Page 25 of Played

River laughed along with her. Keith had always been forging paperwork to get them onto tracks for extra time. The man could forge anything: IDs, legal documents, you name it. He had done time in jail for forgery. She hoped he had straightened up for the sake of his family.

“Remember, we will pick you up for the charity event. Lord knows you need our help.”

River frowned as she thought about going to the party. Mal wasn’t lying; she did not have a good track record of getting people to help her, especially lately. At one time, she could charm the pants off anyone. But over the past seven years she had burned a few bridges. Sitting there with her feet kicked up on a workbench, she remembered a meeting with Nathaniel at the speedway down in Fontana. That had gone sideways faster than shit.

She laughed as she thought back on that day and how the only thing she had done was shoot herself in the foot. She had been smart enough to take the call from Michael Trios two days later asking if he could drive out and speak with her one on one. River had agreed. It was an eye-opening experience. The man was a smooth bastard. He probably had a collection of woman’s panties that his silky voice had conned off of them. He definitely had tried everyone he knew to get her to sign with them.

In the end River had politely told him no. She thanked him for driving out and speaking with her, but she was not interested in racing for their team. What did they know about superbikes anyway? She and Mal were still amazed he had driven out to talk to her.

Privateer, that’s what she was now. No sponsors. Even if she could get a few who would do small sponsorships, she would still be a privateer in the eyes of the big teams. It never had bothered her in the past, before she got the big sponsors and brought into a bigger team once she gained her pro license. River shrugged. She hadn’t regretted saying no to Michael.It was another bridge burned, she thought.Because of pride.

River would, however, attend a swank party D&T Racing was hosting at the country club. Great place to get sponsors. She’d been around the track a few times and knew how to work things to her advantage. She just had to go back to basics. That and a new dress with a plunging neckline would not hurt one bit. “Tell Dan the bike is running like shit.” Mal flipped her off and she walked away.That summed it up, she thought.

***

After he watched her come into the pit, Riot walked out onto the landing to have a look and hear what was said about the bike’s performance. He observed the camaraderie between the crew River had assembled since being cut from Double Down. She had never been one to waste time. She and Mal were still the same. It was an eye-opening experience witnessing the arguing between the two—even from the shadows. Neither woman would ever admit defeat. They both turned, stepping away from one another and not solving the problem. Riot made note of that. Mal was a bulldog, as he knew firsthand. Ben was right about her being a biter. She was a terrier with sharp teeth.

Sliding on his sunglasses, Riot headed down the stairs, determined not to look back at River. The last thing he wanted or needed would be a confrontation with her. The last time he saw her was in Fontana after her losing in Austin.

***

As she bent over the bike, River pointed to a small fuel leak around the carburetor, letting Dan know there was a problem that needed addressing. A guy coming from the observation deck caught her eye. She gave him a once over and went back to the bike. Something was familiar about him. Glimpsing back up at him, she straightened up. No way Riot would be hanging around the track… She started slapping Mal’s arm repeatedly, asking if the guy could be Riot.

Mal couldn’t care less if the guy walking out to the parking lot was Johnny Meniere or not. They had a bigger problem: the diaphragm was disintegrating, and they had to order a new one to get the leak fixed. “He looks like a businessman.”

“Yeah, okay.” River kept an eye on the guy until Dan needed her to focus on what was happening with the bike. Now wasn’t the time to get all curious about a stranger.

“River, focus.”

As she kept an eye on Mr. Mysterious, River replied, “I am focused.” Maybe it wasn’t on the bike, but she was definitely focused.

***

As he left the track, Riot checked his watch. He had a meeting with Michael and Jason. A month ago, the last place Riot ever expected to be sitting was outside D&T Racing, but it had been his idea. He knew there would be a showdown of sorts with Jason and Michael, and they deserved whatever he had to say. Or so he thought—until he had gotten in front of them. He never thought in a million years that he would be on the opposite side of his friends, but there he found himself about to walk in and shake a hornet’s nest.

Being seen in Austin with Laurel had been a ruse. He had gone with her partly to keep his eye on her and Archer. They were constantly devising ways to screw with people, including River. When he laid eyes on River in the hotel, he saw red when a man began yelling at her. Unfortunately, it brought the wrong attention to them both, and TMZ had spun a tall tale. His main reason for going had been a meeting with Jason and Michael. That simple meeting had been a test of an old friendship—one that still held thankfully.

He had thought Jason would have been the easy one. He had always been the laid back one out of the two men. His partner not so much. Michael Davenport would rather ruin a person with a pen than arguing. The man was shrewd when it came to business and had a quick tongue when it came to telling people just where he stood with him.

However, during the meeting, it had been completely the opposite. Jason had raked him over the coals while Michael had been waiting with open arms.

Most people respected the two, both in and out of business dealings. Michael commanded that. Riot envied him, for he had once been exactly like him. Running his hand along the leather-covered steering wheel of his older model sports car had Riot reminiscing over the past. Fast cars, fast lives, fast money. Everything racing had offered he had grabbed with both hands. Then River came to live with Cypress. Riot could recall that moment as if it happened moments ago.

Her wild curly hair was cut to her shoulders, her light grey eyes matched her brother’s perfectly. She was petite, smart-mouthed, and sexy. Riot had screwed up, letting Cypress find out he was fixated on his eighteen-year-old sister. It had caused one hell of a fight between them, especially because Cypress found out after the fact.

In the end, Cypress got over it. He also had his own life that did not include River. A life he kept separate from her. Shaking his head, Riot stepped from the car. River needed guidance, and he was the one that could do that. Now, he needed to convince Jason and Michael to trust him to get River on board. If they said no, then he would move on to a few other racers. He’d hate it, but he’d do it. The most important thing needed to be his new business.

***

Food sounded perfect. She was starving after being on the track. Mal and Dan had loaded the bikes and split right after. Maybe she should have gone with them to the birthday party. What was she thinking? She did not do babies. And why did parents feel the need to give a one-year-old a birthday with water slides and bouncy houses? The kid couldn’t do either. Foolish is what it was.

Mal thought she was nuts to drive half an hour to Monterey to grab dinner, only to drive half an hour back home. But Mal never had a wrap from The Lunchbox. River had happened on the roadside hotspot once a few years ago when she came to Monterey for a meeting. A meeting with her lawyer. She was glad those days were over.

Pulling over, she parked the truck and trailer by The Lunchbox. The little dive which consisted of a food truck and a portable patio. Well it was outdoor carpet and a tent. Improvising at its best. The sign advertised the best burgers in town, but their Hawaiian wrap was why she stopped every time she rolled through the area. Large tortilla with chopped ham, sweet barbecue sauce, black olives, and pineapples. Her stomach growled at the thought of it. Maybe today she would get two. Hell, three. Everyone needed a midnight snack.

While waiting on her food, River walked down to the beach, kicked off her shoes and strolled along the water’s edge. A couple wandered past. River felt the pang of jealousy, wishing she had someone to get lost in the surf with. Gazing out over the water, River thought about the last time she hadn’t been lonely. It had been the night before she headed for Georgia. Riot had cooked dinner for them, and they had relaxed on the patio, looking out over the Fontana skyline and talking about their plans after the race season was over. They had discussed moving into a house out in Carmel.

Too many years had gone by for her to stand on a beautiful beach, dredging up old memories. Her being lonely lately had to be linked to Riot showing up in Austin. She didn’t have time for reminiscing over the past—she had a bike to repair and testing to do. Fuck her, she was fretting over Johnny Meniere.

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