Page 10 of Austin

“Where are you?” His voice is laced with concern. Too bad he’s about an hour too late.

“Not in a ditch.”

His breath is ragged on the other end. “I shouldn’t have let him take you.”

“That’s the understatement of the year.”

“He only pulled that shit to prove a point. If I fought for you, it would have gotten ugly. Better for him to think you’re just some girl I hook up with ’cause, if he knew who you really were, he might have done much more than make you go for a drive. It was the right thing to do.”

“No, Beckett. Making sure I was safe with you would have been the right thing to do.”

“It was probably for the best. If you were on the sidelines, I wouldn’t have been able to get to you when the cops came.”

“I should have been with you!” I yell, pulling my hair at the base of my scalp. “God, why did you let that prick boss you around like that? The way you had talked shit about him behind his back had me believing he was your bitch, not the other way around.”

“Way to kick a man when he’s down, Jay.”

“Way to bail on me, Beck.”

Eva whistles through her teeth at my tone. Even though I’m royally pissed at him, I know he doesn’t need my grief right now. Beckett has so much going on in his life, and these races give him a reprieve. After the spectacle that happened tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised if Falcon dismissed him from ever racing again.

I can hear Beckett breathing loudly on the other end.

“I fucked up. I know. I just … I make the wrong decisions.”

His downtrodden attitude hits me right in the gut. It’s from the way he grew up, always being told he wasn’t enough. Beckett goes from being on top of the world to beating himself up in seconds.

“You’re just trying to find your way. We all are.” I sigh, slumping on my bed in defeat.

He lets out a sarcastic laugh. “Easy for you to say. You’re on the road to success. Are you ready for your new job tomorrow?”

“No.” I let out a soft laugh.

I only got the call on the way to tonight’s race that I was hired for an executive assistant position. That’s what you get when you work with a temp agency. Jobs in print media are hard to come by these days, and I’ll take whatever I can get.

“I’m not ready, but I will be. You should know that about me by now.”

“That a girl. So, you’re okay?” His question sounds more like, Are we okay?

“Yeah. Eva was home, so she let me in. I need my bag, so you owe me breakfast tomorrow. Early. I don’t want to be late on my first day,” I demand.

“Deal,” he says. “And kiss the Latina princess for me. I owe her for taking care of you tonight.”

I wink at Eva, who is listening in on the conversation. The three of us say our good nights before I hang up the phone and plug it into the charger on my nightstand.

Eva slides off the bed as I pull down my covers. “He leaves you in the hands of a stranger, and you forgive him on the first apology?”

“I have to,” I sigh as I start to remove my pants, getting my pajamas on. “You know the hell our dad put him through. I’m all he’s got.”

She gives a nod in understanding. “You’re too good.” She walks to the door and leans on the frame, her head tilted to the side. “Do you think you’ll see Falcon again?”

I tug my shirt over my head. “Most definitely not.”

“Too bad. I bet he’s a great lover.”

I pause, confused. “Now, why in the world would you think that?”

Her lips spread wide as her brows rise and fall wickedly. “Don’t lie. You think so, too.”