Chameleon Soul (Chequered Flag #1) (2 page)

Sobering slightly, I gazed at him in earnest. “Thank you.”

“I think I’m the one who should be saying that. After all, I was the one in a cell.”

“Speaking of which, how much trouble are you in?”

He swatted the air nonchalantly. “I got off with a warning. Aston wanted me arrested for indecent exposure, which was ridiculous. Thankfully the girlfriend ignored him and they let me go.”

“Wait,
what?
” I cried. “It was
Aston’s
girlfriend you flashed? How could you be so stupid?”

Everyone knew who Aston Hattersey was. As the current Formula One World Champion, he was the guy every girl wanted. Of course, he also happened to be an enormous jackass known for his volatile temper and possessiveness over whichever woman entertained him for that month. Aston liked other guys to know they were beneath him and he wasn’t afraid to show it.

“It was an accident. I was there by myself and she started talking to me—” Dustin stopped talking abruptly when he could see I wasn’t paying attention. My thoughts had drifted elsewhere. “He wasn’t there, Raine. He isn’t back yet.”

It scared me how well Dustin could read my thoughts sometimes. I’d assumed if Aston was back in Milton Keynes then so were all of the British drivers. It was the summer break in the race calendar, which meant four weeks of hiding and carefully scheduled planning to avoid them all.

“Why don’t you go see him, Raine?” Dustin said, picking up on my shift in mood. “It’s obvious you miss him.”

“No way. Tonight’s about you.” I forced a smile to my face. “I’m never going to let you live this down, so I’m definitely not through laughing at you yet.”

For a second he remained quiet, likely deciding whether to accept my obvious diversion. He tried to look resigned. The expression was awkward with his swollen eye and lips, and his words came out with a deep breath.

“I knew you wouldn’t. Where are you going?” he asked quickly when I stood and walked into the tiny kitchen.

I opened the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen peas. I returned to the sofa and held them out to him. “Here, put this on your face. I’m going to head to bed.”

Dustin took the bag in one hand and grabbed my wrist with the other.

“You good?” He ran his thumb over the back of my wrist and I swallowed hard at the thoughts he’d sent careening back into my mind. Not wanting to worry him or add to the guilt I could already see forming at my delayed response, I nodded.

“Are you sure?”

Truthfully? No, I wasn’t. I had no idea whether the nightmares would plague me that night or whether I’d be allowed to sleep, yet I wasn’t going to tell Dustin that.

“I’m fine, just tired.”

He studied me for a minute, refusing to let go of my wrist. Finally, he must have realised I wasn’t going to give him the answer we both knew I should have spoken and released me.

“‘Night, Raine.”

“Put that bag on your face,” I ordered, heading for my room.

Chapter Two

Teo

My legs burned as I pushed myself further and faster. I was nearing the five-mile mark and my feet were thundering against the treadmill. I upped the speed even more. Sweat poured off me, creating a dark V down the front of my shirt, and probably the back as it soaked into the grey cotton. The beads on my forehead were trickled down, so I raised my arm and drew the back of my hand over my face to wipe them away without losing my stride.

Though it was the summer break and I finally had some time to myself, I needed to keep in shape. People assumed because I was a racing driver I didn’t need to be as physically fit as other athletes, but I would like to see them try and do what I do without training. Even if they could
get
the car up to speed so they could actually stay on track, they’d never be able to do a minimum of fifty laps. To keep up the concentration needed to make it through an entire race was a feat of its own, and that was without adding dehydration, G-force, other drivers on the track, and different types of weather to deal with.

Anyone who thought drivers didn’t need to be fit was talking bullshit.

Anyway, I liked pushing my body to the limit. When I worked out I was the only one around. I could lose myself inside my head and ignore the world. The only things that mattered were the numbers counting up on the display and the burning ache in my body.

At least until a voice broke into my trance. “Coates!”

I slowed my speed to walking pace and glanced over to my left, where Aston Hattersey strode towards me. His bleached blond hair, darkened with water, was swept off his head, and he had a towel draped around his neck. His jaw was locked tight and his eyes seethed with anger.

Just what I needed.

