Page 26 of Fueled Fury

15

Austin

Pushing the button, I impatiently wait for the elevator doors to open up. I hate being here. It’s not the house (though fortress is a more accurate description) that unsettles me. It’s the memory of the night I walked through the doors, sat across from my uncle in his living room, then walked out of the iron gate and made the stupidest decision of my life. And that’s saying a lot because I’ve made some dreadful ones over the years. What made that one worse than the others? The cost. Lainey.

The elevator chimes as the doors open up and I step off, walking across the room to stand in front of the oversize desk. The smell of tobacco and whiskey fills my senses; it’s reassuring because it’s associated with the man who’s kept what little normalcy I had intact.

“Want a drink?” Uncle Waylon asks, holding up his glass before draining the amber liquid in one gulp.

“No. I’m good.” Since I woke up with a pounding headache days ago, not to mention aching from head to toe after my midnight swim, I haven’t had another drink. I know the liquor makes me a bigger idiot, but I needed it to numb the pain. Growing up, the pain never needed numbing, but the pain from Lainey begs to be drown out with whiskey.

“Care to fill me in on the details?” Waylon tosses a folder across the desk as I reach across, open it up, and read the deed.

“There’s nothing to fill you in on. I need to know who owns the property.”

“You call me and ask for help. Something you’ve only done a handful of times in your life, and all you want to know is who owns an abandoned airport near the university you just transferred to out of the blue. Don’t bullshit the bullshitter, Austin.”

“It’s a spot for amateur racing, and I need to find out who owns the land.”

“Well, your guess is as good as mine. It’s owned under a dummy corporation out of Sunland. I still have someone digging around, but I don’t think we’ll find out who it is unless they want to be found. My guess is for liability reasons if there’s racing taking place there.”

“Great.” I toss the folder down, leaning back in the chair as my eyes go to the painting of my grandfather above the fireplace. Thankfully, he was smart enough to leave his youngest son in charge of the Hale legacy because the elder would’ve driven the corporation and name into the ground. My father has that natural talent for being a money hungry, selfish piece of shit. Waylon isn’t affectionate and doting but he’s an intelligent businessman and a no-nonsense, upfront person. I’ve always appreciated that about him, and it’s one of the reasons I trusted him enough to confide in him the night Eli tried to implode my world. I knew Waylon would give me frank advice and recognize the deviousness after dealing with a similar brother growing up.

“Is this about Lainey?” Waylon asks as I nod.

“I need to stop the races.”

“Does her old man know about it? I’m sure he’ll put a stop to it.”

“He wants to but hasn’t made any headway either. The authorities back the racers, so they won’t shut anything down.”

Waylon flips through the folder, tossing it aside. “Backing her could be the wiser choice.”

“Her father knows about Halo. He’ll tell her if I can’t keep her from racing.”

“Would it be so bad for her to find out? Then she’ll finally know the truth about what happened that night.”

“She’s not ready.”

“Is it her that’s not ready or you?”

“Both,” I confess. “Besides, I don’t want her racing either.” Scenes of previous accidents at the Dome enter my mind. I can’t lose her to some senseless point she’s hell-bent on proving.

“Eli behaving?”

“Mostly.” Thoughts of him trying to manipulate Lainey into his bed sends a bolt of rage through me. It took everything I had a couple nights ago not to put my fist through his face, but that would only push her closer to him. Even more dangerous than her barreling down the abandoned runaway is her heading straight towards the manipulative sociopath disguised as an ally.

“Are you sure you want to be under the same roof with him?”

“As long as Lainey’s there, I’m staying.”

He nods. “Sounds like you have your hands full.”

I want my hands full of her. Every time I’ve tried to speak with her though, she’s shut me down. Thankfully, she seems to be avoiding Eli too, so I’ve mostly let her be. But tonight I have to push, and she’ll push back. “Let me know if you find anything. I’ll only be able to keep her off the track for a short time unless I lock her in a dungeon, and she’d find a way to get away from me even then.”

“Sounds like you need to follow my advice but really leave her alone this time.”

“I can’t until she’s away from him.”

“He hasn’t hurt her yet. What makes you think he’ll do something after all this time?”

“Because she’s mine. He can’t stand me having anything good in my life.”

“Just be careful, Austin. I can only dig you out of a hole so deep. Eli might be irrational but he’s clever and convincing, just like his old man. They don’t make a move until they know they can bury you, and by then it’s too late to put your defense up.”

“I’ll be ready this time.” Standing, I walk across the room and push the elevator button with my knuckles.

“Austin, keep your eyes open.” He stands, moving around the desk. “When you cut the head off the dragon, two grow back.”

I know enough to know my uncle keeps my father in line, but it’s clear that Waylon had his challenges keeping that beast under control over the years. “Not in my story.”

Walking out to my truck, I get in and head to the place I know she’ll be. The Dome. Whether it’s practice matchups or not she’ll be there, ready to go, and she’ll be more lethal than any two-headed dragon I’ll ever face.