Sam needed time to think about yesterday, last night, and this morning. She pulled herself under the car, slid the ratchet onto the oil plug, and mentally sank into her self-made sanctuary. She’d tried to resign herself to believing the fever had made her so vulnerable, not wanting to admit it could have possibly been anything different at this point. That’s what it had to be. How else could she explain her constant euphoric state?
After several turns of the wrench the plug came loose, and oil oozed across her hands. She let the ratchet drop to the concrete floor and waited for the oil to drain. She squeezed her eyes closed and rethought the entire weekend chain of events. It wasn’t the fever. No fever could possibly make anyone that deliriously happy.
Drew was everything she could ever want, but getting what she wanted could be dangerous. Brad would never let her go easily, and she couldn’t deal with the conflict right now, not with only a few days left before race day.
Sam felt a strong, hard grip on her ankles. “Hey!” she yelled, grabbing at the frame of the car, trying to stop the force pulling her out.
Drew dropped down next to her and covered her mouth in a long, slow kiss. When Sam recognized her warm, familiar taste, she loosened her grip on the car, and put her oil-covered hands on the back of Drew’s neck. Taking Sam’s hands from her neck, Drew pressed them to her lips, then stuck her tongue out and scrunched her nose. Judging by her expression, Drew didn’t appreciate the taste of aged oil as much as she did wine. She laughed, wiped a shop towel across her face, and gave Sam a sideways smile.
Drew sputtered and swiped her mouth across her sleeve again. “Did you see the doctor?”
Sam sat up and checked her watch. “It’s lunchtime. Did you bring me something to eat?”
“Did you?” Drew raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.
She took the shop towel and wiped her hands. “Yes, but the track clinic is closed from eleven thirty to one for lunch.”
Drew squatted and slid her knees on either side of the roller board. “I’ll be happy to get you something for lunch. What would you like?”
She let out a low throaty chuckle. “I’m afraid what I want isn’t on the menu.” She let her fingers roam across Drew’s sides before trailing them up her back.
With a groan, Drew pulled her in, subduing her with a long, heated kiss.
“You know, if you keep kissing me like that, you’re going to get infected.” Sam leaned in tighter, letting her gaze dart back and forth from Drew’s mouth to her eyes.
“It’s too late now. I’ve already got it bad.” Drew dragged her thumb across Sam’s cheek. “I’m going into the city to have dinner with my folks tonight. You want to come?”
“Dinner, with your folks?” Absolutely not! She wasn’t about to put herself through that humiliation again. “I’ve got too much work to do. Besides, I’m sure your sister has filled your mother in on me by now.”
“Yes, I’m sure she has, but I always find it best just to get your,” her lip tugged up, “insatiable sexual appetite out in the open right from the get-go.”
Sam slapped at Drew’s shoulder. “Hey! That’s not—” Drew crushed Sam’s objection with her soft, seeking mouth. The battle lost, Sam let out a soft sigh as they parted. “Do you have to go?”
“Uh-huh, but I shouldn’t be late.” Drew popped up and reached for Sam’s hand. “Now come on. By the time you get over to the clinic, it’ll be open.”
Sam dropped her shoulders and let out a heavy breath. “I’ll go after I finish this.”
Drew took Sam’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “You’ll go now.” With her hands riveted to her hips, Sam prepared to spew out an ear-splintering protest, but something in Drew’s deep, demanding tone made her balk.
“Please?” Drew said, before she could recover.
Drew was obviously truly concerned. “All right, but don’t let anybody start this.” She patted the hood of the car. “I still need to change the filter and put new oil in it.”
Heading out into the stifling afternoon heat, Sam glanced back over her shoulder and saw Tommy heading into the garage. She turned to go back, only to see Drew giving her a back-handed wave, prompting her on her way.
Sam tugged at the clinic door. Locked. While rapping on the metal pane, she peered through the window. Damn. He’s not here.
“What’re you doin’, Samantha?” Paddy’s voice rumbled behind her.
“I need to see the doc.” She gathered her hair together, pulling it into a handheld ponytail.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just a little cold.” She swiped the clammy skin of her neck dry. That wasn’t true. This heat on top of the fever was killing her.
He frowned. “We need to talk about what happened on the track the other day.”
Sam knew that expression. He was going to say something she didn’t want to hear. “What about it?” She planted her hands on her hips.
“I’m going to put Brad in the new car.”
“What? I qualified, didn’t I?” She moved closer, invading his space. Sam wasn’t sure she wanted to race after what happened, but she wasn’t prepared for Paddy to yank the choice away.
