah.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “What about it?”
He laughed bitterly and looked over at me. “What do you think? You slept with my sister. It’s weird.”
“I like her,” I said.
“I can tell.”
“And? Does it bother you?”
Benji took a left turn. “Sometimes. Sometimes, I think it’s good for both of you. I know how things have been for you for the last six months. And I’ve met the other guys Laina has dated in the past. I keep trying to tell myself you might be good for each other. But don’t get me wrong, it’s still fucking weird.”
I laughed. This was more than a little uncomfortable. “If you don’t want me to—”
Benji shook his head. “No. It’s not my place to tell either of you what to do. Just… don’t fuck her over, okay? She’s a good girl with a heart of gold, and I can’t stand by and let her get hurt. And I don’t want to have to step in. You get what I’m saying?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I get it.” In other words, he was saying he’d be forced to do something about it if I hurt his sister.
We talked about anything but Laina for the rest of the drive back to my place. The race, the new car, how much I wished I had my Fastback, Mark Denning, Sid, and Rick and how beat up he was. By the time we’d pulled up to my house, we had exhausted all topics.
Then Benji saw Laina’s little Miata parked in front of my garage. He sighed and looked over at me. “Is this going to be my reality now?”
I laughed. “She’s probably here to check on Rick. Don’t panic, Benji.”
He mumbled under his breath as we got out of the car and walked up to the front door. It was unlocked, and we went in to find Laina and Rick in the living room. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, and Rick was across from her with his legs straight out in front of him.
He looked up at us. “Thank God, you’re here. This psychopath made me do yoga.”
Both Benji and I glanced at Laina. She was wearing skintight navy blue leggings and a gray sweater that hung off one shoulder, revealing a hot pink lace bra strap. She beamed. “It’s good for your muscles. When you’re recovering from injuries, everything is tight. Yoga increases blood flow and will help you feel better faster.”
“It was torture,” Rick groaned. “I don’t think I can ever stand up again.”
Laina rolled her eyes at him. “It was ten minutes.”
“Yeah. Ten minutes of hell feels like an eternity, okay?”
“You’re such a drama queen,” she said as she got to her feet. Then she looked at me. “I need to talk to you, Mason.”
“What’s up?” I asked. I felt Benji go a little stiff beside me before he walked over to help my brother stand up. Rick grunted and groaned all the way up.
Laina bit her bottom lip. “Something happened while I was at work the other day.”
I knew both Rick and Benji were listening.
“Okay,” I said slowly.
She wrung her hands together. “And, well… Mark and Evelyn came in and sat at one of my tables, and I had to serve them.”
“Are you all right?” I asked. The words came out of me before I’d even thought about saying them.
She gave me a sweet smile. “I am.”
“Good.”
“But it wasn’t a good situation. They asked me to sit down. Then they offered to pay me to give them information about you. I said no, of course. And things got… tense.”
Benji came over. “What do you mean by tense, Laina?”
She shrugged.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “What did you say to them?”
“I may have threatened them a little bit,” she said, holding her hand up and pinching half an inch of air between her thumb and index finger.
Benji groaned and pressed his hand to his forehead. “Are you mental? You’re going to give me heart failure, Laina, I swear to God. One of these days, I’m just going to drop dead. That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one of these days if you aren’t careful.”
“I didn’t mean to,” she said. “You know what it’s like. They set me off, and I couldn’t let them think I didn’t know what they were up to.”
“What did you say to them?” I asked.
She licked her lips.
“Laina,” Benji said firmly.
She crossed her arms across herself. “I may have said they were desperate. And you being back on the scene scared them. Then I told them to stick their money where the sun don’t shine and told them to leave.”
“Oh my God,” Benji breathed.
I held up my hand before he had the chance to launch into lecturing his sister. “It could have been worse,” I said.
“Worse?” Benji exclaimed. “How?”
I didn’t answer him. “Laina, don’t worry about them. I’m going to wipe the pavement with them on Saturday and make sure they know to leave you the hell out of this. If they ever come by your work again, don’t go near them, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
I was furious. How dare they show up at her work asking about me. And how did they even know she and I had something going on? Whatever it was, I wanted to protect it—and her. She was special. As the anger burned brighter inside me, I began to realize that I cared about her.
It was a terrifying but relieving feeling.
To care again.
It had been a long time.
Chapter 14
Laina
The RS Mason was going to drive tonight was a hollowed-out shell. I supposed it made sense. The lighter the car, the faster it would be, but it sure as hell was far from comfortable. The seat was firm and creaked beneath me every time I moved. The roll cage was low, so I had to sit with my head tipped slightly to my left.
By the time we arrived at the location for the first race in The Streets, I had a kink in my neck.
Benji parked the car with those that were not racing. We both got out, and I peered around, looking over the heads of the others in the crowds to try to spot Mason.
“He won’t be here until right before the race starts,” Benji said as we made our way over to the registration area.
I nodded. It made sense. Mason was committed to not letting on that he was racing tonight. He was going to come right before the race, and he was bringing Benji’s car so he could race as well. I was a bundle of nerves.
I was incredibly paranoid about running into Mark or Evelyn. I stuck to Benji’s side like glue as we inched our way up to the front of the line to find Harley sitting at her table. As per usual, she looked smoking hot, and she had her pen in the corner of her mouth when we arrived. She looked up at us and smiled with the gold- and jewel-adorned pen still pinched between her teeth. “Hello, loves,” she
said. “Who am I registering tonight? A Mr. Benjamin Harris?”
Benji nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And are you our flag girl again this evening?”
“Yes,” I said.
She looked me over. “Good. You’re dressed more the part this evening.”
Benji groaned beside me. He wasn’t happy with my outfit. It was apparently much worse than last week’s. It wasn’t raining, so I’d opted to wear a tight black skirt, strappy heels, and a long-sleeved black top with cut-outs in the front that showed my red bralette underneath.
I smiled at Harley. “Thank you. This one thinks it’s too much.”
Harley glanced at Benji. “Well, he’s your brother. He should think that. Don’t worry, Benji. The word is going around that your sister and Mason Thomas have a thing going on. No man will lay a finger on her.”
My eyes widened, and I sucked in a sharp breath of horror. “What did you just say?”
Harley blinked at me. “That you and Mason have a thing?”
I nodded. My mouth was hanging open.
Benji cleared his throat. “Who’d you hear this from?”
Harley smiled. “I’m no snitch. Is it false information?”
I swallowed.
She chuckled. “Very well then. I don’t see what the issue is. You’re a lucky girl, Laina. A lot of us would kill to be in your shoes.” She peered over the edge of the table down at my feet. “Literally and figuratively. Those are sexy.”
I looked down at my feet. The black sandals were sky high and had straps over the top of my feet and up my ankles. I’d painted my toes red for the occasion. “Thank you.”
“Is he racing tonight?” Harley asked Benji.
He nodded and leaned forward, dropping his voice so he wasn’t overheard. “Yes. But he wants to keep it low-key. Did you hear about what happened to his brother?”
“Rick?” Harley nodded. “Yes. I think that’s a good idea. Do you have a plan?”
“I drove his car. I’ll bring it to his starting position. He’s going to drive mine. Right before the race starts, we’re switching vehicles.”