Victory Read online

  There were rumors, and she was all too familiar with them. As far as everyone was concerned she’d slept her way into the spotlight, but nothing was further from the truth. She was a race car driver, and a damn good one. Some men just couldn’t handle that.

  Missy Sheridan had officially handed out four broken noses, six broken thumbs, and she’d lost count of how many groins she’d kicked when a man got his nose out of joint over a girl driver. It was easy for them to get out of control. She could handle herself, and right now, she was about to handle Carson Maverick.

  “Getting cozy with Walker? Trying to get to his soft spot so you can win a few more races?” He staggered toward her.

  She gritted her teeth. It would be easier to take him down if he were drunk. Missy spread her feet slightly to give herself a balanced stance.

  “Don’t talk much, huh?” Maverick walked closer. “He’s the next one out of the circuit, I’ll see to that.”

  “He’s a stronger racer than you think he is. You took him out once. Doesn’t seem to have hindered him much,” she offered, referring to Walker’s crash.

  “And you took him out for me today. Doing me some sort of favor?”

  She inhaled deeply, but she didn’t smell alcohol on the man at all. That worried her a bit. “Listen, I don’t want any trouble. Why don’t you just go on inside and let me be.”

  Now he moved in closer and she knew if she turned, he’d only grab for her. She was going to have to move in and take the man down.

  “You ain’t gonna be no trouble,” he hissed as he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her and then pressed his body to hers.

  This wasn’t quite where she’d wanted to end up, but if she fought, she could still get loose.

  “Let me go.”

  “Nope. You’re giving it up to me first, sweet cheeks,” he snapped in her ear, and now she could smell the liquor on him as he twisted her arm further and she could hear her shoulder pop.

  It was time for action, she thought as she aimed to sock him in the gut with her free arm, but he only laughed as he took hold of her wrist. Then wrapping that arm around the front of her, with her other still pinned behind her, he simply lifted her off her feet.

  “Put me down!” she screamed and he only laughed. Her kicking feet seemed no match for his size.

  “Races aren’t the only thing you’ve got to lose if you don’t shut your trap.”

  “You’ll never race again,” she threatened and he laughed again.

  “No, you’ll never race again, bitch. There ain’t no room for your ass in this circuit. Maybe you’ll think twice about showing up next time.”

  When he had dragged her back to the other side of his truck, he let go of the arm he’d had twisted behind her and opened the door.

  With everything she had, Missy swung her arm, which was now numb, and clocked him right in the jaw.

  Maverick staggered back only slightly, then raised his fist and it came down right on her cheek.

  She fell back, stumbling to the ground. “Get up, bitch. I ain’t done yet,” he said as he unhooked the huge belt buckle on his pants.

  Missy hurt. Every single part of her body ached, and her vision blurred from the hit he’d landed. But she’d walked away from a flipped car and a fire today. There was no way in hell she was going to let Carson Maverick take anything else from her.

  Knowing she wasn’t steady, she didn’t even try to get up on her feet. This was going to have to be a takedown from the ground, she decided as he unbuttoned his pants.

  She blinked hard and warded off the nausea that rolled in her stomach. But as she looked back up at the man, she watched him close his eyes and fall to the ground next to her. Blood trickled down the back of his head.

  When she looked up she saw Jake Walker standing where Maverick had been, the neck of a broken whisky bottle poised in his hand.

  Her breath was shaky as she heard him drop the bottle to the ground and move to her.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “Mostly my pride.” She lifted her hand to her cheek. “I think he might have dislocated my shoulder,” she offered, realizing she couldn’t move.

  “C’mon,” he said, moving in to carefully pull her to her feet.

  “Did you kill him?” she asked looking down at the man who a moment ago had been such a tyrant.

  “I hope not. That wouldn’t go over too well. We’ll get him some help, but you first. Can you walk?”

  Holding her arm against her she took a step, but the earth beneath her seemed uneven and she fell toward Jake.

  “Yep, looks like I’m your ride,” he grunted as he caught her, then scooped her up into his arms. “You’re coming back to my place, and don’t argue or I’ll drop your ass in the street,” he threatened.

  How could she argue? Instead she rested her cheek to his chest and let her valiant hero carry her across the street to his hotel room. Later she could be pissed off that she’d let Maverick hurt her and it took Walker to save her. But for now, she was ever so grateful.

  Chapter Three

  Jake was careful to keep clear from the front of the hotel. He’d walked to a side door and eased Missy to her feet for a moment as he took out his room key to open it.

  “I can walk from here,” she said, but he shook his head.

  “We’re almost there. I’ll get you the rest of the way. Save your strength so that you can beat the shit out of me when we get up there,” he offered and was pleased that she had it in her to let out the tiniest of laughs before he scooped her back up and carried her to the elevator.

  Thank goodness for bars after races, he thought as he carried her onto the elevator when the doors opened. He could hear the noise coming from the hotel lobby, and the hallways seemed to be empty. That would help them both in the long run. The last thing he needed was for anyone to see him with Missy Sheridan, let alone carrying her to his hotel room. Especially in the state she was in. Someone could easily take her for having been drugged. That wouldn’t help his already tarnished reputation.