“You did, but you were mighty shaken.” He studied her, and his gaze didn’t falter. “I need a driver who can handle a situation like that without panicking.”
“I didn’t panic. I brought the car back in one piece.”
“I don’t think you’re ready to get back on the track just yet. Next time.” Not waiting for a response, he turned, heading off toward the garage.
“If I wasn’t your daughter, you wouldn’t think twice about putting me back out there.”
Paddy stopped and turned briefly. “But you are, aren’t you?”
“That’s not fair and you know it.”
Ignoring her, he walked away.
She spun around, pressing her palm against the metal building. Damn you, Paddy. This conversation isn’t over yet.
* * *
Drew waited until Sam was out of sight before going back into the garage to talk to Tommy. She hadn’t had much time to do that since she’d arrived and wanted his take on the crash that put him in the wheelchair.
“Where’s she off to?” Tommy asked.
“Clinic.”
“She’s finally going to have that cough checked out?”
“Yeah. I told her Paddy wouldn’t let her drive if she didn’t.” Drew lied. It had become second nature.
“That true?”
“No, but it got her to go.”
“She can be pretty stubborn.”
“No kidding.”
Tommy pulled open the fridge and took out a soda. “Want one?”
Drew threw up her hand and waited for Tommy to toss one over.
“I noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time with my sister.” Tommy popped the tab, sucked down a big gulp, and let out a gasp.
It wasn’t a question but was going to require a cautious response. Drew couldn’t tell Tommy she was here to prove or disprove his sister had caused his and all the other accidents on the circuit this past year. And, by the way, somewhere along the line, she’d fallen in love with her.
Drew circled her finger around the rim of her soda. “We’ve spent some time together.”
“What’s Paddy got to say about it?”
“I don’t think he knows.”
“Why’s that?”
“Just hasn’t come up.” Drew squeezed her soda can, making the aluminum pop. “What’s with the third degree? It’s not like I’m any worse for her than Wilkerson.”
“No. You’re not any worse, but are you any better?”
Drew got up, downed the rest of her soda, and tossed the can into the recycle bin. The aluminum clanged loudly against the inside of the metal barrel.
“Ask your sister,” she said, heading for the door.
“Don’t have to.”
Drew slowed and turned around.
“I can see it every time she looks at you.” Tommy slapped at the rubber rails on his wheelchair and rolled over to her. “I’m okay with it.”
Drew shrugged. It wasn’t like she needed his permission, but it felt kind of nice to know Tommy approved. Her cell phone rang, and Drew plucked it from her back pocket. She read the caller ID message “unknown caller” and glanced back at Tommy.
“Excuse me a sec.” She hit the button and announced her last name as she walked across to the other side of the garage. Not that it would give her any privacy. You could hear the echo of a pin dropping in the huge metal structure.
“What’s going on out there?” Captain Jacobs’s voice came through loud and clear.
“Mom.” She spoke just loud enough for Tommy to hear her. “How are you?”
“Don’t give me that crap, Thompson. You’d better get your butt in here and give me an update, pronto.”
“You bet. I’ll be there for dinner tonight.”
“ASAP,” the captain barked.
“Love you too, Mom.” She ended the call and slid the phone back into her pocket.
The last thing Drew wanted the captain to know was that she’d gotten attached to these people. Drew was always pretty good at profiling, but Sam was so scattered she was having a hard time pinning her down. At first glance all the signs were there. She had a neurotic, willful personality and didn’t take crap from anybody. But Drew also found her to be a warm, compassionate woman. It was hard for her to believe she could hurt anyone.
Now it was time to go back to work. She was alone with Tommy. She could use this opportunity to gain some valuable information.
“Tommy, you mind if I ask you a couple questions?”
“About Sam?”
Drew nodded. “She was pretty upset about that throttle problem yesterday.”
“Ever since my accident, she hasn’t been the same. She tries to put on a brave face, but she’s not like us.”
Drew tilted her head in question. “What do you mean?”
“Even now,” Tommy glanced down at his lifeless legs and gripped the arms of his wheelchair, “I’d go back out on that track today if I could. Sam says all she wants is to race, to be out on that track going a hundred miles an hour with no other goal than winning. I don’t believe that’s true. Fear’s lurking in her head.”
“You don’t think she wants that?”
“She’s my sister, Drew.” His voice had a calm, compassionate tone. “I’ve seen her watch other women with babies. She wants kids someday.”
