Page 9 of Down & Dirty

“There she is, Miss America,” he sang, shaking his head as I approached.

His light brown eyes held enough humor for the both of us, and he wiped his hands on a rag before scratching his fingers through the short tight curls he’d worn since the day I met him, even if they sported a few grays now. The man was older than me, and in this gig, that was saying something. But just like his look, who he was had never changed, and that was at the top of the list of things I loved about him.

“Things go okay with the powers that be?”

“Of course,” I assured him, looking over the workspace that he’d already started to claim as his own. “How about you? Getting settled in?”

When I got the call about this gig, the first person I told was Billy. He knew about my back and had kept his mouth shut for years. There was no one I trusted more. Making sure he was being taken care of was important to me.

He looked around, an eager grin spreading across his face. “You know it. The gear they’ve got is pretty nice.” He turned back to me, a sparkle in his eye as he waved his fingers in the air. “Lots of ‘fresh tech,’ they say.”

He chuckled lightheartedly, knowing as well as I did that big money loved nothing more than to make things sound special for no other reason than it cost so damn much.

“Well, we might need it for this long-ass season.”

His humor faded a little. “You still sure this combo title is where it’s at?”

My specialty was motocross. The outdoor tracks had suited me better since the day I’d first gotten on a bike. They were longer.More spread out. It’s what I’d grown up on. But the purse for the overall champion title was hard to pass up.

“It’s wherever they tell me it’s at this year.” I picked up a fancy-looking screwdriver, the metal still sporting a polish. “I don’t like the longer season any more than you do, though.”

He hadn’t said as much, but while Billy loved the chance to make more money, we both enjoyed our down time. Fitting in the photo shoots and appearances I normally did each winter around the supercross racing schedule was going to be a challenge.

I’d already heard enough of Cass’s complaints about it. She hooked me up with women who needed the exposure as much as I did. Models and actresses who benefited from having a polished, but rugged, man on their arm. A bad boy with a reputation paired with an up-and-coming talent. Beauty and the beast for the gossip rags.

It was still the strangest arrangement I’d ever gotten myself into. But it worked like a charm. So, even if I had to fly from wherever we were racing to New York or LA every week, I’d do it.

“We’ll make it work,” Billy said, giving me a supportive nod.

Tooling up the bikes for the two different courses was Billy’s job. Getting my body back into shape so I could handle the different demands was mine.

“You want to grab dinner later?” I tossed the tool back where I’d found it.

Billy reached over to straighten it in the line of others. He was a little particular, and it always made me laugh. It also probably saved my hide more times than I could count, so I never gave him shit for it.

“Only if it’s tacos.”

I sighed, looking out the garage door at the practice course across the street. “Whatever you what, pal. On me.”

“Then I’m getting guac, too!”

Shaking my head, I laughed as I headed for the gym. Our first training runs were in two days. Time to get back to work.

CHAPTER 6

SKYLAR

MotoMadness.com Pre-Season Preview

MotoMadness: Ronnie Stone, you’ve been climbing the ranks the last two Motocross tours. Given the change-up this year to a combined season, how do you think you’ll fare on the tighter Supercross courses you’ll face this spring?

Ronnie: To be honest, I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been riding in both races since I was a kid, so it’ll be fun to have a shorter course to rip through.

MotoMadness: You’ve always handled the jump combos well out in the open, opening the throttle and getting some air. The compression of the Supercross course tends to lend itself to a more aggressive style. Shorter sections of whoops, no big hills, and only one or two of the long, flat tabletop jumps to clear. Do you have a plan for how you’ll switch things up once the course changes?

Ronnie: We always have a plan. And the OTM team is vetted with talented guys from both sides of the sport. We’ll be ready.

MotoMadness: You have some great talent on the new team. How are you feeling about being thrown in with the likes of Cory Ellis? He’s been crushing the motocross circuit almost as long as you’ve been alive.

---