It took an hour to get to Deals Gap and when we arrived, I motioned for Logan to keep going. There were a lot of people congregating at the general store and if we stopped, I had a feeling Madison would lose her nerve.
The roads were curvier than any road I’d ever been on. When I first started riding, people would pass me because I was so slow. But now I could keep up. I knew if I wanted anyone to take me seriously as owner of Bennett Racing, I had to get on their level. When we arrived at the overlook, we pulled off to the side. The view was amazing. There were other riders taking breaks, and a couple who looked happy they made it through.
“Oh my God, that was so scary,” Madison exclaimed, lifting the visor on her helmet. She finally let her vice grip on Logan’s waist loosen and nodded toward the road. “Is that the only way back down?”
Logan patted her knee. “Don’t tell me you’re still scared? I took it easy on you.” He winked at me.
“We can go if you want?” I said to her.
She nodded. “Please, before I lose my nerve. I was almost fine before we got here, but these roads are scary as hell.”
I laughed. “Yes, they are. We’ll stop at the store on the way down.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, she lowered her visor. “Sounds good.”
Even though I couldn’t see Logan’s mouth, I could tell he was smiling by the way his eyes crinkled. He laughed the same way when he’d taken me through Deals Gap for the first time. All the while, I’d held on, screaming.
The ride back down the road went smoother than going up. When we got to the store, there were more people. Miller and Trey were there, talking to an older couple who stood by their Harley. Deals Gap was a prime spot for tourists who liked to ride. I’d met people from all across the country.
We pulled in and I parked beside Miller and Trey. Logan took off his helmet and helped Madison take off hers, before she bolted inside the general store.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
He laughed. “She said she was going to piss on me if I didn’t get her off my bike.”
“Definitely don’t want that.”
“Sup, boss?” Miller called. The older couple said their goodbyes to Trey and hopped on their Harley.
I waved and sat down at one of the empty picnic tables; Logan sat beside me. “Hey. Having fun?”
Chuckling, he sat down across from us and so did Trey. “Trying to.” He pointed at Trey. “This one showed up late. Now we’re waiting on those fuckers to get lost.” He glanced over my shoulder and I turned to look. Mark and Jacob were there with a couple of guys I’d never seen around before. “I don’t like riding anywhere near them.”
Logan peered over at them too. “Don’t blame you. It’ll only be trouble.”
Madison walked out of the general store, carrying several bottles of water. She sat down and passed one to each of us. “Thank you,” I said, chugging mine. Everyone else murmured their thanks as well.
“Looks like it’s now or never,” Trey grumbled, glaring at Mark and Jacob. It didn’t look like they were leaving any time soon.
Miller finished his water and sighed. “Yep. Might as well get going. We’ll see you guys on Monday.” Hopping on their bikes, they took off up the road.
Madison pulled out her phone and typed away before setting it on the table.
I elbowed her side. “You about ready to go? What time are you meeting your friend?”
“Not sure. He hasn’t texted back yet.” More people rode in. It was interesting to see how many of them liked riding, and how many did it to show off.
I leaned my head on Logan’s shoulder. “Think we can grill steaks tonight?” My stomach growled and he chuckled.
“Sounds good, baby.” He was always the best at grilling. I hadn’t met a man other than him who could master the art of grilling, not even my father or Sean. “We ready to go?”
“Yep, let’s get out of here.”
We hopped on our bikes and I started to put on my helmet, but then stopped when I saw Madison’s face. Her eyes narrowed at the crowd of people, then changed to a look of horror. “No,” she breathed.
I stared at her, then at Logan, who also had a strange expression on his. “What’s going on?”
When I turned to focus on the crowd, I saw him; it was the rider who tried to run Logan off the track during tryouts. Micah Perry. “Maddie, please tell me that’s not the guy you’re seeing.”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t understand what he’s doing here.”
I did. Obviously, he didn’t tell her who he was. What made it worse was, he was hanging out with the Hendrix crew, laughing and carrying on like he was their best friend. But when he saw Madison sitting on Logan’s bike, his smile faded and his attention landed on Logan.
“This isn’t good,” I whispered. Madison wasn’t there during tryouts, so she didn’t see what went down between the two of them, nor had I told her.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
Logan jumped off his bike and Micah stormed across the lot.
“I don’t know, but whatever it is isn’t gonna be good.”
Logan