Page 5 of Midnight Racers

“That doesn’t explain how I’ll get my stuff,” I grumbled.

She laughed again. “Drive safely, Charlotte. As soon as I hang up, I’m going to phone Jordan. He owes me a favour from last year, and I’m about to call that in.”

Mum’s bear hug when I got to her house almost strangled me but held me together, holding my emotions for the first time since I heard what was being said about me. I’d seen their reaction to women before, but it was the visceral venom that shocked me.

“Everything will be fine. Jordan said he’d come over and take a look at your contract,” Mum said. “He helped me write it, but wants to take another peek. Then he’ll escort you to collect all your belongings.”

“I’m sure he has more to worry about than me,” I protested, even though I was relieved that someone was going to help.

“Oh, he’s the type of man who loves controversy.” She waved off my concerns and beckoned me into the kitchen.

I loved all the aspects of the racing world, but this part of me belonged to Mum. She taught me to cook and bake, we’d spent hours together in her kitchen while she passed down family recipes. Dad still lived in the house we grew up in, but a house with a much used kitchen was home. It was the beating heart of the building, giving it life and energy.

About an hour later, there was a knock at the front door, and my jaw nearly hit the floor when Jordan Berkeley strode in with a bad boy attitude and the looks of a Greek god who escaped from Mount Olympus.

“Jordan, this is my daughter Charlotte.” Mum held her hand out to me.

His grin transformed his face from serious businessman to playboy billionaire. “Victoria is very proud of you. I’ve heard only good things. Why don’t you tell me what happened? I’ll take a look at your contract, and we can then go and sort this mess out.”

I doubted anyone could sort this disaster out. The hurt inside me was a raw wound that felt like it was festering. Yet, two hours later, I found myself standing back in the place I had spent so much of my time in. His two associates, Ash and Xavier, didn’t take long lifting all my stuff and putting it in the back of a van they arrived in.

“Charlie, be reasonable,” Dale said, shooting a weary look at Jordan.

“Please do not speak to my client,” Jordan intervened.

“She’s my sister,” Dale hissed.

“Not today. She can return to being your sister tomorrow when I sort this out and you have nothing to connect you but your genetics.” Jordan turned his attention to Greg, who I’d always had the hots for but refused to date since I had a no-fraternising at work rule. “Are Charlie’s designs in that car?” He pointed at Dale’s latest track model.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Dale said, pacing to stand in front of the car.

Jordan’s grin had asshole stamped all over it. “I would advise you to get out of my way,” he warned.

“Or what?” Dale challenged, folding his arms across his chest.

“I don’t want to interrupt your display of masculinity,” Xavier said, stepping in between Jordan and Dale. “But I’ve known Jay a long time. He would have no problem shooting you to eliminate you as a problem.”

Jordan shrugged when all attention moved to him. “Zee’s being more than a little dramatic. I could snap his neck and save myself a bullet.” He gave that smile that I was sure made panty elastic fail so they fell off the wearer. “All intellectual property belongs to my client until she signs a waver and she is compensated for them. The engine in that car with the modifications she made has not been completed, therefore, it will have to be removed.”

Considering no one had bothered to help me with it, no one actually knew what I had done. All the files had been removed from our mainframe and the back-up folders. None of them had considered that I had been serious earlier.

Numpties.

“You remove it, or I will,” Jordan threatened.

Twenty minutes later, it was in the back of the van with the rest of my stuff.

“You’ll regret this,” Dale said. “No one will employ you in the racing world. Word gets out and people don’t want to associate with traitors.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Jordan drawled. “I think Charlie will walk out of this job and be in another tomorrow with her qualifications and portfolio.”

I put my head down to hide my smile. Not only had Jordan stepped in to help today, but he also looked through my designs, phoned his business partner after sending some of them across to him, and hired me at double what they paid me here.

Jordan’s phone pinged and he pulled it out of his pocket to read the message. “As much as I would love to continue this riveting conversation, I’ve been summoned by a higher power that must be obeyed.”

“Megan,” Xavier said with a widening smile. “He means the woman who owns his worthless heart.”

Lucky bitch.

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