“Thank you,” she said politely, her gaze immediately returning to the general area where they’d chosen to house the stock car. Before Sam left the stable, she honed in on his physical characteristics, hoping something about him would jog her memory. He was tall and slender. Lanky best described him. He had salt-and-pepper hair, a cleft chin, and several scars on both arms. In fact, there were too many to count.
“Did Sam ever race?”
Frank’s forefinger went to his jaw and he thought about the question for a minute. “Far as I know, he hasn’t. How come?”
“Curious, that’s all,” she replied, thinking Sam’s arms looked like her back. He’d walked away from an accident somewhere. Was it a dragster or stock car? Was he one of the men who wanted to hurt her or, as he’d suggested, a member of the Hinman team because he wanted to be part of a winning conglomerate destined for championships?
Duke shot her a peculiar glance and then draped his arm around her shoulders protectively as much as possessively, the latter a gesture she defied by shrugging him away. Frank pretended not to notice them. He went about mucking a nearby stall, tossing manure in a wheelbarrow.
“I told some fella the other day. Little girl is gonna be a heck of a driver. Wait and see. She’s gonna show those fellas from North Carolina. Those fellas are gonna cry like women when she sends them home for a new set of tires.” He stopped talking long enough to dump another shovelful and added, “Yes sir, that’s what I tell just about everyone these days.”
Duke winked. Julie wondered if he saw how Frank manipulated her, or if he cared. Frank had been pulling this number since she was a small child.
When Julie was a teenager, Frank used to put her on “too much horse” and tell her to ride like hell. Sometimes, Julie could close her eyes and still see Frank standing there ringside with his hands together, clapping like a wild man. He conned her into riding one horse after another, each time finding a more spirited mount, a bigger challenge than the last.
“What do you think about the new driver Carl Carlton sent over?” Duke asked, arching a brow.
“Carl sent one of his drivers?” she asked.
Frank’s cheeks swelled with his next breath. When he finally decided to breathe like a normal person again, he said, “I checked his stats. Carlton lied to ya. Kid never raced on the dirt track.”
“Are you sure?” Duke asked, frowning.
“Of course I am,” Frank replied, tossing aside the shovel and retrieving the pitchfork.
“Frank knows everything about racing, Duke,” Julie reminded him, peering over the top of the barred stall. “By the way, why are you cleaning stalls when you’d rather be at the track?”
“I can hear them cars right here, little girl. I don’t have to be watchin’ ’em to know what’s goin’ on.” He looked at Duke and then back at her. “Yes sirree, there’s a lot I don’t have to see for myself. When you have a good hearing aid like I do, nothin’ gets by ya.”
She shot Duke a quick glance and he shrugged. “I hope that’s not true.”
“It is,” he said, his lips twitching. “Come on, little girl. Let’s get you in this car.”
Frank walked ahead of them, and Julie followed. “I’m not driving today, Frank.”
“That’s all right,” he said. “We’ve got a couple of tomorrows before we give up on ya.” He yanked open the metal door and placed his palm to his chest. “Mercy me, I forgot how sexy this thing is first thing in the afternoon.”
Duke pinched Julie’s bottom and whispered at her ear, “He ain’t the only one. I forgot how much you tempt me. I’d like to do something about that right this very minute.”
Chapter Nine
Duke would fuck her sometime within the next hour. Julie couldn’t keep her eyes off him, and he couldn’t wait to spank her for making him hard.
Duke grunted then. He longed to give Julie the kind of whipping she deserved, a tender loving hand raised for the purpose of arousing her.
Julie and Frank’s voices faded in and out. They were talking cars. He was thinking sex.
She shot him a sideways glance. Moistening her lips, she stared right at his cock.
Without a doubt, Julie understood Duke’s head was in the trash can. He was considering all sorts of nasty little pleasures, erotic moves guaranteed to keep them up late tonight.
“So where’s Hank?” Frank asked, nodding toward the large clock at the far end of the barn.
“He went into town,” Duke replied, frowning when he noticed the hour.
