Page 105 of Sugar Coated Secrets

I thought I would be able to take this race, but I never thought coming back to see her she would need me.

“I’m not going. I have to take care of something first.”

“Like you did when you walked out on that poor girl. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

“I know it was fucked move on my part, but I have my reasons, and it has everything to do with her. Trust me, she’s important to me, Derek. That part isn’t a lie. I thought opening a racing shop back here was what I wanted, but it’s not. That was a pipe dream when I was a teenager.”

He sighs. “Look, I don’t mean to be a dick, but ever since you went back to your hometown, everything has been falling to shit. Now, what is it about this girl?”

“She’s mine,” I growl, gripping the steering wheel and shifting into fourth.

“Then why the fuck did you leave her there in the penthouse?” he asks cuttingly. “She had a nightmare, for God’s sake.”

All I can think about is killing someone for what they did to her. The moment the words miscarriage left her lips, I felt like grabbing the tablet from Dr. Long’s hands and breaking it into pieces so he wouldn’t enter it in her file.

Then regret burned like hot coals for leaving her in Airy and not taking her with me, but I couldn’t. I had a problem I couldn’t subject her to. There was no fixing my obsession with her. There wasn’t a magic pill that would make me forget her. She was engraved in my head.

The only option four years ago was to leave. It was a mistake. Not leaving, but not taking her with me.

I walked out of the hotel room because I was ashamed. I couldn’t look at her and tell her it was going to be alright because how could I? It wasn’t alright. She was suffering, and I couldn’t do anything to take her pain away. All I could do was avenge her, and I didn’t want her to see it in my eyes. I didn’t want her to see what I was capable of, or for her to tell me to stop. Because the truth was, I would never stop. Not for her.

“Her grandmother just died.”

“Oh…Jesus. That girl has some luck, huh?”

“Be careful, Derek,” I warn.

He says it like she is bad luck. Race car drivers are superstitious but not me. I’m the best at what I do, and she isn’t bad luck. She just needed me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Since I have you on the phone and you’re going to call me in a few hours anyway, I’m on my way now to her. I can’t be in Italy. Make an announcement to the media that there is a death in the family, and I’m needed back home.”

“You do know she isn’t your family, right?” he points out.

“She will be very soon.”

He lets out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. I’ll do it. Are you sure you can’t make it to the race?”

I roll my eyes. “I gotta go.”

I hang up and take the car out of sport shift mode and stop at a red light near Main Street with a perfect view of the bakery.

I left her sleeping on the bed. She needed rest, and I was too busy planning. The less she is involved, the better. Frightening her away would do me no good. I admit I was angry. Not with her but of what she went through. At that moment, I wanted to take her with me and never bring her back, but I knew that would be impossible. She had her grandmother to look after, but now, she is going to need me more than ever.

After I left the hotel room, I dealt with my anger the only way I knew how—on the track. I was a madman behind the wheel, wanting to destroy and kill everyone responsible, but it wasn’t that simple. I had to plan before coming back to Airy.

I grip the steering wheel to keep them from turning the wheel around and going to her. The note she left me imprinted on my mind like the tattoos on my skin. Permanent. Unable to wash off.

I turn left and head to the church.

I find a spot in the back, where I told Trent to leave the rented Toyota Camry. It’s inconspicuous and blends in. No one would look for me in it.

I get out and walk into the small church weathered with age. The grass is slightly burnt near the pathway.

The handle to the entrance is rusted with age. The heavy door is darkened by years of sunlight and use. There is a loud click when I open the door, followed by a loud creak.

A breeze floats through the air before the door shuts behind me with a loud clank. The air is stuffy, with a strong smell of incense and flowers. There is no air-conditioning.

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