I pull my hand out of Chance’s hold. “But don’t you see? That’s exactly what I want. The person who has been trying tohurt me is the same person who hurt Atlas. If I stop racing, they’ll disappear again. I should race, and we should be prepared for when they come back. I want justice for Atlas.”
There’s a hard glint in my stepfather’s eyes, but it’s fleeting. “That’s very honorable, Zara. And we want justice for my son. But I agree that it’s too dangerous.”
“Not if I’m prepared. The last time I outran the bike. I can do it again, and this time we can be prepared to go after it. We can let Mr. Morelli know what happened, and his security will be ready to react. I’m sure he isn’t going to want anything to put his new business in jeopardy.”
There’s a beat of silence, and I can see clearly that I’m about to lose this argument.
“I want to catch the person who killed my son,” Scott is the first to break the silence. “But I can’t risk another life to do it. I appreciate your willingness to help, Zara, but I have to side with everyone else on this.” He squeezes Mom’s hand, and she rests her head on her husband’s shoulder.
She mouths the words “thank you.”
“So that’s it?” I laugh in disbelief. “You’d rather not catch the person who took so much from you than trust my skills?”
My stepfather sighs. “To me, that isn’t a choice, Zara. I want justice for Atlas, but your life can’t be the price.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” Ares clears his throat. “Because I have a plan. I’ve been working hard to find the person who stole Fox’s bike for two years. That’s why I had joined the sheriff’s department. When I couldn’t get anywhere as a civilian, I decided to try to investigate my brother’s death from inside the system. It still didn’t lead me anywhere. But Zara is right that this person came back the second we started racing again. We’ll use Zara’s Ducati as bait as soon as the new racetrack opens its doors.”
I don’t understand. “Ok. So you want me to race? I don’t get it.”
Ares’s gray eyes darken with determination. “No, you aren’t racing, princess. I am. I’m going to race on your Ducati, in a race suit similar to yours. I’m going to be JJ Smith. And when that dirt bike comes back, we’ll have people waiting for it.”
Chance
“Who the hell iswe?” Zara frowns.
“I might have quit my job, but I still have friends at the sheriff’s station. They were ready to help me even if our petition had been rejected.”
Dad doesn’t look happy. “So I was the only one who was in the dark about the illegal races?”
“No, Dad,” Ares reassures him. “I spoke to a couple of my colleagues this morning. Believe me, they weren’t happy either. That’s why I quit my job. If I were going to race illegally, I didn’t want to tarnish the reputation of Star Cove’s sheriff’s department.”
“Don’t you think that getting your cop friends to help you with an illegal investigation, while you were committing a crime, would still tarnish our police reputation?”
Ares shrugs. “Not if they got to arrest me at the end. That was the deal. But now that the ban is lifted, I wouldn’t be breaking any laws by racing, and they’re still happy to help me.”
“That’s bullshit.” Zara stands up, ready to leave the room, but Ares stops her.
“Princess, try to understand.” He pleads, closing his fingers around her forearm.
Zara doesn’t back down. She looks Ares straight in the eye, her chest heaving with fury. “No, Ares, I don’t understand. How can you say you don’t want me to risk my life when you’re ready to risk yours? I could never live with myself if something happened to you. And you aren’t racing on my Ducati. It’s my bike, and if we use it to catch the person who killed Atlas, I’m gonna be the one riding it. It’s either that, or nothing.”
Ares pulls her closer, letting go of her arm to grab her chin. “Would you really not let me use your Ducati? It’s the only way to draw out that dirt bike.” He says, staring into her eyes.
Zara shrugs him off. “I told you. I’m not letting you ride my bike. Besides, you couldn’t pass for me. You’re a foot taller than me. Even from far away, you wouldn’t fool anyone.”
Shit.
Zara is right.
I’m relieved when Dad agrees with her. “Your sister is right. And like I can’t allow her to risk getting seriously hurt, I can’t allow you to do that either. None of you are going to race. I know I can’t force you anymore now that the ban is lifted. But if you care about me and about this family, you’re going to respect my wishes.”
“But Dad…” Ares insists.
“Scott…” Zara pleads too.
Dad rises from his seat. “That’s my final word. I’m not going to discuss this any longer. Now, I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving. I could eat one of Morelli’s lasagna and some garlic bread. That will also give me a chance to speak to Enzo and make sure that his nephew is really kept under control. Who wants to join me?”
Kelly’s smile is too big to be entirely believable. “I’m in.”