“Reckon I oughta ride around and see what’s keepin’ him?” Frank asked.
“No. He’ll be back after while.”
Frank shook his head quickly and looked away. “Little girl, why don’t you do me a favor and run in the tack room and buy me a soda?”
Frank dug in his front pocket for change. Even though the machine was always unlocked and the employees were told they had an unlimited supply of beverages on the house, Frank always paid his way.
Julie snickered as she took the change and headed toward the vending area, calling out over her shoulder, “I know when you’re trying to get rid of me, Frank.”
He smiled until she disappeared out of sight. Then, he said, “Before he left, Hank told me to call him at two o’clock. I tried and didn’t get an answer. I sent Sam out there and his truck is there, but he’s nowhere to be found.”
“And you’re just now telling me about this?”
“I didn’t know what you told my little girl. Wouldn’t make sense to upset her if there was no need, ya know?”
Duke rubbed his jaw. “I’ll ride out to Ole Lamplighter and see if anyone saw anything.”
“I doubt it,” Frank told him. “Place is closed until suppertime. There wasn’t a car in the lot even when Sam got there. Only vehicle there was Hank’s truck.” A beat later he said, “And Sam said his gun was in between the seats. Along with his cell phone.”
Now Duke was concerned. Hank seldom met strangers without his cell phone in his pocket. “Watch after Julie, will ya?”
“You got it,” Frank promised.
Duke hurried outside, yanked his phone free from his pocket, and dialed Hank. His voice mail picked up, and he dialed again, passing the time as he drove like a madman heading into town.
On the third try, he left a message. “Hank, so help me if you’re okay, I’m gonna hurt you myself for making me worry. It’s four o’clock and we should’ve heard something by now. Frank’s concerned.” Hell, he was worried, too. He picked up the phone and called him again. When he left another message, he said, “I’m concerned. Call me.”
Tossing the phone aside, he clutched the steering wheel and headed for Riverside. Minutes later, when he pulled into the parking lot, he was greeted by Sam McMann, and his suspicions rose from there.
* * * *
Yanking the keys from the ignition, Duke unlocked the glove box and retrieved a small pistol, which he stuck in his belt. Rolling down the window, he drove up to the Hinman vehicle Sam drove. “What brings you out here again, Sam?” Duke asked, studying him as he spoke. Had they hired someone who was hell-bent on harming Julie? Had they entrusted her care, the engineering of a car they’d insisted she drive, in her enemy’s hands?
“I need to talk to you,” he said suspiciously.
“So talk,” Duke said, placing his hand on the butt of the gun.
“We’ve got a problem.”
“You don’t say,” Duke said, glancing at his brother’s truck.
“It’s Frank,” Sam blurted out, hurriedly continuing with, “I know you trust him—”
“With my life,” Duke informed him, cutting him off. He wasn’t going to listen to this. If Hank were there, he’d cut the guy’s tongue out for trying to cast a negative light on someone who’d worshipped the ground Julie tread across.
“Then you may not live very long,” Sam remarked. “And as long as he’s around Julie, she’s in danger.”
“Man, you have no idea what
kind of accusation you’re making here. Julie and Frank are tight. They’ve been friends since she was a little girl, and he thinks of her as his own daughter.”
Sam reached across the seat for something of interest and Duke immediately went for his gun, tapping the butt of the piece so he could draw the weapon if he had to.
“I know you’ve got a pistol on your side, Duke,” Sam said regretfully. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m trying to help you.”
“Oh yeah?” Duke said, tilting his head toward the paper Sam passed his way. “What’s this?”
“Proof Frank doesn’t always have Julie’s best interest at heart. That’s the bill of sale on that Thoroughbred he just purchased. In the notes down at the bottom, Frank acknowledges the owner told him the horse was dangerous. Damn beast put three different ranch hands in the hospital out in Texas. The former owner wanted to put her down. She’s just stark crazy.”
