Surge: Bad Boy Racing Romance (Fastlane Series Book 1)

by Storm, Sloan

  A massive pileup, heading into the last turn before the straightaway, choked the road ahead with dark billows of smoke.

  Shit.

  Somehow I had to get through it and come out the other side unscathed, in case we finished under caution. Approaching the scene, I noticed debris everywhere. There was no sense in trying to avoid it piecemeal. On pure instinct, I accelerated, and drove into the darkness of the pileup. But as soon as I entered the blackness, I lost traction and started to slide.

  Oil.

  Gunter followed right behind me, and unless I could somehow straighten my slide, he would likely make it through and win the race. I did everything I could to steer through, and as we emerged into the sunlight once again, I noticed Gunter in my mirror.

  The lingering smell of fire and fuel burned my nose and eyes, causing them to water. The last turn leading into the home straightaway was dead ahead. With oil-slick tires and battling oversteer, I downshifted as aggressively as possible, avoiding the brakes at all costs.

  I hit the turn, and as I did, I lost the back end. It kissed the wall.

  Gunter appeared in my peripheral vision to my left. At the last instant, I accelerated out of the turn, straightening it and pulling even with him.

  Together, side-by-side, we roared down the home straightaway.

  In the distance, I could see the checkered flag waving, the officials apparently deciding to forgo the caution.

  I had nothing left—the car was at its limit.

  If Gunter edged past me now, there would’ve been nothing I could do about it. The grandstands went by in my peripheral vision, a blur of color and chaos.

  Just ahead, the finish line…

  AVA

  I made my way through the crush of people in the aftermath of the race. I didn’t think it was possible to put this many people in such a small space at once. Chest to chest, toe to toe, we inched along like a horde of insects.

  Even though I’d been around the racing circuit for a couple of months now, I didn’t see a single face I recognized for at least ten minutes. In fact, it wasn’t until I felt someone grab me from behind that the first people I recognized appeared in front of me.

  Anastasia and Svetlana. Really?

  While people streamed past us in every direction, Anastasia stepped towards me.

  “You think you win?” she began, glaring at me. “You fool.”

  Before she could say another word, Svetlana spoke.

  “Dyson, he love many women. Soon you will be gone.”

  In all honesty, I’d forgotten about the Grid Girls.

  Although I’d been surprised by their appearance in Dyson’s motor coach in Los Angeles, he hadn’t given me any reason to doubt him afterward. Even so, there was a small part of me, like a tiny ember in a fire not fully extinguished, which forced me to listen to them in spite of their ridiculous behavior.

  “So what?” I began, stepping towards them and invading their personal space for the first time ever. “Am I just supposed to take your word for it? What do you think? Because you’re beautiful and men fall all over themselves to be around you—that every man is the same?”

  Passersby took notice of my aggressiveness. While they didn’t stop, people in the immediate vicinity slowed down and watched with interest. The two girls glanced at one another in the first display of doubt I’d ever seen from them.

  “I don’t care whether you happen to be right or not,” I began, edging closer to them. “If you don’t stop harassing me, I can promise you will regret it.”

  Just then, a man’s voice I didn’t recognize offered his opinion from the throng of passersby, “Catfight!”

  I straightened my spine and stared at them. If they wanted to fight, then I was ready.

  “Well?” I said, daring them to say or do anything.

  As before, they remained silent but glanced at each other for a split second. The next thing I knew, they began to back away from me. Something inside just told me to let them go, not pursue.

  Nevertheless, I watched them.

  Svetlana pointed at me. “Dyson never love you. Ever.”

  Seconds later, they vanished into the crowd. I shook my head and turned, continuing in the direction I’d been on before they interrupted me. Following the signs and the excitement, I eventually wound up at my destination - the winner’s circle.

  Pushing through the sea of bodies, I emerged, and after briefly being stopped by security, I continued on to join the celebration with the team. With his victory, Dyson had a real shot at winning the overall championship from Gunter. At the center of the celebration, I noticed Dyson, trading high-fives and hugs with everyone, even Darren.

  I stood there for a few minutes just admiring the camaraderie, glad to be included in such a happy event. It wasn’t long before Dyson’s eyes met mine. He froze in place, raising his arms above his head. Over the next few seconds, he silenced everyone in the immediate area and gestured for me to approach.

  Not exactly thrilled about being the center of attention, I walked with my head down, only glancing up on occasion to smile at faces I recognized along the way. Soon enough, nothing stood between Dyson and me. He straightened his arm, extending his hand in my direction.

  I took it, moving closer to him amid a smattering of applause.

  Before I could say anything, Dyson pulled me towards him. His scent was something I’d come to love, just like him. It was an indescribable mix of fuel and sweat and danger. I barely had a chance to slide my tongue across my lips before he pressed his mouth against mine. He held me close, squeezing me in a hard embrace, consuming me the entire time.

  The crowd around us fell completely silent. At last, he broke his mouth free from mine. My eyes fluttered open. He smiled down at me.

  “Did you already forget?” he asked.

  My awareness still under the influence of a sudden haze of lust, I looked up at him, confused.

  “Forget about what?”