Figuring it was best not to be on the treadmill at all when my teammate confronted me, I jumped off and hit the power button. After taking a second to calm my breathing, I spoke.

“What do you want, Aston?” I widened my stance and folded my arms across my chest, making sure the resentment in my voice was clear. Although we were teammates driving for Braxton Racing, it didn’t mean we had to like each other. In fact, usually, we couldn’t even be in the same room alone. Ever since he deliberately knocked me out of the final race last season to claim the championship, we’d been rivals. He did everything and anything to win, including sabotage. Everyone knew it, we just couldn’t prove it.

“What’s with the workout? You do know this is meant to be our holiday, right? There are better ways to burn calories.” He gave me a knowing look. “Or do you not go for girls that aren’t on the circuit?”

I didn’t need to correct him. All of the drivers on the circuit went after the grid girls for the same reason: they were easy, convenient, and didn’t expect commitment. Fucking the grid girls was an easy way to avoid a relationship and scratch the itch.

“Get to the point,” I spat.

“How’s that dipshit brother of yours? Did he enjoy the night in a cell?”

He grinned at me. The smug bastard. I didn’t even know what he was referring to, and he succeeded in pissing me off.

I clenched my fists, pressing them into my chest. “Stop messing around. If you have something to say, do it so I can get back to my workout.”

He shoved his hands deep in the pockets of his shorts, unfazed by the increasing desire to punch him welling within me. Turning for the exit, he paused to cast me a cocky look. “Let’s say he’ll think twice about flashing my girl again. If I were you, I’d have a word with him. Fights don’t look good to sponsors or to the teams. Neither does a police record for that matter.”

Quicker than he entered it, he left the room.

I ground my molars together, my fists clenching and unclenching as I fought the urge to go after him. I jumped back on the treadmill, instantly powering up the speed until I reached a sprint. I kept up the speed for two minutes before I realised running was doing nothing to shake the questions and frustration from my mind. Slowing to a walk, I finally stopped. The burning in my thighs and calves was more intense than last time, and I had to bend over and clasp my knees while I regained my breath.

Once I’d recovered enough to speak, I dug out my phone from my pocket and brought up Dustin’s number. He answered on the third ring.

“Hello,” he groaned, sounding like I’d just woken him, which didn’t come as a surprise seeing as it was six a.m.

“I’m assuming you didn’t spend a night in jail if you’re answering your mobile this early.”

“Teo?”

“Yeah it’s me, jackass.” I paused, calming myself until I was ready to speak again. “Why, out of all people, did you choose to flash Aston’s latest girlfriend?”

“I didn’t know who she was until he was throwing punches.”

I massaged my forehead, groaning in frustration into the handset. “Dustin, you know this isn’t what you need right now. What were you even doing drinking? You have a race this weekend.”

I didn’t catch what he said through his muffled response, although I could guess. No doubt it had something to do with Elora.

“It was only one. I needed to get out.”

“Okay, let me get this straight. You flashed Hattersey’s girlfriend while you were
sober?
What the hell were you thinking?”

“I told you I didn’t recognise her, and I was doing a magic trick.”

“What? ‘Hey, Chrissy, look at my dick?’”

“You’re hilarious, Teo. No, she saw me shuffling the cards and asked if I knew any tricks. My hand got stuck in my pocket.”

“And it happened to be the night you chose to go commando?”

“What? Like you don’t do it.” He snorted indignantly.

“How much trouble are you in? What did the cops do? Do you need a lawyer?”

“Geez, relax. They let me go with a warning and I got Rai—uh, a friend to pick me up.”

I sucked in a sharp breath at his slip. He was about to say “Raine.” The stabbing pain in my chest made that perfectly clear. She was a subject we’d avoided for a year. Whilst I knew they were still friends, I never asked and Dustin never shared. I’d tried that when she called things off and got nowhere. The only option had been to cut her out of my life completely, including as a subject of conversation.

Word of advice: don’t date your sibling’s best friend. Ever. That shit never ends well. All she ends up doing is leaving you and it’s impossible to distance yourself because of family ties.

