Hard to Break - Bella Jewel Page 0,51

We don’t want to go down that road, so drop it.”

“I just want to talk to you. Fuck, woman, do you always have to be so difficult?”

I think about that, then nod and slide under the car. “Yes, yes I do. Good day, boss.”

With a frustrated growl, he mutters, “I have shit I have to do tonight, Rick. Don’t know if I’ll be around in the morning. You open.”

He’s got shit to do.

My interest is piqued.

“No worries, boss,” Rick says.

“If Murray calls, I might be out of service. Tell him I’m on my way.”

I jerk. Murray. Now I’m very interested. I slide out from underneath the car to see Tazen disappearing out the front door. I get up quickly and turn to Rick. “I just remembered I have a doctor’s appointment. Shit.”

He gives me a look that tells me he absolutely does not believe my story, but nods and says, “Whatever, we’re done for the day.”

I nod and rush out, coveralls still on, and see Tazen’s car pulling out onto the street. I jump in my Mustang and reverse out as quickly as I can. I get onto the road and see Tazen’s car four spots ahead. I keep my eye on him as we move through the afternoon traffic. I want to know where he’s going tonight. I want to know what Sheyenne and Murray are doing. I’m also a little too proud to ask because I basically rejected him when he tried to tell me. Besides, this way is more fun.

As we move out of town, the traffic clears and the sun begins to set. That’s perfect for me because then Tazen is less likely to recognize my car. We seem to be going further west, closer to the next town. Why would Tazen need to go a town over? He’s up to something, I just have no idea what it is. As the sun continues to go down, we go further and further out of town until the traffic thins out and there are only a few cars on the road.

When the sun finally ducks down behind the trees and the night sky spreads itself out, I see we’re finally coming to a stop. Tazen pulls off down a long road and I give it a few minutes before I follow him, not wanting to seem suspicious. As I move down, I see bright lights ahead. We’re well off the road now, and as we move closer, I see why. I know exactly what this is. I’ve watched The Fast and the Furious …

Racing.

Illegal racing.

This kind of racing is dangerous and is highly frowned upon. I pull my car over a fair way down and get out. I start walking up the long road to the masses of people and revving engines. There are a good two hundred people here, all betting illegally. They’re making money, and they’re probably getting a good amount if they win. I can’t see Tazen any longer, but I blend well in the groups of people.

“You betting tonight, girly?”

I turn at the voice coming from my left. I see a young, lean man smiling at me. He’s got flaming red hair and blue eyes. He holds out the massive pot of cash he’s collecting. “Ah, betting?” I say.

“Yeah, on the race. Big share if you get it right.”

I nod, and then glance around before taking a risk and saying, “Is Sheyenne racing tonight?”

For a moment, the man stares at me like I’ve lost my marbles. Oh God, is she not a racer? I had a feeling she was, because she seems involved in all of this from the conversations I’ve heard between Tazen and Murray.

“You want to bet on Sheyenne?”

Okay, I wonder why he’s suspicious about that. He doesn’t seem to like the idea at all. Is she a shitty racer? Only one way to find out.

“Sure,” I say casually.

He shrugs and then says, “Fine, your loss.”

My loss. Why would it be my loss? I decide to prod a little further.

“You don’t like her?”

He snorts. “No one fucking likes her. She’s a cheat and she’s crazy. She smashes up so many cars in fits of rage that I honestly wonder why they continue getting her more. But,” he says, leaning in close. “When her head is screwed on, the woman is a maniac on the track. She’s worth every penny if she wins. The problem with Sheyenne is nobody knows what kind of mood she’s in, so they don’t want to risk