show. I couldn’t believe that no one had spread rumors.
I never made it to the trailer because Dima headed my way. I hadn’t seen him in weeks. I hugged him. “I missed you,” I admitted.
His expression twisted with apprehension when he pulled back. I braced myself for what he had to say. “We should return to Chicago now. There’s no reason for us to stay. Falcone and the races served their purpose. We don’t need either anymore.”
I allowed my gaze to take in the tents and race cars, soaking up the buzzing excitement of the day before a race. I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to become a part of the camp, just because and not for any other reason. I wanted to be with Adamo. “Why should I return to Chicago?”
“Because that’s where you belong,” Dima muttered. “This isn’t your home. Don’t overstay your welcome, Dinara. Remo Falcone might have tolerated your presence so he could play with you but now that the game is over, he’ll want you off his territory as soon as possible.”
“Nobody played with me. He gave me an option and I grabbed it. Only because it was an option Dad and you disapprove of doesn’t mean his motives were bad. He gave me what I wanted.”
Dima made a face. “He’s good at manipulation. I have to admit it. Remo used you to exact revenge that your father wanted.”
“He might have wanted it but it was mine to begin with. Not his, or anyone else’s.”
“And yet you shared it with Adamo instead of me or your father.”
“Because neither of you would have allowed me to get my hands dirty. You would have taken matters into your own hands. Maybe you would have allowed me to watch but definitely not to partake.”
“Because what you did can destroy you.”
“But it didn’t,” I said firmly. “I don’t have nightmares, and I don’t feel guilty.”
That wasn’t quite true. I had nightmares but they were better than the ones that had haunted me in the past. They didn’t wake me in a cold sweat with a pounding heart.
“I won’t return to Chicago now. I’ll finish the season—”
“Your father wants you back in Chicago, so that’s where I’m taking you. You got what you wanted, now you have to come to your senses.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you going to tie me up and kidnap me?”
“Your father won’t accept a no in this case, and he’ll blame Adamo if you don’t show up in Chicago tonight.”
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t want to provoke my father. He’d been pissed about my vigilante quest but had allowed me to do what I needed to do, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t be as tolerant if I ignored his order this time. I didn’t want to turn him against Adamo. I wanted him to like Adamo, to accept him as the man I loved, no matter how unlikely that was.
“I’ll have to talk to Adamo first,” I said. Dima didn’t bother hiding his disapproval but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t sneak away. Adamo deserved to know what was going on. I turned on my heel and went in search of Adamo. I found him, as expected, at Crank’s trailer, probably discussing last-minute details for tomorrow’s race. He gave me a distracted smile but his face morphed into a frown when he saw my expression. He said something to Crank who nodded before he jogged toward me. “What’s wrong?”
It was strange how well Adamo knew me. I’d always prided myself on my poker face, but after everything Adamo and I had been through, we knew each other’s fake expressions and the true meaning behind them. It was scary and comforting all at once.
“I need to return to Chicago—tonight.”
Adamo froze. “Why? You’ll miss tomorrow’s race.”
“I know. But my father insists that I’ll return to talk to him. He’s given me the time to do what I needed to do but now his patience is running thin.”
Adamo regarded me silently for a couple of heartbeats. The hint of worry and suspicion flared up in his eyes but disappeared so quickly I would have missed them if I didn’t know him just as well as he knew me.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” I said firmly. “But I need to straighten things with my father first. I don’t want him to send the cavalry and create more tension between our families.”
Adamo touched my hips, pulling me closer. “Maybe he won’t allow you to return.”