mean it Dash, we’re coming down tomorrow and if you don’t know every turn, stone, line, hole and anything else on that track, I’ll have your ass.”
He gives me one last look, then turns and walks off. I’m still staring at him when Slade approaches me from behind.
“Are you ok, Dashy?”
I spin around and glare at him. “Go away, Slade.”
“What happened out there?”
“What happened out there?” I screech. “What happened was your father and you driving me to lose my game.”
“Me?”
“Are you stupid?”
His brows raise and he shakes his head, looking a little hurt. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Kandee is my problem.”
His mouth opens a little and then he curses. “Kandee is an image.”
“An image?” I cry, hurt.
“Yes, you know my father can’t know about us. It keeps him off my back.”
His words hit me like a sledgehammer to the heart. “We’re hiding again?” I whisper.
“Dash, you know…”
“Go away Slade, now.”
“Dash, come on, you know what he’ll do…”
I shoot him an awful glare. “When are you going to stand up for yourself Slade? I’ve been in the racing industry alone for four years now without my father’s help and with his problems following me around but I’ve survived. You don’t need him to survive, you just want him because you’re too scared to branch out on your own.”
Slade’s eyes turn icy. “You know nothing Dasha, nothing at all. You’ll see the wrong side to Michael, no doubt soon after hitting him, and you’ll see what it is I hide from.”
“I don’t care about Michael, Slade, I care about you and that bimbo!”
“It’s an image!” he growls.
“And you had to shove your tongue down her throat? You couldn’t just hold her hand. How would you feel if it was me?”
He clenches his fists. “I have to make it look real Dash, my father knows what I was like with her, if he suspects….”
“You know what Slade, just leave me be. I don’t care!”
“Dash, fuck, just listen to me…”
“Go away!” I snap.
“Fine,” he grumbles.
He turns and storms off and I sigh. I sit by my car and watch as slowly the crowd thins out. My father and John wish me farewell before leaving and soon enough, I’m alone on the track, still sitting beside my car sulking. I’m angry at myself, at Slade and at Michael. I hate that I am forced to hide my relationship with Slade once more. Well, that’s if there’s one left after what I said. I put my head in my hands and sigh. My dad wants me to do laps, but I’m starting to wonder if I have it in me.
“You made a mistake today, Dasha Jewel.”
The voice fills my quiet world and I jerk my head up to see Michael striding towards me. I feel my eyes widen, shit, shit, shit. This is NOT good. I’m alone out here, and it’s getting dark. He wouldn’t hurt me, he wouldn’t risk me telling everyone. He wouldn’t. He’s just here to warn me. I swallow and look up at him when he stops. His nose is swollen and has a white bandage type thing over it.
“Go away Michael, you’ll regret being here.”
He grips my shirt and hurls me up, slamming me against my car. I cry out and shove my arms out to try and stop him, but he’s too strong.
“Who is going to stop me? You?”
“I know what you are,” I spit. “I know what you do to him and I’ll make you pay if you touch me!”
He snarls his next words. “You go ahead and try, he deserves everything he gets. He won’t let you tell anyone, or you would have by now.”
Dammit!
“Get away from me.”
“You hit me in front of everyone and you honestly think I’ll go away. You put your hands on the wrong man Dasha, and you’ll pay for it.”
“If you hurt me, it’ll end your son’s career.”
He laughs and my blood chills. He grips my face and his fingers pinch my skin. I yelp and squirm.
“I won’t have my son’s career brought down by a girl such as yourself. You won’t say a word about tonight Dasha Jewel because if you do, I’ll not only bring you down, but I’ll share Colby’s little secret with the world. Imagine how that’ll look in newspapers everywhere. Man kills his own wife.”
“Slade was part of it too, you’ll only be ruining his career along with mine,” I cry, squirming again.
“Yes, but when everyone finds out Colby was drunk, who do you think they’ll