“Shit,” Tom said. “They are. They’re obviously early.”
Cyrus spoke through a fake smile that looked more like a grimace. “Where is Asher? Shouldn’t he be arriving right about now.”
“He’s not coming.” Tom spoke through a frozen grin as the men in suits walked closer. Everyone within earshot was shocked but had to recover from his statement quickly. Before they could ask any questions, the buyers were standing just a few feet away. Colby recognized the two guys from the night before, but there were also a couple of new faces.
Brian Lockwood greeted everyone standing before him. “Good morning. My group is a little early. I hope that’s not a problem?”
“N-n-no,” Tom stammered.
Brian smiled and extended a hand to Tom and Cyrus. “I’m Brian, and you’ve met my brother, Liam Lockwood.” Colby didn’t hear the rest of the introductions. She’d been right. The man who was imprinted on her brain was important. He was the brother of the buyer.
She was surprised that they were so young. She hadn’t known who the potential buyers were until this moment, so Colby hadn’t been able to go online or do any research. The one doing most of the talking had to still be in his twenties; the other one was probably in his early to mid-thirties. There was something dark and brooding about him. It took a major effort not to stare.
“We had the privilege of watching that practice run. It was impressive. We would love to meet with Asher.” Brian glanced around the group. “Where did he go? I don’t see him.”
Tom had no idea what they were talking about. “Unfortunately, Asher had an emergency and was not able to join us. Jordan Williams and Chris Roberts are the other drivers for Daughtry Racing. They should be here shortly,” Tom answered.
A frown creased Liam’s forehead. “Then who was driving the car?”
“What? What are you talking about?” Tom asked.
No one uttered a word until Cyrus said, proudly, “Colby James.” He motioned for her to come forward.
She did as she was asked then firmly gripped Brian’s hand. He seemed genuinely surprised but recovered nicely. “Nice to meet you.”
She turned to Liam and was about to do the same . . . until he spoke.
“That was you?” He voiced the doubts his people were failing miserably to disguise.
Colby’s arms dropped at her sides. She was so tired of having to prove herself. Check your pride. You need to impress this man. She smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. “I can take you for a spin to prove it if you’d like?”
The silence that followed was awkward. Tom worked to diffuse it. “Again, Asher had an emergency and couldn’t be here. He sends his apologies. However, our other drivers should be here shortly. Then we can show you what the car can really do.”
Liam ignored Tom as he kept his gaze trained on Colby. “You’re on the driving team?” He had known about Jordan and Chris but hadn’t read anything about Colby James in the dossier. She had completely blindsided him.
Liam hated surprises.
Tom chuckled. “Oh, hell no. She just fiddles around with the cars from time-to-time.”
Her head snapped over toward him. Colby’s mouth opened. She was about to shred Tom. Her father placed his large hands on her shoulders and squeezed before she could get a word out. It wasn’t painful, but there was enough pressure to silence her.
Cyrus defended Colby. “Actually, my daughter is one hell of a mechanic and driver. Any team would be lucky to have her.” He only released his hold when he thought Colby had calmed.
Cyrus patted her shoulders. “Good job out there. Why don’t you and Gonzo take the car inside and make sure it’s ready for Jordan?” He said it as a request, but Cyrus was not asking.
Colby’s eyes blazed. She felt betrayed. How could it be so easy to dismiss her after all of her hard work? Words were hard to form, but she found one. “Sure.” Colby was surprised at how calm it came out when she was anything but.
“Sure thing, Mr. James.” Gonzo nudged Colby. Her feet had been rooted to the ground, but she finally was able to move.
As they walked away from the group, Colby forced herself to remember that she had to pick her battles. As satisfying as it might feel, this wasn’t a fight worth fighting.
Liam watched Colby stalk away with her back ramrod straight, and her head held high. He could tell she was seething and doing her best to maintain control.
