Dirty Fighter: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (22 page)

I
knew
that Desmond could beat Luke with his eyes closed. Still, with the alcohol coursing through my veins I had to wonder if this was really the best way to settle things or if I had just been trying to show up that wicked man the whole time. I did know that Desmond hadn’t been drinking, so surely he would have stopped the race if he thought it was a bad idea. I trusted him to make the decisions that needed to be made.

“Alright boys, you want a real race, so I am going to give you one. The track is going to be five miles. You are going to follow route seven all the way through. No tourists around here this time of year so the coast should be clear. It brings you in a loop right back to here,” I said to them both. “Now, I am going to tell you both to fight fair, but we all know who I am talking to.”

The crowd erupted in agreement and Luke’s face flushed a deep red. I was thrilled by his embarrassment. He deserved it after all the stunts he had pulled on Desmond. Tonight would shut him up though once and for all. I knew Theresa and she could whip his sad little ride any day of the week. Especially with all of the upgrades and modifications I had done.

“One more thing,” I said with a taunting smile on my face. “The winner is declared the ultimate driver and as punishment, the entire losing team will have to wash the winner’s car while wearing bikinis.”

They looked at me, stunned into silence before everyone started to cheer for the decision. They had no choice but to comply. Otherwise, they would both look like fools for doubting their driving abilities. When they agreed, I nodded for them to get into their cars.

Both men climbed into their cars and started the engines. It didn’t take long before they were showing off and revving them up. I paced myself about fifteen feet away from them and unsnapped my bra.

Desmond smiled and shook his head while the people behind the cars whistled. Pulling it out of my shirt, I held it up in the air. They knew the drill; when the flag, or my bra in this case, fell, the race started.

I looked at Luke, and he nodded his head. Then I turned to Desmond, and he did the same thing. I started to count down from five. When I reached one, I dropped my arm, the “flag” falling from the air. Both men’s tires squealed as they peeled past me, looking for the road ahead. I turned and watched them disappear into the night. It didn’t take long before a few backyard racers were hot on their trails, eager to give an update via radio to the patrons at the bar.

Just as they disappeared into the night, I felt a cold chill run down my body as the wind started to pick up. It was the same wind that anyone anywhere in the world would recognize. The sudden breeze carried in the scent of the coming storm. I prayed that the drivers would make it back before it started.

There weren’t many things as dangerous as slick roads at high speeds in the dead of the night. I had known many skilled drivers that came damn close to losing their lives because of similar conditions.

“Don’t worry about them Amber,” Curtis, one of my crew, said. “Desmond knows what he’s doing. He’s not going to do anything to risk Theresa, not even for his reputation.”

I smiled at him, “I hope you’re right Curtis.”

He walked away, back into the bar where the other patrons were refueling until the drivers returned. I stayed outside, watching for the headlights I knew would show up soon. After several minutes, I started to become worried.

The trail was hard, but it shouldn’t be taking them so long to get back. If someone had been hurt, hopefully, the other driver would stop. I knew Desmond would, but I couldn’t be sure about Luke.

My heart began to race; something had to be wrong for them to still be gone. I couldn’t stop myself from pacing back and forth. Each time I glanced up, my mind played tricks on me, and I thought I saw headlights. There was never anything coming down the road though. As the minutes dragged by, my concern turned to pure fear.

“Amber,” said Curtis, poking his head outside. “They caught the storm, but it’s not a regular storm. It’s a sandstorm.”

“Shit,” I muttered. I didn’t know anything about sandstorms; we didn’t get them where I was from. We got snow, rain, and ice, but no sand. How bad could it really be? It was only sand.

“I take it that’s bad?” I asked Curtis.

He nodded his head, “It’s hell on cars. The best of cars can get torn to shreds in no time flat. Other cars make it out but are never able to be driven again.”

“Jesus,” I muttered under my breath.

I had no idea that sandstorms could be so bad. It was a lot like hearing about any other weather you weren’t familiar with. The idea in your head never seemed to match the reality. I had to wonder if Curtis wasn’t being more dramatic than what was needed. Desmond was probably just being careful. Luke, though, he was stupid, he would try and navigate through it.