Duke stared at the bill of sale. There had to be some explanation for this. Outside of the obvious—Frank knew what he was buying when he gave ten thousand dollars for a horse with a record for harming the innocent. He studied the acknowledgement at the bottom of the page. Frank’s handwriting was hard to forge. His signature was nothing more than a long line of chicken scratches.
“Duke, that’s not all,” Sam continued. “I’ve been real cautious about that car. I haven’t told you, but I do routine checks on all your vehicles daily, on the chance Julie decides she wants to drive. I wanted to be sure nothing was wrong, and well, I guess I’ve been a little obsessive about it. Now, I know why. Some brakes were tampered with last night. If Julie had gotten in her race car today, after hitting speeds of over ninety miles per hour, she wouldn’t have had any brakes.”
Duke shook his head. He tried to rationalize what he was being told, but there wasn’t any way he could explain the bill of sale. How could Frank fake the kind of love and concern he seemed to hold for Julie? He thought about the times he’d watched Frank and Julie together, remembered the way Frank was so compassionate whenever he spoke about or to the one he called his little girl.
“This doesn’t make sense. Why would Frank want to hurt Julie?”
Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. But I can tell you this right now, that horse he bought her? It ain’t fit for a man, much less a woman Julie’s size. As for the brakes, we’re probably all right on that. I’ll get everything tuned up and repaired tonight. I was just waiting until everyone went to bed so I could start repairs without an audience.”
“Are you trying to tell me you didn’t fix them yet?”
“I didn’t see the point. Julie wasn’t going to drive today. She was with you all morning. I figured after Hank went missing, there wasn’t any need to rush repairs.”
“Hell and damnation!” Duke yelled, stuffing the keys back in the ignition. “Hurry up. Get back to the farm. Frank was with Julie and I’ll bet you anything he talks her into a practice run.”
Chapter Ten
“Frank, I swear you can convince me to do anything,” Julie said, grinning as she slid through the window of the race car Frank had been dying to see her drive.
“I don’t know, little girl. I still haven’t seen you on that mare’s back. The two of ya haven’t bonded yet. You need to get down there in that field and get to know her, just you and her. Sit around down there and read a book. Let her come up and sniff around ya, and you’ll be thick as thieves before ya know it.”
Julie shook her head. “You saw her, Frank. After Duke left, I went down there and tried to catch her. She was too interested in kicking up her heels and showing off.”
He waved his hand in front of his face. “Don’t worry about that none. She’s ornery after her trip. Once she gets some rest, you’ll be able to get on her back.”
“She almost kicked me in the head,” Julie complained, thinking Frank should’ve been alarmed by the fact rather than dismissing the incident as a freak incident due to some sort of animal jet lag. The mare was temperamental, and after this afternoon, anyone could see that. Then again, she and Frank were used to mares like her. They used to break horses for a living.
Julie studied her older friend. Frank was getting up in years. He wasn’t the same anymore, and Julie had noticed the changes since she’d returned to the Hinmans’ world. He was still loyal to a fault, but he’d changed. Sometimes when she talked to him, he looked off in the distance like he didn’t hear a word she’d said. He used to hang on her every sentence.
“Well hurry up now. Get to drivin’. If you wanna practice without anyone around, you gotta hop to it.”
Julie slid on her helmet and waved. “I’ll see you on the start side of the finish line, Frank.” She used the familiar phrase they used to share between them, which meant she’d look for him as she crossed the finish line so they’d share their victories together.
He grinned. “Yes ma’am, I’ll be there with ya.”
“All right then,” she said, disappearing inside the car. Once there, she flipped switches, cranked the engine, and readjusted her seat. Trying to familiarize herself with a stock car after racing dragsters for several years took some time.
Clutching the wheel, she focused on the track, refusing to look at Frank now. It was bad luck, he used to say. He used to tell her, once you say good-bye, you don’t look back. Look forward. You gotta race to win, and you’ll never be a good competitor if you’re looking at what you pass up or leave behind.
One of the mechanics motioned her forward, rapidly rotating his wrist in a circular manner as he walked in front of her car. Several guys gathered at the fence. She had an audience of ten, and they seemed anxious to find out what this car could do.
