The Scarred Wife's Racing Five

Chapter Two

POV Holly

“Damn engine cut out on me. I don’t understand why my…I mean I thought it wise not to top off the fluids last month like I should have. Just my luck.” The added white lie might help...or it might not. I just don’t need anyone thinking I stole the truck. However, I’m not without a set of wheels. I glanced at the idling car behind me and groaned. “The car is shot. Nothing more I can do here. Mind giving me a lift?”

He grunted before walking over to the smoking hood. Raising a brow, he turned back to me. “Good assessment.”

“I’m aware. Still asking about that ride.” Okay Mr. Tall, dark and mysterious. Take the bait! “Not far….” I pressed. Just away from here, but he doesn’t need to know that.

He smirked and tilted his chin towards the truck now in shambles. “Uhuh.”

“Is that a yes?” I continued, trying to get more out of him than a few words.

Clicking his teeth, I could feel him glaring down at me while I did my best to avert my eyes elsewhere. “Where then?”

I snapped my head up to meet his gaze. Maybe…maybe I’m not getting punished. Maybe…maybe this was a sign to keep going.

“Hello?” The man continued, as I quickly snapped out of my own thoughts.

“As far away from here would be nice.”

“Should I be concerned about helping you?”

“Nope! Just sh*t on my luck.” I raised my hand toward the truck and scoffed. “Obviously.”

“Alright. Let’s get going then.” He said, walking over to his car.

“Wait…really?” I asked again. The question just slipped out before I could think twice.

“You’re the one who asked. Would you rather wait here until morning?” He pushed, and I shook my head, grabbed my things off of the bench, and left the truck to die. Also, if Ryan’s truck was totaled, it would buy me more time. This man could be in the mafia for all I care. Anything is better than being found by my ex.

When I took a seat on the passenger side, he closed the door behind me, and placed my duffle in the trunk. I held onto my backpack…just in case. It has all the money I can use there and I do not have time for someone to steal it. He slipped into the driver's side, cranked up the heat, and hopped back on to the road. Maybe it was because I was so used to driving around in that beat-up truck, but I'd never felt so calm in a car before. The leather interior warmed my body as we drove, and I was shocked he had the heated seats as a feature. He didn't seem to be gushing over it, so I made sure I didn’t seem too strange and said nothing.

For miles, we rode in silence with a rock playlist in the background. It was on a pretty low volume, but it wasn’t hard to guess the genre with the classic guitar solos. He didn’t say a word, and I wasn’t interested in starting a conversation. I glanced at the sign waving goodbye to the lucky few who made it out of Wandering Springs. I quietly took a sigh of relief, realizing I was finally one of them.

“My name is Noah.” He started, and I snapped my head to look at him. “Do you have a name?” He continued awkwardly. Does this man ever talk longer than a second or two? I hesitated for a moment.

“Holly.” I mumbled.

“Holly…. Huh. Nice name.” Nice name? Everyone used to make fun of my name because it reminded them of Christmas, and I’m not really the holly jolly type. What would they expect from a girl abandoned by her own parents at four? Warm and fuzzy doesn’t keep me alive.

“So, since you aren’t really sure about your destination, how about we start in Canterwood? Quiet and simple.” Okay, more effort that time, I guess.

“Canterwood? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Well, I’ve never heard of Wandering Springs, but that’s where I found you.”

“Touchè.”

“It’s far from here.” He shrugged at his response and nodded in agreement. “One familiar face does tend to calm one’s nerves.” He mumbled under his breath, and I was shocked at the shift. He didn’t seem like the warm and fuzzy type. Like me. Why is he offering so much help?

One familiar face, huh? I looked over his sharp jawline and glacial blue eyes as he focused on every straightaway and turn with ease. “I guess one familiar face wouldn’t be too bad.”

He smirked and nodded. “Well then, that’s our destination. Aren’t you glad I had a business trip that made me come through these small towns?”

I chuckled, knowing it probably sounded forced. “Sure.” I whispered.

“Any more thoughts on what happened to the car? I’m sure you were low on oil or coolant, making the engine smoke like that. Nothing too difficult, but not something I can fix on the side of the road if there wasn’t any fluid reserves in the car. Ever had that truck serviced?”

Ryan sold my little sedan to buy that thing. With all the money he spends on drinking and gambling, there’s no way he saved enough to maintain a vehicle. I knew I wasn’t going to do it. It felt like the one thing I could just stick it to him. “With the way it just died on me? No, it hasn’t.”

He hummed in response. “Well, that’s a bummer. It seems like, with the right amount of elbow grease, that baby could be running like a dream.”

“Like a dream, huh? It seems like you are quite the car enthusiast.”

He gave a soft hum, as if in pleasure. It was surprisingly calming. “I am. Well, I should be. I own a dealership and I race cars for a living. Seems like if I didn’t like cars, I’d be in the wrong profession.” Looks like I found the thing he’s interested in. The thing I’m interested in.

My eyes lit up as I glanced around the car looking for something to prove his words, but he really did seem like just a businessman to me. “Was your business trip a race then?” I asked with a little more excitement than I thought possible.

He glanced over at me and shook his head. “No. It was for the dealership this time.”

“Oh.” I mumbled disappointingly. Man…just to enjoy one lap around a track would be a dream. “So…then when do you race? Is it as exciting as they say?”

“They?”

I nodded eagerly. “Yeah, like the fans and stuff.”

He smirked and it seemed more mischievous. “Maybe I can show you sometime.”

I yawned as the adrenaline started to wear. “That would be awesome. I’ve never driven in a race car before.”

“Well, then. We will definitely have to fix that. Now, won’t we? Until then, you should get some rest. You good?”

I winced, knowing I was in bad shape. “I will be, but I’m good though.” I yawned again, and he switched the channel to a softer rock beat. No way in hell am I going to take my eyes off of this guy. I’ve already escaped one mad man. I will not be falling into the clutches of another one. I turned to stare out of the window as the pair of us fell back into a comfortable silence. My eyes started to get heavy and the only thing I could think about was sleep. For a while, I tried my best to dig my finger nail into my leg or pinch my wrist, praying I could stay awake just a bit longer. However, no matter how hard I tried, my drooping eyes fell closed and darkness consumed me.