A Courtesy Call (Green Division Series Book #2) (12 page)

“Miss.”  Aiden called after Raleigh.  She didn’t answer. 

“Raleigh.”  He called again up the stairway.  Still no answer.  Aiden jogged up the stairs wondering what had transpired between the two.  He peered into her bedroom and she sat on the edge of the bed, a picture in her hands.  Aiden sat beside her.

“Did he ask about Luke?”  Raleigh took a deep breath and the photo all of a sudden grew very heavy.  Aiden took the photo and put an arm around her side.

“Something like that.”  She held the emotion in.

“What did he say?”

“Let’s not talk about it.”  She stood.  “I think I’ll take a hot bath and retire for the night.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m sure.”  She wiped her face. 

“I won’t be getting a phone call about your condition again?”

“No, I’m honestly going to take a bath and go to sleep.  If you don’t trust me, you’re welcome to stay in the guest room.”

“In that case, I’ll be down the hall if you need anything.” 

“Thank you, Aiden.”

“Night, Miss.”

“She won’t answer my calls, or my texts.”  Cass stared at her cell phone.

“Probably for the best.”  Mike sipped on coffee from a little cafe they’d stumbled upon.

“You were getting along with her all evening then out of the blue we get kicked out.”

“Have you read about her?”

“Read what?”

“Do you know what happened to her fiancé?”

“He burned to death in an accident.”  Cass’s voice was sad as though she knew Luke.  “Did you ask her about that?”

“Sort of.”

“What did you say?  Why would you talk about that!”

“She brought it up.” 
She kind of did. 

“I don’t understand you sometimes.”  She stood up and went to the bathroom.  Mike didn’t understand any woman.

*****

The car pulled violently to the right and Raleigh couldn
’t correct it.  They skidded off the track down a slight bank before they came to a bumpy rest.  Raleigh climbed out of the car.

“What the hell?”  Her mic was turned on and her crew-chief saw the spinout on the on board cameras of the car.

“Is everything okay?”  Kris said in her ear.

“The steering went.”

“Nothing went.  It’s your shitty driving.  Girls don’t belong on the track.”  Jon’s accent only added to his snobbery.

“Jon, shut up,” Kris said into their ears.  “Raleigh, are you okay?”

“We’re okay,” Raleigh let the comment slide and Jon pulled himself out of the car.

“I’ll start out there.”  They were about two miles away from garage.

“Thanks.”  She pulled off her helmet and she too got out of the car.

“You don’t belong on the track.”  Jon spit on the ground and nearly hit her foot.  “You can’t even keep it on the fucking track.”

“Go to hell.”  She turned her back to him and looked down at the front end. 

“No, you go to hell.”  He came at her fast and pushed her to the ground.

“What is wrong with you?”  Raleigh recovered quickly and rose to her feet.

“You and this fucking team.  It’s all a joke.  I’m talking to Tom, you don’t belong in this car.”

“Oh, and you do?  What have you won Frenchie?”  Raleigh had no aversion to the French, but knew Jon hated the nickname he’d been given.

His hand raised and Raleigh didn’t have time to react before the back of his hand impacted her face.  She again was brought to her knees. 

“What the...”  Raleigh wiped her blood from her split lip. 

“Someone needs to put you in your place.”  There would be no further discussion about his actions. When he came at her again, Raleigh was alert and ready.  Unlike Frenchie, Raleigh hit like a man.

*****

“You should have stayed in the car,” Cass said out of the side of her mouth.

“I’m here for Jen, not Raleigh.  I know your motives.”  They walked to Jen’s desk together.

“Oh, hi.”  Jen liked how they continued to drop by.  “Nice to see you both again.”

“We wondered if you’d like to try dinner with us again before we go home.”  Cass flipped her hair. 

“I’m tied up all this week.  I’m sorry.  But it was good to meet you.”

Raleigh barged through Tom’s office door.

“I’m done Tom, done!  If you want him, you can have him!” 

Jon burst through the door separating Tom’s office and the garage entrance.

“You little bitch!”  Jon rushed her and shoved her hard to the ground. 

“Hey!”  Mike pulled him back and violently brought him down to the ground.  They tussled and Jon managed to land a few jabs.  Mike cranked Jon’s arm behind his back in an unnatural position and Jon immediately complied. Tom joined in the fray leaning his knee into Jon’s back.  Kris and a few other workers in the shop came through the garage and helped keep Jon at bay.  Raleigh got to her feet and jogged out of the office.

Mike pointed to Jen. 

“Call the police.  Cass, stay with Jen.”  He rose to his feet and jogged behind Raleigh.  She had a considerable head start before Mike reached the exit. 

“Son of a bitch.”  Mike’s ribs stung from the punches Jon landed. 

