to sit here and watch the track. I love it from up here.”
He exited the suite and called Tucker.
“What so important that it couldn’t wait?” he asked without preliminaries.
“Where are you?” Tucker asked. In the background Jared heard Jay-Z being played loudly and guessed that Tucker was in his hauler. He liked to listen to rap music while he got ready to qualify.
“In my suite, why?”
“We’ve got a problem and I need to talk to you. Can you get down here now?”
“What kind of problem?” Jared asked, starting to get concerned by the tone of Tucker’s voice. It was small and tight, which meant that Tucker was ticked off.
“Someone tampered with my car.”
“What do you mean tampered? ” he asked.
“Removed the tape off the front of the car,” Tucker said. Though the drivers weren’t allowed to use taping during the actual race they were allowed to do it during qualifying. Taping off prevented air flow from cooling the engine and enabled the driver to reach higher speeds.
“Who would do that?”
“Your girlfriend springs to mind.”
“Annie? Why would she do that?”
“Qualifying in a top position is important, Jared. Who else would want me to not get the pole?”
“I can think of a number of other drivers.”
“Yeah, but they weren’t hanging around my garage this morning, were they?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t know who’d tampered with Tucker’s car, but he’d bet all of his money that it wasn’t Annie.
“I’ll ask her if she did anything to your car.”
“Do you honestly think she’ll tell you?”
He thought of the way she’d reacted to the bracelet, and in his gut, he knew the truth. Annie wasn’t going to lie to him about anything. That wasn’t the way she was wired. She reacted to things, good or bad, with honest emotion.
“Yes, I do.”
“Hell, you’re a fool.”
“Maybe you’re the one who is.”
Tucker hung up and Jared glanced at the closed door to the suite.
ANNIE TRIED TO STOP staring at the bracelet, but since Jared was out of the room she felt like it was okay. She touched the small charm that dangled from the half-inch-thick platinum band. It was a small palm tree with a diamond nestled in the middle of the tree.
Don’t read too much in to the gift, she warned herself.
The door opened and she dropped her arm, putting her hands behind her back. But Jared wasn’t really paying attention to her hands.
A frown firmly in place on his face, he walked into the room. His shoulders were tense and he wouldn’t meet her gaze when she looked at him.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Come and sit down, Annie. I have something I need to ask you.”
She crossed the room and sat on the couch next to him.
“Okay, ask me.”
He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees. “What were you doing in Tucker’s garage bay earlier?”
She frowned. This wasn’t what she’d been expecting. “Looking for you.”
“How did you know I’d be there?” he asked, his expression carefully neutral and his tone very calm.
He sounded almost too calm and emotionless. Not at all like he had just a few minutes earlier.
“I saw you while I was sitting in Dave’s garage bay talking to Vinnie.”
“Vinnie, Dave’s crew chief?” Jared asked.
“Yes.”
“Did he suggest you come down to find me?”
“What exactly are you getting at here?” she countered, feeling as if she were a suspect in a police interrogation room.
“Someone tampered with Tucker’s car.”
“What? Is he okay? I didn’t see a crash, so it couldn’t have been too serious.” And the cars were inspected before they went out on the track and when they came off. Tampering wasn’t something that was easy to do. She tried to think of things she knew drivers and their teams had tried over the years, but nothing came to mind. She drew a complete blank.
“The tampering
He exited the suite and called Tucker.
“What so important that it couldn’t wait?” he asked without preliminaries.
“Where are you?” Tucker asked. In the background Jared heard Jay-Z being played loudly and guessed that Tucker was in his hauler. He liked to listen to rap music while he got ready to qualify.
“In my suite, why?”
“We’ve got a problem and I need to talk to you. Can you get down here now?”
“What kind of problem?” Jared asked, starting to get concerned by the tone of Tucker’s voice. It was small and tight, which meant that Tucker was ticked off.
“Someone tampered with my car.”
“What do you mean tampered? ” he asked.
“Removed the tape off the front of the car,” Tucker said. Though the drivers weren’t allowed to use taping during the actual race they were allowed to do it during qualifying. Taping off prevented air flow from cooling the engine and enabled the driver to reach higher speeds.
“Who would do that?”
“Your girlfriend springs to mind.”
“Annie? Why would she do that?”
“Qualifying in a top position is important, Jared. Who else would want me to not get the pole?”
“I can think of a number of other drivers.”
“Yeah, but they weren’t hanging around my garage this morning, were they?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t know who’d tampered with Tucker’s car, but he’d bet all of his money that it wasn’t Annie.
“I’ll ask her if she did anything to your car.”
“Do you honestly think she’ll tell you?”
He thought of the way she’d reacted to the bracelet, and in his gut, he knew the truth. Annie wasn’t going to lie to him about anything. That wasn’t the way she was wired. She reacted to things, good or bad, with honest emotion.
“Yes, I do.”
“Hell, you’re a fool.”
“Maybe you’re the one who is.”
Tucker hung up and Jared glanced at the closed door to the suite.
ANNIE TRIED TO STOP staring at the bracelet, but since Jared was out of the room she felt like it was okay. She touched the small charm that dangled from the half-inch-thick platinum band. It was a small palm tree with a diamond nestled in the middle of the tree.
Don’t read too much in to the gift, she warned herself.
The door opened and she dropped her arm, putting her hands behind her back. But Jared wasn’t really paying attention to her hands.
A frown firmly in place on his face, he walked into the room. His shoulders were tense and he wouldn’t meet her gaze when she looked at him.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Come and sit down, Annie. I have something I need to ask you.”
She crossed the room and sat on the couch next to him.
“Okay, ask me.”
He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees. “What were you doing in Tucker’s garage bay earlier?”
She frowned. This wasn’t what she’d been expecting. “Looking for you.”
“How did you know I’d be there?” he asked, his expression carefully neutral and his tone very calm.
He sounded almost too calm and emotionless. Not at all like he had just a few minutes earlier.
“I saw you while I was sitting in Dave’s garage bay talking to Vinnie.”
“Vinnie, Dave’s crew chief?” Jared asked.
“Yes.”
“Did he suggest you come down to find me?”
“What exactly are you getting at here?” she countered, feeling as if she were a suspect in a police interrogation room.
“Someone tampered with Tucker’s car.”
“What? Is he okay? I didn’t see a crash, so it couldn’t have been too serious.” And the cars were inspected before they went out on the track and when they came off. Tampering wasn’t something that was easy to do. She tried to think of things she knew drivers and their teams had tried over the years, but nothing came to mind. She drew a complete blank.
“The tampering
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