by Lindsay Becs
Hate Nothing
A King Family Novel
Lindsay Becs
Contents
Playlist
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Lindsay Becs
Acknowledgments
Copyright ©2020 Lindsay Becs
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without prior written consent of the author except for the use of brief quotation in a book review.
The characters and events depicted in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover Design: Amanda Walker
Formatting: Marley Valentine
Editing: Tricia Harden
Proofreading: Jennifer Jaks
Playlist
Marshmello ft. Anne-Marie - Friends
Selena Gomez - Bad Liar
Taylor Swift - …Ready for It?
Rihanna - Shut Up and Drive
Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
P!nk - Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
Olly Murs ft. Demi Lovato - Up
Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug - Havana
Sheppard - Geronimo
Selena Gomez - Come & Get It
The Lumineers - Ophelia
Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko - Stay
Brynn Elliott - Might Not Like Me
Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
5 Seconds of Summer - Youngblood
Bryce Vine ft. YG - La La Land
Dedication
For every woman who fought against the grain.
You are my hero.
Prologue
Zander
“I’m so sorry, Soda Pop. We’re here. Hang in there,” I try to reassure her as we pull up to the hospital.
I don’t know what the hell I was thinking agreeing to train her at such a young age. She’s only sixteen years old. I squeeze her hand when I see her grimace as the ambulance hits a bump.
Her tear-filled eyes find mine. They’re filled with fear as the door opens to pull out the stretcher she’s strapped to, the paramedics taking her inside.
“I got you. I’m not going anywhere,” I assure her once more, pressing my lips to her hand before I have to let go.
Jumping out the back, I follow them into the hospital. “Are you family?” a staff member asks me when I begin to follow down the corridor.
“No. I’m a close family friend. I was with her when it all happened.” I swallow down the bile rising in my throat. Her pained cry keeps ricochet through my head.
A nurse holds her hand up, stopping me from going any farther. “I’m sorry, but this is as far as you can go. You can wait over there, and someone will inform you as soon as we know anything.”
Licking my dry lips, I nod, knowing there’s no use in fighting her. I want them to take good care of Poppy and do whatever they need to do. Turning around, I walk to the waiting area and fall into a chair, scrubbing my hands over my face. I hope she’s alright. She has to be alright.
I close my eyes and think about what happened. She was doing great. Everything seemed fine. We’d done the same drills over and over. I’m sure she could do them in her sleep by now.
I’ve been training her for almost two years. Poppy came to me and asked if I’d teach her to ride and train her to race. I was apprehensive because not only was she only fourteen at the time, but her dad is Benton King, the world champion of the IMR—International Motorcycle Races—and owner of Royal King Motorcycles. She had asked her dad to teach her and he told her no, so she came to me.
Her aunt Penny is a mechanic with Royal King Motorcycles and a friend of mine. I asked her what she thought, and she agreed to keep it secret from the family. I thought by me teaching her she’d be safer than if she went looking somewhere else. Guess I was wrong.
“You son of a bitch!” I hear Benton yell. I barely have time to open my eyes before his fist slams into my face. I don’t fight back much. Figure I probably deserve a punch… maybe two. But when he pulls back for number three, I block him.
“Okay! Enough!” I yell, pushing him back as I teeter to stand up to face him. Knew it had to come at some point. Holding my hands up in surrender, I start. “Look, I know you’re pissed.”
“Pissed? Pissed, am I? You think that’s all I am? You put my little girl in the fucking hospital!”
“It was an accident! She’s been doing awesome. She’s only fallen a handful of times in the two years—”
“Two years?! This bullshit has been going on for two years?!” He roars into my face, grabbing my shirt in his fist.
“Benton! Not here,” I hear Tatum, his wife and Poppy’s mom, get his attention. He lets me go but only to find out more about Poppy from his wife.
I drop back down and rub my jaw. Thankfully, he punches like shit.
“Oh crap! Zander, are you alright?” I hear Penny, turning my head to see her walking toward me, her husband, Jesse, behind her.
“Yeah. I’m okay. Worried about Poppy.”
“Benton?” Jesse asks with a nod toward my face that I’m sure is beginning to bruise.
“Yeah. Turns out he and Tatum aren’t very understanding,” I try to joke.
“I didn’t think they’d be happy, but I didn’t think he’d hit you either,” Penny admits. “You sure you’re alright? I’ll get you some ice,” she says before I can answer for myself.
“Just let her do her thing,” Jesse chuckles, sitting a couple chairs away from me.
A few minutes later, Penny comes back with a bag of ice for my face. “Thanks,” I tell her, placing the bag to my already swelling jaw just as Benton and Tatum return. “How is she?” I ask as I stand to face him once more.
