“It started a long time ago, and this time you’ve bitten off way more than you can handle,” Brian responded.
The joyous feeling from earlier was gone, completely shattered. It wasn’t until Lorene left with Anthony and Asher that Colby felt like she could breathe. She immediately went over to Liam. Her brows furrowed with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I should be asking you that. You’re bleeding.”
Colby looked down at her hand. She hadn’t noticed.
It felt like the most natural thing in the world when Liam grabbed a napkin off the table and reached for Colby. Gently, he pressed it into her palm. As he worked to stop the flow of blood, Liam dared her to try and pull away.
Colby knew better and held still.
After a few moments, Liam inspected her hand to see if she needed stitches. He was grateful that the cut wasn’t deep. “You need to get this looked at.”
Colby nodded. “I will. Thanks for wanting to protect me, but you didn’t have to do that.”
He responded firmly and unequivocally. “I did.”
As if remembering they weren’t alone, slowly, Colby began to pull her hand free. “You didn’t. But still, thanks.”
She needed to make sure her father was okay. When she moved over to him, Colby realized everyone at their table was watching Liam and her closely. By the shocked looks on their faces, it wasn’t hard to guess that they had figured out something was going on.
For now, Colby decided to ignore the questions in their eyes. She inhaled deeply, then walked over to her father. “Daddy, are you okay?”
Cyrus was just as surprised as everyone else, but not totally shocked. He did find it telling that Colby went to Liam before coming to his aid. At some point, he would have to have a chat with Liam about his daughter but now was not the time.
“I’m fine. I should be asking you that.” His words didn’t match his appearance. Cyrus looked physically and emotionally spent.
“What am I going to do about Asher?” Brian asked Liam as they watched Colby fuss over her father.
“He can’t drive if he doesn’t have a functioning car. Is that right?” Liam directed his question to Neal, their attorney, who had arrived earlier for dinner.
Neal nodded. “Technically, you’ve already honored the contract. Once you entered Asher into the race and listed him as the lead driver, you fulfilled your part of the agreement.”
Liam shook his head in thought. “So, it’s not our fault if Gonzo discovers Asher’s car isn’t working properly?”
“No. Although implied, there is nothing that specifically says you have to provide him with a working vehicle. Just a vehicle.”
Gonzo shook his head vigorously in agreement. “Oh, yeah.” He rubbed his hands together. “That car is fucked up.”
The entire team was pretty vocal about how bad Asher’s car was until Colby spoke. Her words silenced the group. “Let him drive.”
Colby had ice running through her veins. “And make me the number two.”
“C’mon, Colby. I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Chris said. “You’ll need your head on straight to just go up against Lorene. The man and his team are really good on this track.”
“I won’t ever consider a dirty driver a good one,” Gonzo said, then backed up his friend. “I’m not worried at all about Colby being able to go up against Lorene and his shitty team and Asher.”
Chris remained silent. He understood that this was a moment of truth and had been a long time coming.
Jordan chimed in. “I thought Lorene was sitting this one out due to some kind of injury.” He knew the history between Lorene and the James family, and it would be poetic justice if Colby drove against him. Jordan had no problem giving up his spot to her. “I’m a competitor, so I always think I can win every time. But Lorene’s won three of the last few races on this track. The truth is, he is going to be pretty tough to beat. His team, they don’t pull any punches.”
“I think I know that better than anybody,” Colby reminded him.
Jordan couldn’t argue that fact. “If you’re taking my spot, I have some tapes you need to watch.”
“I don’t need tape. I’ve studied Lorene since I was fifteen years old. What I need are blockers on that track.” Colby turned steely eyes onto Brian and held his gaze. “If you want to win this thing, just give me the opportunity.”
Nothing was going to keep her out of this race. She planned to be front and center by any means necessary. Singularly focused and ready to handle her business. Colby didn’t wait for a response. Instead, with her back rigid and her head held high, she walked out of the restaurant.
They all watched her leave.
Liam threw a small nod to Markos. Markos lifted his chin in acknowledgment and was immediately on the move. He, along with two bodyguards, followed Colby out.
Cyrus spoke up. “Not that my daughter needs my endorsement, but I don’t think there is another soul on this planet more motivated to win this thing.”
Brian deferred to Liam. “If everything is ready to go, I say let’s do it. But I’m going to let you make the call.”
“If I were a betting man—”
“You are a betting man,” Brian reminded him.
Liam ignored Brian and asked the question that everyone, but he and Brian, had the answer to. “Why is Colby so determined to get on that track with Lorene Greene?”
No one in the room felt they had a right to answer. Instead, they deferred to Cyrus.
The pained expression on his face filled Liam with dread.
Cyrus lifted turbulent eyes as he fought back tears and ran a tired hand down his face. His voice broke when he spoke. “He killed my son.”
Chapter 25
