Qualify: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by TL Mayhew

  Qualify

  TL Mayhew

  Contents

  Introduction

  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

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Afterward

  Acknowledgments

  Also by TL Mayhew

  About TL Mayhew

  Author Links

  Also Written By K. Bromberg

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.

  © 2021 KB WORLDS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  Published by KB Worlds LLC.

  Cover Design by: Tanya Baikie; More Than Words Graphic Design

  Editing by: Karen Hrdlicka; Barren Acres Editing

  Formatted with Vellum

  Published in the United States of America

  Created with Vellum

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome to the Driven World!

  I’m so excited you’ve picked up this book! Qualify is a book based on the world I created in my New York Times bestselling Driven Series. While I may be finished writing this series (for now), various authors have signed on to keep them going. They will be bringing you all-new stories in the world you know while allowing you to revisit the characters you love.

  This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I allowed them to use the world I created and may have assisted in some of the plotting, I took no part in the writing or editing of the story. All praise can be directed their way.

  I truly hope you enjoy Qualify. If you’re interested in finding more authors who have written in the KB Worlds, you can visit www.kbworlds.com.

  Thank you for supporting the writers in this project and me.

  Happy Reading,

  K. Bromberg

  This is for you readers!

  Thank you for reading my words!

  Prologue

  A pamphlet slides across the dinner table, stopping inches from my plate and stalling the forkful of food headed for my open mouth.

  I glance down at the image of an aged brick building surrounded by smiling twenty-year-old’s frozen in time. Some of them are carrying books and appear to be headed toward a large set of four entry doors, while others are seated in a circle on a grassy knoll.

  This can’t mean what I think it does.

  Setting my fork gently in my plate, I pick up the envelope-sized booklet and read the bold collegiate font, University of Kansas Williamstown. Absentmindedly, I thumb through the colorful pages, where there are more images of young happy adults sitting at desks, in dorm rooms, and libraries. Bold sentences catching my eye here and there.

  Come join us!

  Highest rated academic programs in the state.

  Get on the road to your mechanical engineering degree now.

  It is exactly what I thought.

  The beat in my chest builds until I can hear it pounding in my ears. I lift my eyes in the direction from where the college brochure came. There sits my dad with a straight face and his arms crossed over his chest. His hair is a little grayer and his face a little more creased today than yesterday, but his biceps still bulge with authority as he flexes his fists.

  I narrow my eyes briefly before turning a hard stare on each of my five brothers. They’ve been eerily quiet, which means I should’ve known something was up.

  Sliding the small pamphlet back to my dad, I pick up my fork, and raise it to my lips muttering, “I’m not going,” before shoving food in my mouth.

  Three words. Three simple words cause all hell to break loose. Six men begin shouting at me and at each other.

  “You’ve got some balls, sister,” Dante, my oldest brother, says over the others. His dark eyes staring down at me before he quickly glances at Dad—who I can tell still has eyes on me—and back, giving me a sympathetic look.

  He knows, as do I, how Dad can get. The old man’s taken a belt to each one of us a time or two, and although most of us are in our twenties—Dante’s pushing thirty-one—Dad has no reservations about tugging leather Betsy off her hook and giving us a lash or two.

  Elliot chimes in, spitting a cornbread crumb, or make that a million crumbs, across the table when he speaks. “Yeah, balls, sister.” He’s the oldest of the middle boys. A blue-eyed, blond-haired beauty, who could’ve made it big on the modeling runway but chose a life on the track instead.

  When at home he’s soft-hearted and caring, but outside of these walls he has a serious God complex, especially when it comes to women. Surviving on daily workouts, protein shakes, and a constant diet of greens—except for Sunday dinner—he’s worthy of the title. And believe me, girls cling to him like he’s the last breath they’ll ever take.

  The other three, Daine, Dex, and Dru are huddled in their own conversation. I hear one of them say, “balls, sister,” and the three of them toss their heads back in laughter.

  My head is spinning with all the chaos. Each conversation building so it can be heard over the other. Eventually the adrenaline coursing a steady rhythm in my ears is drowned out by my own boisterous brothers.

  Until everything comes to a screeching halt.

  “You most certainly are going,” Dad growls, his voice penetrating the air between me and his sons sitting across from me. “And there will be no further discussions about it.”

