He pulled over in the parking lot of a fast-food joint. “Come on. I’ll buy you some lunch, since you fed half of yours to Chester.”
Nolan’s huge grin confirmed that Max had made the right choice. Laney stared at him.
He gave her an innocent look. “What?”
“You’ve never set foot in a fast-food place in all the years I’ve known you. Not one time. Fast food means slow racing, isn’t that your slogan?”
“Yeah, well, I guess there’s more to life than racing, right?”
She blinked and offered him a silvery laugh that traced effervescent trails inside of him. They’d found proof that could incriminate Ancho and along the way they’d shared an adventure with a kid and a goofy dog. For some reason that he could not explain, he did not want that adventure to end.
“Who are you, and what have you done with Max Blanco?”
He wasn’t sure about either question, so he got out and opened the door for her. She hopped down and took his hand. Nolan was already inside, selecting the largest meal from the menu.
He and Laney went with salads but Laney could not resist adding a small chocolate milkshake and two straws. “I’ll only be half as slow if you share it with me,” she said.
They sat down to eat. The restaurant was still relatively uncrowded, only a few patrons enjoying their early lunches. A man in working clothes shuffled in and ordered. Max was listening to Nolan tell a joke. The man helped himself to a soda and stood sipping it, waiting for his order.
There was nothing unusual about him; he was middle-aged, his face tanned and lined. Paint splatters on his pant legs showed him to be in the trades. His gaze wandered to the windows, across the tables and landed, just for a moment, on Max, Laney and Nolan. He gathered up his to-go order and shuffled out.
Max watched him traverse the parking lot and climb into a pickup. He sat for a moment, making a call before he drove away.
Laney was deep in the throes of carbohydrate ecstasy. She sighed. “I know milkshakes are bad, but why do they taste so good?”
He couldn’t help but laugh as he declined the final sip. “You go ahead, but you have to know that will get you an extra mile on the treadmill tonight.” His gaze wandered to the window again.
“Totally worth it,” she said. “What are you looking at?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. Enjoy your milkshake, Laney. We’ve got a race to win.”
*
Laney suited up at the arena for her race with Beth. A warm-up, followed by a five-hundred-meter sprint to practice their cornering—at least that was how they were all talking about it. She saw Coach Stan and his assistant talking quietly on the far end of the ice. They all wanted to see if she could do it. In light of all the recent events, she could understand their doubt about her level of commitment and drive. Deep down she felt a surge of optimism that Ancho was soon to be sidelined.
She was sitting on a bench at the edge of the ice to unpack her skates when her father joined her.
She kissed him, noting the dark circles under his eyes.
“You said you had good news, Dad. Let’s hear it.”
He sighed. “I might have been premature in that.”
Max stood a few feet away, scribbling on a clipboard. Dan gestured him over. “You should probably hear this, too. I know it hasn’t been fair to ask you to keep training when I haven’t paid you in three months.”
Max avoided Laney’s eyes. “You didn’t ask. I volunteered.”
Laney felt her stomach sink.
“Mr. Thompson,” Max said after a hesitation. “I know this is important, but can we delay this conversation just until Laney’s raced? I need her head to be in the game, and I think you want that, as well.”
“Of course. I should have realized that. I’ll wait here and we can talk after.”
Laney gritted her teeth. “No. You are more important to me than my racing. Tell me now.”
Her father patted her hand. “Max’s right. I’ll wait.”
“No, Max is not right.” She fired a look at him. “He’s a brilliant trainer, but he is not going to make me put skating first right now. You are my priority. I love you and I’m not setting one blade on the ice until you tell me what’s going on.”
He laughed, a dry, sad sound. “Now, that’s a look I’ve seen before. All right, but I want to start by saying you are under no circumstances to stop racing, do you hear me?”
She braced herself for the blow she knew was coming. “Please, Dad.”