Raleigh reached her Audi, but the doors were locked and the keys were inside the garage.  She hit the door with an open palm then walked down the drive, her stride long and hurried.

“Stop,” Mike said with authority.  Raleigh continued to walk. 

She has to make me run. 
Mike caught up to her. 

“What do you want now?”

“Jesus...”  Mike said in horror of her battered face.  Jon had a ring on his finger when he backhanded her.  Her lip was split wide open, the side of her face bright red.  “He did this to you?”

“Some men have no problem hitting a woman.”

“Did you throw the first punch?”

“No, but I landed the last one.”  Raleigh calmed herself.  “But thank you for immediately assuming I’m at fault.  Why are you here?”’

“Are you alright?”  Mike asked.

“Don’t patronize me.”  She resumed her walk.  “You don’t care, don’t pretend you do.”

“I don’t think you let anyone care.” 

Raleigh turned and pushed him with force. 

“You don’t know me, you don’t know anything,” her voice shook with anger.  She pushed him again.

“Raleigh, stop,” Mike said calmly.    She pushed harder the third time.  “Stop.”  He used his forearms to block her attack, but she pushed, and pushed, and pushed again.

“RALEIGH!  STOP!”  Mike said in a take charge commanding voice and restrained her wrists.  She tried to pull away, but he didn’t let go.

“It’s okay now.  He’s not going to hurt you,” Mike said.

“It’s not about him.”  Raleigh’s conviction weakened and she went nearly limp in his hands. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder, her hands rested against his chest. Mike released her wrists.  To his surprise and hers, she didn’t move, didn’t pull back, or attempt to escape.  “Luke would have never hurt me.”

Raleigh’s emotion overflowed.  Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, but she kept her face pointed away from Mike so he couldn’t see them.  

“He’s the only man I ever loved, the only one who could put up with me.”  She attempted to lighten the mood, but failed.  “I miss him.”

Mike remembered his accusatory words.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”  He tried to look at her face, but she refused to raise her gaze.  “And sorry for what I said.”

“At least you didn’t...”  She caught her breath.  “Bitch slap me.  Jon’s a real man.”

“I never would.”

“No one...no one knows what happened.”  She took a deep breath.  “We didn’t release it.”

“I think it’s safe to say he assaulted you.” 

“It was a blind corner at the top of a hill.”  

“We’re not talking about Jon anymore, are we?”

“Luke’s skipped a few lines ahead on his pace notes.”  She gripped the cloth of his shirt.  “It’d never happened before, never.  I don’t know what...”  She stopped.  Mike listened.

“We crested the top of the hill at full-bore expecting a straight away.  Instead we were met with a blind corner.  I couldn’t save it...I tried, I thought I had it and...” 

Raleigh looked up at him and his stomach sank.  The sight of her injuries enraged him.

“We don’t have to talk about it.” 

“I want you to know.”   She kept her focus on him.  “My memory from that day is scattered, but I remember enough.”

She closed her eyes and took a second to get herself together enough to articulate the horror. 

“I remember Team Honda pulling me out of a cloud of smoke.  And I could hear him.  I could hear him yelling for help, but Ren wouldn’t let me go.  He wouldn’t let me go back to him.”  Raleigh’s eyes squinted. 

“Luke kept yelling, but no one could get to him.  Ren and Nick had me pinned to the ground because I kept trying to get to him.  I heard him...I heard him calling for me, yelling my name, over and over.  I heard him dying, the most horrible way to—” Her voice caught with emotion, the tears fell in full force and she didn’t attempt to stop, or hide them.  “And then, I couldn’t hear him anymore.” 
 

“
Jesus...”  Mike’s throat caught. 

“Some days it feels like I died in that car with him.  It was my fault.  I shouldn’t have needed the pace notes to read the horizon.  I should have known the course better…studied it, but I didn’t.  We didn’t.”

Mike was dead wrong about the accident.

“It was my fault.”  She closed her eyes.  “All my fault.  You were right.”

“I couldn’t have been more wrong.”  Mike said.  “Jesus, Raleigh, I’m so sorry.”

“So am I.”  She pulled back and wanted to run away, far and fast.  Why had she told him all that? 

“Where are you going?”

“Anywhere, I need to get out of here.”  She walked toward the gated exit.  She’d climb it if needed, she didn’t care.  Fight or flight mode kicked in.  The only one who’d seen her breakdown was Aiden and her therapist.  Other than that, she kept a strong front until behind closed doors.  And out of all people, she’d broken down in front of, it had to be him.

“I shouldn’t have told you.”  She wiped her eyes.  “I don’t know you.  You have no reason to care.”

“I do.”  The admission surprised Mike. 

“Go back to Cass and Jen.”  She raised her hands and stepped back.  “Enjoy your vacation and forget me, forget today.”

Mike reached for her hand as she turned away from him.