Thankfully, work had kept me busy and I’d had no time to myself for the last year. Not only was I the new rookie driver, but I’d also managed to come second in the championship. That was enough to put me in the spotlight on its own. Combined with the fact I should have been champion and speculation over Aston’s fair play, the media descended. It led to an intense few months where I was doing some kind of interview or work for my sponsors nearly every day. When I finally had a free day, I spent it in winter testing to prepare my car for this season, which began five months ago.

All of that meant I didn’t have time to think about Raine…much. It definitely meant I didn’t have time to see her, so I’d filled the void she left within me with girls and racing. She didn’t want me after all; I was free to do what I wanted.

“Sorry, man,” Dustin said when I didn’t respond for a while.

“It’s good.”

It wasn’t. After a year I would have thought I’d be over everything, yet it still ate away at me that Dustin had a relationship with her and I couldn’t. I was only lying to myself by thinking I’d forgotten about her.

“So, everything’s all right with you?”

“Yep.” Dustin popped the “p,” and the short answer did nothing to convince me. “Are you going to be at the race this weekend?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

We said our goodbyes and I pocketed the phone while heading for the showers. The high my workout had left me on had been quickly squashed by Dustin’s slip, and I had no energy left to undo the damage. I had avoided anything that would remind me of Raine Wilkins and distracted myself all year. Regardless, now I was home, with nowhere to run to and no distractions, she was the only thing that consumed my thoughts.

Chapter Three

Raine

Much to my surprise, I awoke at eight a.m. after having slept through the entire night. Normally, I’d wake up screaming and in a cold sweat, especially if I went out after dark. Sometimes my sheets were soaked through from the sweat produced by my sheer terror as I relived that one night.

I frequently wondered how long I was going to be a slave to my memories. It wasn’t enough that it actually happened and I suffered through the ordeal, but then I had to live through it all again nearly every night for a year. There had to be a point where my body had enough, right? Wasn’t it time that my mind accepted things and moved on?

Rather than allow myself to dwell on the negatives, I threw the covers from my bed and hopped out. Sleeping through the night was an achievement in itself. It was the first step on a long road.

Though it may seem ridiculous, the small victory meant everything to me. The more I thought about it, the wider my smile grew. I skipped from my room as I hurried to tell Dustin.

“Guess what?” I cried, bursting through his bedroom door without thinking. I shrieked and closed my eyes when the sight of his bare ass greeted me. Nonetheless, it was too late. The image of Dustin bent over and pulling up his jeans had been permanently branded on my mind and it was one I could have done without.

I remained by the door, my hand clasped firmly over my eyes as a secondary barrier. “Serves you right for barging in here,” Dustin said with a chuckle. I heard the sound of a zip and then footsteps moving towards me. A few seconds later he pulled my hand away. “You can look now.”

I cracked one eye to be sure. He tugged a shirt over his head, finally fully clothed except for his bare feet, and I let out a relieved breath.

“What’s up? Because your reaction has me thinking it wasn’t the thought of me naked that had you rushing in here.”

“I didn’t have a nightmare.” I bounced a little on the spot, biting down on my finger to dampen my grin.

He squeezed me in a crushing hug that caused a bubble of laughter to escape my lips. “That’s great, Raine!” We parted and Dustin gazed down at me with tenderness. “A full night’s sleep looks good on you.”

His words said it all, really. To actually compliment my looks because I’d slept showed how bad things had become. I was surprised he hadn’t moved out long ago if I was honest. I kept him awake constantly and he frequently had to come in to comfort me. I was hopeful this was the start of a new era.

When I stepped back, my brain finally registered the swelling on Dustin’s face. It hadn’t gone down even a little bit overnight, and the daylight only made it stand out even more.

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to get any uglier,” I teased, jabbing him in the ribs. The unexpected force had him folding over with an
oomph
to clutch his side. “You look like you got kicked in the face by a horse.”

“Why are you hitting me then? Haven’t I been beaten enough?” His lips twisted comically, the expression he tried to convey unreadable behind his puffy lip.

“Clearly you need more of a beating seeing as you haven’t learnt your lesson.”

“What lesson is that?”

“To wear underwear! Seriously, have you forgotten all of last night or something?”

