by L. P. Dover
Placing my hands on both sides of his face, I leaned up and kissed him. “You have nothing to worry about. He wouldn’t want to see me anyway. It wouldn’t end well for him.”
“Good, because I don’t want him filling your head with lies.”
Neither did I. And now I was wondering what else he had lied about.
“On your way yet?” Zane asked.
I threw my wallet in the center console of my truck and hopped in. I was hoping Lara would get off work early so she could ride with me, but it wasn’t going to happen. They needed me at the coliseum an hour earlier than scheduled.
“I’m pulling out of my driveway now,” I lied. “You’ll be happy to know I scored a spot in Physique magazine.”
He burst out laughing. “No fucking way. You’re joking, right?”
“Nope, it’ll be available this fall. Lara and I are flying out to California for the interview in less than two months.”
“Hell yeah, that’s awesome. Make sure to mention KTM.”
I rolled my eyes. “Planned on it.” My attention caught a car coming down the street, and it was Jason, speeding down the road in a blue Jeep Wrangler. “Zane, I gotta go. I’ll be there soon.” I hung up and slid out of my truck.
Jason jumped out of the Jeep, wearing a pair of black gym shorts, and a Carolina Cougars T-shirt and hat. After all the cases he’d solved involving the players on our local NFL team, hopefully he’d gotten those for free. “Were you getting ready to leave for your race?”
“Yep.” Then I pointed at the Jeep. “When did you get that?”
He shook his head and sighed. “Don’t even get me started. It’s something Aylee wanted. I’m going to surprise her with it. But first, I wanted to stop by and tell you what I’d found. I was hoping to catch you before you left.”
“I’m all ears.” Even though I had to leave for the race, the case was more important to me.
“First off, Skylar admitted to drugging you. The Ambien and Xanax she used belonged to her roommates. She took them without their knowledge. The only one we couldn’t account for was the Secobarbital. She claimed she had no clue what that was, but I don’t believe her.”
“How did it get in my system then?” I wondered.
He shrugged. “Don’t know, but I think there’s more to it than she’s letting on. However, she did say she had no intention of seducing you while you were under the influence. It was simply a ploy to make Lara think you had cheated on her.”
Jaw clenched, I huffed through my teeth. “What a worthless cunt. So what happens now?”
“We find out how Secobarbital got in your system. There’s a missing piece and I want to find it.”
I wanted to know too. Something wasn’t right. I could feel it. “I have an idea,” I said. Jason’s brows lifted and he nodded for me to continue. “Go back to Skylar’s and tell her that if she tells us the whole truth, I won’t press charges against her.”
“Is that really what you want to do?”
“No, but I want answers. If she’s hiding something, we need to know what it is.”
He held out his hand and I shook it. “All right, I’m on it. I’ll call you later.”
Once he got in his Jeep, I jumped back in my truck and headed to the coliseum. I wanted to call Lara and tell her what Jason had said, but she was busy working. She probably wouldn’t like the deal I was giving Skylar, but I felt like it had to be done.
The coliseum parking lot was packed, and the race wasn’t starting for another few hours. I loved it when the seats were full and the sound of my name echoed through the air. When I ventured inside, Zane was right there to greet me.
“You’re late,” he said, tapping his watch.
“I know, but I had something to tend to.”
He waved his hand for me to follow him. “All I need you to do is change into your gear for the photo shoot. Chance will be in it with you.”
I followed him to the KTM dressing room and Chance was already there.
“You have ten minutes,” Zane said, shutting the door.
Chance grabbed my arm, his eyes frantic. “Holy shit, dude, you won’t believe what I just found out. I was two seconds away from calling you.”
“What is it?”
He took a deep breath. “Apparently, Skylar did have help getting you to the back bedroom. You’re not going to believe who it was.”
It was two o’clock and I was so excited about going to Luke’s race. I kept waiting for Grayson to show up, but thankfully, he didn’t. The last thing I wanted was to get into a verbal fighting match at our restaurant. Our restaurant . . . What had I been thinking, getting involved with a friend who was also a business partner? Someone should have warned me.
“Lara, I’m here,” Victoria called out. She was out of breath and rushing toward me. “I know you have to go.”
“Thanks, Victoria. I’m going to head out. Have a great shift!” Turning on my heel, I started toward the back door, when a person came barreling into the front door, straight to the bar. My breath hitched and my veins were on fire. Luckily, the lunch crowd had diminished, and there were only a few people inside the restaurant.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I growled.
Skylar turned around, her gaze frantic. She slammed a small backpack into my chest and cried. “I give up. The cops said he wouldn’t press charges if I confessed.”
“Didn’t you already do that?” I was confused. What the hell was she talking about? She nodded, tears running down her face. I peeked inside the backpack and almost dropped it to the floor. It was filled with a whole bunch of money—at least a few thousand. “Holy shit. Why are you giving this to me?”
“Because it’s his,” she shouted, pointing at the bar. “The redhead who works back there. It’s all his fault. I’m here to give it back to him. I want to be free of it.”
Bile rose to the back of my throat and I stumbled into the bar. I didn’t want to believe she was referring to Grayson, but he was the only redhead who worked behind the bar. The room spun, and I had to hold onto the bar to keep my balance.