Cyrus had asked Colby to go inside because he was afraid she would ruin any chance of her working with the new team. He knew it had stung, and Cyrus would apologize later.
Liam didn’t speak until after Colby had gone into the building. “Colby is your daughter, right?”
Cyrus’ chest was puffed up like a peacock. “She sure is.”
“There aren’t many women in NASCAR,” Liam said.
“Drivers? No. There are more than folks think but definitely not enough. Especially African American women. We have a long way to go before minorities and women are given a fair shake.”
Tom didn’t like the direction of the conversation and welcomed the opportunity to change it. He was happy to see their number two driver coming around the corner. He clapped his hands together. “Jordan has arrived. I’ll introduce you while we give the mechanics a few minutes to get the car together.”
Tom could only hope that Jordan would put on a good showing so that he could sell this godforsaken team and get the hell out of racing.
Tom was yammering about something. Uncharacteristically, Liam had checked out of the conversation. He glanced over at the door Colby had walked through. Liam found himself more interested in learning the motivation behind all the passion in her eyes than the practice race.
*****
The negotiations were going about as planned. Brian stepped up in a big way. He asked all of the right questions, and Liam couldn’t have been prouder.
“When do we get to meet Asher?” Brian asked.
“Soon. Very soon,” Tom answered.
“We understand contractually he’s bound to Daughtry for one more race. Any deal we make is contingent upon our meeting with him.”
Tom didn’t like the sound of that. “Of course. We’ll make it happen. With your purchase and investment into the company, I’m confident Asher would like to stay on with the team.” That was a bald-faced lie, and Tom knew it. He honestly didn’t care one way or the other. Tom just wanted out of racing, and Asher was the key.
Cyrus had been invited to this meeting. He had only been included because of his shares in the company. He hadn’t said much. He sat up and folded his arms on top of the long conference table. “Why do you folks really want to buy Daughtry? Racing is too expensive to be a hobby.”
Cyrus commanded the attention of everyone in the room. He suspected most of them had forgotten he was even there. Brian hadn’t been prepared for that question and wasn’t about to tell him the real reason.
This had been Brian’s meeting up until this point. Liam had taken a back seat and had no intention of stepping in unless he was needed. One look over at Brian, and it was apparent now was the time.
“Why does it matter?” Liam asked.
Cyrus leaned back in his chair. “It matters because Daughtry’s a family, and I need to know my folks will be taken care of.” Those were words Tom should have said.
“Now, Cy.” Tom started to talk, but all Liam had to do was lift his hand to silence him.
“Can I have a word with Mr. James privately?” Liam asked.
“That’s not necessary,” Tom responded.
Liam cut his eyes over toward him. “If you want to sell this organization, it’s necessary.” The authority in which he spoke left zero room for argument.
Tom’s face reddened, but after a moment, he stood. It cued everyone else in the room to stand as well. They quickly cleared it—everyone except for Cyrus and Brian.
“I thought it might be easier to put all our cards on the table if we were alone.”
Cyrus nodded. “I think that
’s the only way to handle anything.”
Liam agreed. “This organization is bankrupt. Ten percent of something is better than ten percent of nothing.”
Cyrus nodded his head slowly. “That’s true if the only offer on the table were yours.”
Liam raised a brow. The Luccesses. Damn. It had to be them. Who else would want to buy this team? It was only a matter of time before they found out. They were probably watching Brian’s every move and had been lucky to have gotten this far without their knowledge. Brian needed one hundred percent ownership of Daughtry. The Luccesses just made it necessary to move quickly on this deal. If they bought Daughtry and the Luccesses got Cyrus’ ten percent, it would be all they needed to launder their dirty money using the Lockwood name as a cover. Or even worse, they could buy it from Tom outright. Either way, they would be fucked. Liam’s poker face didn’t slip. He showed no signs that Cyrus had the upper hand. And to his surprise, neither did Brian.
Liam steepled his fingertips together. “What we are offering is fair, considering you have a driver who doesn’t want to be here.”
