Adrenaline (Speed Series Book 2)(62)

“If she truly loves you, she’ll risk it all for you.”

With that, she was out the door and gone as I glanced at the burning pictures in my sink. I brought my beer up to my lips and finished it off as I turned the water on and put out the small fire.

With a frustrated moan, I glanced up and saw Deuce lying on the sofa. “You still mad at me?”

He lifted his brows but never moved. “I know, boy. I miss her too.”

The rest of the week flew by with meetings, strategizing about the race, practice runs and interviews. My mind wasn’t focused and I knew Dalton and everyone else could see it. When the knock on my bus came, I knew exactly who it was going to be from.

Opening the door, I grinned and motioned for him to come in.

Emmit walked in and took a look around before heading over and sitting down next to my damn dog. “Hey boy, how’s it going?”

The traitor gave him a few licks before looking at me and barking.

“Little f*cker. He’s two seconds from being taken to the pound.”

Emmit laughed and gave Deuce a rub down before looking back at me. “So, how did the first race feel after being gone so long?”

With a cocky smile, I shrugged. “It’s like riding a bike.”

“How’s your leg?”

“Hurts like a son-of-a-bitch.” There was no sense in lying to him. I knew he would see right through it.

“Taking anything?”

I shook my head.

Emmit nodded and took a look around. “Do you miss it?”

With a smile, he glanced back my way. “Ya know, I thought for sure I would. That thrill you get from racing around the track. God how I’ve loved that feeling for so damn long.”

I chuckled. “Tell me about it.”

His eyes turned serious. “Addie’s pregnant. We’re expecting another baby to arrive on Valentine’s Day.”

I stood up and reached my hand out. “Holy shit, dude. Congratulations. Planned?”

He shook my hand and smiled bigger. “Yep. Not the due date though. That was all Mother Nature on that one.”

“You hoping for a boy or a girl?”

With a shrug, he replied, “Don’t care, as long as the baby is healthy and Addie has a smooth pregnancy. I’ll take whatever he gives us.”

I sat across from him and laughed. “Damn. It’s crazy to think you’re gonna have another one.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. To answer your question though, I do miss racing, especially the adrenaline rush I got out of it. But I don’t really know how to explain it, the rush I get from being with Addie and Landon is ten times better. It’s different . . . but so much better. I think the decision I made was the best decision of my life.”

“Really?” I asked as I thought about how happy Emmit looked. There was something so different about him. He seemed at ease.

With a slap of his hands on his legs, he pointed to me and said, “So, let’s talk about you.”

I held out my left arm and said, “Got another tattoo. That’s about all that’s new in my world.”

His eyebrow lifted. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I didn’t get a phone call asking me to fly here because you got a new tattoo.”

I leaned back and stared into his eyes. “Who called? Dalton?”

“Yep.”

“Asshole.”

Emmit let out a small laugh. “He cares about you, Malcolm. Your whole team cares about you and he said you’re not focused at all.”

“Well f*ck, what does he expect! I’ve been gone for a few months. I came back and won my first f*cking race. Give me a damn break.”

He remained silent as I sat there and let the events of the last week replay in my mind. I knew what I wanted and I was miserable because I didn’t have it.

I stood up and cursed.

“Fucking hell. I can’t do it, Emmit. I thought I wanted this. It was the only thing I ever knew. The only thing I ever thought I was good at. Then she came into my life and turned it f*cking upside down. I can’t eat, sleep, or think straight. She’s got me hiring a damn private detective to follow her.”

“What?” Emmit asked as he stood up. “You didn’t.”

My hands scrubbed over my face as I let out a frustrated moan. “I don’t know whether I’m coming or going anymore.”

“Have you tried to talk to her?”

“No. I called her Casey.”

Emmit’s eyes widened as he scrunched his damn face up. “Tell me she didn’t know who Casey was.”

“No . . . she knew. I’m not sure how, but she knew.”

Emmit walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. Opening it, he handed it to me. “Why did you call her Casey?”

My hand pushed through my dark hair. “Fuck if I know. I honestly have no idea. Maybe it was because she had started to lecture me about driving and Casey used to do that. The only difference is Paislie wasn’t trying to keep me from racing . . . she was trying to keep me from hurting myself more. Or worse yet, someone else.”

Emmit leaned back against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. “So?”

The way he was looking at me, as if I had the answer to everything, pissed me off. “So? So what?”