Skylar stood there and cried, causing everyone in the place to stare at her. Grabbing her arm, I pulled her into the back, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Once we were in Summer’s office, I let her go.
“You’re trying to say this was Grayson’s doing?” I hissed. My whole body trembled in rage.
She nodded and lowered her head. “I was upset because Luke wouldn’t pay attention to me anymore, and he heard me complaining. He said if I was willing to do whatever it took, he’d give me Luke. That’s why we drugged him, hoping you’d get rid of him. That way Grayson could have you back and I’d have Luke.”
“What about the money? Where does that play into all of this?”
Lips trembling, she burst out in sobs. “To keep quiet. He didn’t want anyone to know he was involved. At the party, he was there. He’s the one who helped me get Luke to the back room.”
“And the pills? Was that you?” I snapped angrily.
She shook her head. “Not all of them. He gave me the Sec–secobarb . . . whatever the hell that shit was. Luke told the cops he wouldn’t press charges if I told the truth, and now I have. I thought you should hear it first. Luke’s not the only one who was deceived.”
The whole thing made me sick, and I couldn’t think straight. My mind was a jumbled mess. Gripping the bag of money, I slammed open the door.
She gasped and followed me out. “Where are you going?”
“To end this, once and for all.” I blocked her out and went straight to my car.
Grayson was going to pay for what he did. How could he betray me like that? He could have killed Luke, and for what . . . a chance with me again? I wanted to call Luke and Summer, to tell them what Grayson had done, but I wanted at him first. South Point Road was coming up and I looked out at the light, blaring green. A vision flashed in my mind.
I was going down the road at night and holding my phone in my hand
, talking to Luke. Passing under the stop light, a set of headlights appeared at my left. The crash was instant, and the pain was unimaginable. I screamed and dropped my phone as the car flipped into the air.
Slamming on the brakes, I covered my face and screamed. It was as if a switch had been turned on inside my mind. A knock pounded on my window and I opened my eyes to see a young woman, sweaty from running, with a look of concern on her face.
I lowered the window. “Hey,” I murmured breathlessly.
“Are you okay? I heard you screaming.” Horns blared from behind me and I sucked in a breath when I realized where I was. I was in the exact same spot where the accident had occurred. I remembered everything.
Taking a deep breath, I looked around and clasped my chest. “I’m fine. Thank you for checking on me.”
“You’re welcome.” She hurried off and I started back down the road, only now, I wasn’t the lost Lara. I knew everything, from the beginning to the end. My memories were back, and with that, I knew the truth.
Gripping the steering wheel with renewed purpose, I tried not to break it off with my tight grip. I was so furious, my hands were shaking. Grayson’s house came into view and I zoomed into his driveway, squealing the tires as I came to a stop. Storming up to his door, I was determined to break it down if it was locked. Luckily, it was open and I marched right on in.
“Grayson!” I shouted venomously, finding him in the kitchen, shirtless, just like he had been the night I gave him back his ring. It was déjà vu all over again.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, opening up a beer.
I threw the backpack at his face, his beer dropping to the floor. “What the fuck?” He looked inside and froze.
“What the fuck is right,” I hissed. “How could you do this to me?” Unwanted tears flooded my eyes. “You’ve lied to me, the entire time. I broke up with you that night, and you tried to make me believe I didn’t. You made Luke think we slept together the other day. And worst of all, you helped Skylar drug him to make me think they slept together. You could’ve killed him!”
The Secobarbital he had was from when he suffered from insomnia, after his brother was killed in an illegal MMA fight in Las Vegas. His death took a toll on all of us. I knew that was how Skylar got it.
Sighing, Grayson lowered his head. “I lost my way. I’m sorry. I dug myself in deep, I just wanted you back so goddamn bad. I was determined to do anything and everything I could to make it so. Luke doesn’t deserve you.”
“Neither do you.” His head lifted, eyes full of pain. “Were you hoping I wouldn’t remember?” It was hard to imagine my sweet Grayson doing all those despicable things to get me back.
He stared right at me, his shoulders slumped in defeat. “It was the only way I’d have a chance with you.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks and when he tried to approach me, I held up my hand. “You don’t get to touch me anymore. I loved you, Grayson. Your betrayal hurts worse than anything anyone’s ever done to me.”
“I’m so sorry, baby. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“You did,” I murmured. Two cop cars charged down the street and pulled into Grayson’s driveway. Jason rushed out and saw me standing inside. I met Grayson’s green gaze one last time and walked away. “Goodbye, Grayson.”
I looked like a blubbering mess by the time I got to Luke’s race, but I didn’t want to miss a thing. I was late because I had to stay behind to answer Jason’s questions. I told him everything about the money and what Skylar had said. I had no clue what was going to happen to Grayson, but whatever it was, he deserved it. Soon enough, Summer and Evan would find out from Jason, and I would be getting a call.
The crowd screamed and cheered, as I hurried through the coliseum to get to my section. Luke’s race was starting and I didn’t want to miss him take off. That was always a crucial part in the race. Usually, there’d be a pile up at the first turn and if you got stuck behind, you were screwed.