He scrubbed a hand over his unshaven chin. “After your accident, after we lost our sponsor, things were tight. When you recovered enough to start training again, there wasn’t enough money to go around, even though you worked to help out with the costs.”
“I knew the financial picture wasn’t great, but, Dad…”
“Listen, Laney, before I lose the nerve to tell you.”
She clamped her lips closed.
“At the World Championships three months ago, I was approached by a man who offered to loan me money. He was a local businessman, a racing fan who was moved by your situation, or so I thought. I…” He sighed and chewed his lip. “I borrowed a sum with the agreement that I’d pay it back by the first of this month, only I couldn’t.” He looked at his hands. “The cab shop was slower than I thought.”
“Oh, Dad.”
He held up a finger. “Don’t interrupt. I couldn’t pay it back, and the man became angry and threatening.”
“The police…” Max started.
“Don’t you see? I couldn’t tell them I’d borrowed from a loan shark,” he said. “Laney’s reputation would be ruined. She’d be shamed off the training team and her skating career would be over.”
“It was Ancho, wasn’t it?” Laney forced herself to say.
He nodded, and her mind spun in helpless circles. “Oh, Daddy.”
“I’ve got until the end of the week or he’ll let it slip to the officials.” He coughed. “Ancho tried to rough me up, but that didn’t work. Then…” Her father’s voice broke. “Then when I heard what he’d done to you, I went to him with everything I had and told him to stay away from you or I’d go to the police no matter what. He just laughed and told me to go ahead, that no one would believe me just like they didn’t believe you.”
She squeezed his hand. “You made a mistake. We’ve got to tell the police.”
“Is that why you didn’t want us talking to Hugh Peterson?” Max said. “Did he know about your loan?”
“Yes. I don’t know how, but he knew. He came and asked me about it. I didn’t want him to tell you so I tried to keep him away.”
“It’s after two o’clock,” Jackie said, skating up to them. “Are we racing or not?”
Laney was still too tongue-tied to talk, but Max spoke up. “Sure, couple more minutes.”
She nodded and skated to the far end where Beth was practicing.
Max looked out over the ice. “Do you think Ancho had something to do with messing up Laney’s skates?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t put it past him. Anything to scare me into getting his money back.”
“That’s why you arranged to sell the cabin, isn’t it?” Laney said.
Her father gave a startled jerk, then nodded. “But it’s not a good market right now. It’s taking longer than I thought.” He sighed and her heart broke a little more. “Laney, I’m so sorry, honey. I never should have done something so stupid, but I could not stand to see your dream die. Forgive me.”
She clutched him to her, grief so thick it nearly choked off her breathing. “My dream is not worth this, Daddy.”
He pulled her away, tears filling his eyes. “I’ll find a way to pay him by the end of the week.”
“How much do you owe him?” she whispered.
“Thirty thousand dollars,” he said with trembling lips.
The figure whirled in her brain. Where would they find that much money? And what would happen to her father if he didn’t? But the Asto
n Martin, it would be enough to take Ancho down. Wouldn’t it?
Max was talking quietly. “Put on your skates, Laney. You’ve got a drill to do.”
She glared at him. “I can’t race. My father is in trouble, Max.”
Her father grabbed her hands and squeezed them until she gasped.
“Laney, please don’t let this all be for nothing. There’s a God-breathed reason you’re here, why you and your sister came into our lives and why you have a passion for this sport. It’s going to lead you to something in your life that you were meant to do. Maybe a medal, maybe not, but you have to do it.”
“No, Dad.” She shook her head and freeing her fingers, unzipped her skin suit. “I need to help you. We’ve found some proof that Ancho really did abduct me. I’ll meet with the police and they’ll arrest him.”
“Laney,” he whispered, catching up her hands once again. “Race for me, for your stupid old father who threw away everything to see you fly across that ice.”
“Daddy…”
Coach Stan glided up to the benches and leaned his forearms on the edge. “Is there a problem? Race time was ten minutes ago.”