After the first lap, Julie realized she was where she needed to be. Racing was more than her career. The sport was her hobby and her life. Three laps in, the men on the rail started to whoop and holler, and really cheer. And that’s when Julie decided to put on a show, the kind of exhibition stock car racing fans appreciated.
Practice run or not, Julie was ready to punch the pedal and find out what this car could do.
* * * *
Duke jumped out of the truck and slammed the door. He ran toward the track. The sound was like nothing he’d ever heard there at their practice facility before. It sounded like a professional driver having one hell of a qualifying run.
“Hurry up!” he yelled at Sam as he left his vehicle, too. “Julie’s on the track!”
Sam caught up to him and they ran side by side. “How do you know it’s Julie?”
They stopped at the top of the hill and Duke pointed. “Because no one drives like that! Hurry up!”
Duke ran down the hill waving his arms overhead, but instead of slowing down, she sped up. “Fuck! You’re such a show-off!” he screamed, waving his hands again when she passed, hoping she’d note the fear on his face, the concern in his eyes.
At increased and quite incredible speeds, Julie passed him on the rail and came up into turn four. Duke saw the brake lights, but the car didn’t slow down. “She can’t stop!” He jogged around the parameter of the track and stalked Frank, who was communicating with Julie.
Snatching the receiver out of his hand, Duke glared at Frank as he yelled in the transmitter, “Julie! Someone tampered with the brakes. Stay calm. That car is tough.”
“Duke!” she cried out, the fear in her voice.
“Honey, listen to me. I want you to stay low, get down near the field. When you come out of turn three, cut to the left, get infield. You’ll spin, maybe flip. But you’ll survive. Just stay off the wall, baby. Hear me. Stay with me.”
“Duke, damn it! I don’t have any brakes!”
“I know, Julie. I know!”
“She doesn’t have much gas,” Frank reported, turning to one of the mechanics. “You didn’t fill ’er up, did ya?”
“No, sir,” the young kid replied.
“Who would do this?” Frank asked, shooting Sam a glare.
“I wonder,” Duke retorted,
watching as Julie struggled to get the car under control. He punched the button on the side of the radio and spoke into the device. “All right, baby, check your gas. How much you got?”
“I don’t know. I can’t see the gauge.”
“What do you mean you can’t see the gauge?”
“I can’t see the gauge!” A wail filled the line. “I can’t see anything!”
“Why wouldn’t she be able to see the gas gauge?” he asked Sam accusingly.
“There’s no reason.”
“Unless she’s going in shock,” Frank suggested.
“Someone call the paramedics,” Duke yelled toward the fence, holding his breath as Julie fought with the wheel, the car spinning and reeling out of control as she did her dead level best to stay on the track. And there was no question, Julie was once again fighting for her life.
“She should be out of gas,” Frank reported.
Duke hurriedly said, “Stay with us, Julie. You got a choice, baby. Ride this out or bring that car infield. If you slide in, you’ll try and make it to the runaway ramp in the center. Chances are, you’ll wreck before you get there. Take your chances, baby. Drive, girl. Frank says there isn’t much gas left. Just drive it out like you know how to do.”
Sam glared at Duke. “She’s not gonna make it. That car is banging over a hundred miles per hour. There’s no way she can keep coming into those turns without crashing.”
“Evidently you’ve never seen Julie drive a stock car. She grew up in these vehicles. Before she knew drag racing, Julie knew these cars better than a man driving them or mechanic fixing ’em.”
He stared at Sam point-blank then. He could only imagine what the new fellow was probably thinking. If Sam told the truth about Frank, and the bill of sale suggested he may have, then Frank deliberately put Julie in danger. For all Duke knew, the damn car could have had a full tank of gas!
About the time Duke began to question whether or not Julie would run out of fuel, the car started to putter. Minutes later, Julie’s four tires screeched to a halt. She barreled out, storming down the track.
Acres, Natalie - Bang the Blower [Country Roads 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7
