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The click of the door opening had River opening her eyes. She hoped it was Mal bringing coffee because she could use it this morning. The race didn’t start until later in the day. They had plenty of time to relax and get things ready.I need to do a once-over on the bikes this morning.

“Morning, sunshine!” Damn Mal and her cheery disposition in the morning. As long as she brought coffee, she’d forgive her.

“Morning.”

“What the hell happened to you last night? You sound like you’ve been drinking and smoking.”

Sitting up, she shoved her unruly hair from her face and stared at her best friend. “I saw him last night.”

“We saw him too. With Laurel. They came to the bar. He wasn’t drinking and he did not look happy.” Mal handed over the coffee, hoping River would tell her what happened. Things needed to be worked out before she got on the bike later. “Why don’t you grab a shower. I ordered room service for breakfast. Afterward we can talk about it.”

“I’d rather talk about it now.” She shoved the heels of her palms into her eyes and fought the sadness that had overtaken her last night.Pitiful.

“Are you crying? Don’t tell me you’re fucking crying.” Damn it, she needed to get out of her head right now!

“I cry sometimes.”

“You haven’t cried since…”

“Since Riot left me. Since Cypress died. I cry. I can cry. I’m a woman.” However, not one tear had fallen in many years. She had taken all the anger, hate, and hurt and put it in racing. Her whole existence had become just that: racing. River hadn’t left room for anything else. There wasn’t a chink in her armor—until last night when Riot touched her. That was all it took for all the emotions and feelings to come rushing back in. She had ordered room service and ate a ton of crappy food and stayed up half the night thinking about years past. How lost she had been when she hadn’t been on the track or working on the bikes.

River had submerged herself one hundred percent into her career, never wavering, never thinking about what-ifs or what-could have-beens. She was racing, and racing was her. Plain and simple. Throwing the covers off, River got up, heading to the bathroom.

“Are you gonna tell me what happened or not, River?”

Staring at Mal, River searched for the words, but all she heard in her head was,he touched me. “He touched me. And for the first time in seven damn years, I realized the one person I loved that I’ve never stopped loving is the one person who can destroy me.” Turning from her best friend, she didn’t see the disappointment in her eyes. River headed for a shower to clear her head.

She stepped out of her nightshirt and looked at herself in the mirror. Lean muscle, an athlete’s taught body. Would her body even still be appealing to men? She still had her feminine curves, they just weren’t soft. “Fuck it. I’m River fucking Wile and I’ll be damned if this is gonna knock me off my game today.” Grabbing her phone, she found Riot’s number.

You want to play with me Johnny? I bet your girlfriend would have something to say about it. Astrid S - “Does she know”

Walking into the shower stall, she hit the cold-water knob and screamed. Yep, that’s exactly what she needed a shock to her system. She turned off the water and opened the door, only to find Mal holding a towel. “Cold showers, huh?” was all she said as she tossed the towel at River, leaving her to figure it out. Maybe she needed a new BFF.

After breakfast, during which Mal refrained from bombarding her with questions, River got her bag together so they could head out. Her qualifying laps had given her a good pole position. There was always so much to take care of before a race. River needed the feel of the bike on the track to settle her. That rush of adrenaline to even her out, the thrill of the race, the desire to win. When she got on the track, it was all or nothing. You didn’t do this for nothing. It was a drive deep within her that made her want it. You had to be hungry for it. And River was starving to death with that endless drive.

***

As River stood in the pit with only Mal and Dan, she quickly found out what Laurel had done late last night after seeing the news.

“What do you mean we have no team?”

“They were hired by Double Down and Canyon Racing bought the team and fired the crew.”

“Which means y’all aren’t being paid.”

“It’s cool, we would be here either way.”

“Let’s get to it then.” They had done the trio team for years before her getting the sponsorship and the ride with DD Racing. It would be fine.

As she was going over the bike, River glanced up to see Mal talking to a reporter from Race Rag magazine. When Mal returned her look River, shook her head no. River dropped what she was doing and stood up as Mal brought over the reporter.Damn it, she knows how I feel about this crap.

“Hey guys, what are we up to?” Taking a seat on the bike, River settled herself for the interview she knew was coming. Mal leaned in, whispering in her ear that this was the time to redeem herself from TMZ. River knew what she meant and put on an inviting smile. “I have a few minutes if you want to ask me a couple questions.”

“Thanks, River. Are you ready for today?

“Yes, I had a great qualifying day yesterday so that puts me in a good starting position today. So, I’m pleased with that.

“Do you ever get nervous out there?”

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