Before I could think about all the other alternatives, people started to pile out of the bar.

“They’re headed back, but the storm is right behind them too.” announced Curtis.

I noticed that not only were people exiting the bar, but they were leaving all together. My heart began to sink. A storm that would drive people away from seeing who won the race had to be bad. I was scared for Desmond and for Theresa.

I knew that I could fix anything on the car, but I couldn’t replace Desmond. Headlights rose out of the dust, coming in fast.

“There,” I said in a hushed tone.

The remaining people looked and started to talk amongst themselves. I didn’t know if it was the cars or the storm following close behind them that was making them talk, though. From the looks of it, the storm was the hot topic now. The drivers came rushing in, parking their cars and climbing out. The crowd, still larger than I had realized was cheering.

Desmond was the clear winner to my relief. I couldn’t contain myself as I ran to him and he engulfed me in a bear hug.

I could see the damage to the cars right away. Thankfully most of it looked pretty much cosmetic. I didn’t wait for the two men to start their banter. Instead, I wanted to make sure that Theresa was still okay underneath the hood.

The look on Luke’s face though stopped me dead in my tracks. It sent chills down my spine. Desmond didn’t see it though as he spun around to the crowd, they were cheering on their champion.

“Oh, Luke my man, I look forward to having you and your boys polish my girl up,” said Desmond with a smile and a hearty laugh.

Luke laughed, “That’s a small price to pay. If I were you, I would be more worried about whether or not your “girl” is ever going to race again.”

The smile fell from Desmond’s, and he glanced back at me. I had no idea what Luke was talking about, but he looked pretty sure of himself. I jogged to the hood and unsnapped the latches. Right away, I felt my heart drop down to my stomach. I didn’t need to hear Luke’s words, but I couldn’t drown them out of my head. The silence around us was deafening.

“What the hell is he talking about Amber?” asked Desmond in a low voice.

“Oh, sorry Desmond. Let me fill you in. See, a sandstorm won't ruin a car unless someone left off a filter.” said Luke.

He climbed into his car, his crew already loading up to leave. “Just let me know when you want that washing, pal.”

Luke’s tires squealed off into the night, and I felt Desmond’s eyes on me. They were boring holes into me. In all my years of racing, I had never used a heavy duty filter. They were nothing but dead weight. I did, however, always know to put one on. I checked where the filter should have been under the engine, and my face went pale. There was nothing there but sand, caked into the opening and sealing it shut like glue.

“Oh my God,” I whispered.

“Amber,” said Desmond in an eerily calm voice. “What the hell is going on?”

I rose back up to stand in front of him. I couldn’t find the words. In my head, I imagined that this was what a veterinarian might feel like when they had to tell someone their pet wasn’t going to make it. The longer I waited, the more I saw his temper building up inside of him.

For the first time in my life, I was speechless. I couldn’t find the words that I knew were going to break his heart. I needed to speak, but my throat was dry.

“Amber!” he yelled, his hands started to shake.

I shook my head, “I’m so sorry Desmond. The engine is completely locked up with sand. I, I just don’t know if I will be able to get it clean.”

“Of course, you can,” he said lightly. “Right?”

“Desmond,” I started. I knew I would have to tell him but I didn’t want too. “There is a chance that I won’t be able to fix this. The engine may be completely ruined. If that’s the case, then even with a month and unlimited funds, I still wouldn’t be able to make it run like it did before. Theresa would be done for.”

He shook his head, “No. You will find a way.”

I smiled at his faith, but I had to face reality. “Desmond, the chances … they aren’t good. I have no idea how much is packed in there.”

He wasn’t fazed though as he continued to shake his head in denial. “Curtis is towing her back to the shop. Tomorrow, we will look at it with fresh eyes and see what we can do okay?”

“Tomorrow may not give us enough time to fix any problems,” I said to him.

