Clutched (Wild Riders) (28 page)

“And he actually fired you?” Link asked in disbelief.

“He did,” Hoyt answered for me. “Looks like we won't be getting a chance to work together after all.”

“Well that fucking sucks,” Link commiserated. “I thought that guy was all empty threats. You were bringing in way too much attention for him to actually let you go.”

“What do you do?” I said with a shrug. “Thanks for helping out with my dad. Hoyt told me what you did.” I walked over and placed my hand on his shoulder. “You're a really good friend.”

“It was nothing,” he assured me. “You would have done the same for me.”

“You're right.” I smiled and gave him a hug. I was going to miss him. I was going to miss being a part of a team and being able to ride with people like Link who loved the sport as much as I did. “Maybe I'll see you on the track soon.”

“You will,” he promised. “I can't imagine the motocross world letting you go that easy. Sponsors are going to be lining up at your door.”

“He's right,” Hoyt chimed in after he connected the brake cables to my truck. “You'll be kicking Link's ass at a Supercross event in no time.”

“I wouldn't go that far.” Link laughed. Hoyt walked over and shook his hand.

“I'm sorry we aren't going to get a chance to work together,” Hoyt told him. “I was starting to look forward to putting you through the wringer.”

“Me too.” Link said with a smile. I was glad that the two of them were getting along now. Link was a good friend and I think he went above and beyond to prove it to Hoyt.

Just as we said our goodbyes to Link and were ready to load up and leave Mill Valley for the last time, Robert pulled up on a golf cart next to us with none other than Donovan Murray riding shotgun. The big boss had come out to make sure we left without incident.

Fantastic.

“I'm so glad I caught you both before you left,” Donovan said stepping out of the cart.

“Mr. Murray,” I spoke up. “I'm so sorry for everything that happened. We're getting ready to leave now.”

“I can see that,” he said nodding toward my trailer. “That's what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Panic started to set in. Why was he here? We'd already been fired. What if my father had pressed charges? I felt Hoyt's hand slip into mine. He squeezed it once. A silent reminder that we were in this together.

“After I saw you in the parking lot yesterday,” he began. “I knew that something had happened to upset you.”

“You did?”

“I have a wife and a daughter,” he said. “I can tell when a woman is upset.” He smiled. “When I found Nick he told me that he'd just spoken to you and because of a contract violation you'd been let go. Both of you.”

“That's true,” I told him. “I'm very sorry.”

“Well, it's bullshit,” he replied matter-of-factly. “I'm not sure what made Nick think he could draft up his own contracts, but the standard for my company has zero stipulations about employee relationships. I knew that I should have picked out my own person for that job. That's the last time I use a headhunter to fill a position at my company. That is the last time I let anyone else hire my staff for me.” He was clearly frustrated.

“Are you serious?” Hoyt was a dumbfounded as I was.

“Considering I married the woman that had Nick's job before him, I think it would have been a little hypocritical of me to forbid anyone else from falling in love, don't you?” Donovan chuckled as Hoyt and I looked at each other. Neither of us were sure what to say. “Nick was always more focused on the bottom line and numbers. He was never a good fit,” he added. “Don't get me wrong... I like to make money, but Throttled is about more than that. Nick never saw it that way. He was more concerned with having power over people and cashing checks. Power that he was never granted and checks that he didn't sign.” He shook his head as if to shake lose anymore thoughts about Nick Pilsner. I was happy to do the same. “Safe to say your sponsorship is safe, Chayse.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “And, Hoyt... I have an open position as the head of Marketing and PR if you're interested?” Hoyt stood there for a moment letting it all sink in as a slow smile crept across his face. “You're more than welcome to continue coaching as well. You're an asset that I can't imagine not having in the office and on the track.”

“Yes,” Hoyt said quickly. “I would love to.” Hoyt reached out and took Donovan's hand in his. “Thank you so much.”

“Bottom line,” he said after shaking Hoyt's hand. “I don't care about what goes on off the track as long as you're performing to the best of your abilities. I've tried so hard to build a brand that is about more than just money. I want a team of people around me who love what they do and you two definitely love motocross.” The genuine care and concern in Donovan's voice made me happy to be involved with Throttled Energy. Now that Nick was out of the picture I had nothing but good thoughts in my head about my current position. “As long as you two are dedicated and passionate about what we’re doing here, I think everything is going to work out just fine.”

“I am,” I promised. “We are.” I looked over at Hoyt.

“Perfect,” Donovan said with a nod. He clapped his hands together in front of him and a smirk overtook his lips. “Now, if we’re done with all this business stuff, I'd love to get on a bike.”

“T
his is the prettiest baby I've ever seen.” I felt my heart melt a little as I looked down over Chayse's shoulder and saw the blue-eyed baby wrapped up in her arms. Full rosy cheeks and perfect little heart-shaped lips. Even with the pink blanket tucked securely around her she'd managed to work a hand free and gripped Chayse's finger with her own.

“She really is,” Chayse agreed, she looked down and cooed at the baby. “You are so pretty, Miss Willa,” she told the baby.

“We think so,” Georgia said from her hospital bed.

“I know so,” Brett added. He hadn't sat down since we'd walked into the room to visit the newest addition. As cool as he wanted to play it, I knew that Brett was scared shitless about being a dad. He might have been high and mighty on a dirt bike, but he was entering some unknown territory with this. Judging from the way he was standing there watching us with his arms crossed—two people that he without a doubt knew and trusted—he was clearly going to be overprotective of this little girl.

“I'm so happy for you,” I said, walking over and giving my buddy a pat on the back. “You're a lucky guy.”

“Thanks buddy,” he said, pulling me in for a quick hug. “So are you.”