  Again, he lowered her legs so that she was standing with his arm around her as he opened the door.

  “I can walk in,” she said, and this time he let her.

  She nursed her arm and walked slowly into the room as he turned on the light and made sure the DO NOT DISTURB sign on was still on the door as he’d left it.

  “Nice room,” she said as she looked around.

  Suddenly he realized he wasn’t the best housekeeper when it came to hotel rooms. His own house was a different story. He’d been in the room for two days, and his entire suitcase looked as though it had been tossed around the room. Since he always refused housekeeping, because his father had always told him they stole your personal items when they clean. He wasn’t such a mess at home, so why he traveled in such a way was beyond him.

  Jake moved to the bed and pulled up the sheets and the comforter. Then he gathered all the pillows, even the extras in the closet, and propped them up against the headboard.

  “Sit down. I’m going to get you some ice,” he ordered.

  He could see the reluctance in her eyes, but she did as he said, and he helped ease her onto his bed.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Jake gathered the ice bucket, and his key. Then he checked his pocket for his wallet and his phone.

  As soon as he walked out into the hallway and the door closed, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed. “Bud, we have a huge problem.”

  After relaying what had happened, he filled the bag that came in the ice bucket, and purchased two Cokes, which he stuck in the bucket. Quickly he walked back to his room and opened the door just as someone opened the door across the hall.

  “Hey, Walker. Too bad about the race today,” Xavier Van Gordon said as he walked out of the room with a woman Jake had never seen, but it was plenty obvious Xavier had seen all of her as she was still stuffing herself back into her dress. “Stupid bitch should be thrown out for taking you out of what
, the third race?” He laughed, and Jake could feel the anger surge in his veins, but he reeled it in. “Oh, wait. Maybe they should throw you out since you can’t even race against a girl.”

  Jake bit down so hard he could feel his jaw pop as he turned and entered his room, letting the door slam behind him.

  Missy adjusted on the bed, but she didn’t attempt to get up. He set the ice on the table and pulled out the Cokes.

  “Was that Van Gordon?” she asked, still holding her arm against her.

  “Yeah.”

  “I could tell by the way he called me bitch. Every driver has their own special way of saying it.”

  At that moment, he realized just how many times he had called her that. Suddenly it didn’t sit well with him.

  “I’m sorry,” he offered as he twisted the top from one of the bottles.

  “Sorry that he thinks I’m a bitch?”

  Jake shook his head and walked toward her. “No, I’m sorry that everyone does that—that I’ve done it.”

  The corner of her mouth turned up into a slight smile. “Yours are harder to hear. They’re under your breath.”

  He held out the Coke to her. “Drink some. I know you’re all about not drinking soda, but your body is in a bit of shock. It’ll help.”

  She took the bottle and sipped from it—barely. “How do you know I don’t drink soda?”

  He tried not to wince. That shouldn’t be something he knew off the top of his head—especially since the woman drove him crazy.

  “We might all hate each other in the circuit, but we’re close as family you know.”

  Now she laughed and then winced.

  Jake walked back to the ice and tied off the bag. He picked up a towel from the floor and wrapped it around the bag before turning back to her and propping it on her shoulder.

  “I don’t think it’s dislocated. If it were you’d never have landed that punch to Maverick’s jaw.”

  “Couldn’t remember if I’d actually landed it.”

  Jake laughed. “Oh, yeah. You did. It threw him off balance. Bud is going to check out the parking lot across the street and make sure Maverick isn’t injured.” He sipped his Coke. “We’ll see what his story actually is.”

  “Thank you.” Her voice shook a bit when she said it. “I usually can handle myself, but…”

  “I don’t care how I feel about you. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt someone like that.”

  “Then thanks for being a gentleman.” She set the Coke on the nightstand, took the ice from her shoulder, and swung her feet off the bed. “No need for you to continue, I suppose. You don’t think much of me, and here you are letting me take up space.”

  “Shut up and sit back,” he demanded, grabbing her feet and swinging them back up on the bed. “You don’t have to pull that strong woman crap with me. I know you can handle yourself just fine. Things got out of control today. I’m mad that you wrecked my car.”

  “You wrecked it,” she countered.

  “And you’re mad that Justice and Maverick caused you to crash,” he continued trying to skip over her comment. “Still, he shouldn’t have done what he did to you. No woman deserves that.” He turned back to the table and opened the other Coke.

  “They could throw you out.” Her voice had gone soft again. “If he’s really hurt…”

  “I know. Guess that’s the chance I’ll have to take. But what about him? Look what he did to you.” He nodded in her direction.

  “Oh, you know how that’ll go down. Woman all alone in a parking lot of a bar at night. I had it coming.”

  Jake shook his head and drank down half the Coke until he felt the burp he’d needed to clear his chest rise. But then he realized the company he was keeping, and he turned and let it out as quietly as he could before he turned back around.

  “I don’t think that way. For the record.”

  “Byron Walker’s kid doesn’t think women have it coming to them?”

  That stung. He had little pride in being Byron Walker’s son, even if he had great pride in being a Walker. The fact that even someone as petty in his life as Missy Sheridan knew that his father was a grand S.O.B., well that was just icing on the cake that was his life.