Cyrus picked up his bottled water and took a sip before placing it back on the table. “As the crew chief and only a ten percent stakeholder, that really isn’t my problem. Is it? My guess is, at the moment, my shares mean a lot more to you than they do to me. I’ll get paid either way. I’m also guessing that Tom doesn’t know about the potential new buyers . . . yet. They only contacted me this morning and are throwing around a lot more cash than what you’re offering. Which means you will probably want to button up this deal before it gets a lot more expensive.”
Liam’s respect for Cyrus James went up tenfold. “Why not take their cash and run?”
“It’s not always about the money. In this case, it’s about who can best take care of my people.”
“What’s it going to take to get you to sign the contract?”
“Keep my crew. Make sure they keep their jobs. Every one of them is good at what they do.”
“If they are so good, why isn’t Daughtry in a better position?”
“Lack of investment will take its toll on any organization. It’s a miracle our name is still being mentioned on the circuit.”
Liam gave Cyrus a slow nod in consideration.
“Since we are putting all of our cards on the table, if Daughtry has to be sold, I’d prefer Tom sold it to you. The other guys seem a bit sketchy. But if we can’t come to terms . . . so be it.” He shrugged. “Now’s as good a time as any for me to take the money and retire.”
The room was quiet. No one was willing to fill the space with words as they each pondered the situation.
Brian deferred to Liam.
After another quiet few moments, Liam spoke. “I think we can keep your staff intact.”
Cyrus smiled for the first time in a while. “Good. That’s real good. Then we almost got a deal.”
“Almost?” Liam asked.
“There is just one more thing.”
Liam leaned his head from side to side, cracking his bones to relieve the tension. “What would that be?”
“Colby James must be added to the roster as a driver. Everything you saw today was because of her. She’s earned it.”
Liam appreciated the way Cyrus had his daughter’s back, but he in no way planned to get involved in the politics of NASCAR.
Brian turned to him, silently asking to take the deal. Liam quickly ran the scenario through his brain until a thought occurred to him. He could agree to the terms and not have to meet them at the same time. There was a difference between a driver on the roster and an active driver on the roster.
A slow grin appeared on his face. “Mr. James, I think we have a deal.”
*****
“What do you think is going on in there?” Gonzo asked as he looked up in the direction of the offices.
“I have no idea,” Colby responded as she leaned her hip up against the car. While she was still pissed about earlier, Colby had some time to calm down.
“Jordan did okay on the track today.”
She grunted.
“They did get a chance to see you do some great things with the car,” Gonzo rationalized.
“Everyone does okay when they aren’t racing against anyone.” She nibbled on her lower lip.
“True.” His voice dropped so that no one else in the garage could hear them. “More importantly, did you see the way the older brother was looking at you?”
“What?” Colby turned her full attention to Gonzo.
“C’mon. I know you noticed. Dude couldn’t keep his eyes off of you.”
“Oh, you mean that look men give when they can’t figure out what a little lady like me is doing working in a place like this? Or the one where they are trying to figure out if I have a girlfriend?” Colby couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Yeah. I saw it.”
“There’s nothing about you that makes a man wonder if you have a girlfriend. Well, maybe those ugly ass coveralls.” He laughed.
Colby pushed him gently in the center of his chest.
“I know there have been some bums with paper-thin egos who have used that as a go-to after you’ve verbally kick’d’em in the balls. Just remember, it’s them, not you.”
Colby couldn’t help but smile. “I have been told I clean up quite nicely.”
“Don’t get the big head. Seriously, anybody can see that you’re easy on the eyes, even covered in grease, which is why we are all so protective. In my case, if we hadn’t shared the same training pot growing up, I might not think it would be gross to kiss you. You’re like a sister to me and all the guys.”
“That and your girlfriend would kick your butt.”
Gonzo laughed even harder. “You know she would.”
