I let out an embarrassed giggle.
My dad might not have been always present, and he might flake at the last minute sometimes when we’re supposed to hang out, but I’ve never doubted that he loves me.
“He wasn’t going to do anything to me in the garage, Dad.” I smile, letting my bratty side come out for once. “We were gonna go to my room.”
“TMI, Doctor.” He half-laughs, half-groans. “I hope you know you’re gonna have your hands full with this one. My Zara isn’t just beautiful; she’s fierce like her mother and a little wild. She takes that last trait from me.”
Ares smiles, his gray eyes meeting mine before he looks at Dad again. “I’ve seen that wild streak, sir. It’s one of the things that made me fall for her.”
Ares
Zara’s father’s smile widens. “Good. Because I can tell you that taming her might prove impossible.”
“I wouldn’t dream of that, sir. Zara is perfect the way she is. And she’ll always have me to protect her anyway, even if she’s more than capable of looking after herself.”
He nods, satisfied with my answers so far. “That’s what I wanna hear. And by the way, you can stop calling me sir. My name is John.”
“Yes, sir. I mean, John. I’m sorry if I’m babbling like an idiot, but I have to tell you. You’re my idol. I grew up with your posters on my wall and watching all of your races. My brother and Iwanted to be just like you when we grew up. So, meeting you in person is a huge honor. I wish Atlas were here too.”
John wraps his other arms around my shoulders. “I’m the one who’s honored to have been your idol when you have such a famous father.”
“Yeah, my dad is amazing in his own right, and my little brother Chance is following in his footsteps. But Atlas and I wanted to leave our marks in the world on two wheels. Our dream was to race for Ducati one day, and be world champions like you were.”
“If I remember correctly, you and your twin brother had signed a contract with Yamaha. You were on your way to a great racing career.”
A lump forms in my throat. “Yeah, you’re right. But after my brother’s last race, I didn’t know if I could chase that dream by myself. I was so lost for a while.”
“That’s understandable.” He says. “What happened to your brother was tragic, but I never knew the extent of it until very recently.”
I stop at the front door, turning to look at Zara’s father. “Oh. I didn’t think people outside our family still remembered what happened that day. Were you following the case?”
John nods. “Yeah, but I didn’t know that you were still dealing with it. And that’s why I’m here. But I’ll explain better if you invite me in.” He says, pointing to the fact that I’m standing in the threshold.
I move, gesturing for him to enter the house, but I can’t help but tease Zara. “Your dad is a vampire too, huh? He needs to be invited into a house just like you.”
She elbows me with a giggle, but her focus is on her father. “You just said you’re here because of what happened to Atlas? I don’t understand.”
Dad’s voice comes from behind me. “I invited your father to visit, Zara. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I’m always happy to see my dad; but I must admit, I’m a little confused. And sorry to ask you this, Scott, but does Mom know he’s here?”
“Yes, your mom knows. If you guys want to follow me to the dining room, I ordered us some lunch and the delivery driver is five minutes away. We could talk while we eat. I hope tacos are ok with everyone?”
A few minutes later, Dad explains why he invited Zara’s father to come to Star Cove.
Saying that we’re surprised is the understatement of the year.
“So you changed your mind about letting us race?” I drop my half-eaten taco on my plate, looking at my father to make sure I didn’t mishear him.
“I did.” Dad’s tone is serious. “I want to protect you guys, especially Zara. But what she said the night of the town meeting kept echoing in my head and kept me up at night.”
A lot of things were said that night, so I ask him to clarify. “Remind us, please?”
“Zara said that whoever hit Atlas wanted to hurt her. That unless she raced, they might not come back out. If they went back into hiding for years or maybe forever, we would never know who killed Atlas. And he deserves justice. But it’s more than that. We deserve to know. Nothing will bring Atlas back, and we’ll always have to deal with the loss; but we won’t get real closure until the person responsible is brought to justice.”
I understand where Dad is coming from, and I don’t disagree with him. At least not completely. “That’s right. But I thought we agreed that we couldn’t let Zara take such a big risk.”
“We did. But then I thought about Zara’s plan to be prepared like she tried to do during that last race on campus. She successfully outran her attacker.”