“They delayed the race for three days. Apparently, this storm is a lot worse than anyone knew. It will give me time to hunt down Luke, and beat him to within an inch of his life too,” said Desmond.

“No, you will be giving him what he wants.” I said to him before adding on, “Wait until after the race. Then even I will help you.”

He laughed, but I could tell that underneath his cool exterior he was stressing out. He knew as well as I did that the damage was bad. Theresa would need a miracle if she were going to run in the race. The extra time bought us a little help, but we would need a lot more if things were as bad as I thought.

I
hadn’t been
up that early in at least five years. Not since long before I started my racing career. No one wanted to watch a race take place at nine in the morning, so for me, there was never any reason to be out of bed before ten.

Today was different, though. I knew that Amber would be in the shop and starting to take apart Theresa early in the morning. I didn’t blame her. Even with the three days’ grace that we had gotten because of the storm, she still seemed pretty worried about the car.

When I arrived and opened the door at six in the morning, I wasn’t surprised to see Amber already working on the car. She turned to look at me as I walked in. “Hey, I didn’t think you knew what six am looked like,” she said playfully.

I smiled, “I have been known to very rarely get out of bed.”

Even with the friendly banter going back and forth between us, I could tell that she was worried. I had never before seen her so concerned about anything, especially not about Theresa. I looked over her shoulder to see what she was doing, but I didn’t know enough to be of much help.

Sure, I knew the basics, but from where I was standing everything just looked like it was covered in sand. There was no way that I could tell if she was fixable. All I could do was stand and watch as she worked.

After a little while, I found my patience starting to wear thin. I hadn’t gotten up so early so that I could sit in a shop and not talk about what was going on with the car.

Clearing my throat, I started, “So, what have you found?”

She rolled her eyes, “Nothing yet. I am still just taking things apart.”

“How long do you think it’s going to take?” I asked her.

“I have no idea Desmond; it could take hours,” she replied, already with a short temper.

“I was just wondering. What do you think happened out there?” I asked Amber.

She sighed, “Isn’t it obvious? Luke removed the filter.”

I made a noise, and she looked over at me and asked, “What?”

“Well, don’t you think that is something that you should have checked?” I asked her.

Now she glared at me. I had no idea why. It seemed like a pretty straight forward question. Mechanics were supposed to keep an eye on their cars, especially with someone as shady as Luke walking around the place.

She laughed, “Right, and when was I supposed to do this? Between him grabbing my ass and you kissing me before you raced off?”

I had no idea why she was getting so upset. “I just don’t think that it would have been hard to give everything a quick once over is all.”

“Then do it yourself next time,” she hissed at me.

I fell silent. It didn’t seem like she wanted to talk as her hands dug further into the car. She pulled out small part after part and set them carefully in order. I would never be able to remember where all the small pieces went, but she seemed to know that everything had a home and where that home was.

“Have you found anything yet?” I asked again a little while later.

Her attitude wasn’t any better, “Yeah. Sand.”

I shook my head; I wasn’t in the mood for her humor at all. “I don’t even know why you wanted me to race him in the first place really. He was just being the same jerk that he always was.”

“Are you kidding me?” She asked. “You wanted to race him too!”

“I don’t know why.” I muttered weakly.

“I don’t know, maybe because he called me easy then insulted your car?” Amber said, her voice almost a yell.

“Yeah,” I muttered again, “Theresa.”

Before I knew what was happening, a tool was flying at my head. I jumped up from my seat and glared at her.

“What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your damn mind, Amber? You could have killed me!” I screamed at her.

“No, if I wanted to kill you, I would have aimed for your head. You better change your attitude and stop trying to pin everything on me. Got it?” she yelled right back at me.

I looked at her in stunned silence. I didn’t realize that she was taking everything I had said personally. In my mind, I was just doing what I always did when something went wrong. I was just talking about everything. As I replayed the conversation in my head, I realized how I must have sounded. Really though, as long as Theresa was okay, then nothing else would matter.

Amber and I would hit our stride once again; we just needed to win the final leg of the race. It didn’t matter what had gone wrong. She was all I needed any more, her and the Grand Nevada win of course. I let my mind drift, but it didn’t do me any good.