  Dyson chuckled at me, turning and gesturing towards his car.

  “Here,” he began, pointing towards it. “Come look.”

  Uncertain, I looked at him in silence.

  “It’s okay,” he said, motioning for me to continue in his direction. “I promise. You’ll like it.”

  Trusting him, I did as he asked and within a couple of seconds stood by his side. After I’d walked towards him, the crowd of people closed in around us. Dyson smiled at me.

  He slid his arm around my shoulder, pulled me close and we moved towards his car. Once we stood no more than a foot away, Dyson pointed towards the front of it. I followed the line of his arm with my eyes, gasping when it came into view.

  “Surprise,” he said.

  To my disbelief, the name ‘Bella’ stretched across the nose of the car. I looked down at the letters and raised my hands to my face, covering my mouth. Within seconds, tears streamed from my eyes and cascaded down my fingertips. I stood there for I don’t know how long, shaking my head and staring at the name.

  “I dedicated it to her,” Dyson began. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  Overcome, I turned towards him. I had no words to communicate the way I felt inside. For him to think of me, my sister, and Simon in that way touched me in a way that no man, or for that matter any person, ever had.

  Sobbing, I reached up for him.

  Dyson embraced me, pulling me close and leaning in towards my ear.

  “Are you happy, baby? Are you happy?”

  I nodded, nuzzling against him, still overcome with feelings of sadness and gratitude mixed into one. We lingered there, in the midst of several hundred people who looked on in silence. Eventually, we separated and the surreal nature of it all started to sink into my awareness.

  “I got this,” Dyson began, turning and facing the crowd of people. He raised his arms above his head once again. “Everyone! Everyone! We are having a huge party at the hotel. Everything is on me. Whatever you want, I got you!”

  When he finished speaking, a hu
ge roar erupted. In less than a minute, the crowd started to disperse, streaming away from us in all directions.

  Well-wishers paused on their way out and congratulated Dyson once again. He spent the better part of fifteen or twenty minutes thanking fans and supporters for standing by him during the past few months.

  After he finished, Dyson hugged me close once again.

  “We need to get going to the party,” he began. “All the guys are there waiting for us. Marco, Dieter, Darren, and the rest of the team.”

  Looking up at him I smiled and said, “Okay, can I have a second?”

  Dyson frowned at me, confusion stretched across his brow.

  “Sure,” he said. “Whatever you want. Is everything okay?”

  I nodded. “It’s better than okay. It’s incredible.”

  I reached up, hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Caressing the spot with my fingers I touched his face briefly before turning away and looking at the hood of his car once again.

  Kneeling next to it, I extended my hand towards the lettering spelling out my sister’s name. I couldn’t explain it, but in that moment I felt closer to her spirit in the aftermath of a car race than I did visiting her gravesite. I touched the letters with my fingers, dragging the tips along the raised markings. I said a silent prayer to her memory. Although we were different people, we were the same family, and I loved her and missed her very much.

  “Bella,” I began, draping my palm across most of her name. “I don’t know whether you can hear me or not. But, I want you to know that Simon—he’s a wonderful boy. He’s bright and caring, and I love him more than anything in this world. I want you to know that I’ll always do whatever I can to protect him and give him the life that I think you would have wanted for him.”

  Another surge of emotion pulsed through me. I glanced up in Dyson’s direction. He’d been talking to reporters, but when I looked up at him, he stopped.

  “What is it?” he asked. “Is everything all right?”

  I nodded. “Yes, everything is fine.”

  I looked away from him and back towards the letters spelling out my sister’s name.

  “Someday, Bella, all of us will be together again,” I began, swallowing hard and trying to keep my emotions at bay for a few seconds longer. “But until that time comes, I want you to know that I will always love you and that your son will always be proud to have you as his mother.”

  With that, I moved my fingers towards my lips, kissing them. I stood, reaching towards her name one last time and pressing my hand against it. Afterward, I turned and looked towards Dyson.

  Smiling at me, he said, “Are you ready? Everyone’s waiting for you.”

  I nodded at him and smiled in return.

  “Yes, more than ever.”

  AVA

  Dyson had a room in the hotel where the team held their after party. It was close to midnight by the time we made our way to it.

  By then, I was completely exhausted and hardly able to keep my eyes open. We entered the room, and I immediately headed towards the king-sized bed in the center, flopping my body backward on top of it. Dyson followed behind me, walking through the door and laughing after seeing me spread out on top of the bed.

  “Too much excitement for you today, Ava?”

  I rolled my head to one side and glanced up at him, just in time to see him peeling off his T-shirt.

  “I’m going to grab a quick shower,” he began, tossing his shirt aside. “Care to join me?”

  “Only if you want to hold me up the entire time.”

  He chuckled and turned away from me, stripping off his clothes while walking towards the bathroom.

  “Get some rest, sleeping beauty.”

  He vanished from sight, closing the bathroom door behind him. A few seconds later I heard the sound of the water hiss from the showerhead. I rolled my head once again, staring straight up towards the ceiling.

  Not only was I physically drained, but the mental pressure I’d been under finally started to wear me down as well. With the sound of the shower running in the background, I began to wonder what, if any, future I had with Dyson.

