Rush: Part One & Two (The Pitstop Series Book 3)

Approximately Two Years Ago…

My cheek burns, and the tears are hot on my face. I should have never lied to her in the first place, I remind myself. The ice feels soothing on my sore skin, and I wish Adrian were home. Not that I would have told him Aunt Carolina slapped me, but he would cheer me up and comfort me after I made up a story. However, Adrian is out with James, who has been visiting us since Monday. James and I have hardly spent time together since he came to Los Angeles, but I’m still glad he is here. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him, and I have missed him.

To keep my mind from focusing on the pain, I start doing my homework. The distraction mostly works. Then, I think about the evil woman, who is casually sitting in her living room right now, with no regrets about slapping me across the face. What possible reason could she have to hurt me? What justification? I stop myself before I fall into that hole. There is no justification; there is no reason. People like her never have a good reason to do what they do. They think they have the right to hurt their dependents, to discipline them.

“‘Ellooooo,” James says as he walks through the door. “Adrian didn’t want to leave his date yet, but I got bored of watching him attempt to flirt. It’s only amusing for so long,” he goes on, and I panic, but he notices the mark before I can hide it. “Good God, Val, who did that?” I scramble for words, not finding the right ones. “Did Carolina do that to you?”

“No,” I squeak, mentally slapping myself. Like he’s going to believe that. Anger flashes over his face, and he starts walking toward the stairs with his hands balled into fists. “James!” I pull on his arm, and he spins around. “In my room, now,” I demand, and he obeys.

“What the hell, Valentina? How long has she been abusing you?” James drops onto my bed and runs his hand through his thick hair. I sit down on the ground in front of him and look up to meet his gaze. “Why haven’t you told me?” Pain flashes in his eyes, and I am not prepared to tell him what Aunt Carolina has been doing for the past three years. His hand touches the cheek without a mark and caresses it gently with his thumb.

“You can’t tell Adrian. No matter what you do, you cannot tell Adrian.” I beg, but James only nods. “No, no nodding. Swear on our friendship that you will not tell him.” The sad expression lingers on his face.

“You want me to sit back, knowing you’re getting abused, and not do anything about it? Who do you think I am?” He storms out of my room and downstairs, but I cannot catch up with him this time. “You think you can lay a finger on her without facing any consequences? You’re very wrong!” he screams at my aunt, and I flinch.

“Excuse me?” the short, curvy woman asks, and I pull on James’ arm. Her face is red, and her breathing is uneven, as is mine. “How dare you speak to me like that?”

“How dare you lay a single finger on her?” James points at me, but I hide behind him like the coward I am. James, however, moves closer to Aunt Carolina and leans down just enough for her to hear the following threatening words that fall from his lips. “If you ever hurt her again, if I ever find out that you hit her again, I will call the police, and I will have them arrest you. Then, I’m going to make sure you lose your house, all of your money, and any good reputation you might have. If I ever hear anything about you abusing Valentina again, I will ruin your life.” James moves away from the horrible woman, gently takes my hand, and pulls me upstairs. When we get to my room, he slams the door and holds me against it. His arms are on each side of my face, and his hands press against the door. James’ breathing is heavy, and I can tell he is frustrated. “You let me know if she ever harms you again. Do you hear me? Nothing can happen to you, Val. Nothing.” His face is inches away from mine. His emotions are all over the place, and so is he. I can’t make out what he’s going to do next. “Valentina, promise me on our friendship that you will tell me.”

“I promise,” I assure him, and he wraps his arms around me. I can hear his heart beating at an abnormal speed in his chest. Mine mimics the rhythm. “Thank you,” I say, and he squeezes me harder.

“I wish you would have told me sooner,” he whispers, and I shrug.

“Adrian would have to take care of me, or even worse, I would be put into the system.” James steps out of the hug and puts both of his hands on my cheeks.