  I drop my fork and it clanks, not so gracefully, against the stoneware dish. I don’t care about his harsh stare or leather Betsy taunting me from the wall in my peripheral vision. I want an explanation. “Why? Why do I have to go when not one of them went?” I spit, waving my hand in front of a myriad of shocked expressions.

  “Careful, Berkleigh,” he warns, leaning forward on his forearms.

  “I’m sorry, Daddy, but I just don’t understand. I’ve been going to the track with you and my brothers since I was what…five years old?” I huff out. “I can change brakes, oil, and tires. I know the size, max RPMs, and max speed of each engine in the Shaw family race cars and I could probably build one from the ground up if…”

  He raises a hand. “That’s enough.”

  I clamp my mouth shut and lower my eyes to the uneaten food on my plate. Realizing now that an outburst probably wasn’t the best way to prove a point. I prepare myself for the lecture I kn
ow is coming, but surprisingly it doesn’t.

  Releasing a deep sigh, he tries his best at explaining why me, and not my brothers. “I’ve been in this business a long time, Berkleigh, you know that. And while it has gotten better, the world of racing is not where it should be for women, not those who choose it as a career path, anyway.”

  There’s a snort from Dru at the end of the table. He gets Dad’s meaning. They’re referring to the track bunnies. Or whatever they’re calling themselves these days. The women who hang around the track in their leave little to the imagination outfits hoping to score with a driver or two.

  “It doesn’t matter how much experience you have under those grease-stained nails. They’ll still look at you as a woman who doesn’t know a thing about cars. Do you understand?” He reaches for my hand, squeezing it for a response. I nod, meeting his eyes.

  “I don’t like it either.” He shakes his head, confirming as such before continuing, “You know I’ve made several changes in our mechanic staff to include more women.”

  “I know, Dad. It just sucks.”

  “Don’t you worry, Sis,” Dru pipes up. “When you get back from college, no one will be treating you any less than a man while we’re around.”

  At that everyone at the table, except Dru, bursts into laughter. “What? What’d I say that was so funny?”

  Chapter 1

  With hands on either side of my head, he has me caged in against the door in his office. My pulse is racing, and I’m frozen in place, unsure what to do.

  I’d tried to leave when he placed his hand on my leg and suggested a way I could raise my grade in his class. But when I reached the door and found it locked, I knew it was too late.

  He leans in, his front against my back. I can feel his arousal.

  “Please, Professor Donnelly. I won’t tell anyone. Just let me go, otherwise I’ll be late for my next class,” I lie.

  I’m pressed harder against the door.

  “Oh, sweetheart, you must think I’m stupid. I have access to your schedule, and I know your last class ended thirty minutes ago, which is why I called you into my office,” he says, tugging on a strand of my hair. “Now, where were we?”

  With a forearm against my back, he bends slightly and places his other hand just above my knee.

  Tears build in my eyes and my body vibrates with fear. In this moment, I know if I don’t get away from him now, there may not be another chance. I form a fist against the door and when he adjusts his stance, I strike. My aim is dead-on and I punch him in the balls.

  As expected, he drops to the floor. “You little bitch.”

  I fumble with the lock and manage to get the door open, as I do, the professor grabs my ankle and I lose my balance. I stumble out into the hall and straight into a hard chest. Strong hands grip my shoulders, but in my current state I’m unable to understand if it’s someone connected to the professor.

  I wriggle and fight in the stranger’s arms. Punching at his chest, he doesn’t falter, instead he pulls me in tighter. Tears are flowing down my cheeks now as I realize getting away is a losing battle.

  “Calm down,” he says in a stern tone.

  But I can’t, I continue to fight until my adrenaline fades, and I’m clinging on to the material of his shirt as though my life depends on it. My sobs come fast and hard now, soaking the stranger’s shirt.

  He awkwardly wraps me in his arms but stays silent. Somehow knowing it’s just what I need.

  “Call the cops on that bitch, she assaulted me!” Professor Donnelly shouts, making me jump and I try once again to wriggle away from the stranger.

  He turns me away protectively. “I highly doubt she assaulted you, and if she did, it was probably for a good reason, William.”

  “Well, she did, she punched me right in the fucking nuts. And if you’re not going to call the cops, then I will.”

  I hear stomping and then a door slams shut.

  The stranger loosens his grip on me and bends down. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  As much as I want to know who my knight in shining armor is, I’m too ashamed to look at him. How could I have gotten myself in this position? Was there something I’d done to lead the professor into thinking this is what I wanted?

