Guns and Roses

TWELVE

♛Cameron Dawson♛

I lean forward in the seat and rub a hand over my jaw. Emery paces up and down in front of me, his hands placed in the pockets of his suit.

"Why the sudden interest? They've never cared before." I ask and Emery shrugs.

"People from other tracks come to race you Cameron and they never win. Obviously they were going to catch wind of it."

I let out a sigh. "So you want me to go to that track and take their challenge up? Race their best racer?" I ask. Emery turns to face me.

"They've put a hundred grand on the table."

I shake my head. "Why on Earth would they put so much on the line?"

Emery shrugs. "Perhaps they believe you can be beaten and they want to try and make that happen."

I run a hand through my hair. "I can be beaten." I remind Emery and he gives me a deadpan look.

"I know you wouldn't let that happen."

I stare back at him before shaking my head. "I don't trust this idea, Emery. It could be a setup for all we know."

And I an almost sure of that. I understand that the owner of the other track- Scorpion- wants to be seen as the best track and that he's desperate to make sure that Emery's proclaimed champion is beaten. However, a hundred grand sounds too extreme and ridiculous. Scorpion is greedy and arrogant but he isn't stupid and he wouldn't do this without having a scheme.

"What do you suggest we do?" Emery asks and I purse my lips in thought. If Scorpion is desperate for this challenge, he'll do what is needed which gives us an opportunity to throw him off his game if he does have something planned.

"I say if he really wants to challenge me, we have it here. If he doesn't want to do it then we call it off. That's our condition- he wants a race? We do it at our track."

Emery smiles widely at me, taking a seat at his desk.

"You were born for this life." He mumbles and I agree with him despite how much I wish wasn't.

This is who I am.

"Are you sure you're okay with racing this, Cameron? It's a serious one."

I nod. "If he wants a race, I'll bring him one."

Emery grins widely and I recognise it as one of business- one looking forward to the excitement and danger to come.

"Let the show begin."

****

"Are you okay?"

I look at Harley to see her watching me carefully.

"I'm fine. Lets do it again but push it up to two hundred miles an hour." I grumble but the car doesn't move forward which makes me glance at Harley in irritation.

"I don't know why you think I ask you questions, Cameron, but I can assure you that I do it because I actually care why you're mad. And you can tell me you're fine but just know that I won't believe it." She suddenly blurts out and I stare at her, her eyes holding concern and worry and for just a second I see Carla's face in my mind.

It's being a while since I've had someone genuinely care about me and have someone I feel like I can trust- even if I don't know why. However, that doesn't stop me from running a hand through my hair before turning to Harley.

"There's another track a few kilometers from here and they've laid a challenge down for Emery." I start and she sits quietly, willing me to go on. "A hundred grand is on the line."