Page 34 of Racing Dirty Trilogy Box Set

Xavier

A few hours later, the cops finally leave with my smashed car on a wrecker. They’re taking it back to their forensic lab. They’re being tight-lipped with any information they have and it’s pissing me off.

Izzy and Mia are in the kitchen getting something to eat. Christian, Nolan, and I are in my living room. Nolan is sitting on the mahogany brown couch next to me, Christian in the matching chair.

“Fucker, I can't believe you finally asked her. When did you do it? Where did you do it?" Nolan asks.

“Well, we were at the hospital. Izzy came out from visiting Austin. She looked so broken and upset. Then she told me her biggest fear was being all alone. I told her she will always have the three of us. She was so sad, that I felt it was the right time.” I explain.

Just then the girls come into the living room with popcorn, warmed-up pizza, and ice cream. I raise my eyebrows at all the food they set down on the coffee table. Mia shrugs her shoulders and sits on Christian’s lap in the chair.

“We need comfort food.” She says between bites of pizza.

Christian laughs and takes a bite of Mia’s pizza. Izzy sits down next to me with a pint of cookie dough ice cream. She tucks her legs up underneath her butt and leans into me. I give her a quick kiss and steal the ice cream she has on her spoon.

“You’re lucky I love you,” she grumbles. I laugh as I grab a handful of popcorn.

“So, what are we going to do now?" Nolan asks as he picks up a slice of pizza. Christian is the first to answer.

“I don’t think you two need to be alone. With the big race tomorrow night, we need to be on high alert. Xavier, did you check the garage and see if they messed with the cars?"

“Fuck no, I didn’t even think about it,” I say shaking my head. My skin is on fire, burning from anger even thinking about that asshole having time to touch our cars.

“OK, let’s check it out. Make sure the garage is locked up tight,” Christian says. We get up and head outside into the night. Mia and Izzy stay in the house binge eating.

The night breeze feels good against my heated skin as I lead Nolan and Christian to the garage and unlock the door.

I flip on the lights and my heart is hammering in my chest. I’m praying nothing is wrong here.

I wipe my hands on my jeans as I look around the garage.

This is a big race for both Izzy and me.

If we win this, not only will we be getting a big payout, but our names will be known in the whole racing circuit, and will get invites to other big races across the country.

Something we have been dreaming of for years.

Nolan, Christian, and I are walking around my car. Everything seems in order, nothing missing or out of place. We walk to the back of my garage where Izzy’s car is locked up tight.

I flip on that light switch and my heart drops to my toes. Across the side of her car, which I had specialized for her is all scratched out and DIE BITCH written in red paint. The paint is still dripping onto the floor.

“Holy fuck," Nolan yells out.

I grab a rag from the shelf behind me and begin wiping the paint off.

Nolan and Christian do the same. The room is quiet as we try to wipe as much paint off as we can when I hear something metal hit the concrete floor out in the other room.

I pause and turn on my heels, narrowing my eyes towards the noise.

I get up and hurry toward my car. Christian and Nolan are right behind me. Just as I reach the doorway, I spot a black figure near the door.

“Stop," I demand.

The figure stops just as they reach the door. They keep their back to us, hands are in the air, a black hoodie is over their head, so I can’t make them out. I approach them cautiously, taking in the fact that it’s a woman.

Just as I reach her, she speaks, her back is still to me. “I’ve warned the bitch to stay away. First, she takes you away from me, now she takes him away, she will fucking die." The venom in her voice makes me pause long enough for her to run out the door into the night.

I finally snap out of it and follow Christian and Nolan outside.

I spot them running down the driveway from the glow of the moonlight.

I catch up to them at the end of my long driveway, my brain running in a million different directions.

Her voice sounds familiar and should ring a bell on who it is, but nothing is coming to mind.

“Xavier,” Nolan snaps a finger in my face.

I turn to him, my face must portray what I’m feeling because he looks at me with sympathetic eyes.

“We need to talk. But first, we have to clean Izzy’s car.” I can hear the regret in Nolan’s voice.

We walk back into my garage. I grab the paint thinner and a new rag. No one saying anything as we work. I keep looking at Nolan and he keeps shaking his head, telling me it’s not time yet.

We clean up her car from the red paint and go inside my house.

I enter first, Nolan and Christian are right behind me.