Laney looked from Max to her father.
“Do it, Laney. Please,” he whispered. His face was pale and sunken around the lips and eyes. The love there shimmered far brighter than any mistake he had ever made.
After what felt like a very long time, she sighed. “Be there in two seconds, Coach.” She zipped up her suit and laced on her skates. Both Max and her father looked supremely relieved and Coach Stan left. “I’ll race, but I’m going to help you out of this mess, Dad, whether you like it or not.”
Max came close to her as she stepped onto the ice. “Now’s the time to see what you’re made of, Laney. Mental toughness.” He handed over her gloves.
“Mental toughness.” She gave her father one more look and she hoped he’d see in there the love that was brimming over in her heart, along with the sorrow at what he’d done for her.
SIXTEEN
Through sheer force of will, Max kept his mind on the race, shoving thoughts of Ancho and Dan Thompson’s disastrous choice to the background. He noticed Diane in the stands chatting via the Bluetooth device in her ear. It did not look like an idle conversation, but he was glad to see her click off and lean forward in anticipation of the race. Most of the athletes were also gathered in the seats, eager to see a head-to-head competition.
This would indeed be a test of Laney’s mental toughness after hearing Dan’s news. Could she actually leave it all on the benches and focus on the race?
Plant the point of your blade.
Laney dug the tip into the ice and crouched low, arms crooked, one in front and one behind. Classic race stance.
Explosive start.
The bell sounded and Laney took off like a rocket, charging forward with short, quick strides. But as they smoothed out into longer gliding strokes, Beth quickly assumed the first position.
Not a problem. What separated the best in the world from the merely good skaters was the turns, and Laney, when she was on, was a master. Today she did not disappoint. Her gloved hand down for support, she created as much pressure as she could with her blades against the wet ice. Three laps to go.
You’ve got it, Laney. Pride tingled his nerves, as much for her courageous spirit as for her perfect race form.
Laney stayed comfortably in second place, waiting, he knew, for Beth’s confidence or strength to wane just the slightest bit. Laney was looking for the slot. At the beginning of the last turn, she found it. His position in the stands allowed him to see Laney turn up the speed and pass on the straightaway, but as they struggled into the corner, he saw Beth reach out and give Laney’s hip a push. Patently illegal. No contact allowed on the corners.
His breath caught, but Laney adjusted quickly, not allowing the bump to throw off her technique. Digging hard, chest heaving with the effort, Laney continued her relentless pace in the last lap and skated easily to the finish in first place.
Outwardly, he kept a tranquil smile, inside he was shouting with jubilation. She’d showed the coaches and the other team members who had gathered to watch that she was indeed a world-class competitor who had just skated a flawless race and beat a girl seven years her junior. And she’d shown herself that she had the spirit to put everything behind and grind it out to the finish line.
For a moment, he felt the barest flicker of shame that he had not done the same himself. Blaze, the champion, had let his injury end his career but more significantly, he’d let it define him.
Shaking off the melancholy thoughts, he joined her as she stepped off the ice and put on her guards, giving her a hug so tight her hammering heartbeat seemed to transfer itself into his own body. “Now, that’s skating, Birdie,” he said, coming close, and somehow his lips touched the delicate shell of her ear.
She grinned at him. “See? I still got it.”
“Yes, you do,” Diane Morrison said, climbing down the stairs to the bottom level. “Doesn’t look like you’ve lost anything since you’ve been away. That was poetry in motion.”
Beth clomped off the ice, breath heaving. “Nice race, Laney.”
“You, too,” Laney gasped, giving Beth a hug.
Beth grinned. “I can’t believe you actually pulled it off.”
“In spite of the bump,” Max could not stop himself from saying.
Beth unzipped her skin suit. “What bump?”
“The bump you gave her at the second corner,” Jackie said. “You know better.”
