“We’ll see about that.”
“You know it’s true.”
“I don’t know anything other than you better be ready to race, because I have every intention of winning,” I told him, letting my own smile spread over my face, and I enjoyed watching his slip just a little bit.
“Now, Addie—” he started.
“Like you said, no hard feelings.”
And then Candy had dropped the second bomb of the day—that she was pregnant.
The images finally fade away, and then I let the night claim me, but sleep doesn’t last for long.
Chapter 3
Keep you safe
Three weeks later
“Great run,” Luna says as I climb out of my car and step away. We’ve been running tests for weeks to optimize performance before the next big race.
“Thanks!” I reply with a smile for one of my favorite crew members.
It’s hard to believe looking at her that less than a year ago, Luna was boosting cars for illegal street races in the Midwest. She’s one of the most capable people we have on the team, and I also love having another woman around. She helps me keep the testosterone in check. Of course, she’s also sleeping with the competition. Her boyfriend is none other than Cash Huntington. The media thinks we can’t stand each other, but it’s nothing more than a friendly rivalry. DHR and CDE go hand in hand in the racing world.
I hand her my helmet and pull the cap off my head. Sweat drips down my face, and I wipe it away with a towel. I unzip my fire suit and shimmy out of the sleeves before tying them around my waist. It’s hot as hell in the cars, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Besides, we still have a lot more work to do here today, so I might as well settle in.
“Now, let’s talk about drag,” I start, ready to get to work now that we have a few runs under our belts for today.
“Sure thing, boss,” she says brightly. “But first, your dad wants you in the main office.”
“Really?” I laugh. “He probably just wants to know what our lunch order is for the day. French dips and fries, or rolled tacos?”
“I don’t think that’s it—” she starts, but I don’t let her finish.
“Wait! No.” I chuckle, already walking away. The sooner I can talk to my dad, the sooner I can get back to the track. I do have a company to win, after all, and that’s going to start with winning next week’s race. “Rolled tacos. I love the way that stand down the road covers them with shredded lettuce and cheese.”
I smile to myself as I make my way up the stairs and down the hall toward the offices. I wave to Garrison, who is farther down the hallway, and barge into my dad’s office without knocking or thinking. Both things I should do more of, because when I shove open the door, I do not notice the room of ridiculously handsome badasses at first.
“Hey, Dad! Luna said you wanted to see m—” I stop short like a cartoon character. I practically roll into the room and see him sitting at the conference table with three other men. All of them look like they fell from the pages ofHe-Manor some otherGI Joeshit. “Oh. Sorry. I’ll come back later.”
I turn around to walk back out, but my dad jumps up to stop me. “No, no. I do want to see you. How was the last run?”
“Awesome,” I say. I can’t help my huge smile. It really was an awesome run.
“Come meet everyone,” Dad tells me, and I feel really self-conscious. It’s not like this isn’t how I spend every day, but if I’d have known we had an important meeting with a small arms militia, I would have showered and slapped on a little makeup. Instead, I’m sweaty, stinky, and gross-looking with my sticky hair slipping free from its plait down my back. “This is King, Manny, and Eric.”
“Hi,” I say shyly, and just to further prove what a dork I am around these guys, I toss a jaunty wave. Shit.
“This is my daughter, Adrienne,” Dad says proudly to the room. “Here, have a seat.”
I drop into the chair next to my dad’s and sit on the edge of my seat with my hands neatly folded in my lap. I might be a badass driver, but my mom was determined to raise a lady with manners and makeup. I had no idea how handy it would become until much later, when the press decided I was the sexiest driver of the year.
“So,” I start. “What’s all this about?”
“Mr. King—” Dad starts, but the tall drink of water—with golden eyes that seem to see everything and anything—stops him.
“Just King,” the mountain of dark skin and muscles says.
