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“If you walk out that door, don’t come back crawling to me!” All Laurel heard was the banging of the door.He’ll be back. The sound of the door opening back up had her smiling. He couldn’t leave her. He was nothing without her.

“One more thing, bitch. I know what you did with the will. I know what you did to me and River.” His temper was up. He was done dragging around that fucking house full of old memories that haunted him every fucking day. “I know you sent River that text pretending to be me. After you had your little press conference outside the hospital. I know it was you who supposedly lost my phone. You probably tossed in a trash can somewhere.” He waited for her to deny it. She opened her mouth then shut it. “That’s what I thought.” Turning, Riot tossed his house key on the side table as he went out the door.

Laurel waited one second, then two before screaming. The crystal on the sideboard was cleared with one sweep of her hand.

Chapter Fourteen

The bank of windows showed off the landscape of what made up Santa Maria. Why Jason and Michael had settled on this area to house their operation Riot didn’t know, didn’t care, and never asked. It had taken him months to get things in order. He now had a decent office space that he could conduct business from instead of his hotel room or his car—both of which had gotten old. He should look for a more permanent residence, but work had to come first. So, the hotel would have to do for a little while longer.

Gazing around the office space, he realized it needed to be furnished if he intended to conduct business. There he couldn’t have business associates sit on the damn floor. He sat back in his chair and wondered what ever happened to all of his things. At one time he had impeccable taste and his home reflected that. Let’s face it, leather never went out of fashion.

If you wanted to be in business, you had to have a plan. Riot had the plan, but the problem was he had simply executed it poorly. That changed when Michael reminded him of who he once was. Who he needed to be again. Yes, Laurel played a role in his demise, but she wasn’t to blame for him failing now. He looked over his financial statements and knew what he could comfortably afford. He had a decent stock portfolio along with the investments that D&T had done for all of them years ago. The offer was still on the table for him to partner in the larger company that would CW Enterprises. Question was: did he want in or not?

Yes, he wanted in.

“You look like you’re far away from here,” Jason said as he walked into the room.

“No, I’m good.” None of them would be good in the weeks to come. The anniversary of the accident was right around the corner, plus Indy season was starting up soon and it never failed for the commentators to bring up past races, accidents, and drivers. All of them would be dealing with things in their own way,

“You need some furnishings in here.” Jason laughed, trying to lighten the somber mood in the office.

“I actually was thinking about that very thing.” Riot was trying to find anything to occupy his mind.

“Get what you need and put it on the expense account.”

“Thanks. Jason, I’m in on CW.”

“Okay, that’s what I like to hear. I will let Michael know and we will get the ball rolling on that.” It was a great week to launch the new corporation. Jason waved and left Riot to himself.

Closing his laptop, Riot packed his things. He had an appointment with his personal trainer. If he had learned anything over the past months, it was that he had slowed down. With nothing to focus on, like racing, drinking, or fucking, his temper was boiling. Boxing had always given him that focus and a place to put all the temper when there had been nowhere else to put it.

His body rebelled daily, but it was a way of feeling alive and it kept him from wanting to have a drink. This week would test him. If he could survive it, he would be golden. Or at least he would feel like he won part of the battle. He had stopped watching TV the week prior due to all the pre-race shows. He wondered how River was holding up. He reminded himself this was for the best. They needed their own space. She couldn’t let him in, and he hadn’t found a way to tell her all the things she needed to know. Maybe next week, when things were behind them again...

Sometimes life just keeps handing you shit to clean up. Luckily, Riot felt he was on the right track at the moment. Ben was keeping River in line for now. His business dealings were on track, and he was getting stronger physically and mentally. It would take everything in him to take the next step in regaining who he was.Tell her the truth so she can trust you. If you can’t trust her, she won’t ever trust you.He could hear Michael preaching to him about how to deal with River. Riot just was not ready. A meeting needed to be had with her, and it would be here. No more running to her. She would ride for them, not the other way around, damn it.

Stopping at the front desk, Riot smiled at Marla. She was a pretty girl with a nice smile. “Can you schedule a meeting for me with River Wile?”

“Yes, that won’t be a problem.”

“Thank you. Have a great evening.”

“Mr. Meniere, would you be interested in having dinner with me?”

“Marla, I’m flattered, but it’s not a good idea to mix the professional and personal.”

“I’ll set up the meeting for you. Have a great evening.”

“Text me once you’ve spoken to River.”

“Yes, sir.”

At least women still found him attractive. He should take the woman out and have a little fun with her. He had no fucking clue why he wasn’t screwing whoever he wanted. Marla was known for her office antics. She liked to be the girl under the desk during business meetings. His cock twitched at the thought of having that much control again. What he should do is grab Marla by the hand, drag her into his office, and slam the door closed. Because he didn’t want fucking dinner. There was also that little thought was that she wasn’t the right woman. But he sure as hell knew who was.Go to the gym, Meniere, the little voice in his head screamed.

***

She had made the decision to go down that independent road. No one else could be blamed for anything except her. Her back had been against the wall this time. Losing the spot on the team had left her dangling in the wind. There had been no big bites for sponsors since Jason’s party. The conversation came about over two bottles of wine with Mal after the night she slept with Riot. She could blame all of this on him. She wouldn’t because this road had been laid in front of her even before Austin. Things had been changing in the racing world for years. Most saw it coming down the pipe, and some ignored it. River had started moving pieces into place for just this situation.

Struggling with the choice in front of her, sleep eluded River over the last week. That and fact that every time she climbed into bed, she thought of Riot.Damn him. She should call and check on him. Coming into the racing season for both Indy and bikes, they would both be dealing with emotions. As she soaked up the late afternoon sun, she thought about calling him. There was just one problem.

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