  A warm hand cups my chin and turns my head. “I’m not sure how I can help if you don’t tell me what happened.”

  With the smallest bit of courage, I lift my eyes to his, and there, staring back at me, is the most sympathetic beautiful hazel I’ve ever seen. Clouds of concern and anger swirl within but I’m not scared. Not of him.

  “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” he says, giving me a once-over.

  All I can offer is a nod before looking away.

  He huffs out a frustrated breath. “That son of a bitch. Listen…whatever happened in there certainly wasn’t your fault. William is an asshole, and you don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to punch him in the balls. So, in a way, you did me a favor.”

  When I glance back at him, a boyish smirk tips up his lips. If only I could tell him what happened, then he’d know just how much of an asshole the man holed up behind that wooden door is.

  “You wanna get out of here before the cops show up?” he says, his tone serious.

  My eyes go wide, and I look frantically down the hall, wondering if I really do want the cops involved. If my dad finds out, I’ll be yanked out of college in a heartbeat, and seeing how this is my last year, it would delay my plans of getting out and on my own even longer.

  After seeing my reaction, the stranger chuckles, and I’m offended he’d think any of this is humorous.

  “Sorry, it was a poorly timed joke. He isn’t going to call anyone with authority, unless it’s his lawyer. He has way too many skeletons in his closet to get mixed up with the cops.” Standing taller the stranger holds out an elbow, like he’s offering to escort me to a ball. “Come on, I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

  I wonder what his comment about the professor means but I’m afraid to ask, instead I lower my eyes and notice his now makeup and tear-stained T-shirt. Bringing a hand to my mouth, I mumble out an apology.

  “Ah, so she does speak.” He smiles, then follows my stare. Waving a hand over his torso, he shakes his head. “Don’t you worry about that. I have a few more at home. Shall we…” He raises his elbow higher.

  I hesitate, glancing between him and the door the professor sits behind.

  “I don’t bite.”

  Those three words set me on edge again, and as much as I hate to, in my unsettled state I refuse. “I appreciate the offer but no, I’m just heading back to my apartment. It’s not far from here.”

  “I’ll walk you to your car then,” he says, following behind me as I start down the hall.

  When I turn, intent on refusing him yet again, he almost bumps into me. I place a hand on his chest to stop him. “Really, I’ll be fine. Thank you for your help back there,” I say, eyeing the professor’s door for the last time.

  He doesn’t come after me again, but the weight of his stare follows me all the way down the hall and right up until I disappear around the corner.

  Once I’m out of his view, my tears fall like a broken faucet. Blurring my vision as I rush down the stairs, out to the parking lot, and continue even when I’m in the driver’s seat of my car with all the doors locked.

  I was raised in a household of men and was taught early on how to defend myself, but it was never something I thought I’d use nor was I ever told how I should navigate the emotional aftermath from a situation such as this.

  After taking a moment to regain some composure, I start up my car and exit the school parking lot as quickly as possible, without mowing down anyone in the process.

  As soon as I’m through the door, the first thing I do is strip off my clothes and jump in the shower. Scrubbing and scratching every inch of my body, even the parts Professor Donnelly didn’t touch. Anything to get his smell and the feel of his touch off me.

&nbs
p; But no matter how hard I try, nothing helps. His scent is imprinted in my mind.

  Chapter 2

  The warm rays of the Kansas sun filter through the slats of the blinds covering my window, shining directly on my face and pulling me from a restless sleep. All night, every time I’d close my eyes, images of the professor and his unwanted advances would consume my thoughts.

  It wasn’t until around 2:00 a.m. when my mind shifted to the man with the hazel eyes, who smelled of spicy cologne, that I was able to relax and finally fall into a deep sleep.

  A savior by day and a security blanket by night, he’s something I could use more of in my life. The sad thing is, even if I wanted to tell him, I couldn’t because I’d never gotten his name. Something about him did seem familiar, it must not have been at the university because I don’t remember ever seeing him around campus.

  Maye he’s new or it could be that I’ve just never seen him around because the school is big, but it’s been my home for the past four years. Surely, I would have noticed someone like him. Especially those eyes.

  I guess it’s for the best, I’m not in the market for a man in my life nor would my dad or brothers approve, especially when I’m here to learn. Speaking of, I was supposed to text them and let them know when my grades started coming in.