“Not good. His mother was all he had.” We arrived at the hospital and I’d just gotten out of the car when Sean pulled up and got out too.
Logan kissed my head. “I’m going in to check on Richard.”
“You sure?” I asked. “You can stay.”
“No, it’s okay. He’s not going to want me here.” I watched him walk away and disappear inside the doors.
“What the hell happened?” Sean demanded. “Why was he covered in blood?”
The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving me tired and weak. “Do you trust me?”
Brows furrowed, he stepped closer. “I trust you with my life.”
“Good, because what I’m about to tell you is something you won’t want to hear.”
“Jesus Christ. Tell me, you’re freaking me out.”
Closing the distance, I reached for his hands. “Donnie and your mother were the ones behind everything. They were seeing each other behind my father’s back.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he growled.
I shook my head. “They were responsible for both Logan and Levi’s accidents, for Ethan getting framed,” I took a deep breath, “and for Janie’s accident as well. Your mother switched her brake line with a rusty one. It was only a matter of time before it failed on her.”
Eyes wide, he shook his head. “How could she do this?”
“That’s not all,” I murmured.
His angry glare bored into mine. “There’s more?”
I blew out a tired breath. “Tonight, they tried to have Logan and my father killed. They hired Micah to abduct me and use me for ransom. Only what they didn’t know is, he’s an FBI agent and Logan’s partner.”
“Partner?” Sean looked confused. “You mean Logan’s an agent too?”
I nodded. “They pretended to be enemies to play both sides. Only, we didn’t know the real enemy was in our own circle.”
“Why would my mother agree to that?”
“She wanted everyone out of the way, so you and I could get back together. Donnie and your mother wanted us to merge Bennett Racing with Baker. That’s why they wanted to get rid of those who’d oppose it.”
“Levi,” he whispered.
“And Ethan and Logan,” I added.
His jaw clenched. “Where is she now?”
“On her way to the station. She’ll probably be transferred somewhere else while she awaits trial.”
Stumbling back, he let my hands go and leaned against his car. “What the fuck am I going to do? Everyone on our team’s going to want me to step down. They’ll think I had something to do with it.”
I took his face in my hands, but he wouldn’t look at me. “No, they won’t. You’re a good man, Sean. Everyone sees that when they look at you. If I don’t want you to go, then neither will anyone else. I can’t do this on my own.”
His gaze lifted. “Yes, you can, Kass. You never needed me. You’re more than capable of doing it on your own.”
“Yes, I can,” I admitted, “but I don’t want to. You’re my best friend, Sean. I don’t want you to leave, and neither does my father.”
“You sure?”
A small smile spread across my lips and I hugged him. “I promise. You’re going to need our support over the next few months. It’s not going to be easy.”
He hugged me back. “Looks like I owe Chandler an apology. All this time I thought he was slacking off just to piss me off.”
“No, he’s definitely not a slacker.” I laughed, letting him go. “But I’m sure he’d appreciate the apology.”
“Is he staying around for the race this weekend?”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Logan called out. I turned around and he smiled. “Been waiting my whole life for it.”
Logan
Two days had passed since everything went down and the media went crazy. Donnie’s red Chevy Camaro was taken in and inspected. It turned out it was the car used to run Levi off the road. There was damage to the front, left side of the car to prove it. Micah and I also found the video footage of Angela digging in the scraps to find an old rusty brake line. Turned out, her fingerprints were found on Janie’s car.
It was the biggest scandal ever to hit Franklin, North Carolina. Kassie and Richard took it pretty well, answering the media’s questions every time they came around. There was a constant slew of people camped out at the shop, eager to hear more. Sean, on the other hand, was reluctant to be seen in public. He was embarrassed of his mother’s actions and afraid people would see him differently after what happened. It was something he’d have to live with for the rest of his life. I felt bad for the guy.
A car door slammed out front, then Micah appeared at my garage door, dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark T-shirt. I’d just finished changing the oil in my bike, getting it ready for the race. “Bike’s looking good,” he said, grinning wide.
I wiped my greasy hands off on my jeans. “Thanks, man. Gotta get her ready for the big race tomorrow.”
“You leaving tonight?” he asked.