Each time Amber made a sound, I was pulled back into what she was doing, waiting for any information on how long it would take before she could fix Theresa. I had confidence in her skills but the night before still had me spooked.

As I watched her work, I felt every single turn of the wrench, wondering what the outcome was going to be.

Suddenly, Amber froze. The bolts were all removed, and I watched silently as she pulled off a large casing from the engine. The color drained from her face as she looked at me. I knew something was wrong; something was very wrong.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m so sorry Desmond. The interior engine filter is ruined; it couldn’t take the pressure of all the sand,” she replied to me.

I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, well that’s not so bad, you can replace it, can’t you?”

She nodded her head. “I can replace the filter, but it won’t do any good. The entire engine is seized up from the sand. There is no way I can get the parts in three days.”

My mouth felt dry as she spoke. Her words hit me, but they wouldn’t sink in. I felt like the world was closing in around me. I had been so close to having everything. This race was going to be the final stretch for me, the last charade before leaving the world of race cars. I had it all planned out until last night. Until Amber pushed me to take that stupid bet. If I had just let it go and walked away, none of this would have happened.

My eyes darted to her and narrowed. “This is all your fault.”

She looked shocked. For the first time since I arrived, she set her tools down and stepped away from the car.

“What?” she said in a whisper.

“This.” I repeated, waving to the sand, “This is entire thing was your fault. If you hadn’t of pushed me into that stupid late night race, then this wouldn’t have happened. Or if you had bothered to check the car. This whole situation is your fault. Luke has never gotten to me like this, at least not until you came around. I can’t believe that you let this happen!”

She didn’t say anything; I thought it was because she knew I was right. For the first time since I had met her, Amber was silent. I didn’t know how to react without her banter coming back at me. I picked up the wrench she had thrown at me and launched it across the room in the opposite direction of her and the car. The sound of it hitting the window and shattering the glass was deafening.

“I have worked so hard to get to this point in my life. I put everything on hold. My parents died in a car crash, but still I pushed through the pain to follow my dream. My father left me Theresa when he died. He knew that she was my whole life, and you have taken that away from me. You and that foolish bet of yours. I hope you are happy with what you have done.” I ended my rant and spun around.

As I stomped out the front door, I could hear the crew waking up from the sound of the glass breaking, but I didn’t turn back around. I didn’t want to deal with any of them. With Theresa gone, there was no reason for me to deal with any of them anymore. I had never, in all my life, failed at anything I put my mind to. This was a first for me. Now I was going to have to forfeit the race all together.

Just as I reached the outskirts of the track, my phone started to vibrate. I looked down and saw it was Glen. The fact that he was up so early was startling to me. He was like me, never one for mornings. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, but I knew him well enough to know that he would just keep calling. He had friends on the pit crew; I could guess what the call was about.

“What?” I barked into the phone.

“What the hell man? James just told me that you ripped into Amber?” Glen mumbled, obviously still half asleep.

“Theresa is dead. She can’t be fixed after last night, so yeah, I ripped into her. It was her fault; she was the one who wanted me to race.” I told him.

Each time I said the words, I felt like a child. I slowed down as I started to realize that I had approached everything wrong.

“Dude, Amber is a saint to you. She didn’t jack up Theresa. You went into that race on your own free will. With fifty people around, who knows how Luke even slipped that filter off to start with?”

His words made sense, but I wasn’t ready to admit that just yet. I knew that I had taken out my anger on the wrong person. Amber hadn’t done anything wrong, but I had treated her worse than I had ever even treated Luke. Thinking about everything that I had said to her, I cringed again.

“Oh shit,” I muttered.

Glen chuckled, “Yeah Desmond, you screwed this one up pretty bad. If you have feelings for her, you better find a way to fix it and fix it fast. James said you almost made him want to curl up in a ball and die. He heard the whole thing, and he’s a tough fella.”

“Yeah, I was a real dick.” I agreed, “What am I going to do?”