I spot Izzy looking out the living room window into the night, her arms wrapped around her waist, a blank look on her face.

I walk up behind her, needing to hold her and wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to me.

I lean down so my chin is resting on her right shoulder and just hold her tight. She shivers and takes a deep breath.

“What’s going on Xavier?" She’s trying to be strong, but she’s tight with tension.

Nolan speaks before I get a chance. “I know who that woman was and you’re not going to like it." I turn both Izzy and me around to look at Nolan.

“What woman?” Izzy asks. Her voice is calm, but her body is trembling. Ignoring Izzy’s question, Nolan motions us to the couch.

“You’re going to want to sit down for this.” Nolan gestures his head at the couch.

He’s standing up pacing back and forth across the living room, running his hands through his hair. I lead Izzy to the couch and we sit down. She curls her body around mine and rests her head on my chest.

“Ok, you have our attention Nolan, what is it,” I demand.

Nolan stops pacing and looks out the window that Izzy was at. He’s lost in his own world for a few minutes, staring into the night.

“This is going to be hard, for both of you,” Nolan hisses.

“It’s why I haven’t said anything yet. I wanted to find out more information before I told you, but with tonight’s incident I can’t wait any longer.

" He turns from the window and looks at us. “Do you remember the incident five years ago? Of course, you do. It’s been etched in all of our brains for the last five years. You’ve all contemplated what happened and why.

None of you knew who she was and why she did that. "

I interrupt Nolan. “Bro, you’re rambling. Spit out what you want to say."

Nolan takes a deep breath. “The woman is Marie,” Nolan says. Izzy’s body turns stiff underneath mine and she sucks in a deep breath.

“Are you sure?" She asks Nolan.

“Positive." One word and Izzy looks like she will shatter into a million pieces.

I’m so lost right now. “Who the fuck is Marie?" I ask.

Izzy turns her head up to look at me, sadness is in her eyes. “She is the one who broke us up.”

My heart just dropped out of my chest and fell into my toes. My stomach is churning. I’m going to be sick as bits and pieces from that night come flooding back.

“What?" I ask, breathlessly.

Nolan nods his head, but I don’t acknowledge him.

I’m still looking into Izzy’s sad eyes. She takes a deep breath and sits up, pulling herself away from me.

Mia and Christian are sitting quietly in the chair, watching us.

I go to take her hand, but she stops me, holding up a palm towards me. My heart splits in two.

“Xavier, don’t. Not right now. I have to tell you something and I can’t do it when I touch you.” Tears are filling her eyes.

Mia finally speaks. “Is this the bitch from that day?"

“Yeah,” she breathes.

“Izzy, what is going on?" I ask her.

She takes a deep breath and releases it.

I can see the tension in her shoulders and want to comfort her, but she stands up and paces the room.

I can see her brain working things over, her face is showing all her emotions from sadness to anger, finally settling on something I’ve never seen in her eyes. Revenge.

Her jaw is tight, her eyes are full of compassion as they land on me. “Marie is the one who visited me the next day after I caught you with her,” she confesses.

“Ok,” I say cautiously. “I never knew who it was, but I swear, I never laid a hand on her. Bits and pieces are coming back to me, but nothing solid yet. I’ve blocked it from my mind. I didn’t want to remember."

I can’t take being apart from Izzy right now and I stand up. She will have to deal with me holding onto her because I’m going to be selfish and take what I need.

“X, you need to remember,” Izzy pleads. “It’s a big piece of why this is happening now, and Nolan just confirmed it for me.” I approach Izzy and wrap my arms around her waist. She shudders under my hands.

“I don’t want to remember that night. I really, really don’t,” I plead with her. Izzy turns in my arms and brings her hands up to cup my face, her eyes have tears in them.

“You need to X,” Izzy whispers. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere." She gently kisses me on the lips. My heart is at war with my head and I finally give in.

“OK, but don’t ever walk away from me. I don’t want to do this, but I will if it will help.” I agree.

Nolan speaks up. “It will, and I’ll fill in the blanks if you need me too."

I look at Nolan with confusion. “What do you know? I didn’t even know you were there that night."

“Yeah, I was there, and I saw her after Izzy left,” Nolan says. His jaw is set tight and a vein is throbbing on his forehead. Izzy’s eyes grow wide as she turns to Nolan.

“You talked to her?" She asks. There’s hurt in her voice. Nolan shakes his head.