“It’s common for guys to go commando.” He smirked at me and I knew he was about to say something I wasn’t going to like. “Saves time when—”

“Seriously?” I shouted, covering my ears. I did not want to think about Dustin in that way. I could already feel the heat prickling my cheeks.

He chuckled. “I was going to say when going to the toilet.”

His grin told me otherwise. Dustin didn’t get around a lot, but that didn’t make him a monk. He was just a one woman type of guy.

“Sure you were. Anyway, I’m going. That was all I came in here to say.”

Hurrying from the room, I fled to my bedroom and shut the door behind me. Moving over to my wardrobe, I took on the second challenge of the day: choosing an outfit. If there had been a course on how to dress so a person could walk through a building unnoticed I’d have been the first to sign up. Not that I needed it by this point. It had taken me a few months, but my talent was almost perfect now after a year. I could move seamlessly in and out of classes without being seen.

I was the girl people knew of, but never saw. If they saw me, they never heard me.

On the rare occasions when I was forced to be around people, I did the bare minimum. I made sure to join in conversations every now and then, though it wasn’t enough to become actively involved. I’d found remaining silent drew more attention to myself. People were wary of those who didn’t speak, and it was human nature to try and draw them into the conversation. By carefully planning my comments, I avoided any of that and sank into the background where I felt happiest. People forgot I was even around.

Puffing out my cheeks, I stared at the mountain of clothes in my wardrobe. Ignoring the few dresses and skirts I hadn’t worn in months, I headed straight for my skinny jeans and plain, pastel coloured t-shirts. Rain once again poured outside the window, living up to the typical British summer weather of warm, wet, and muggy. It made finding an outfit nearly impossible. The rain made it damp and the warm temperatures made it humid. Shorts were out of the question, yet jeans became uncomfortable after a while. Still, they were the better option considering I was going to be walking around the Braxton F1 factory as part of my Media and Journalism course. I had managed to catch up after what happened last year. With Dustin’s help and the maintenance loan I received from the government to help with living costs, I hadn’t needed to look for a job and was now in my last term before graduating.

Showering and changing as fast as I could, when I was ready I headed for the kitchen. I opened the cupboard where I stored my unhealthy pile of fudge to pull out the mint chocolate swirl I’d been craving since last night. Placing it in my bag, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door with a quick goodbye to Dustin.

* * *

I’d picked Nadine up on my way to the factory and we were now both sitting in the car park, hoping the rain would stop. It was coming down too strong for an umbrella to be of any use, and neither of us wanted to make a mad dash across to the building if possible.

“I don’t think it’s going to end anytime soon,” I grumbled, glancing up at the sky. The thick, dark grey clouds stretched as far as the eye could see, preventing most light from seeping through. Not one line cracked through to allow us to believe our hope wasn’t in vain. It remained a continuous mass of grey, dense with water and ready to pour down heavier upon us as soon as we stepped out of the car. It did help me stall for a few more minutes, though, and Nadine knew it.

“Come on; Dustin said he wasn’t even back in the country yet.”

Yeah, he had. That didn’t mean I was comfortable stepping into the factory of the team Teo raced for.

“Raine, am I going to have to call Dustin?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m being silly.” With a quick glance around the car park to make sure no one else was around, I unlocked my door. Nadine did the same and then we were sprinting towards the enormous glass wall that contained the front door. Keeping my head down and shielding my eyes with my hand, I ran on ahead and left Nadine squealing behind me.

The sensor triggered as I neared, the doors opened automatically, and we both barrelled into the reception area. Nadine cursed, running her hands through her hair and shaking herself out like a dog. I chose to wipe my face and resign myself to the fact I wasn’t getting dry anytime soon; there was nothing I could do to correct my puddle-like state.

“Ugh, I can’t wait to leave this country as soon as I graduate,” Nadine muttered, scowling at a strand of hair that refused to untangle from the knot it had twisted into. “I’m only looking for jobs that take me abroad and give me the sun.”

“Tell me about it.”

We walked over to the reception desk, and after signing in, the grey-haired woman handed over our passes for the day and gestured to the room our group was waiting in.

