Free Pace Laps (Racing on the Edge Book 10) by Shey Stahl Page B

them.
    She leaned in, her voice low. “She and Easton are having problems, and I think she’s turning to him for answers.”
    I whistled lowly. “That can’t be any good.”
    “He’s a good guy, Jameson.”
    “E or Rager?”
    “Both.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    I wasn’t sure what was going on with E these days, but I knew deep down Arie and Easton were never meant to be. I wasn’t stupid either; I’d known for years she had a thing for Rager, as did most girls.
    Rager dominated the night, winning his heat and the trophy dash. Once the feature was underway, there was no catching him. I couldn’t even get a peek at an opening to get around him. I ran the top hoping I could find grip up there, but it wasn’t happening, and I could barely see a fucking thing with all the dust. Side-by-side with him in the corners, I just couldn’t make it stick. I also kept bouncing off everything. Could barely keep the car off the wall. No doubt, I was lucky I finished where I did.
    When the race was finished, I stayed back until his interview finished and then congratulated him.
    “So you couldn’t get past this big guy here, could ya?” the announcer asked me.
    “He found the rubber before I did,” I told them, giving Rager a hug with one arm. “I should have moved down sooner than him. I made too many mistakes and bounced off the wall I don’t know how many times.” I shrugged, winking at Sway, who made her way over to us. “Just wasn’t my night.”
    Rager leaned forward and took the microphone from the announcer. “This win goes to Sway.” He swung his arm around Sway, kissing her cheek. “You keep this entire operation going, for him, for us.” Leaning in, he whispered to her, “You’re gonna make it through this. You will because we’re all here for you. You can’t win a race without your crew,” Rager told her softly, winking.
    Sway smiled and whispered to him, away from the microphone. “I have no doubt I will. Someone has to keep the boys of JAR Racing in line.”
    When she leaned into my side, I threw my arm around her, my fingers curling around her chin so she was looking at me. I should have said something. But I didn’t. Words weren’t needed anymore. She knew exactly what I was thinking.

Flash Shield – A device to encompass the air inlet of a carburetor’s sides, top, and rear to protect the drive in case of engine backfire.
     
    I’d dealt with death but never dying. Even though I knew when Charlie had been diagnosed with cancer, I was gone so often it wasn’t like I watched him die. Sway did, though. And when he finally did pass, I was in Daytona racing. When we lost Ryder, I didn’t know until he had already died. The same could be said for the plane crash and even my own dad’s death. So yeah, I had dealt with way too much death, but up until then, I had never faced the possibility of having to stand by and watch someone I loved and cared about die.
    While I knew she wasn’t dying, it still felt that way at times. At every doctor appointment, it was if they were preparing us for the possibility. Which was probably why I wasn’t allowed at the appointments any longer. I couldn’t handle the idea of them preparing us for anything other than my wife living through this.
    I also hated to be out of control. No race car driver did. But it was all I seemed to know since Sway’s diagnosis. Out of control and dependent on one outcome.
    Staring at the track in front of me, its grooves and cushions, my life, our life, resembled it in so many ways. We had ruts. Hell, we had down right ditches in some of our wide sweeping turns, but we made it around the track each lap. When would that end though?
    I carried speed for so many years. Had we finally hit the brim and blown a tire?
    I wanted to be alone the morning of the concert so I snuck out across the street to our dirt track. I wasn’t out there long and Tommy found me.
    Tommy sat beside me on the bleachers, handing me a new bottle of whiskey.