  He’d been turned down for jobs and even gotten in fights when people found out who his father was. How one man could take a family name and tarnish it so much was beyond him. There had been a few times Jake had told someone he was his uncle Everett’s son, just to get some respect. That side of the Walker family could do no wrong.

  His inner pity party stopped when there was a knock at the door. At this point he hoped it was Carson Maverick, because he felt like kicking the crap out of someone, and he fit the bill.

  Jake moved to the door and pulled it open. Bud stood there with his hands on both sides of the door jamb.

  “Are you sure you know what the hell you’re talking about? That little piece of T and A got tossed around and you knocked the guy out?”

  “I’d make that up?” he asked.

  “T and A?” Missy’s voice came from behind him and the color drained from Bud’s face.

  “You have her in your room?” Bud asked.

  “Yeah, now get in here,” Jake said stepping back so Bud could clear the threshold and he shut the door behind him.

  When Bud saw her lying on Jake’s bed, he pulled his cap from his head, and held it in his hands. Jake hadn’t seen him do that unless the flag was passing by.

  “No disrespect, Miss Sheridan, but you look like crap.”

  She chuckled at that. “And that’s how I feel.”

  Jake noticed her cheek was a different color red now and had started to swell. He thought for a moment and remembered he had a bag from the convenience store down the street in his trash. He moved to the trash can and dug it out, then walked around to the bed and took the ice from her.

  “I’m going to make you another bag for your face,” he offered, and she smiled up a him.

  Bud fidgeted with his hat, but he never put it back on. “I went across the street. Maverick and his truck aren’t there. And if you did what you say you did, there’s no evidence of it. Not even the bottle is there.”

  Jake untied the bag of ice and shook some of it into the other bag. “What about the bar? They have to have surveillance of their parking lot.”

  Bud shook his head. “C’mon, you’re in a town where the only thing they have is that track to draw people in. They’re not that worried about what goes on in parking lots. Racers come and go and leave their money.”

  Jake tied off both bags and turned to hand them to Missy. He looked up at Bud. “So you actually asked them about surveillance then?”

  Bud pulled back on his hat. “Yes, smartass, I did. The only camera they have is in the bar. He remembered you two having some lover’s spat, you bought her beer, she didn’t drink it.”

  Missy pressed the bag of ice to her cheek. “That all checks out except the lover part.”

  “That’ll never check out,” Jake mumbled.

  “Listen,” Bud stepped closer to Jake. “If you turn this over, and they decide you did what you say you did, they’ll throw you out.”

  “But what about what he did to her?”

  Bud shifted a glance toward Missy, and then back to him. “It’s her word against his. My guess is he’s going to say nothing happened.”

  “That’s exactly what he’ll say,” Missy added. “It’s what they all say and it’s why I know how to kick someone in the balls if I have to.”

  Jake had no doubt she could usually handle herself. But he’d seen her. Maverick had had the upper hand.

  “Keep your ears open,” Jake said to Bud. “Maverick has a big mouth. He’s out to turn everyone against each other that way he races better.”

  Bud chuckled. “Yeah, cuz he sucks at racing.”

  Jake nodded. “Thanks for checking into it for me.”

  Bud looked toward Missy. “I hope you’re feeling better soon. You racing next month?”

>   She shrugged and then winced. “I suppose that’ll depend on how fast I can fix my car.”

  With a little wave, Bud turned and let himself out of the room.

  Missy swung her feet over the edge of the bed. “I should go. Thanks for saving my ass.”

  Jake moved to her. “You’re not going anywhere. Lie down.”

  “I can kick you in the balls too,” she threatened and he stepped closer.

  “Sit down.”

  She sunk her glare into him, then did as he’d said. “Call your brother and have him come pick you up. The two of you can decide what you want to do about tonight. If you go to the cops, give them my number. If you don’t, well then watch your back.”

  Missy pressed the bag to her cheek and winced. “It shouldn’t be like this. Racing should be fun. Why do these idiots think they have to kill someone to win?”

  “You took me out of the race.”

  She nodded and set the bags on the nightstand before standing up to face him. “And you never let me explain why.”

  “Explain away.”

  Missy bit down on her bottom lip as if it gave her focus. “Your dad bought you that garage.”

  “He helped me financially secure it,” Jake explained.

  “Fine. He loaned you the money that he worked out of someone else. Point is, Justice had his eye on it and the guy suddenly sold it to your dad. Then your dad didn’t finish the deal.”

  Jake stepped closer to her. “You’re saying I don’t own my garage?”

  “No, I’m saying you own it, but perhaps the methods about you getting it weren’t completely on the up and up.”

  He ran his tongue over his teeth. The fact that he wasn’t surprised to hear this was as disturbing as the facts his father swindled someone to get the garage for him.

  “So Justice wants my garage?”

  She shrugged. “He just doesn’t want you to have it. He can’t seem to take it out from under you, so talk is he can just take you out in a race.”

  “And what does this have to do with Maverick? He’s the one that attacked you and pushed you out of the race to secure it for Justice.”