Page 11 of Played

Austin, Texas was no joking matter. The fans here were crazy, loyal, and loved their racing. Everywhere you walked, someone pointed at you. They had no problem walking up during dinner and asking for autographs and selfies. Insanity in perfect harmony with chaos—and it felt great. Tomorrow would be a great race day. The qualifying laps could not have been more perfect if they had tried.

The conversation around the table is mostly focused on the sports center reel that’s playing on every TV in the restaurant. Sitting at the table, River was trying to keep from freaking out. Lots of racers were in town that weekend. Mal pointed to the TV, gaining her attention. Leaning forward, River rested her chin on her fist and listened as Laurel was interviewed. Rumors were true this time—the bitch’s company had bought Double Down Racing. More like sucked it up in the vacuum of Canyon Racing, never to be heard from again. If River managed not to get fired before tomorrow, it would be amazing.

Mal looked at River with her wide brown eyes, wondering what she should say. There was nothing to say. Laurel had been slowly inserting herself in every aspect of River’s life for years. Always trying to play her somehow. If she didn’t watch her big ass, she’d be the one that gets played.Again.

In the background, River saw Riot standing with a few of the old brat pack. It was funny how they were all hanging around together with smiles on their faces. They must’ve known she was screwing them all.Pussy made of gold.River didn’t miss the looks of what could only be contempt from Jason and Michael as they stared at Laurel’s back. Maybe there was more to the story than she knew.

Mal nudged River. She knew why—it was Riot. He looked the same, maybe a little leaner, older, somber. Despite that, with his dress shirt pulled tightly across hard muscles, he still had the looks with his sandy hair curling at the collar of his shirt and those piercing blue eyes. River noticed his smile didn’t reach those gorgeous eyes. The scar that ran along the left side of his face had faded but she could still see it. It didn’t look bad, but it reminded River of months she spent begging him to fight for his life. For them. For his family. In the end, everyone got what they wanted except her. River would have given up everything to have him want her to stay. But he didn’t, and she had never gotten over him. Seven years was a long time to love someone who refused to love you back.

“He looks bad.” River heard the sincerity in Mal’s voice.

“Yeah, he’s never been great at hiding how he’s feeling,” she tells her. “More like drugs and alcohol aging him.” River had kept in contact with Ben over the years. He always filled her in on the car side of the racetrack. Riot had left the hospital with a shit ton of pain pill scrips and it seemed he never gave them up. Add in scotch as a sidecar and you have a bad habit. As the camera panned over the group, Riot turned his head and the intensity of his dark blue eyes seared into her soul. Seven years was a long time to miss someone. Someone who threw her away for what? A conniving bitch. The heaviness in her chest forced River to avert her eyes from the screen. She moved her chair back. She was done with her meal and the fact that, at every turn, there was a TV running the same reel. “I do believe it’s time for me to exit.”

She stepped out of the restaurant and it was full on with reporters trying to get the juicy gossip off anyone who would talk. River’s team knew the drill: no talking to the vultures. No drinking prior to race day. They could party all the way home afterward and she wouldn’t bat an eyelash. Mal was on her six, trying to keep them off her, but today was not gonna go off without one of them digging in and asking all the wrong questions. Might as well get it over with. River spotted Tina with TMZ and waved her over. “Hey Tina, how are you?”She’s decent at reporting the truth so why not give her the first go at me.

“Good. Do you have time for a quick interview?”

Of course I do, doll, that’s why I’m standing here waiting. “With you, yes. Let’s step out of the way. I’ll give you fifteen minutes.”

“I know tomorrow is a difficult day for you.”

Damn she’s going for the jugular today. “I wouldn’t call it difficult, Tina. It is a day that I always remember.”Let’s not beat around the bush. Keeping that TV-perfect smile plastered on her face, River was ready for it.

“It’s been seven years.”

River figures Tina wants her to fill in the blanks for her. Either she’s truly letting River decide which way this goes or she’s being shitty. Tina left it open-ended, so River closes the door. “Yes, it’s been seven years since I went pro.”

“That’s correct. Now, how are you feeling about the team being bought out by Canyon Racing?”

Tina was good at maneuvering within a conversation, smiling as she confirmed what River has stated. “Doesn’t bother me in the least. Now ask me the bigger question, Tina.”Let’s see where she takes me.

“Do you think you will have a seat on the team after today?”

Now this is a question to chew on for a minute. “That’s a good question. My answer is: probably not. There is no love lost between Laurel Canyon and me, that’s public knowledge. Her buying the team can mean a lot of different things. I hope that Canyon Racing can pump new blood into the sport. After all, it is my brother’s money that’s being used and we both know how much he loved racing.”

“What about the rumors that Johnny Meniere and Laurel Canyon are married?”

Yep, here we go. I usually stay far away from the rumor mill but today I’m feeling a little funky. Let’s heat this rumor up!“According to what I heard they’ve been married for a few years now. She’s pregnant from what the talk is around the track. I tend to believe my eyes… have you seen the size of her assets?” Holding out her hands, she spread her arms, mouthing the words “huge ass” towards the camera. Standing there, she kept smiling while she heard Mal laughing behind her.

“There you have it, folks. No love lost between River Wile and the new owner of the Double Down team. Will Wile continue with Double Down or will she be looking for a new ride? And are the rumors true about Canyon and Meniere?”

Thanking Tina, River turned and caught Mal shaking her head laughing. Yeah, she had gone there. River thought if there were any chance that her contract would be renewed, she would have dodged every reporter until she got off the track. Tomorrow she would be racing for herself. It wouldn’t matter if she won or lost, Laurel Canyon would not renew her contract. So, it’s all for her. Even if Laurel did offer River a new contract, she wouldn’t sign it. This was the end of the season. Once the race was over, she’d be packing up and heading back home. Everyone had been great throughout the season, but River needed to make some hard choices. Making changes wouldn’t be easy, they were just necessary.

Mal suggested they call it a night, and with the way River’s emotions were running, she agreed wholeheartedly. Moving along the crowded sidewalk, River was knocked against a passerby. She turned to see who pushed her and locked eyes with Archer Morgan and his pals. “Watch where you’re going, dickhead.”

“Screw you, bitch.”

“You wish, asshole.”Fuck me I cannot catch a break tonight. This was not what any of them needed the night before a race. Especially with the reporters looking for a good piece of gossip.

“You better watch your ass tomorrow, Wile, because I’m gonna put you down hard.”

“Well your family’s notorious for killing people on the fucking track.” It was out of her mouth before she could think. It’d been brewing between her and the youngest Morgan for years. He couldn’t get past the death of Fisher and he blamed everyone but his brother. The first swing River dodged. Moving in fast, she hit him in the solar plexus with a one-two, causing him to double over. Good thing she trained like a beast.

Grabbing him by the back of his neck, River shoved Archer’s face towards a trash can as he hurled his dinner.

“You never could throw a punch, Archer.” Moving away, River left him there with TMZ and Tina filming his trash can conversation, knowing that on the ten o’clock news it would one of two stories: she beat him, or he was seen puking his guts up after partying all day in Austin.

River heard Mal say something about being mean, but she shrugged it off. She didn’t care what people said about her. It was nothing but gossip on and off the track. Bunch of little bitches trying to get the money shot or the biggest story no matter what they need to do to get paid. The pictures from Cypress’s funeral probably paid nicely. She hadn’t even thought about some asshole cameraman flying drones overhead. That shit still pissed her off. Glancing back, she saw Archer fighting his way through the sea of reporters. That served him right for shoving her. “Let’s get back to the hotel, I need to get some sleep.”

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