She nodded. “I know. I don’t understand it though. I mean, they got a spot on the Hendrix Racing team. I guess they wanted to be on the best.”
Sean scoffed. “They’re far from it.” I glared at him and he shrugged. “What? It’s the truth. We had about thirty racers try out and we could only take three. What’d they expect?”
“I agree,” Janie replied. “They just don’t want to hear it.”
More racers pulled into the parking lot, and thankfully, none of them were Brandon’s friends. But Levi was one of them. He parked his bike next to mine and lifted his helmet. From the look on his face, he was pissed. He stormed over and sat down beside Sean, intentionally avoiding my angry stare.
“Just save it, Kass. I know you’re angry with me,” he said.
I snorted. “You’re damn right I am. You can make it up to me by telling me what the hell’s going on. Why are you and my dad keeping things from us?”
Huffing, he ran his hands over his face. “It doesn’t matter now. The guy we thought could help turned us down.”
Janie nudged me in the side. “Is everything okay?”
I shrugged, keeping my focus on Levi, who’d finally met my gaze. “That’s a good question.”
“So who were you trying to get help from?” Sean asked.
Levi shook his head. “Nobody. Just forget it. Looks like we’re going to have to figure out the mystery on our own.”
Janie’s brows furrowed. “Mystery? Does this have to do with what happened to your pit crew manager?”
“How did you hear about that?” I gasped.
“Bad news travels fast in the racing world. I heard Mark and Jacob talking about it the other day.” Her brother’s friends hated me, and the feeling was mutual. It all started when I turned Jacob down for a date, and ever since, everything had gone downhill.
“Wait a minute,” I blurted, meeting Levi and Sean’s gazes. “Ethan said my father had enemies outside of the racing world, but what about the ones close by? The people at Hendrix hate us. What if they had something to do with all of this?”
Levi shrugged. “It’s possible, but why would they frame Ethan?”
“Good point,” Sean replied. “Makes no sense. Why go after him and not one of the racers?”
Huffing, I rolled my eyes. Surely, I wasn’t the only one who could see what was going on. “Because he’s one of the best mechanics out there. We have more to lose than our riders. Now that Ethan’s gone, he’s free to work for someone else.” But that wasn’t the end of our problems.
“That’s not all,” Levi sighed as the realization set in. “Now that we’re short a mechanic, your dad will have to hire someone else. We’ll have to put our trust into someone we don’t know.”
“Not unless we bring Ethan back,” Sean supplied. “All we have to do is prove his innocence. We have a starting point with Hendrix. Let’s find someone who can get in there and ask questions.”
His eyes quickly darted over to Janie and I smiled.
Her eyes went wide. “Seriously? You want me?” she exclaimed.
“Please,” I begged. “I’ve seen the way Mark looks at you. He’ll let things slip if you get close to him.”
She sighed in defeat. “Okay, I’ll do it, but only because you’re my friend.”
I knew the main reason she agreed . . . and he was sitting right across from me. Her attention switched to something over my shoulder and I didn’t have to look to know it was her brother and the others getting close.
Janie leaned down conspiratorially. “If you want me to do this, I probably shouldn’t be seen with you. I’ll call if I find out anything.” She slipped away, before the guys could see her sitting at our table.
“So help me God, if they fuck with us, I won’t be able to control myself,” Levi growled as the group pulled in.
“Ignore them,” I whispered. “They’re not worth it.” I’d said the warning, but knew without a doubt, both Levi and Sean wouldn’t be able to keep their cool if something was said.
“What’s up, Mills?” Jacob called out. “Heard you weren’t racing anymore. Is it because you’re afraid to race against me?”
Sean leaned back and smirked, his fists clenched tight. “Nah, I’ve already beat you more times than I can count. Figured it was time to let someone else kick your ass for a change.”
Levi snickered and I glared at them both, mouthing the words stop it. Unfortunately, they didn’t listen.
“Fuck you,” Jacob spat.
“All right, I think it’s time to go,” I said, getting up. I didn’t realize Jacob was right behind me until I bumped into him. “Excuse me.”
He smiled down at me and bit his lip. “So you’re owner of Bennett Pro Racing now?”
“Co-owner, yes. What’s it to you?”
Janie walked out of the store and joined her brother. They stood back, while Jacob and Mark flanked me. I could feel Sean and Levi at my back. If they got into a fight, I’d be right in the middle of it.