Page 15 of Full Throttle

“No one ever said Tom was a smart man.”

“He’s a grade A idiot. Tom may have driven my dad to want to retire, but I want him to go out on his own terms.” Colby faced Gonzo. “Folks might think that the James legacy began with, and will end with my father, but I’ve got news for ‘em.”They’ve counted me out. In most minds, I’m a nonfactor. That changes today.

“What are you two knuckleheads doing here this early?”

Colby and Gonzo turned at the same time toward the sound of Ben’s voice.

He appeared with Zander in tow. “The test run isn’t until this afternoon.”

Gonzo glanced nervously at Colby. She touched the car a final time. “Just wanted to take one more look under the hood to make sure this baby is ready to go.”

Ben narrowed his eyes. “That’s all, huh?”

He didn’t believe her for a second, and Colby knew it. She shrugged sheepishly.

“Welp,” Ben rocked on his heels, “you might as well go get dressed.”

“What?” Confused, Colby looked down at her Daughtry coveralls. “I am dressed.”

“Not to drive.” Ben smiled conspiratorially. “I can’t back you up if I don’t know what the hell you’ve done to Cyrus’ car. I don’t want no surprises when your daddy hands you your ass for messin’ around with it. So, again, go get dressed and put her on the track before everybody gets here.”

*****

Liam and Brian sat in the backseat of the black sedan in the parking lot across the street from Ace’s Motor Speedway. Daughtry’s garage sat opposite them but just across the street as well.

“Why are we here so damn early?” Brian yawned. “They are not expecting us until later this afternoon. And why can’t we wait in that restaurant? I want a coffee or something.”

Liam’s head was lowered as he reviewed the documents in his hands. “I want an unfiltered view of this team and the people who run it.”

“Didn’t you get that last night when you went to visit? They didn’t know it was you, right?” Brian asked.

Liam didn’t think the others recognized him, but he wasn’t so sure about the girl. The way she looked at him. Or better still, the way she didn’t wilt underneath his scrutiny was impressive. Many powerful men had wilted. There was something else too. Something that made him extremely uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure if it was her full bow-shaped lips or her lovely almond-shaped eyes. Eyes that were filled with such passion that they held him completely captive. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Liam was surprised at his reaction considering how different she was to the women he was usually attracted to. He was partial to blonde model types with delicate porcelain-like skin. That woman definitely wasn’t a blonde. Her dark curls were pulled back into a ponytail that hung out of her baseball cap like a giant afro-puff. She seemed very comfortable wearing just a pair of dirty coveralls too. They certainly weren’t designer. She also wasn’t wearing an ounce of make-up, yet that smooth brown skin was flawless. Bottom line, she was stunning without even trying.

“Did you hit pay dirt?”

“What?” Liam hadn’t heard a word Brian said.

“Your incognito visit. What did you find out? Anything valuable?”

“A few things. It should have been you. This is your project. I’m along for the assist.”

“My flight got in late. I told you that. Anyway, I think you’re doing way too much.”

“I’ve told you the only way to get the real deal is to watch them when they don’t know we’re looking. If you go into that restaurant, it would be like announcing our arrival with a full fireworks display.”

“I still think you’re overthinking this just a bit.” Brian rested his head on the back of his seat. He felt as if both he and Liam had already dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s. Brian was anxious just to get the deal done.

“Maybe, but it’s worked well for me over the years. As far as the restaurant, word travels fast in small towns like this one. Did you bring me here without doing your research?”

“I gave you the dossier.” Irritated, Brian pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “I think I did a fairly thorough job of gathering information.”

Liam’s anger at being put in this situation hadn’t completely dissipated. “Then you should know that everybody knows everybody in places like this. The second you walk in that diner, someone is going to make a call, and we’ll lose our advantage.”

Brian hadn’t thought of that. Slowly, he opened his eyes and exhaled. “No one can ever say you are not prepared,” Brian said, conceding. “Still, I don’t think you’re going to find anything new in there.” He pointed to the report Liam was reviewing. “You’ve been over it a million times. Like I said, it’s pretty thorough.” Brian began to recite the major bullet points. “The place is owned by Denise Daughtry-Foster. She turned overall day-to-day operations to her husband, Tom Foster. Daughtry has a shit ton of bills because Tom likes the finer things in life but doesn’t have enough money to pay for them.”

Liam agreed. “Mmmhmm. Looks like he’s also been playing games with the books.”

“Yep. They also have a driver who wants to become the next . . . whoever the hell is the top in this field. It looks like he has the skills to do it too.”

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