  He’d been kind and sweet to me, but also less so at other times.

  Deep down, that wasn’t the kind of relationship I wanted. Who would? Worse yet, I still couldn’t stop thinking about the various insults and threats Anastasia and Svetlana made to me. And the truth was, I really had no promises from Dyson that I’d be any different from them in three months, six months, or a year.

  What if that came to pass? Immediately, I thought of Simon. He was already so fond of Dyson. If I continued seeing him and things didn’t work out, having Simon hurt in that situation would be worse than any pain I might feel breaking up with Dyson.

  I missed having my sister in my life. At the same time, I wondered how much different Simon’s life would’ve been. Even though I tried my best and loved him like my own, the fact was he wasn’t my son.

  Maybe my exhaustion got the better of me because I began to feel overwhelmed all of a sudden. In spite of the day being so wonderful, I still had no idea what tomorrow would bring. I propped myself up on my elbows and shook my head. Dyson was still in the shower. Sitting up, I scooted to the edge of the bed and stood.

  My cell phone.

  In the aftermath of the race and the party that followed, my phone battery had died. Picking up my purse, I reached inside, grabbed my phone and the charger. After plugging it into an outlet nearby I placed my phone down on the dresser and started to walk back towards the bed.

  No sooner had I reached it then I heard the sound of my phone vibrate with a new message. I turned and walked back over to pick it up. Jillian had phoned a couple of hours before. I called my voicemail and listen to her message.

  Hey, it’s me. Um, so, I was out earlier and when I came home there was a message on the home phone for you. It’s an attorney? From child protective services? Okay so, apparently, a couple of nights ago, Gene got arrested for DUI. According to the lawyer, during the process of booking him on the charge, they discovered that Gene had abandoned Simon. I guess that means that he’s in trouble because of deadbeat dad laws. That’s all I know right now, call me back when you get this message… I’ll be up pretty late. Love you. Hope you’re okay.

  I frowned and pulled the phone away from my ear. What kind of trouble would Gene be in exactly? Without wasting another second, I called Jillian. She answered after the second ring.

  “What’s all this about Gene?” I began, sitting down on the edge of the mattress.

  “Yeah, I don’t really know. That reminds me, I forgot to give you that lawyer’s phone number,” she said, her voice trailing off. “Let me get it. I’ll be right back.”

  A few seconds later, she returned and I took down the number.

  “Okay, thanks, I’ll call first thing tomorrow.”

  “Ava,” Jillian said, “Is everything all right with you?”

  Stretching the charger cord to its maximum, I set back down on the edge of the bed.

  “Yeah, I’m just really tired.”

  “Um, all right. It’s just that Simon and I watched the race on TV today. I would’ve thought you’d be more excited.”

  I exhaled and reached up towards my eyes. Rubbing them with the tips of my fingers, I squinted and replied, “I was… I mean, I am. I don’t know… I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  I dropped my hand away from my eyes. Blinking away the exhaustion from them, I said, “Not right now. I’m with Dyson. He’s showering. It’s just not a good time.”

  “Dyson is showering and you aren’t in there with him? Something must be wrong…”

  I smiled. “It’s not like he didn’t try, believe me. I’m just not thinking straight right now. I can’t explain it.”

  “It’s okay,” Jillian began, the tone of her voice softening. “The two of you have been through a lot. What you need right now is just s
ome time together, you know? Give things a chance to see how they work out.”

  I shrugged, glancing in the direction of the bathroom. Dyson had turned off the water, but I wasn’t sure when.

  “Maybe you’re right… I just don’t know right now.”

  With that, we said good night to each other and I promised I would let her know what I found out when calling the attorney the next day. After we hung up, I stood from the bed and placed my phone down next to the charger.

  Afterward, barely able to stand any longer, I collapsed into the mattress and rested my head on a pillow. I lay there for several minutes, maybe ten. I really couldn’t say. Soon after, I heard the sound of the bathroom door open, followed by Dyson’s footsteps.

  They came to a stop at the edge of the bed.

  I cracked my eyes open a fraction to see him standing there looking at me.

  “Sorry about that,” he began, looking down at me with a damp towel hooked around his waist. “I didn’t wake you? Did I?”

  It took every bit of energy I had to keep my eyelids from closing. “No, I hadn’t fallen asleep yet.”

  Dyson nodded, turned and disappeared from view once again. While I lay there, I heard him rummaging through his suitcase.

  “Who were you talking to?” he asked.

  “Jillian,” I muttered, closing my eyes once more. “We got a really strange phone call from child protective services today. She called to tell me about it.”

  Through my eyelids, I noticed the room get dark right around the time I heard the sound of Dyson flicking the light switch. A couple of seconds later, my body shifted slightly when he climbed into the bed.

  “Nothing serious, I hope?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I have to call them tomorrow.”

  I finished speaking and felt his arm curl around my stomach. He leaned in, brushing my hair aside and kissed me on the back of the neck.

  “Mmm…” I purred. “You have no idea how good that feels.”

  “You can tell me all about it in the morning. Now shut up and go to sleep.”