He released a heavy sigh. “Every day, but I know it’s for the best. We both know accidents happen and the results from that. The last thing I want to do is leave you to run Bennett Racing on your own.”
My phone rang. I pulled it out of my purse and saw Levi’s name. He was one of our four riders, and a close childhood friend. “Hey,” I answered.
“Where are you?” His voice sounded breathless and concerned.
“On my way to watch you ride. What’s going on?” I could hear shouting in the background, one of the voices being my dad’s.
“It looks like they found our stolen tire changer.”
We’d had a break-in a couple weeks back, and a six-thousand-dollar tire changer went missing. After filing a police report, I’d figured we’d never hear of it again. “Holy shit, where?”
“Apparently, Miller went over to Ethan’s house and found it covered in his garage. He came back and told your dad.”
Gasping, I slapped a hand over my mouth. Ethan Landis was our pit crew manager and had been with us for twenty-five years. Not to mention, he was a great guy—like a second dad to me. He wasn’t the type to steal anything. “How is that possible? Ethan would never do that.”
If there was ever a good guy in the world, he was one of them. His wife baked us goodies all the time, and even cooked dinner for me the whole month I worked on getting my mother’s house cleaned out. I couldn’t see him stealing from us.
Levi huffed. “I know, but it doesn’t look like there’s anything we can do. Just get here fast.”
We hung up and Sean squeezed my hand to get my attention. “Kass, what’s wrong?”
I was in shock. “Looks like we found the person who broke into the shop.”
“Who?”
I looked over at him. “Ethan.” By the expression on his face, he couldn’t believe it either.
Kassidy
Sean got us to the shop in record time. There were two police cars parked out front and everyone stood outside. Levi was talking to Miller, who was one of our racers, and also the one who found our stolen equipment in Ethan’s garage. When Levi noticed us pull in, he rushed over and opened my door.
“Where’s my dad?” I asked, getting out of the car.
He nodded toward the shop. “Inside, with Ethan and the cops. He swears he didn’t do it.”
Sean stood beside me and sighed. “Then how did it get in his garage?”
Levi shrugged. “Don’t know. He’s pretty pissed and shocked by the whole thing, not exactly the way I’d imagine a guilty man to act. Not unless he’s that good of an actor.”
“Ethan would never steal from us,” I said. “He’s been a part of our family since I was in diapers. He’s a good man.”
“I know,” Levi agreed, glancing over at Sean. “You’ve worked with him, you know how he is.”
Sean nodded. “Agreed. It makes no sense.”
Tires squealed down the road and Sean’s mother – my stepmother – came to a screeching halt in the parking lot. She ran over to us, eyes wide and wild. Sean looked nothing like her with his brown hair and amber eyes, while she was blonde with blue eyes. He took after his father in that department. “What’s going on? Why are the cops here? Is Richard okay?” Angela gasped.
Sean put his arm around her. “He’s fine, Ma. Apparently, we found out who stole our equipment.”
Levi moved closer so he could whisper in my ear. “I want to get Ethan’s side of the story. Let’s see if we can talk to him before it’s too late.”
The door to the shop opened and Ethan stormed out, with the cops following close behind. My father exited next, and everyone swarmed around him, giving us the time we needed. The cops got into their cars, and Ethan marched over to his and slammed his hands down on the hood.
“Ethan,” I called out.
He jerked around, face red. His breaths came out in deep growls and he shook. “Your father will kill you if he sees you talking to me.”
“He’s going to have to get over it.” Crossing my arms, I stepped forward. “Tell me it’s not true.”
“It’s not,” he answered, looking straight into my eyes. “I didn’t steal anything. I wouldn’t.” Huffing, he glanced behind us toward the shop. “There’s something going on and I don’t know what it is. I’ve felt this way for years, ever since . . .” He stopped and met my gaze, not finishing the sentence.
“Ever since what?” Levi asked.
Ethan sighed and closed his eyes. “Doesn’t matter.”
I grabbed his arm. “Yes, it does. Tell me what you were going to say.”
He opened his eyes and my chest tightened. “Ever since Logan’s crash, things have seemed off.”
The air whooshed out of my lungs and it felt like I’d been stabbed in the chest. After so many years, it still hurt to think about him.
Levi’s brows furrowed. “What does Logan’s accident have to do with this?” It was exactly what I wanted to know.
Ethan threw his hands in the air. “That’s just it. I don’t think it was an accident at all. After what happened to me and to others in the past, everything’s clearer than ever.”