Page 7 of Full Throttle 2

Breathe. Just get to the elevator.Colby put one foot in front of the other. Using pure muscle memory, she walked through the hotel lobby.

For a split second, she, too, wondered if this was the moment she’d break. Then Rodney’s face flashed before her. She could hear his voice as plain as day.You’ve got this.

It forced Colby to stand just a little taller. If not for herself, then for him.

Her knees might feel a little wobbly, but the simple answer was she would not give them the satisfaction of watching her have a breakdown. The past year had been hell, and the emotional scars were adding up, but she was not built to break.

The noise started to fade as she and Liam stepped onto the elevator. The second the doors closed, she released a deep breath and briefly closed her eyes. She had never been more grateful for the silence.

As if a switch she hadn’t known was on, it finally shut off. Colby didn’t have to fake it, not with Liam.

He sensed what she needed and automatically pulled Colby into his arms, almost crushing her into the wall of his chest.

Colby relaxed into his body, allowing Liam to support her weight. As he held her, he quietly watched the numbers change on the panel above the door. Thirty-six more floors until they reached the privacy of the penthouse suite, and it would just be the two of them.

Colby was exhausted, but Liam’s blood was still boiling. His nerves were shot. How many times was he supposed to watch helplessly while other teams tried to physically harm her?

The elevator dinged, signaling that they had made it to their floor. As the doors opened, they walked out arm-in-arm.

Colby’s voice lacked the strength from earlier. “I’ve never in my life been this happy to be back inside our private little paradise.”

“Me too. Today was rough.”

Colby kicked off her shoes. “It was a total shitshow. Now I’m fighting for the last playoff spot.”

“That’s what you’re concerned about? The last playoff spot? Not the reckless driving that could have landed you in an early grave, but the playoffs?”

Colby blinked several times. It took her muddled brain a second to catch up to the anger radiating off him. “Why wouldn’t I be thinking about it?”

He was fit to be tied and unloaded on Colby, knowing his anger was misdirected. “How much longer do you plan on doing this?”

The bite in his voice took Colby by surprise. “What do you mean?”

“This!” Frustrated by fear, Liam ran his hand through his hair. “Every time you get in that goddamn car, you put your life in danger!”

Was he serious?Colby couldn’t believe her ears. “You’re talking as if being a professional driver is a hobby, and I can just stop because I’m ‘over it.’”

“You could have been killed today! Don’t you understand that?”

What is wrong with him? It clicked in Colby’s brain that Liam was lashing out because he was scared. She would do her best to give him grace. She couldn’t imagine trading places with him.

Calmly, Colby responded. “Anytime either of us walk out the front door could be the last time we see each other alive.”

“Colby, that’s bullshit, and you know it. You are not just driving fast. You have enemies who are actively trying to hurt you, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.”

“I understand your concern?—”

“My concerns? You say that like we’re discussing changing your hairstyle. You got clipped twice and almost spun out into a wall. Chris was injured because of their antics.”

“That might be stretching things a bit.” Colby understood the reason for Liam’s outburst, but she was quickly losing patience. “And it was just his ankle,” she muttered.

Liam’s volume increased. “I’m stretching things? Then tell me why we had to hire more security?!”

Colby’s own emotions boiled over. She pressed her hands against her chest. “Excuse me? You knew I was a driver when you met me!”

“Technically, you weren’t a professional.”

“What exactly are you saying? Are you seriously asking me to give up my career and trade it in for...what? A nine to five?”

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