Page 6 of Played

She was just too tired to talk. Her throat hurt from crying. “Yep.”

“Where are you?”

“In the car you sent for me.”

“Good. Listen. Liz is going to bring you into the rear parking garage. Craig will be waiting for you at the elevator.”

“Any news on Riot?” She wasn’t beneath begging for any news of his condition. She needed to know if he was still alive.

“He’s in recovery. It was touch and go, and the doctor came out and said the next twenty-four hours would tell us more.”

“Tell us more?” River remembered that she wasn’t the only one worried about him. Her heart sank even lower at the thought of what his parents and sisters must be going through. It was easier to think about them instead of herself right now. “I’ll be there soon.”

Before she hung up, River heard Ben talking to someone in the background. He hadn’t hung up, so she listened. Little details about what happened earlier filtered through the phone line, and she closed her eyes as words like ‘explosion,’ ‘airborne,’ and ‘wall’ were said. River pressed her fingers to her lips, trying to stifle her pain. Not being able to listen any longer, she hung up. Her mind was everywhere and nowhere.

She glanced down at the phone and saw that Mal has called. She should call her.

Trying. She was trying to get her brain to slam back together and help make sense of everything that had happened today. She slid her finger over Mal’s number. It was the responsibilities that made River realize she couldn’t drop the ball on her end. She recalled Mal’s words as she left her holding the bag at the track. You do you baby sister, and I’ll do me. Somewhere we will meet in the middle.

Might as well get that phone call over with.If it rings more than twice, I’m hanging up.Of course, it didn’t ring twice without her answering.

It was another barrage of questions when all River wanted was Mal to tell her no one gave any shit interviews to the vultures that were hanging around the track. Some of the reporters weren’t bad, but others were just there for the gossip. Tracks were good for that. There was always drama. Throw a few female racers in the mix and it was a fuck fest of juicy gossip.I just want to hear they got loaded up and headed out of town.

“Mal, stop with the questions, I’ve just landed. I don’t know any of the details, and no Riot is not dead, he’s in recovery for now.”

“Sorry. We loaded up the bikes and managed to get off site before anyone figured out we were gone. We did get hit at the motel.”

“What do you mean ‘hit’?”For fuck’s sake please don’t tell me they got in a wreck.

“Reporters. Three of them followed us to the motel, hoping to catch up with you. I told them that you had already left for the airport. They asked how you were when we last saw you. That’s when Dan punched the reporter in the face. He then told them if they didn’t leave, he would shove the camera up their asses.”

Tears streamed down her face. Her friends had her back when she needed it most. They would stay there for a little while longer as River heard each of them tell her how sorry they are for her loss and that they loved Cypress. That he was a cool dude, that he was solid like a brother should be, that he would have been proud of her today for the way she rode. They were right on all accounts, he was a damn good dude and brother—and yes, he would have been proud of her like he always was.Was, he always was.

“Anything else, Mal?”

“We decided to head home straight away. We stopped for food, so if you see a charge for a Publix, we just got things to make sandwiches and drinks. We want to get home for you.”

She appreciates that they want to get back, she really does. She just needs them to be safe. “Don’t get in a hurry. Things will be crazy here for a while.”

“What about the funeral services?”

It wasn’t something she’d even thought about yet. Things needed to settle down. The last thing anyone wanted was to have news media all over the funerals. “I have to go, call me and let me know how things are going.” Hanging up, River slid down in the seat, trying to hide even though the windows were blacked out. Closing her eyes, she reined in her emotions—at least she tried to.What will I do if they need me to identify the body? I don’t want to see my brother mangled and burnt.The scenes from the accident had played over and over in her mind since the first time she saw the news report.

“River, we’re pulling into the garage. If Craig isn’t at the elevator waiting, I will circle around until I see him.”

“Thank you, Liz.”

She wasn’t sure how long they drove around the garage while waiting on Craig. When the car finally came to a stop, River waited for Liz to say it was time to get out. The car was just idling, and she knew the reporters had converged on the parking garage. How they were able to beat them there or found them in the garage concerned her.

Things weren’t going her way. Why couldn’t they just give her a break? They had never paid attention to her. Couldn’t they forget I exist?

“Liz?”

“Craig and another man are handling the media. Let’s give them a minute.”

“It’s fine.“Fuck it, I’m River Wile. I don’t hide.”“I’m getting out.” Her hand was on the handle. It was just refusing to pull it and allow her to exit the car. It wasn’t because Liz had it locked, it was fear. Fear she will lose her temper, failing her brother. Glancing up, she caught Liz looking at her through the rearview mirror, a sheen of tears in her eyes as she watched her.

“Your brother was a good man. He would understand you staying in the car.”

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