High-Sided (Armed & Dangerous #3)(14)

Richard clenched his teeth. “Yes, unfortunately. There are a lot of people who know.”

“How were you able to keep it from Kassidy all this time?”

A sad smile spread across his face. “She was too involved with you to pay attention. You saved my ass numerous times, Logan. Only now, she’s angry with me. She knows I’m keeping secrets. I can’t lie to her much longer.”

I leaned against his truck. “No, you can’t. I don’t plan on it either.”

His eyes went wide. “What are you saying?”

It wasn’t like telling her the truth was going to make a difference, but it’d clear my conscience. “I’m saying, I want to be honest with her. I thought after all these years things would get easier, but they’ve only become more f*cked up. Seeing her today only proved it. She needs to know why I made her leave.”

“What are you hoping to gain by that?”

I shrugged. “Honestly, not a damn thing. It would be nice to get her forgiveness though.”

He patted my shoulder, his gaze sad. “Good luck with that, son. If I could go back and change your decision, I’d do it in a heartbeat. It messed her up pretty bad. She’s dated off and on, but nothing ever stuck.”

Pain blossomed in my chest. “All I can do is try.” I never took the time to date anyone else. A simple f*ck here and there sufficed.

“You can always ride by her house,” he suggested.

Incredulously, I chuckled. “I don’t want a door slammed in my face. Besides, today was hard on her. She needs to mourn, not deal with me. It’s probably best I start on your case and get prepared for next week.”

“Who are you going to begin with?”

“The other gamblers. It won’t take long to track them down. Besides, I don’t have a feeling they’re the ones we’re after. However, I won’t know until I investigate who they are.”

Opening his truck door, he slid in. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

I shut his door and rested my elbows inside his window. “Now that you mention it, there is something you need to do.”

“What?” he asked, brows furrowed.

“Hire Ethan back.”

His gaze saddened. “He won’t talk to me. With everything that’s happened between the two of us, I should’ve trusted him. If he was going to steal from me, he wouldn’t have left it in plain sight. At the funeral, he passed by me as if I didn’t exist.”

“After tryouts, why don’t we visit him together, and you can give him his job back. We can explain what’s going on.”

“Do you think he’ll accept?”

I shrugged. “Don’t know. All I know is that someone wanted him out of the picture. If we bring him back, it might actually help us.”

“Won’t it be dangerous for him?”

“Could be, but I’m not going to let anything happen to him. We’ll let him decide if he’s willing to take the chance.”

He leaned back in his seat, a look of hopelessness melting his features. “How are you going to protect everyone and figure out what’s going on? You’re not Superman.”

I pulled out my phone and smiled. “No, but I have friends.” I walked away and threw my hand in the air. “You know where I’ll be.” When I got in my truck, I called Micah’s number. I’d changed my mind; I would be needing his services.





Call it torture, but I’d rented out the same cabin I lived in before, when I rode for Bennett Racing. It just so happened it was right down the road from Kassie. I even attempted to head over there a few times and ended up sitting in my truck.

To keep my head from being consumed with thoughts of our next meeting, I investigated the three gamblers Richard had put on the list. There was nothing that led me to believe they were responsible for Levi’s death. None of them were in or around the city when it happened.

The sound of Micah’s truck rumbling down the gravel driveway brought me from my thoughts. I opened the front door. His motorcycle was in the back, strapped down.

Getting out of the truck, he stretched his arms above his head and inspected the cabin. “Nice place,” he said.

“I lived here when I raced. Turns out it was available.”

He followed me inside and it was strange how everything felt like home to me. The owners had kept everything the same, except for an upgraded kitchen. Other than that, the furniture was the same brown leather sofa and chair, with three deer heads hanging above the mantle. Kassie had hated looking at them every time she came over.

“What time do we have to be at the track?”

“Twenty minutes,” I said, glancing at the clock on the microwave. “I hope you’re ready to race.”

He snorted. “You’re shitting me, right?”

“Nope. I need you a part of the crowd.”

A sly smirk spread across his face. “What if I beat you? Don’t you think it’ll look odd if Bennett hires the second best?”

I slapped him on the shoulder and winked. “You’re not gonna beat me, smartass. Even if you ride as dirty as you want. We both know I’m better than you.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

I packed some waters and a few snacks to get us through the day, handing Micah a bag of his own. If Richard was having tryouts, that meant there’d be a shit ton of people hoping to get a spot on his racing team. Unfortunately, we had to make the process look legit, even though my place was secured.