Page 15 of Fighting For Light
Rafe lands on the larger hill from the curved ramp, and people cheer and scream. It was a perfectdouble hart attack.He finishes his turn, and Kai is up last for our team. I lift my camera, forcing myself to think about anything else other than him missing the grab for his bike or turning wrong, causing him to land on his back or head. I take a deep breath and snap photos as he goes towards the half-pipe, gaining speed. The throttle purrs on his bike. He lifts slightly, taking the ramp, and then he floats in the air. My finger moves rapidly on the shutter. The bike moves forward in one direction, and he lets go, lifting onto a handstand towards the end of the bike at the rear fender. With his feet still in the air, he raises one hand up close to his thigh so the only thing keeping him connected to his bike is his fingertips in a perfectoexecutioner.Then, a breath later, he drops the position and lowers himself onto the bike as the rear tire hits the dirt first.
The crowd cheers him on, and I can’t help the smile that grows on my face. He did it. He rides around and takes another ramp, speeding up the slight curve, and launches into ashoe box. Few riders attempt it because if their weight is slightly off, they’re done for. He lets go, standing all the way up, and his feet angle on the grab holes at the fender as he and the bike sail through the air. He lands and slows down, kicking up dirt with the back tire. The crowd goeswild. It was a perfect trick. Every aspect was clean and on time. Kai’s daredevil stunt just sealed the deal for the team.
One more team goes and performs well, but the points don’t hold a candle to ours. Each of the guys scored high eighties to nineties, almost perfect scores.
After they close out the competition, we all gather by our trailers with the guys, who are celebrating the win. I take a few more photos of them laughing and smiling. Dad pats Kai on the back, and Kai pulls him into a bro hug. I suspect Kai looks to my dad as a father figure. I love that because I don’t think Kai’s father is a good man.
One day, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I googled Kai. I knew his mom’s name, Esmarie, and their last name is obviously Coldwell. I was flabbergasted. He’s the son of a Massachusetts Congressman that’s ten states and thousands of miles away. And because I’m me, I started digging. Guilt still churns in my stomach because I didn’t let him tell me. We could talk about everything except him. He made it clear that he was never going to tell me those intimate things about himself. I don’t know if Iunderstandit, but I guess I can see where he’s coming from. Family is messy. All I could think was that there must be a very good reason why their father wasn’t in their lives. I thought it was odd at first, but there were only a couple of articles linking Fred Coldwell to corruption and possible drug affiliations. I guess if I was Esmarie, I would have taken my kids and ran the other way, too. Regardless, I have no idea what to believe, and I won’t disrespect Kai by assuming anything.
A man clears his throat, bringing me out of my thoughts. We all stop to look at him. He’s wearing a polished suit and a name tag from the hotel. “Hi, there. We wanted to congratulate you on your win and offer full access to our nightclub, spa, and resort to use at your leisure. Present your card, and they will let you in.”
“Well, thank you,” Dad says and holds out his hand.
“You’re welcome. We hope we will see your team at the championship.” Dad thanks him again, and all the other guys say thank you as he walks away.
“Sweet, I’m going to the sauna,” Deacon says. I roll my eyes and glance at Dad. He flips the envelope over in his hands.
“Well, I guess it’s time to let loose, boys. We have a couple of months off, so we might as well start now.” Everyone whoops in agreement, and he passes each of us a key card.
I glance at Kai. “I’m going to hit the club.”
He looks at me for a moment and then glances at my dad. I want to ask him if he will go with me because a very bad idea popped into my head. This is the moment I was looking for.
“I’ll come with you,” he grunts.
I do my best to hide my smile. “Okay, I’ll see you in an hour. I’m going to go get ready.” He dips his head and saunters off to his trailer. If I can get him alone at the club, with no one else to give us funny or disapproving looks, I’ll have the chance to either make a fool of myself or finally break the chains of friendship.
9
Kai
The moment I knewtonight would go down in flames was when Cordi stepped out of her trailer in a dress that didn’t quite cover her butt and exposed far too much of her cleavage. I missed my best friend and wanted to spend time with her, but I’m already regretting this.
Thank the Lord Reece had gone to the spa already; otherwise, he would have had an aneurysm from her outfit alone. Cordelia is a beautiful woman, and it’s a good thing I’m going with her because there is no doubt in my mind I will likely have to break some faces. The little voice in the back of my head also says she needs someone aware of their surroundings because you never know who you might run into.
I keep glancing at her as we walk down the sidewalk to the club she picked out. There’s a long line, and a silent groan builds up in my throat.
“You look really nice tonight, Cordi,” I rasp as I clear my throat.Get it together, man.
She smiles and tucks a strand of that pretty, brown hair behind her ear. “Thank you,” she purrs, and those beautiful blue eyespierce my dark heart so deeply I can feel the splintering cracks. I wink and grab her hand, pulling her to the front of the line. “Kai, we need to get in line.”
“No, Cordi, we don’t,” I say over my shoulder.
“What?” she asks, holding my hand tighter.
I hand the bouncer a hundred-dollar bill, and he nods, letting us through. I hear a couple of shouts as we disappear into the base-bumping club. Cordi holds onto my arm as I pave the way towards the bar.
“Drink?” I ask her, mouthing the word. She bobs her head, and I pull her up to the counter, placing my arms on either side as I stand behind her. The place is packed, and I don’t want to lose sight of her. Her butt is tightly pressed against my front, and I will thoughts of motocross and dirt to fill my mind instead of how her body feels against mine.
She orders something for us, and I slide a fifty across the top. She throws me a look before turning back to the bar to watch him make our drinks. While she waits for our drinks, I scan the surrounding area. Neon lights flash everywhere as atmospheric smoke floats around the club. There’s a massive dance floor full of writhing bodies and people making out along the edges. High-top tables surround the dance floor, and lining the walls are bottle service booths. To the side are steps leading upstairs to what I assume are private rooms and large booths big enough for at least ten people.
Women linger around the bar in skimpy dresses while men are dressed in jeans, t-shirts, or button-ups like me. I wore a pair of straight-leg jeans and a button-up open at the top. A cold glass touches my chest, and I look back down at Cordi, who’s sipping on her drink while she tries to hand me mine.
I dip my chin in thanks and take a sip of my…mojito. I don’t drink liquor often, but there’s excitement in her eyes, and I don’t want to ask for a beer instead.
She leans in so her chest touches mine, and I start sweating again for all the reasons that don’t include the heat of this club. “I know you like beer, but I thought you should change it up.”
I nod, and her lips brush my ear, sending a shudder down my spine.
