“Don’t try to be clever with me.” His tone isn’t as stern as before, but still determined. “You aren’t going to change my mind. I don’t care if you’re mad at me as long as you’re safe.”
Zara is just as determined as he is and doesn’t give up. “But don’t you see? That’s why I want to race. If we don’t catch this guy, I’ll always be looking over my shoulder. If someone wants to hurt me, who’s to say that they’re not going to try off the racetrack too? I’m not going to be safe until they’re caught.”
“That’s a fair point.” Our fathers agree.
“Good try.” Ares is the most stubborn person I know. “But so far they haven’t tried anything outside the racetrack.”
Zara sighs. “True. But I have been giving this some thought. I’ve been on the opposite coast for two years. The second I came here, and the races started, the mystery rider came back. At the same time as Cal appeared in town. If he knew I was JJ Smith, like you think, he knew I wouldn’t be able to resist the opportunity to race. So he knew he would have me on the racetrack. Now he probably thinks I’m going to be all over the opportunity to race again and to do it in the open. If I don’t, who’s saying he’s not going to come after me, anyway?”
“There’s no way to know that,” Ares ponders.
“Exactly. And we’ll always wonder when they might strike again. Besides, Ares, my dream has always been to race for a living, just like my dad. I can’t build a career with this constant fear.”
Fuck.
“She’s right.” I clear my throat.” This person has already taken so much away from us. We can’t let them take Zara’s dream too.”
Lev backs me up. “Look, I hate to admit it, but Zee has a point. We fought to lift the ban because we wanted to be free from Mason’s threats. Because we couldn’t keep racing in fear that he would hurt our families when we least expected it. How is that different from how Zara feels right now? If she doesn’t get to race because we’re afraid, whoever is doing this has already won.”
“Jeez.” I clasp my best friend’s shoulder. “You keep saying that you don’t want to be a lawyer like your parents, but that was fucking ace.”
“Nah,” Lev chuckles. “I’d rather play pro hockey. Someone has to keep your ass in line, right? I’ll do my pre-law courses like I promised my parents, but law school will have to wait until we’re done with hockey. And anyway, I don’t see myself in a stuffy office like my parents. Maybe I’ll be like the Lincoln lawyerand work from somewhere a little more fun. But to get back to what we were discussing, I think Zara should race. And when we catch the motherfucker who is doing this, I might get a criminal record anyway, so I might never be able to take a bar exam.”
Dad’s chuckle is full of barely repressed anger. “Oh, believe me, Lev. You’ll be fine because you’ll have to get in line. When we catch the person who killed my son, I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”
“So am I the only one who thinks this is a crazy idea?” Ares drops back down onto his chair, and I know we won.
“We’ll be careful.” Zara reassures him.
My brother glares at all of us. “Fine. But I have a few conditions to agree to this madness. I’m racing too. I’m going to do the same training as Zara, and I’ll be right there on the racetrack to protect her.”
“Are you sure?” Dad’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “You haven’t been on a bike since that day.”
“It’s nonnegotiable.” Ares bites out. “If Zara has to act as bait, I’m gonna be right by her side.”
Lev slaps his hand on the dining table. “Me too.”
I want to be there to protect Zara too, but I hesitate.
“I want to race too. But after the last race on campus, I got in touch with my therapist, and he doesn’t think I should ride a motorcycle for now. Something could trigger me when I least expect it, and I might end up being a hindrance rather than helping.”
Dad nods. “I agree with your therapist. But you can still be there. You can be our extra pair of eyes and ears around the paddock. Last time, the person who invaded the racetrack had to get that bike from somewhere. Even if they stole it, like Fox claimed.”
We all laugh when he says that. No one in this room believes that Fox isn’t somehow behind all this.
“So it’s decided.” There’s excitement and a touch of fear in Zara’s tone. “I heard that the work on the racetrack is ahead of schedule.”
“That’s correct. Despite my reluctance, the council has fast tracked all the necessary permits, and Morelli has a ton of manpower at work around the clock. The announcement should go out any day now; there’s going to be a race to inaugurate the track. All the proceeds will go to charity, but it’ll be a star-studded event. From what I understand, there’s going to be a K-Pop band singing the national anthem and several famous Super Bikes League and MotoGP champions are going to race. I don’t know what kinds of strings Morelli pulled, but this grand opening will definitely put that racetrack on the map,” Dad says.
Zara’s father agrees. “Yeah, I’m impressed. We’ll see how things run on opening day, but if everything goes well, I might finally get to have my own MotoGP team. I’ve been in talks with Blue Lightning, and they’re willing to invest in it. I’m thinking that I could base the team here in Star Cove, so I can be closer to the most important woman in my life.”
There’s hope on Zara’s face, but her tone is cautious. “Really? Does Mom know about your plans?”
“She does, Doctor.” John reassures her. “When Scott asked me to come to help with our project, he encouraged us to talk. We were young and dumb when we were together. We both made mistakes during our marriage, even though I’ll admit I had the lion's share of the responsibility. I apologized to your mom, and I’m glad to see her so happy with a man who deserves her more than I ever could. She was gracious enough to offer me her forgiveness as long as I make things right with you. I know I have a lot to make up to you. If you’re on board, we’ll start with this training and then we’ll see what the future holds. I’m impressed with the design of the new racetrack, and I know that’s all you. Blue Lightning and I are partnering to design a new line ofmotorcycles, including an electric prototype. There’s going to be racing models and street legal models. I hope you’ll consider joining the new team and getting involved in the design. But there’s no better way to promote a new bike than by racing and winning. And I want the name Fields to be back on a MotoGP podium within a couple of years. With you.”
Zara runs to hug her father.
My heart fills with joy at the thought that her dream is within reach. It’s my job—with my brothers by my side—to help her make that dream come true.
