Page 11 of Down & Dirty

Ronnie started walking again, his loud laughter carrying back to me as Cory fell into step beside him.

The rest of the team had already headed inside and it wasn’t a good look that Ronnie was paying so much attention to the oldest rider on the team. He should be working harder to build relationships with the guys closer to his age, ones that had the potential to be around a hell of a lot longer than Cory did.

“If you ever get out that way, I’ll show you the sick course we have on our land. Tucked back in the woods, nothing but mud and pine trees. You can rip for hours. Just you and the birds.” Cory held the door open for us, his eyes over the top of my head as I passed in front of him. “I’m sure my brother Mack has let the thing go to shit. But I still know my way around a backhoe.”

“How much land do you have?”

“Over a hundred acres or something. My dad and Mack use a bunch for their construction business, but the rest is pretty rough.”

“That’s sweet that you have that right in your backyard.”

“It was handy back in the day.”

“Did you have an ER in your backyard too?” I mumbled under my breath, thinking about how often a kid like Cory likely got hurt with such easy access to a course like that.

I realized I’d spoken a little too loudly when I looked up to see Ronnie glaring at me again.

“Nah, we just set the bones ourselves. A little duct tape goes a long way.” Cory gave me another of his stupid winks before carrying on into the conference room to go over the recordings of their runs.

“What the hell, Sky?” Ronnie hissed, tugging me back out of the doorway by my arm. “You’ve been bitchy to him since day one. Will you knock it off?”

“I have not,” I argued, but there wasn’t much fight in it.

Ronnie closed his eyes, trying to collect himself. “I get it, you think he’s a cocky know it all, who spends more time at photo shoots than he does on his bike.” He opened his eyes and smirked. “I’m not dumb, sis. I see it too. But lay off. He’s got ad deals and hot-as-hell girlfriends, and I’m just trying to get a peek behind the curtain, okay?”

“Cause you want hot girlfriends more than you want to win?”

I knew my brother; up until now he’d never been distracted by women in his life. He’d always been about riding and nothing else. That was why it was so frustrating to suddenly see him pandering to a man who clearly had traded that kind of dedication for bagging women and making as many quick deals as he could. Coryusedmotocross, it wasn’t what actually mattered to him.

“What I want is to get to know him. He might be all splash now, but he’s beat out a hell of lot of top riders, year after year. He riders faster and tighter?—”

“And more dangerously.”

“And more fearlessly,” he corrected, his eyebrows up. “Than guys half his age. I just want to see what makes him tick. And if Ilearn how the hell he snagged that watch company to pay him heaps of cash for a few magazine spreads, I won’t be upset about it. I can stand still and look pretty too.”

He laughed, but I hated it. Tommy had been a promising rider back in the day, and a handsome one. But he’d let himself get distracted, and his performance suffered. He’d lost momentum, and he’d never gotten it back.

“I’m just saying, his way might not be the best way.”

Ronnie sighed, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “I hear you. I’m not drinking his Kool-Aid, okay? I’m just trying to learn how he does what he does. I’m still going to do what I do.”

I tried to give him a reassuring nod before he headed into the conference room with the others, but my stomach was still in a knot. Because what Ronnie did affected both of us, and with so much on the line, I hated how little control I had.

CHAPTER 7

CORY

Skylar Stone was a pill.

And not the fun kind.

Not the kind that gives you the warm and fuzzies, or helps take the edge off. No, shewasthe damn edge. Rubbing against me every time I came near her baby brother, as if I was going to do something to the kid.

In all the years I’d been riding, I’d never met an agent or handler so clearly—and openly—annoyed by my very presence. Little did she know the feeling had become mutual. The fun I’d had playing with her in the beginning had worn off. Fast.

I deserved a medal for staying civil in the face of her attitude. But there was more on the line here for me than she’d ever understand. Staying out of trouble on this team, and in the good graces of the coaching staff, were going to serve me a hell of a lot better than telling the pit bull to back down.

With a sigh of relief, I cruised out of the conference room, and away from her glare. It was one of the best times to be in southern California; crisp fall air slipping in after the heat of the summer and crunchy leaves pooling against the curb. The place had nothing on autumn in New England, but without a big breakbetween seasons this year, I’d have to forego my favorite time of year back home.

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