“Broken arm. Might have a fractured hip too but she’s alright. They’re setting her arm before they X-ray her hip,” Tatum tells us. “Did you know?” she asks, facing her sister with fury in her gaze.
Penny nods slowly and drops her head. “When Benton told her no and she asked Zander, we thought it was better that he teach her than someone else. This was an accident, Tate.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Penny. She is my kid. You don’t get to make those decisions. We do,” Tatum seethes.
“I’m sorry, Tatum. I really am, and I’m sure Zander is too. He’s been careful. Poppy has been doing great; we didn’t think she’d get hurt like this,” Penny goes on, defending me to her sister.
“I am sorry,” I say, speaking for myself. “But I’m telling you 100% truth when I say she’s an excellent rider. I’ve been teaching her by the book but slower than our professional training is. She really is a natural, Benton. You’d be proud of her,” I say softly, hoping that he’ll see past this accident and see Poppy for the rider she is.
“Of course I’m bloody proud of her,” Benton says with disgust in his accented voice. “But I also knew she was young and not ready.”
&n
bsp; “She was—is—ready though. She really could beat all our asses on any track any day.” I smile a little, thinking about the last time I raced her.
“You’re fired.” Benton’s words hit me harder than his punches.
“What?” I blanch.
“Benton, don’t do this,” Penny begs behind me.
“You’re fucking fired, Zander. Find a different team to race with next season. Stay away from Royal King. Stay away from my family. Stay away from my daughter. I only want to see you on the track when I beat your ass. That is if any team will take you.” He turns before I can say anything else.
My stomach drops. Shit. I just lost my job, my team, the only real family where I’ve ever felt like I belonged.
“I’ll talk to him. He just needs to cool down,” Penny says as she rubs my back.
Shaking my head, I look at her. “No, Pen. It’s done. I really am sorry about Poppy.”
“It’s not all on you.”
“Yeah, it is.” I let out a breath and hug her. “Please let me know if anything changes,” I whisper into her ear. She nods and I let go, leaving them all behind.
1
Poppy
Groaning, I stretch as I wake up. The sun is shining in the backs of my eyelids. Squinting, I slowly open my eyes as a smile spreads across my face. Today is the day I’ve been waiting for. It has felt like I’ve been waiting a thousand years when really, it’s only been about two. Sitting up, I sink my teeth into my lip before kicking my legs in excitement.
I’m fucking finally eighteen!
I’m a legal adult and can make decisions for myself, and no one can tell me any differently ever again. After my accident two years ago, when my parents discovered I was training to race motorcycles like my dad, they banned me from riding. Hypocritical, right?
I was beyond pissed. They not only cut me off from all things two-wheeled, but my dad also fired Zander, who had become more than just my teacher but my friend when I didn’t feel like I had any. I haven’t talked to Zander since that day though. My dad told him to stay away, and he listened, much to my own chagrin.
I still watch him race, with another team no less. He belongs with Royal King, but my dad is too damn stubborn to let bygones be bygones and move on. So, instead he busts his old ass to keep winning races.
Today is the day I’m going to make my move to change everything, and no one will see me coming.
Too excited to wait any longer, I jump out of bed, pulling on a pair of jeans and a tank. I quickly run my fingers through my hair and brush my teeth before stuffing my feet in my boots. Grabbing my keys and phone, I jump into my Ford truck and head to the only place I want to be on my birthday… the race track.
The Piston Ring is in Las Vegas, where I live with my family. It’s one of the tracks for the International Motorcycle Races, or IMR, and where Royal King trains the most.
It’s also Zander’s home training ring too. He trains there three days a week with the Ducati team while the RK team gets the other four. It was a compromise between them a couple of years ago. I bet you can guess whose day it is today…
Walking to the track that I know by heart, I stop on the fence line and watch as Zander and his teammate Austin Daniels ride around. Seeing them, hearing the engines of their bikes roar, has my blood pumping.
When they slow down, moving toward the pit where their crew is today, I make my way over. Pushing my aviators to the top of my head, I smile when I catch Zander’s surprised face.
Hopping from his bike, he says something to a crew member and then makes his way to where I’m leaning against a wall in the shade. His smile grows the closer he gets, but I can tell he’s trying to hold it back.
“Poppy? What in the hell are you doing here?” he asks as he gets closer to me with that still-growing smile.
“Today’s my birthday,” I tell him with a growing smile of my own.
“Happy birthday?” He says it like a question as he stops in front of me before giving me an awkward hug.
“I’m eighteen today. I’m ready to get back on two wheels. And I want you to be the one to help me train again,” I tell him, getting right to the point.