A voice screamed my name and I saw Chance waving his hands frantically from the first row. I never realized how strange it would be to see everyone I’d forgotten now that I remembered everything. It was like I was living in a twilight zone. The first night I met Chance, he did flirt with me, and I could still remember the pissed off look on Luke’s face when he found us talking.
Chance kept waving and I could see the desperation on his face. I’d already been through hell. The last thing I needed was more bad news. I was breathless by the time I rushed down to him.
“Hey,” I said.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me down into the seat. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
My heart sank. “By the way you look, I don’t think I want to know.”
He scoffed. “I found out who helped Skylar. Luke already knows, but he wanted to tell you in person and not over the phone.”
I let the breath out I’d been holding and sighed. “I already know, Chance.”
Brows furrowed, he sat back. “I don’t understand. What do you know?”
My chest tightened and I could feel the tears threatening to come back, but I refused to cry again. “It was Grayson. Skylar came into the restaurant and told me everything.”
He gasped. “Holy shit. What happened after that?”
I huffed. “I went over to Grayson’s to confront him, and then the police showed up. I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”
Chance placed a hand on my shoulder, his gaze concerned. “Are you okay?”
I patted his hand and smiled. “I will be. I’m just ready for Luke to win the race so I can talk to him. There’s so much I have to say.” I wanted to tell him everything I was going to say on the night of the accident.
The riders lined up and their engines roared to life. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, Collins is going to win. He’s fired up over what happened.”
I found Luke in the line and waved so he’d know I was there. “Hopefully, it won’t make him ride sloppy.”
“It won’t. He saw you wave, he’ll be good to go.”
“What about the two-fifty race? How did you do? I’m so sorry I missed it.” I squeezed his arm.
With a wide grin, he winked. “First place, baby. I killed it.”
I threw my arms around him and laughed. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks. Now all we need is for your boy to win and our sponsors will give us a big, fat raise.” At least there was something positive about the day.
As we refocused on the race that was about to start, time slowly trickled down and tension filled the air. The engines were so loud and thunderous I could feel the vibration through the seat.
“Here we go,” Chance shouted.
The gates dropped and the riders took off for the first turn. Luke and Troy Baker, his main competitor, were neck and neck and both made it out of the corner first, avoiding the traffic jam. I didn’t like Troy. I could tell the first time I met him, he was an arrogant prick.
The course was a series of turns, jumps, whoops, table-tops, and a massive big jump at the finish line. The whoops section was where I saw most of the accidents. It was a set of small jumps all piled together, and if you didn’t ride across it just right, you’d eat the dirt.
It was almost time for Luke to ride past us so I stood. “Come on, baby!” I shouted. Troy was so close to him, I didn’t like it. “Are they going to be on each other’s asses the entire time?” I asked Chance.
“Probably. They both want to win. Baker has always been jealous of Luke. It’s not an easy pill to swallow when you’re constantly second best.”
Grayson wanted to be better than Luke but it was a competition he couldn’t win. Maybe that was because Luke always had my heart, even when I desperately tried to give it to Grayson. The only problem was that I didn’t have it to give. I shouldn’t have kept the relationship going for as long as I did. It was my fault Grayson had false hope.
Lap after lap, Luke was only in the lead by a hair; it could still
be anyone’s race. My teeth hurt from chewing my nails, but I couldn’t stop. It was the most stressful race I’d ever watched.
Chance nudged me in the side. “One more lap.”
Sitting on the edge of my seat, I held my breath. I didn’t want to miss a thing, so I kept my focus on Luke. He glanced over at Troy and it was as if something clicked in him. He pushed forward and gained another three feet. If he could keep that distance, he’d cross the finish line first.
“Keep pushing, Luke!” I shouted.
The last big jump approached and he soared over it and into the air, the flames bursting in the air from the columns on both sides of the finish line. However, everything after that seemed to move in slow motion. The noise around me deafened and I could see the problem before it even happened. Luke lifted his arms triumphantly, but Troy was right behind him in the air, edging closer and closer to him.
I grabbed Chance’s arm just as the collision happened and Luke landed hard on the ground, his body rolling with the impact. Troy crashed as well, but he was the only one who moved and got up.
“Luke!” I screamed, frozen in terror as the paramedics rushed out to him. I closed my eyes, hoping it was all just a bad dream. The silence in the stadium was deafening.
“Lara,” Chance said, pulling on my arm. “Let’s go.”
By now, there was a whole crowd around Luke and I couldn’t even see him. Chance held my hand, and since security knew who he was, they let us both out onto the track. Troy was walking away from the fray, not even bothering to see if Luke was okay. I wasn’t the only one who saw the smile on his face as he strolled past.
“You motherfucker,” Chance growled, letting my hand go. He charged after Troy and tackled him to the ground, fists flying.
Glad Chance was taking care of Troy, I rushed over and charged my way through the people surrounding Luke.
A man grabbed my arm and tried to pull me back. He was part of security, complete with bulging muscles and a hard-lined face, but I was prepared to fight my way through him. “Miss, you can’t be over here. I’ll need to ask you to leave.”