“You don’t have to worry anymore. Carolina isn’t going to ignore my threat. She knows better than to do that,” he assures me, and I nod. “Now, is there any homework you need help with?” I laugh, and he wipes away the tears of relief that escaped my eyes seconds earlier.

James is brilliant. He graduated high school at seventeen but decided that instead of going to university, he much rather wanted to keep working toward his dream. He was nineteen when he first started racing in Formula One.

James has helped me with my homework for as long as I can remember, especially because Adrian never really liked school. It takes me an hour until James’ explanation of how to calculate velocity finally makes sense. I hate physics, I am terrible at it, and I don’t know what it is. With patience, James repeatedly explains how to do this simple problem, and I finally understand.

The whole time we’re studying, my mind keeps drifting. What if Aunt Carolina is going to hurt me worse next time? What if she doesn’t care about James’ warning? What if she will come for me tonight? Am I going to scream, knowing Adrian is in the next room? I have no control over any of these answers, and it scares me.

“What’s on your mind, beautiful?” He pokes my arm, and I try to smile but fail.

“I’m scared,” I admit. “I’m scared that once you’re gone, she will hurt me again.” I can do nothing to her, but there is a lot she can do to me. James wraps his hand around mine. He knows he can’t convince me she won’t touch me, which is why he doesn’t even try to.

“What can I do to make you feel better?”

“Can you stay with me tonight?” His eyes slightly widen, and his hand briefly tightens around mine, but he soon disregards his surprise and smiles at me.

“Of course. Whatever you need.” We get ready for bed, and James brings the pillow from the guest bedroom and his blanket. He attempts to lie on the floor, but I pick the pillow up again and move it onto my bed. “What are you doing?” he asks, confused by my actions.

“You’re not sleeping on the floor. We’re old enough to sleep in the same bed and not make a big deal about it, aren’t we?” I cock an eyebrow and wait for his response.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“Yes, I guess we are.” I lie down in bed, and he joins me but lies as far away from me as the bed possibly allows. I am facing him, and he is on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

“Can I ask you something?” James turns his head so he can look at me, and he smiles brightly. It is easy to understand why James has hundreds of fan accounts from people who admire him. He is gorgeous, cute, talented, and kind. His smile alone could make anyone fall in love with him within a second.

“Anything,” he replies and puts his hands under his head.

“Why did you really break up with Katie? It’s been four months, and I thought maybe you’re ready to tell me the truth.” His expression never changes, but his body language does. He goes from lying openly to closing it and turning toward me.

“I was in love with someone else; I am in love with someone else. There, is that honest enough for you?” A smile grows on my lips, and suddenly, I am so much more curious.

“Who is she?” I ask, scooting closer toward him.

“I will not tell you her name, but I can tell you this: She is beautiful, the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, and I’ve known her for a few years. I love her smile, her sense of humor, her eyes, and how they sparkle when the sun hits them, her determination and wit, her fascination with the tiniest things, and the way she always fights for what she wants.” He pauses briefly. “Actually, I love everything about her. I have for a while, too. I never had any time to fall in love with someone else. I told Katie from the beginning about the girl, and she was very understanding until she started to want more, which I couldn’t give her. Katie was good for me for a little, but this other girl, she has me all kinds of messed up,” he tells me, and I grin. I love hearing him talk about her.

“Have you told her how you feel?” James’ eyes drift from my face, and he sighs.

“She doesn’t feel the same way, trust me. I wish she did, but she only has eyes for another guy,” he explains and shrugs.

“Well, she is an idiot. You’re an amazing guy. I’m already sure she doesn’t deserve you. You’re way too good for everyone, trust me on this, I know. I don’t even deserve you as a friend.” He shakes his head and puts his fingers on the back of my hand.

“What a silly thing to say,” he replies. “I have to sleep. Good night, luv.”

“Night,” I say and turn the other way around, facing away from him. My screen lights up, and I read Adrian’s text message, informing me he will be home tomorrow. I am confused, but if he’s having fun, then good for him.