I really was. The last few months had been insanity. The good kind of insanity, but insanity nonetheless. Donovan showing up on the day Chayse and I were all set to leave Throttled was the beginning of the crazy ride were currently on. After firing Nick for basically making up his own rules, he made sure that he never found a job in marketing or PR again. Last I heard, he was selling used cars. Not only did he not fire me, he'd offered me Nick's job. A job which I was nowhere near qualified for. After my initial acceptance, I'd started to worry about my abilities.

“Stop overthinking things,”
Donovan had said.
“I saw what your instincts did for your brother's career. And, Chayse's. It's about more than just riding with you. You know what sells and what's good for image even if you don't think you do. Just trust your gut. You can learn everything else along the way.”

So I did. I trusted my gut and put in the extra hours to learn everything I could about the marketing side of the business. I'd found some great opportunities for Throttled as well as recruited a few new riders that I thought would be a good fit. So far, everything was going great.

“Are you excited about Supercross?” Georgia asked Chayse. The smile that spread across Chayse's face was a reminder of how happy we were.

“I am,” Chayse replied. She'd received an official invite from the organizers to race at an upcoming event. It was a big deal. She was going to be racing against some of the best riders in business—including my brother.

“If she can smoke Reid again that would be fantastic,” I told them with a chuckle.

“I just don't want to come in last,” Chayse said.

“You won't, babe,” I assured her walking back over to where she was sitting. I dropped a kiss on the top of her head. She had been so on top of her game lately that I knew there was no way she'd lose. In fact, if she rode her best that day, there was a good chance that she'd win the whole damn thing. “Where are my brother and Nora anyway?”

“On their way,” Georgia answered. “Willa couldn't wait for her Aunt Nora and Uncle Reid to get back from Europe.” She laughed. “Just like her dad she makes her own rules.”

“Can't wait to see how that works out for you in the teenage years,” I told Brett.

“I don't even want to think about it.” He shook his head. The fact that Brett was now going to have two women telling him what to do made me laugh. Guy had it coming and I knew he didn't want it any other way. “My baby girl will only make good decisions.”

“She will,” I agreed. “Not like she's going to be able to get away with anything with all of us watching her anyway.”

“Very true,” Brett said. “Speaking of not getting away with things... did you hear about Beau?”

“We did,” I told him. “You were right about the insurance company, G.” I looked at Georgia.

“I'm just glad they finally opened an investigation,” she said.

“The lawyers said that they were pretty sure they had a solid case,” Brett added. “Considering the dumbass kept the lines he replaced. I bet he shit himself when they showed up with a warrant to search his truck.”

“I hope they throw the book at him,” Chayse said.

“Me too.”

“Me three,” Georgia said right before a yawn took over her mouth.

“Well, we better get going,” Chayse told them as she stood to hand the baby back to Georgia. “You all look like you need to rest.” She hugged Georgia and walked over to give Brett a hug. “We only have a few hours until we have to be back on a plane to head back to Mill Valley. We still need to go see your parents,” she reminded me.

Our stop in Halstead was short, but neither of us would have missed the opportunity to come and welcome the newest member to our family. Before we walked out the door, I pulled a tiny t-shirt from the bag Chayse had carried in and tossed it to Brett.

“Can't have our girl representing anyone else,” I told him as he held the shirt up for Georgia to see. The Throttled logo was imprinted on the front.

“Of course,” he laughed before thanking us for coming to see them. “And don't worry, I've already picked out a little pink dirt bike for her.”

“Don't worry,” Chayse said with a grin. “Aunt Chayse is going to teach her how to ride better than the boys.” I didn't doubt Chayse's promise for a minute. Willa Sallinger would be riding circles around her competition.

As Chayse and I walked out to the vehicle we'd rented from the airport, she slipped her hand in mine. A part of me wondered how long it would be before the two of us were welcoming a baby into the world. Granted, there were still a few things we needed to do first. I knew she wasn't even close to ready to taking a break from riding yet and we hadn't officially talked about getting married yet, even though I think we both knew that's the direction we were headed in. There was so much to look forward to. My mind was spinning with all of the possibilities.

“Stop,” she said, pulling me to a stop.

“What?” I said, when she pressed her body up against mine and kissed my cheek. I let my arms wrap around her waist.

“Stop over thinking,” she said with a smile before pressing her lips to mine. The way that she felt in my arms quieted the chaos in my head and as I kissed her, I knew that as long as we were together it didn't matter how things ended up with us. It didn't matter because I knew we'd happy no matter what.

THE END

The wild ride is over, but there's more excitement coming!

BELOW THE SURFACE

A new Contemporary Romance from Elizabeth Lee

Daniella Alvarez and Dylan McKendrie used to be in love. They used to be a team. An inseparable force to be reckoned with. But, when tragedy struck, their relationship sank faster than the ships they used to scour the ocean floor for. Now all that's left are scattered remains of what used to be.

In the five years that Dylan has been gone from the island paradise of The Florida Keys, he's made a name for himself and the ramshackle marine salvage business his father left behind. He's no longer seeking the mysteries on the ocean floor, now he goes for the sure things and the guaranteed pay checks. When a longtime friend suggests he has hard proof that one of those legends that used to keep Dylan up at night could be real, he's torn between going after the gold and maintaining the life he'd built for himself and his sister. 

Daniella was always a dreamer. From the time she spent dreaming of being a part of a real family to the dream of making a name for herself as a deep sea diver. She's always been chasing what most would deem unattainable. What does an orphan from the Midwest know about being a part of a family or the ocean? Everything she'd ever wanted seemed to slip through her fingers the day he left, which is exactly why his return has her seeing red.

Can the two of them put their past aside long enough to figure out a mystery that has plagued them both for years? Can they work together to see what lies Below the Surface?

The adventure begins Summer 2016!

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T
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