Page 5 of Black Flag

Spencer’s smile widenedas he jerked me into a bear hug. “Spencer,” Alley, Spencer’s wife and publicistfor Jameson, chided smacking his shoulder. “Don’t squish her!”

“I’m not,” he arguedsetting me down. “I’m just excited to have another little Riley runningaround.”

“Yeah, cause that’s allwe need around here.” Jimi chuckled with a sarcastic edge. “Especially one withJameson’s DNA involved.” He then reached his strong arm around me cradling meto his side to tuck me under his shoulder and then kissed my forehead. “ThoughI’m concerned aboutthat,” he gestured toward Jameson’s room. “...reproducing...I’m happy for you guys.”

I thought I heard himmutter something about the kid being conceived on his kitchen floor but Icouldn’t be sure.

“What did Jameson say?”Emma asked when Jimi let me go.

“He smiled and saideverything would be okay...I think it was thedrugs talking.” I muttered picking at a hangnail on my index finger, reallyjust avoiding looking at anyone.

Being around five inthe morning, my stomach was beginning to growl having not eaten all night.

Emma and Alley lookeddown at my stomach, obviously hearing the thunderous noise. “DefinitelyJameson’s kid in there,” Alley laughed. “We should probably get you some food.”

With the help ofSpencer, the boy could smell food being cooked a mile away; everyone went downto the cafeteria to find breakfast.

Now that I knew he wasalive and conscious, I felt the need to eat again.

Nancy and Jimi stayedwith Jameson until Jimi had to leave for Fulton, New York that afternoon. Jimi,being a World of Outlaw sprint car driver, was in the battle for thechampionship and couldn’t just blow off a race. Though everyone would haveunderstand had he, it wasn’t in his nature to do so.

That’s the thing aboutracing...it doesn’t stop on theaccount of lapped traffic. The race continues while your 200 MPH taped car,continues to get lapped—lap after lap—by faster cars.

It was a lifestyle thatnever slept. A lifestyle this family knew well.

“Jesus Christ, you eat likea pro wrestler trying to make weight.” Spencer’s eyes took in my heaping plateas we sat at a large table in the corner of the cafeteria. “Where do you putall that?”

“Asshole,” I grumbleddevouring my pancakes and bacon.

Most of the team joinedus for breakfast. Tate, another driver in the series, and Bobby, who’d stayeduntil they knew Jameson was all right, left to prepare for Indianapolis thisweekend where the series was heading next.

When I glanced aroundat the team, I noticed their faces for the first time. Sure, they lookedexhausted but that wasn’t what was alarming.

Justin, Tommy, andTyler, all guys on Jameson’s sprint car team, appeared unscathed but the restall looked like they were stunt doubles in aRockymovie.

“What the fuck happenedto you guys?”

Spencer looked atGentry, a tire changer for Jameson’s, but no one said anything.

Alley piped up. “Theselunatics decided to make matters worse.” Her lips pursed glaring toward herhusband.“Much worse.”

“We had a fucking rightto.” Spencer barked eating his lucky charms. I’d never heard him so angry. “Noone tries to kill my little brother and gets away with it.”

His tone, rough anddefensive contradicted the fact that he was eating cereal with marshmallows.

Around that time, Emmafinally noticed Aiden, Jameson’s spotter, was sporting a fat lip and black eye.Needless to say, she had her make-up bag out trying to apply foundation to herboyfriend’s face while he glared at her.

“You’re lucky you guysweren’t arrested.” Alley added.

Spencer glanced towardhis wife menacingly. A look I’m sure she didn’t appreciate. “I would take jailany day for what I did to those assholes.”

“What did you do?” Iasked apprehensively sucking on a piece of pineapple.

“Spencer beat theliving shit out of Darrin’s crew chief, Frank.” Gentry perked up withexcitement as he described the garage clearing brawl. “And I got some goodlicks in on their tire changer!”

He went on to basicallysay that Bobby, Tate, and Jameson’s entire teams got into a gladiator stylefight, in the garage at Pocono International Raceway.

It made me feelsomewhat better they defended Jameson but it didn’t change the fact thatJameson had been injured because of Darrin Torres.

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