“It’s short track,” Beth said with a shrug. “The five hundred meters is four laps of crazy, every woman for herself. If she can’t handle a little bump, then she shouldn’t be racing.”
Diane laughed delightedly. “She gets that attitude from me, I’m afraid.”
Jackie did not smile. “She needs to win the right way or she’ll always know she didn’t earn it.”
Diane’s chuckle died away. “And isn’t that your job, to make sure she earns it? I’m paying you pretty good money to make sure there’s nothing between her and first place on the podium.”
“I do my job. Your daughter needs to do hers.”
“I expected better from her this close to the qualifiers. Maybe she needs to do it with another coach,” Diane said.
Jackie’s chin went up, the lights glinting on her pale hair. “Do you think that would really be a wise thing to do?”
Diane’s face went hard as stone. “Rest assured that I’m not burdened by sentimentality or obligation like others are. I’m only interested in results. I’ll do what’s necessary.”
“Mom,” Beth said, her tone pleading. “I’ll work harder. It’s my thing, not Jackie’s. I’ve been lazy, and I’ll do better.”
Diane flicked a look at her daughter and then turned on her heel and left the arena.
Beth turned to Jackie. “She’s grumpy, that’s all. It makes her cranky to be away from work. Let’s look over the tapes, and I’ll work on whatever you want me to.”
Jackie allowed Beth to touch her hand. It was the first time Max had seen any kind of physical contact between them, and then Jackie pulled away.
They made their way to Dan, who clasped Laney close to his chest. “Seeing you do that, skate that well, it makes me think everything will turn out all right.”
Laney did not look convinced, but she went to the changing room while Max and Dan went over the notes from the race. Dan rubbed at his temples. “I am going to pay you your back salary, Max, just as soon as I can sell the cabin. Ancho will get his money and you’ll get yours.”
Max didn’t like being lumped into the same sentence as Ancho, but he held his tongue.
“I’ve been thinking about the whole situation, you borrowing from Ancho. Does it seem odd to you that Ancho would approach you about money? Doesn’t it usually work the other way around with loan sharks?”
Dan grimaced. “I don’t know. Never in all my wildest dreams would I hav
e even imagined myself borrowing money from a guy like that, but he seemed so earnest—he knew all about the accident. He said he figured we had earned a break after what happened.”
Max frowned. “Did he tell you anything specific about the accident? Something that he shouldn’t have known about?”
“No.” Dan’s eyes clouded with worry. “Are you thinking he knows who hit you?”
Max considered sharing what Hugh Peterson had divulged, but he thought it might be more than the man could take to know he’d made a deal with a guy covering for the hit-and-run driver. “Just thinking out loud. I know you’ll pay me when you can. I’m in this for more than the money.”
Dan looked closely at him. “I know that. I’ve always known it. That’s why I hired you to train Laney.”
Max sighed. “I was afraid… Sometimes it occurred to me, that you might have chosen me because you pitied me.”
A smile lit the tired corners of Dan Thompson’s face. “Son, I chose you because you care about my daughter, not just because of whatever medals wind up hanging around her neck. You need someone like that to stand by you when you’re on that podium and someone to hold your hand when you don’t make it to the winner’s circle.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I had that in Linda. And my girls have that in me. I may have messed things up for now, but that will never change.” Tears glittered in his eyes. “I just wish I hadn’t been so dumb. I won’t ever forgive myself. God blessed me with two beautiful girls, and I let them down. I’m a terrible provider.”
Max watched the tears slide down Dan’s cheeks. He stood awkwardly, feeling an unsteady tide of emotion wash through him. “Seems like Laney would say God made you more than just a provider.”
Dan started, then his eyes opened wide and he smiled. “I can see that I did one thing right when I hired you.”
Max didn’t understand the warmth he felt inside, nor the curious way Laney’s comment circled in his mind, her bizarre view that racing was only a small piece of what he was meant to see, to be.
Love Inspired Suspense January 2014 Page 55
