Chapter 31 Adeline
Adeline's POV
As soon as those words leave my mouth, I regret it, but I don't take it back because it is the truth.
Percy flinches, too. It’s a small movement, a tightening of his jaw, but I see it. The sins of the father crashing down on the son. He doesn't like that he's being judged because of his father, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not in the right headspace to assure him.
"Right," he says, his voice devoid of emotion. "Of course."
He looks at the Yamaha. I just raced, and then he looks at Marco, who is counting the cash.
"Marco," Percy calls out. "The lady wants the bike."
Marco looks up in confusion. "To rent?"
"To keep," I say, making a split-second decision. I grab the stack of cash from Marco’s hand, the winnings I just earned, and shove half of it back at him. "Five grand. Keep the change."
It’s reckless and impulsive, but it's exactly something Ghost would do.
I turn to Percy, more sure of my decision now. "I need to be alone for the ride, Percy. I need to clear my head before I walk back into the mess that's my mother right now."
He studies me, his gray eyes dark with worry, but he knows better than to argue with me when I’m in this mood. He steps closer and tucks a stray hair behind my ear.
"Call me when you get there," he orders softly. "I don't care how late it is. Just let me know you're safe. If you don't, I'm going to disregard your warning and come by her house anyway."
"You don't know her place."
"That’s where I picked you from. Don't play with me, Adeline."
I roll my eyes and relent. "I will."
I don't kiss him. I can't because if I kiss him, I won't want to leave, and he will seize on my hesitation to beg me to stay.
When I rev my engine and get ready to go, he quickly steps in front of the bike. I gasp and open my helmet in anger.
"Percy, what the hell? Do you have a death wish or something?"
My anger melts at the emotion on his face. He's vulnerable, and that makes me want to take him in my arms and comfort him.
"Adeline."
"What?"
"I need you to promise me something."
"Percy, what's going on?"
"Are you going to leave me?"
My eyes widen, and I wonder what he's going on about. "What are you going on about? What am I supposed to be promising you?"
"Baby, promise me you won't leave me." I can tell that he's dead serious and that this is something that really scares him. I couldn't help but smile at him. He’s so hot when he's wearing his heart on his sleeve.
I lean forward and plant a quick kiss on his lips. "Of course not, Percy? Where are these thoughts coming from? Why would I suddenly leave you when you're the big boss in the office?" That earns me a quick smile, but he's quickly back to being serious.
"I was afraid you would conclude that I'm like Richard and decide to leave me before it's too late."
"Oh." I hadn't considered that at all, and I suddenly understand where he's coming from.
"Yeah, Richard is the father figure I had growing up, and in more ways than one, I am just like him, but I promise that I'm not a cheat. The thought of cheating has never entered my mind. I'd rather break up than cheat on my partner."
"The thought of you cheating never entered my mind, either. I was mostly upset that I had to lie to my mother about you, that's all."
The relieved breath he takes is so visible that it makes me laugh. "I will see you at work tomorrow."
With another kiss to my lips, he pulls back. "Good night, boss."
I pull my helmet back on, mount the Yamaha, and kick it into gear. I spare him one last smile before I twist the throttle and shoot out into the dark.
The ride back toward the city center is solitary and somber. The adrenaline from the race has evaporated, leaving me shivering in my leather jacket. I keep the bike steady at sixty, but my mind is racing faster than the wheels.
How do we fix this? Mom is broken. The wedding is off, and I’m hiding a relationship with the son of the man who broke her. Percy was right, we should have told them months ago. Now, it feels like a trap closing in.
I check my mirrors. The road behind me is dark save for a single pair of bright headlights in the distance. They’re moving too fast for a road this deserted.
Thinking they were in some sort of emergency, I drift to the right lane to let them pass.
The car speeds up and closes the gap in seconds, but it stays right on my tail, blinding me with the reflection.
"Asshole," I mutter, gripping the handlebars tighter.
I twist the throttle to increase my speed, trying to put distance between us. It is when the car matches my speed that I get the first hint of trouble. I'm being trailed, and I confirm it when the car swerves left when I go left and right when I go right. This is not just an aggressive driver. They're trying to run me off the road.
I try to look for a license plate, but there's nothing. Just a sedan, hunting me. My first thought is Mason. How would he know I was at the track unless it's a different person?
"Get off me!" I scream, though the driver can't hear me.
I drop a gear and push the speed, so I'm doing a hundred now. Still, I can't outrun the car, not unless I want to run myself off the road.
The car doesn't try to pass. It accelerates one last time to match my speed, but they don't try to move past me. The car's bumper makes hard contact with my back tire. The impact is deafening and instant. The force jolts through my spine, snapping my head back, which makes the handlebars jerk out of my grip.
I try to correct it, but it's too late, and the bike is already going sideways, and I'm launched into the air.
For a split second, I am weightless as I spin through the night sky like a ragdoll before the ground rushes up to meet me. My shoulders hit the ground first.
The sound of my own bones cracking echoes inside my helmet. I roll and tumble over gravel and glass until I slam into something hard, a guardrail, maybe, and come to a stop.
Everything is silent except for the ringing in my ears. I try to breathe, but my chest feels too tight.
Through the cracked visor of my helmet, I see the taillights of the sedan. It stops for a while to probably confirm that the job's done before it speeds away, disappearing into the night.
My last thought is how mad Percy will be when he doesn't receive my call before the world fades away.