Fucking twat.
I shouldn’t get involved. It’s not the first time I’ve seen people act shitty, and it’s certainly not the first time I’ve seen a woman get hit. But this one, I know I should stay away from. I shouldn’t get involved.
…Except I already am.
Finally, the third heat is being set up, so I get back onto my bike and roar off, heading back towards the storage units. I don’t need to go collect or anything—my winnings are going straight to Barnes’s fucking pockets anyways. I swap out for Lucile and my Lost Devils cut again, lock up the unit, and head back out. It’s close to one in the morning, and I’ve got a two-hour drive back to Blackthorn.
I drive around a corner of what was going to be the racetrack’s pub and restaurant, when suddenly, my eyes catch it. There’s a shape in the shadows—a figure slumped down against the side wall with her head in her hands.
My heart stops, and so does the bike.
It’s her.
I turn the engine off, and that seems to shake her from her daze. She glances up and then quickly stands and brushes her eyes. She turns to walk away, but I yank my helmet off as I follow.
“How bad?”
She freezes at the sound of my voice, her body stiffening before slowly, she turns. Her eyes hold mine over her shoulder with her blonde hair half covering one of them, and I watch as she rakes her teeth over her bottom lip.
“How bad did that fuck hurt you?”
“It’s nothing,” she says quietly, turning to face me.
“That wasn’t nothing,” I snarl, stepping closer to her. She swallows, her eyes sliding up and down over me.
“You’re—I mean, this is you?”
I frown, and she looks down, blushing.
“I just mean I’ve seen you race a bunch of times. I just didn’t realize… you know.” She shrugs. “You’re always wearing a helmet.”
“You’re usually up in the box seat, before it burned.”
She nods, and my jaw clenches.
“So you’re with Barnes,” I growl lowly, my eyes locked with hers.
She frowns, fire in her eyes. “I told you, I don’t belong to anyone.”
“Yeah?” I grunt. “Could’ve fooled me. Could’ve fooled the rest of that lot who seems to think you are.”
She purses her lips, her eyes flickering over mine. “It’s complicated.”
“I don’t do complicated.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I bet.”
“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” she snaps.
“No, please, enlighten me,” I grunt.
She laughs bitterly. “You’re serious? I mean look at you!” she snaps. “You’re like trouble incarnate. Everything about you screams trouble.”
“Doesn’t seem like that stopped you much earlier,” I throw back.
She bristles, but her face goes red, and she sucks that bottom lip back between her teeth.
“Proud of yourself?” she spits. “Taking advantage of a situation to—”
I bark out a laugh. “Please,” I grunt, moving right into her.
She gasps, chewing on her lip as she looks up into my eyes.
“Who exactly took advantage back there?”
Her jaw drops. “You’re trying to say it was me?”
I sigh, pushing my fingers through my long hair. “I mean, I was tired, and lost…” I shrug, and she rolls her eyes.
“Oh, you poor thing. I am so sorry that that resulted in you getting to fuck me.”
I grunt, and my hand reaches out to grab her waist. She gasps quietly as I pull her into me, my eyes blazing down into hers.
“I don’t think that was just fucking, and I don’t think you think so either,” I growl.
“I—” she swallows. “What are you doing here?”
“I want the truth.”
“About?”
My eyes narrow. “Barnes.”
Her lips tighten. “It’s none of your—”
“I’m making it my business. And it became my business the second I saw him hit you just now,” I snarl.
She looks away.
“Delphine.”
She looks up sharply, a question in her eyes.
“Another rider mentioned it.”
“Well how about you,” she whispers. “Got a name?”
“Oliver.”
She grins, looking away. “That is so British.”
“The sun never sets, sweetheart. So, Barnes.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Enlighten me.”
“Oliver…”
“Are you or are you not with Bryce Barnes?” I growl.
Delphine looks up into my eyes, her look fierce. “It’s complicated.”
I snarl and look away. “I don’t play games.”
“Then don’t,” she snaps. “No one’s asking you to, just walk away. I mean wasn’t that the whole point of before? Something fun and wild that you could just walk away from? Please, Oliver, look at you. You’ve got one-time fling written all over you.”
I snort, shaking my head. “Got me all bloody figured out, don’t you?”
She shrugs. She’s trying to look cavalier and defiant, but I’m seeing right through that shit.
“Just walk away,” she says quietly. “Trust me. Walk away. You’ll thank me.”
But I don’t. Instead, I put my other hand on her, and my grip tightens on her waist. She whimpers softly as I pull her into me, and she swallows thickly as she looks back up at me.
“I’m not doing that either,” I growl.
“Why not?”
“You know why not,” I say quietly.
“Maybe I don—”
“Because there’s no fucking way I could walk away from you,” I hiss.
She goes still, her breath coming fast as we stare at each other, inches apart. Fuck, I can smell her, and I swear I can still taste her on my lips as I lock eyes with her.
“Are you, or aren’t you with Barnes?,” I growl. “Because that’s trouble I do not play with.”
“I—I’m not,” she whispers. “Not how you think I am. And I know what you think you saw, but I just need you to trust me on that.”
“I don’t know you.”
She bites her lip. “Hi, Oliver,” she whispers with a small smile. “I’m Delphine. Armory.”
She looks at me, arching a brow like I should get something. But I don’t, so I don’t say anything.
“Delphine Armory.”
“Nice name?”
She grins a lopsided smile. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
“Oy now what bloody wanking shite gave it away luv?” I drawl in my best “Hollywood British” voice. Delphine giggles but quickly closes her mouth.
“My dad…” she frowns. “My dad and my last name are sort of well-known around her in Dark Water Falls.”
“Well, you’re still a pretty stranger to me,” I purr quietly.
She blushes and looks down. My hands tighten on her, and her breath catches as she looks up quickly into my eyes.