Page 18 of Full Throttle

He always had the worst timing. His face was pulled tight. “I don’t know what the hell everyone is celebrating for? Our last hope of saving this sinking ship just went up in smoke.”

Cyrus stepped away from Colby. “What are you talking about? Did the buyer pull out?” Cyrus glanced over Tom’s shoulder. “I guess that answers my question. I thought the suits were coming this afternoon?”

Everyone followed Cyrus’ line of sight as several men approached.

“Shit,” Tom said. “They are. They’re obviously early.”

Cyrus spoke through a fake smile that looked more like a grimace. “Where is Asher? Shouldn’t he be arriving right about now.”

“He’s not coming.” Tom spoke through a frozen grin as the men in suits walked closer. Everyone within earshot was shocked but had to recover from his statement quickly. Before they could ask any questions, the buyers were standing just a few feet away. Colby recognized the two guys from the night before, but there were also a couple of new faces.

Brian Lockwood greeted everyone standing before him. “Good morning. My group is a little early. I hope that’s not a problem?”

“N-n-no,” Tom stammered.

Brian smiled and extended a hand to Tom and Cyrus. “I’m Brian, and you’ve met my brother, Liam Lockwood.” Colby didn’t hear the rest of the introductions. She’d been right. The man who was imprinted on her brain was important. He was the brother of the buyer.

She was surprised that they were so young. She hadn’t known who the potential buyers were until this moment, so Colby hadn’t been able to go online or do any research. The one doing most of the talking had to still be in his twenties; the other one was probably in his early to mid-thirties. There was something dark and brooding about him. It took a major effort not to stare.

“We had the privilege of watching that practice run. It was impressive. We would love to meet with Asher.” Brian glanced around the group. “Where did he go? I don’t see him.”

Tom had no idea what they were talking about. “Unfortunately, Asher had an emergency and was not able to join us. Jordan Williams and Chris Roberts are the other drivers for Daughtry Racing. They should be here shortly,” Tom answered.

A frown creased Liam’s forehead. “Then who was driving the car?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Tom asked.

No one uttered a word until Cyrus said, proudly, “Colby James.” He motioned for her to come forward.

She did as she was asked then firmly gripped Brian’s hand. He seemed genuinely surprised but recovered nicely. “Nice to meet you.”

She turned to Liam and was about to do the same . . . until he spoke.

“That was you?” He voiced the doubts his people were failing miserably to disguise.

Colby’s arms dropped at her sides. She was so tired of having to prove herself.Check your pride. You need to impress this man.She smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. “I can take you for a spin to prove it if you’d like?”

The silence that followed was awkward. Tom worked to diffuse it. “Again, Asher had an emergency and couldn’t be here. He sends his apologies. However, our other drivers should be here shortly. Then we can show you what the car can really do.”

Liam ignored Tom as he kept his gaze trained on Colby. “You’re on the driving team?” He had known about Jordan and Chris but hadn’t read anything about Colby James in the dossier. She had completely blindsided him.

Liam hated surprises.

Tom chuckled. “Oh, hell no. She just fiddles around with the cars from time-to-time.”

Her head snapped over toward him. Colby’s mouth opened. She was about to shred Tom. Her father placed his large hands on her shoulders and squeezed before she could get a word out. It wasn’t painful, but there was enough pressure to silence her.

Cyrus defended Colby. “Actually, my daughter is one hell of a mechanicanddriver. Any team would be lucky to have her.” He only released his hold when he thought Colby had calmed.

Cyrus patted her shoulders. “Good job out there. Why don’t you and Gonzo take the car inside and make sure it’s ready for Jordan?” He said it as a request, but Cyrus was not asking.

Colby’s eyes blazed. She felt betrayed. How could it be so easy to dismiss her after all of her hard work? Words were hard to form, but she found one. “Sure.” Colby was surprised at how calm it came out when she was anything but.

“Sure thing, Mr. James.” Gonzo nudged Colby. Her feet had been rooted to the ground, but she finally was able to move.

As they walked away from the group, Colby forced herself to remember that she had to pick her battles. As satisfying as it might feel, this wasn’t a fight worth fighting.

Liam watched Colby stalk away with her back ramrod straight, and her head held high. He could tell she was seething and doing her best to maintain control.

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