I see the confusion, surprise, and fear cross his face. “Poppy…” he starts, but I cut him off.
“Look, I’m really sorry for how things went down before with my dad and RK. They shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I owe you a lot, Zander. But in the last two years, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about my dad, it’s that he’s never going to get behind the idea of me racing. Unless I show him on the track, where he has no choice but to see my ass cross the finish line before his.”
He lets out a breath, thinking about what to say next. With his chin tucked to his chest, his eyes find mine. “It’s going to take time. It could take years even.”
Nodding, I stand straighter. “I know. I understand. I lost a lot of valuable time. But I respected my parents’ wishes long enough, and now it’s my time. I’m doing this. And I want to do it with your help. You know me, my capabilities, my weaknesses, and you’re the best.” I shrug. “Will you teach and train me again?”
Rubbing a hand over the stubble on his jaw, he watches me a minute. “Are we keeping it a secret again?”
“Valid question. Probably.” I answer honestly and pray that doesn’t make him turn me down.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” I ask excitedly. “Really?”
“Yeah, Soda Pop.” He says my old nickname with a smile, pulling me into a hug. “I missed you, kid.”
“Aww! I missed you too, dude. When do we start?” I ask, stepping back and clapping my hands together.
He lets out a bark of laughter. “I’m deep in training with a new bike. I can only give you one night a week for now. Can you meet me here on Thursday nights at seven?”
“I’ll be here.”
“Alright. I’ll see you then, kid.”
Smiling bigger, I turn to leave but stop and turn back around. “Hey, Zander?” He turns to look at me. “I’m not really a kid anymore. Just so we’re straight. You and me? We’re equals now, but I’m still going to beat your ass on that track. You’ve just been riding longer than me.” I smirk before turning back around to head to my truck.
“How was that?” I ask, pulling the helmet from my head and wiping the sweat from my brow.
“Better, that’s for damn sure.”
It makes me smile hearing him say that. I finally feel like I’m getting my mojo back after not riding for so long.
“You still have a ways to go though.”
“Way to knock me down when I was beginning to feel better about myself,” I scoff.
Lifting a shoulder while he writes something down in his little notebook, he doesn’t seem to care about my feelings at all. Which I guess is fine by me. I’m not here to have him coddle me. I’m here for him to help me become the first badass female racer to break through the IMR.
“I want you to travel with me on the circuit,” he says, lifting his sunglass-covered eyes.
My brows pinch together in confusion. “Are you for real?”
“I leave soon, and that’s gonna be a lot of weeks and months without doing anything. I’d hate to lose the momentum we have going.”
Swallowing the unease that seemed to creep up, I think it over. Can I go with him and it not alarm my parents? Probably not.
“I would but…” I trail off in disappointment.
“Can you ask to travel with your dad? That wouldn’t bring up too much suspicion, right?”
“Yeah,” I scoff, “because they’ll believe that.” I roll my eyes.
“You said you graduated, right?” I nod. He smiles then, and I know that smile. I’m in trouble now. “Then do what every new graduate talks about. Backpack through Europe.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Maybe if I were a different person, they’d believe that. I’ll just go with the truth, dude.” His eyes go wide, making me laugh harder. “You scared?”
“Of your dad? Yep.”
“You’re, like, forty. Why are you scared of him? Shouldn’t I be the one who’s scared?”
“First of all, I’m not even thirty yet.” I roll my eyes. “And second of all, he’s a scary motherfucker when he’s mad.”
“How did I not know you were such a pussy? Get it together, dude.” I pat his chest as I head to my bag for my water bottle.
I knock on my dad’s office door the next morning. I’m ready to rip off the Band-Aid.
“Come in,” he yells. Pushing through the door, I wave and sit in a chair opposite him. “Well hello, princess. What brings you to my office?” he asks, leaning back in his large leather chair.
“I want to go on the race circuit this season. With Zander.”
“No.” He says the one word with finality, but it only makes my blood boil.
“Here’s the thing,” I start, not backing down. “I’m eighteen and graduated already. I didn’t need to walk across a stage to feel special. Zander has been training me again for the past couple of months, and I don’t want to lose the good progress we’ve made when he has to travel. So, with all due respect, Dad, I’m going to go.”
I can see his jaw tense as his steepled fingers rest on his lips before he speaks again. “Alright then. Seems it doesn’t matter what I say. But hear this, Poppy. I’m not supporting you. You gained access to part of your trust when you turned eighteen, and you’re free to use that money how you’d like, but I’m not giving you another dime to support this. Above all, you be careful. I might not agree with what you’re doing, but I love you, Pops. More than you realize.”