Their laughter died on their lips when the door to the offices opened, and everyone filed out. Colby and her friends looked about the room anxiously at one another, wondering what the future held for them.
Tom looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.
Gonzo leaned over. “Tom looks happy. That might not bode well for the rest of us.”
Colby’s eyes connected with her father’s as he walked with the group down to where they all huddled together.
He winked.
It was a positive sign. Colby breathed a sigh of relief and exhaled. “I think we’re going to be just fine.”
“Can everybody gather around?” Tom asked. “I have an announcement.” He waited a few moments for the team to get together. “I want to introduce you to the new owner of Daughtry Racing, Brian Lockwood.” Tom deferred to him. “Would you like to say a few words?”
Brian stepped forward and began to speak as if he’d been closing business deals his entire life. “As of this afternoon, I am the new owner of Daughtry Racing. I know many of you have questions about what this means for your jobs. Currently, there are no immediate plans to replace anyone. I don’t want to interrupt the good work that I’ve seen firsthand. My goal is to build on it and take this team as far as we can go—not only to get on the track but also to win a few races. Over the next few days and with the assistance of your legendary crew chief, Cyrus James, we’ll be rolling out new plans for this year’s NASCAR season.”
Colby was surprised to hear that the team wasn’t owned by Brian and Liam Lockwood. It didn’t really matter. At least Brian was showing her father a modicum of respect. That was good. Her gaze panned from Brian to Liam and lingered. He looked like a proud father. It was obvious he was the de facto decision-maker. Colby had to be careful around him. He seemed to notice a lot but didn’t say very much, which made it difficult to tell what he was thinking. He could potentially be the loose lynchpin to blowing up all of her plans.
“Now that we’ve concluded today’s business, anybody know a good place to go celebrate?” Brian asked.
Someone called out, “Georgia’s,” as the room erupted into a celebration.
Leave it to Brian to always find the party spot, Liam thought. He ha
d earned it. Liam glanced out at the group, and one face stood out.
Her smile was dazzling. As if she felt his gaze, her head turned toward him. For a brief moment, they just stared at one another. When Colby realized it, she looked away.
Colby had an energy that was different from everyone else Liam had met at Daughtry. He saw it last night and again today. Those big brown eyes were not only beautiful but calculating, fierce, and filled with a heavy dose of unmasked intensity.
They hadn’t said much more than a few words to each other, but his instincts were always dead on. Something was going on with Ms. James other than the obvious. It stirred something inside of him. Liam wasn’t sure if his feelings were a sense of foreboding or excitement. Maybe it was a little of both.
Colby was a wild card. A blind spot. Liam wasn’t a man who flew blind. He leaned into Markos and whispered, “Find out everything you can about Colby James.”
Chapter 8
Colby was exhausted when she pulled up into her driveway. After sleeping for only a few hours the previous night and with the emotional toll of the day, she just wanted to face-plant into bed.
Colby drug herself out of the car and began walking toward the house while talking on her cell to Gonzo. He was still on a natural high. His mouth was moving a mile a minute, but the sound was going in and out. Colby’s Bluetooth was starting to die.
She quickly switched the phone to speaker as she stepped over the threshold of the door. “Dude. I’m exhausted. I don’t feel like hanging out at Georgia’s.”
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to blow off the new owner’s party invite?”
Colby yawned. “What part of ‘I’m not an official member of Daughtry Racing’ does everybody forget?”
Gonzo pushed. “Why do you only use that excuse when it’s convenient? I’m tired too. But I’m going, and I’m bringing my girl. Get dressed and come party with us. We deserve a lil celebration.”
“Party? Did I hear the word party?”
Colby turned at the sound of the voice.
“Is that who I think it is?” Gonzo asked through the phone.
Colby’s cousin leaned over into Colby’s cell. “It’s me in the flesh! Hey Gonzo!!” She then wrapped her arms around Colby’s body. “Hey, girl!”
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