Whack! It couldn’t have been clearer if Tommy had reached out and popped her in the head with a lug wrench. Drew had been living in the moment for so long, she hadn’t thought past tomorrow, let alone about starting a family again.
“She could’ve been killed pulling me out of that car. As it was, she got burned pretty badly.”
“Wasn’t she wearing her gear?”
“Sure, but even the highest-safety-rated suit can protect you from second-degree burns for only forty seconds. A minute-twenty max, if you’re wearing racing underwear.”
“Not a very long time, is it?”
“Not when you can’t get out of a burning car.” He hesitated, taking a gulp of soda. “Luckily Ray was there to take care of her afterward.”
“Ray took care of her?”
“Came to the hospital every day. I think he spent more time with Sam than he did with me.”
“Where was Wilkerson?”
Tommy flattened his lips. “He doesn’t take the bad with the good. That’s not his style.”
“Tell me about the crash. I mean, if it doesn’t bother you.”
“I don’t mind. The doctor says it’s good to talk about it.” He took another swig of his soda. “It was a perfect day for racing. Sixty-eight degrees, sunny, and not the slightest gust of wind. I took the first pace lap and increased my speed. Everything was fine, except I felt a little shudder as I rounded the corner.”
“Did you pit?”
“No. I ignored it. It had rained earlier that day, so I figured the track was slick. The green flag was out and I took off. After that I didn’t feel it again until I got to the last few laps.”
Drew could see the sweat beading on Tommy’s forehead. It was warm in the garage, but not that hot.
“You okay?”
“Sometimes it comes back like I’m still there.” He grabbed a shop towel from the rack and blotted his face.
Drew knew that feeling all too well.
“I was in the last lap going down the first straightaway. I accelerated and felt the car shudder around the next turn.”
Drew saw regret spread across Tommy’s face. “I should’ve told Sam about it when I pitted.”
“You knew.”
He nodded. “But the car seemed fine, and by the time I felt it again, the race was almost over and I couldn’t pit.” He blew out a short breath. “I came around that last corner, took it faster than usual, guess I was getting antsy. We were neck and neck, and I wanted it so bad I could taste it.” He paused. “Then the car pulled to the right so hard I couldn’t hold it. I gave it everything I had and still went straight into the wall. I don’t remember much after that. They tell me Sam pulled me out.” He wheeled himself over to the tool bench, pulled open a drawer underneath, and took out a steering wheel.
“What’s that?”
“A souvenir.” He held it up and swiped his finger through the bolt hole. “See where it’s bent?”
Drew could see where the pre-formed slot had been marred by the pressure. “Holy shit.”
“I told you I tried. Ripped both my deltoid and triceps.” He flexed his right arm and fingered the three-inch scar from the surgery on the inside of his arm.
“And your legs?”
“The G-force from the impact snapped my spine. The doctor said I was lucky to be alive.”
“What about Sam? Why didn’t she have her skin grafted?”
“I told her she should, but she wouldn’t. She said I had to live with my scars every day, so she would too. She never wants to forget.” He dropped the wheel back into the drawer. “That little hairline crack caused a lot of damage inside and out.”
Drew nodded. “You aren’t kiddin’.” Tommy had no idea that crack had been caused by deliberately weakened steel.
The side door of the garage flew open, and they both turned.
“Hey, babe,” Jade shouted, swinging the door closed behind her. “Paddy wants you to go with him to the inspection meeting.” When she got closer, she pulled her eyebrows together. “You okay? You look a little flushed.”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” He scooted around her. “Is he already at the clubhouse?”
“Yep.” She waited until Tommy was out of sight and then turned to Drew. “What’s going on?”
“We were discussing the accident.”
“His accident?” Jade’s voice rose. “You should’ve talked to me about that. It’s not good for him.”
“It still bothers him?”
“Wouldn’t it bother you if you were stuck in a burning car and couldn’t get out?”
Drew pulled her brows together. “Sam pulled him out.”
“But he doesn’t remember that. When he thinks about it, his blood pressure skyrockets. He still wakes up in cold sweats during the night, trying to get away from the flames.”
“Sorry. I won’t bring it up again.”
“Anything new on the case?”
“I have to go into the city.”
“What for?” Jade snatched up all the dirty shop rags and tossed them into the linen service bin.
“The boss wants an update.”
“Why’s he riding you so hard on this one?”
“Don’t know. Maybe because I screwed up the last one. I need to do some research on lover-boy Brad anyway.”
“Oh. I thought you’d taken over that role.”
Drew smiled as she headed out. “I’m workin’ on it.”