I pushed Nadine in front of me as we slipped into the room and remained behind her until everyone had stopped looking at us. The murmur of conversation soon picked back up when people realised we were nobody interesting, yet it was soon silenced again by our professor arriving with our tour guide.

After the usual spiel of what we were and weren’t allowed to do, they led us around the factory. I knew from past experiences with Teo that most of the building was inaccessible to the public due to the secrecy over the technology they were developing. That meant the rooms our guide showed us were ones nothing exciting happened in.

It didn’t take me long to become so bored I was literally dragging my feet along the floor. Each step felt like I was hauling one of those oversized cannonballs you see in cartoons behind me, and it only increased in size with every step. Even if I hadn’t grown up around the sport and knew everything I was being told, the guy’s nasal voice was enough to send anyone to sleep. He repeated monotonous scripts he’d memorised with little animation.

Nadine glanced across at me and fake yawned, rolling her eyes back into her head while I attempted to stifle my smile.

“Want to find something more exciting to look at?” she whispered, her hand already circling my wrist. Despite knowing I didn’t have a choice, I still shook my head. The last thing I wanted to do was wander around the factory my ex worked in. It would only take one person to recognise me for it to get back to Teo.

“Come on, it’ll be fun. We can meet up with them in the cafeteria later. It’s not like you don’t know all of this stuff already.”

Leaving me with the choice to make a scene or go with her, I reluctantly stepped away from the group to follow her. I was beginning to regret my need to remain at the back of crowds. No one noticed us slipping away in the opposite direction and back towards the sound of voices we’d heard minutes ago.

A partially open door allowed us a brief glimpse at the rows of chairs filled with men and women in suits. It didn’t take a genius to know what was going on in there, because what good was a journalist who couldn’t recognise her own kind?

I placed a hand on Nadine’s shoulder. When she glanced back at me, I shook my head furiously, to which she replied to with a sour expression. Not one to be deterred, Nadine ignored me and pressed her nose into the gap. Rising up onto her toes, she tried to find the best angle to see as she slid up and down.

I could see what was going to happen a split second before it unfolded.

Nadine lost her balance.

Instinctively, her arms shot out in front of her to protect her face, knocking the door wide open. I couldn’t reach her shoulder in time to pull her back.

With a crash the door hit the wall, drawing all of the voices to a rapid stop as everyone swivelled in their chairs to stare at us. Looks of confusion and irritation all rounded on Nadine, only it wasn’t Nadine they could see.

She was crouched over and muttering about a broken nail.

Their focus was entirely on me.

I shuffled, trying to release the nervous energy building within me while wondering whether it was best to flee or shrug it off. Fear lodged itself in my throat and every bone in my body wanted me to run. I trembled on the spot, my eyes wide and my lips open to form an “O.”

One set of eyes had me rooted in place.

Everything else ceased to exist. That single pair of warm brown eyes sent my heart into a tailspin.

My mouth suddenly became dry and I inhaled sharply. The urge to flee intensified within me.

He wasn’t supposed to be back. Dustin had told me he wasn’t back.

However, the well-built man behind the desk filled with sponsors who was now staring at me in a mixture of shock and annoyance said otherwise.

Teo was definitely in the country and he didn’t look happy to see me.

“Can we help you?”

My gaze was drawn briefly to the other side of the desk where Aston Hattersey sat, and my lip trembled at the sight of him. His voice was amplified around the room from the microphone fixed into the desk in front of him.

Within a split second my eyes darted back to Teo, looking to find even the slightest reassurance in his expression. I know I should have said something, explained why we were there, but words failed me. The nerves surging through my veins seized control of my vocal chords.

“I’m sorry, we’re in the middle of a press conference here. You need to leave.” This time the voice came from my right, where a man with salt and pepper hair closed in on us. I vaguely recognised him as Aston’s manager.

“Sorry, we were looking for the toilets,” Nadine said, pulling herself off the floor and flashing him a magazine worthy smile.

“Well, as you can see, they’re not here.”

“We’re sorry for interrupting.”

Teo stood. He took a single step in our direction and the movement triggered my flight instinct. Not giving him the opportunity to close the gap between us, I was out of the doorway and taking off down the corridor.