Chapter 29

Jude

I retched into the garbage can outside of the arena. The Games were well on their way already but judging from how many fans were strolling about the parking lot, I wasn’t too late. I still had plenty of time to find my bus to shower. To sober the fuck up after a night hitting the bars in downtown Chicago.

It felt liberating to not be tied down to a phone. No one could call me. I couldn’t call anyone. I barely managed to find a hotel last night. Some shitty ass hotel that smelled disgusting when I got up to stare in confusion at the nasty yellow wallpaper.

Wiping my mouth clean, I kept my head bowed down with my hood up to keep my identity a secret. The last thing I wanted was a fan poking their cell phone in my face to take a picture of me hungover. I managed to find the bus, empty of Chuck and my team, and took a hot shower. I stared blearily into the foggy mirror as I half-ass styled my hair, since I would be pulling on a helmet anyway.

I brushed the taste of alcohol and cigarettes from my teeth before venturing off the bus in the direction of the arena. A few fans screamed my name, but I rushed through the crowd for the private entrance. I didn’t need the extra attention.

The private area of the arena was crowded and loud, as I expected it to be. I pushed by various racers and their teams to the one team without a racer standing nervously at the front of the entrance. Chuck was the first one to catch sight of me as I approached them. The fury on his face didn’t match what I felt at that moment for him.

“Where the hell have you been?” Chuck hissed, grabbing me by the elbow. “I had to push off the press because I couldn’t get ahold of you. I had to call your little whore girlfriend back in that shithole town to try and figure out where the hell you went.”

“She’s not my girlfriend. Don’t call her a whore, either.”

“You smell like a bar,” he continued, shaking his head at me. “I can’t manage you if you—”

I wasn’t sure what happened next, aside from my knuckles colliding against Chuck’s nose. I relished the sound of bones crunching beneath my fist. Chuck tumbled to the floor with a stream of blood coming from his nose. He clasped at his face with a painful groan while staring up at me through watery eyes.

“What the fuck is your problem?” he shouted.

The entire entrance went quiet as I shook the pain out of my wrist. I glared down at him as he scrambled to his knees.

“You’re fired,” I said. “Get the fuck out of the arena. Get your shit out of my bus. You’re fucking fired.”

Chuck got to his feet. He swayed slightly as blood trickled down his chin. A few other managers for the racers behind and in front of me took a step forward to intervene. Cameras were swinging in our direction as security rushed forward.

“You can’t fire me,” Chuck shouted, pointing a fat finger at me. “You fucking prick. You can’t fire me. You’re going to break our contract, and I’ll sue your ass for everything that you got.”

I took a step forward, but security blocked me. They pushed me back as they grabbed Chuck by the elbows.

“Good!” I shouted back. “I’ll get to actually ride for fun instead of a damn paycheck. That’s all you fucking care about! I know what you did to Ava!”

Cheers erupted as soon as Chuck was escorted out of the entrance. I nodded curtly to everyone before gathering my gear from where it was draped over the bike. Billy came rushing up to me to help make sure that everything was fastened just right.

“Time for a new manager,” Billy said. “I’ll volunteer myself. I know you are more than a paycheck, bro.”

My head hurt like a bitch as I used Billy’s shoulder to steady myself. I didn’t know what to tell him since I knew that this race was undoubtedly going to be the last one. I couldn’t see straight. I was still intoxicated from the night before and also hopped up on energy drinks. My hands were shaking violently when Billy looked up at me with a frown.

“Thanks, man,” I said, patting him on the shoulder. “You’re a good friend and racer but I think this might be my last race.”

“What? Why?”

Billy straightened as I double checked the buckles on my boots. I nearly toppled over into my bike, so I pretended to be checking the air pressure in the tires.

“It’s a long ass story, Billy. I’ll make sure to tell you after I’m done with the race. I just want to get through today before something else happens.”

“Dude,” Billy said, getting close to me to whisper. “Are you drunk right now? Oh, shit. Here comes the reporter for ESPN.”

“Great,” I mumbled as I ran a hand over my eyes to wipe away the exhaustion there. “Are my eyes bloodshot?”

“Very,” Billy said grimly. “Look, man, your life is worth more than a few laps on this track. You know what I mean?”

“My life isn’t worth that much, Billy. Trust me on that.”

“Mr. Jacobs?”

Billy took a step back when the reporter from ESPN arrived at my side. I sucked in a deep breath to keep myself calm before turning to face the microphone and camera. I took in the red light on top of the camera, a sure sign that this was live television.

Compartmentalize here. Put your shit behind you. Focus.

“I was wondering if we could have a quick interview?” the reporter asked.

I forced a charming smile on my face. “Sure thing. I have some time.”

“You obviously are representing yourself now,” the reporter said. “What can we expect from you, now that you are on your own?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. I can promise you all that.”

“So, you will be representing yourself from now on?”

“It appears that I will be,” I said. The announcer called out my name as a warning to be prepared to get ready. “Thank you, sir. I have to get ready here.”

“Of course. Jude Jacobs, everyone.” He turned to me when the camera lowered to the ground. Offering a hand for me to shake, he nodded at me in appreciation. “I’ve got say that I was happy to see that you were getting rid of that manager of yours. He’s a bit of a prick. Everyone at the station couldn’t stand dealing with him.”

“You won’t have to worry about that.” I adjusted my weight on the bike to push forward but I stopped when the reporter leaned in to whisper, “Look, I’m not supposed to do this but I think you’ve got a real talent for being in front of the camera. The network would love to have you. Just something to keep in mind in the future if you want to do something different.”

“Thanks,” I said, nodding. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

It was a good idea for me to think about later. I had no idea what I was going to do now but I didn’t care. I just wanted to go out there and ride freely for once. I didn’t want to think about anything else.

I did my usual lap around the arena. Which was a miracle, given that I couldn’t see straight worth shit. My wrist hurt like a bitch, too, as I took my spot in front of the counter. I pulled hard on the throttle when the light flashed green. The first hill felt wobbly beneath my legs as I soared through the sky. I landed it with a groan of pain when my wrist throbbed. I had to use my feet on the ground to steady myself upright again before taking off in the direction of a hill. I could barely see straight as I squinted my eyes.

I twisted the bike around to go in the opposite direction. My blood was pumping hard in my veins as I beelined for another hill. That was when my eyes landed on the press booth where I spotted Ava standing up to lean over the railing in my direction. My heart leaped in relief to see her but I also felt my bike falling from my hands and legs. I realized quickly that I was in serious trouble. Screams filled the air.

The ground rushed up toward me a few seconds later. Something hot landed on my right thigh before the rest of the world went black.