Victory Lane (Shady Falls #1) Read online

  “Antonia,” he declared when he answered the phone. “How are ya, honey?”

  “Great, Daddy. I’m better than great actually.”

  “What’re you doin’ callin’ so early? Shouldn’t you be in class?” There was a concern in his voice as he spoke.

  “I got my placement, Daddy. I know what team I’ll be interning for this spring.”

  He waited for a moment before he asked, “Where will you be goin’, darlin’? You ain’t goin’ too far away, are ya?”

  I smiled to myself. I was happy to be able to give him such good news. This has been a real concern between both my dad and my friends. They were all concerned about where I’d end up. If I was honest, I was concerned too.

  “I’m not goin’ far, Daddy. I’m gonna be right here in Mooresville. I’m gonna be workin’ with Kyle Redding and Julius Fuller.”

  To say he was excited would be an understatement. He whooped into the phone, he actually hooted and hollered as he announced my fortune to all within hearing range. It was the funniest thing I’d ever heard. I couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction as he shouted his excitement throughout the garage, letting everyone know I was going to be interning with Kyle Redding.

  “Toni, your momma would be so proud of you. She always said you’d do amazin’ things,” he stated after he calmed. Hearing about my mother used to upset me. It was hard growing up without her. But hearing this, knowing she would be proud of me, made this moment so much more special. My mother was the strongest person I ever met; she loved her family and friends fiercely. She fought her hardest against a disease that destroys people every day. I missed her terribly, especially on days like today. Tears formed in my eyes as I thought about how much I missed her and how much I missed my father. I hated that I couldn’t share any of this with him in person.

  I spent the next few minutes on the phone with my dad, promising to visit soon and to take care of myself. When we finished talking, I pulled out of the parking lot and turned toward Cade’s and Jake’s gym in town. Jake and Cade Hanson were identical twin brothers and my best friends in the whole world. They had been through so much with me—my mother’s death, growing up, and the nightmare which was Todd. We were inseparable growing up and when I made the move to Mooresville, they came to visit and never left. They started working for others but it wasn’t long before my entrepreneurial friends found a way to live life on their own terms.

  When I got to Hanson Fitness, I began to relax. This place had been a second home to me since the twins opened two years ago. If I wasn’t at my uncle’s bar, I was at the gym. The solace and safety that I found within those walls and with the brothers was unparalleled. The gym was the place I started to find my physical power, ensuring a security I thought I’d never know again. The twin’s friendship and support gave me the strength I needed to find psychological fortitude once again. I would never be able to repay them for everything they’ve done for me over the years.

  The brothers were both with clients, forcing me to wait impatiently in their office. This was one of my favorite places. This gym was where I opened up and found confidence in my appearance and myself. Working out helped drown out Todd’s toxic words, and helped me to see myself a little more clearly.

  I sat back and waited until Cade walked into the room. He smiled when he saw me; his sapphire blue eyes sparkled with mirth. His close-cropped sandy-blond hair dripped with moisture. His square jaw was covered in light stubble that gave the appearance that he just didn’t bother. He was handsome without even trying. His Hanson Gym t-shirt had the sleeves cut off so it displayed every bulging muscle in his arms and showcased his thick neck. His baggy shorts hung low on his hips, highlighting his powerful legs. Women were no match when he and his identical twin brother were together.

  He walked over to the couch and plopped down, slinging his arm across the back. He sighed as he relaxed back, smiling wider when he turned his head and looked at me. “What’s up, sweetheart?” he asked. Out of the two, Cade was the intense twin. He took everything so seriously. Cade didn’t do anything without thinking about every possible angle or obstacle. He was so sensible about everything that he didn’t even date without carefully considering every conceivable difficulty. He always ended up talking himself out of the women he dated.

  “Where’s Jake?” I asked. I couldn’t tell one the news without the other, Jake would never forgive me. Jake, the more passionate twin, was easygoing and fun loving. He was impulsive and somewhat irresponsible, but he also angered easier than Cade did. He’d been the exuberant one in our group when we were young, but that changed when we were teenagers. He was still cheerful and lively, but there was a darkness behind Jake’s boisterousness.

  “He’s comin’. Everything okay?” Cade wrapped his overly muscular arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. The twins always had a way of making me feel like I was the most important person in the world to them.

  “Perfect,” I said, but didn’t elaborate.

  Finally Jake came out of the locker room with an extremely buff and attractive man in tow. Jake smirked at Cade and me as he walked his client to the door.

  I needed to spend more time around here if all of their clients are this hot. I didn’t want to date but there was nothing wrong with looking.

  Jake sauntered back toward us, his normal swagger present in his walk. He was identical to Cade in almost every way but there were subtle differences. Cade was about an inch taller and about twenty pounds heavier. Jake’s muscles were just as defined and powerful, but his frame was slightly leaner. His sandy-blond hair was long, down to his shoulders so he had to tie it back at the nape of his neck while he was training. Jake’s handsome face was also always clean-shaven.

  His mischievous grin graced his handsome face as he returned to us. He dropped down on the couch on the other side of me, wrapped his equally bulging arm around my waist, and slid next to me. I loved how the brothers were a constant comfort and consistent strength for me. Sandwiched between them, there was no safer place in the world as far as I was concerned. I didn’t seek male companionship. Jake and Cade were my companions, my friends, and confidants. I knew they blamed themselves for what happened just as much as my dad did. But none of them realized there was nothing they could have done to change what happened the summer after senior year. I didn’t let them help me and Todd sure as hell would have found a way to get to me no matter what they did to try to protect me from him. We were friends before we could even walk, and we would always have that closeness. I wished they could both find deserving girls, but neither of them seemed to care. Sometimes I worried they held themselves back because of me.

  “Alright, sweetheart,” Cade said. “Out with it. What was so important you had to make sure we knew you were here and wanted to talk?”

  “I got my placement today. I know where I’m interning for the semester.”

  Jake let go of my shoulders and spun to stand in front of me, his long sandy-blond ponytail whipped around and stuck to the dampness on his neck. His bright blue eyes were wide, looking into my brown ones to try to gauge my feelings. Cade kept his strong arm around my shoulders, but I felt him stiffen slightly. This was something they both have worried about since I started school. Jake pulled me up and directed me to sit on the coffee table while they sat in front of me on the couch. They were mirror images of concern and worry. The apprehension in their eyes made my heart melt and think about all of the times they tried to save me.

  “Come on, Sweetheart, you can do better than that,” Cade taunted as I tried desperately to get out of the hold Jake had on me. As always, our playful bantering turned into a wrestling match. I was usually much more agile. But my whole frame hurt from yet another one of Todd’s assaults. The constant physical and sexual attacks wreaked havoc my body and my mind. He seemed to think he owned me.

  “Dammit, Jake, let me go!” I growled at him. I didn’t want him to know I was hurting and couldn’t handle this today. My long sleeve shirt
and pants hid the latest evidence of Todd’s abuse, last night’s bout having been worse than ever. When I told him I didn’t want to get married and I was going to school, he was pissed. I should have known better than to try to reason with him. I needed to get the hell away from him. But he never went away. He always found me.

  “Funny, Toni. I never surrender, especially to a weaker opponent,” Jake laughed. Little did he know I was a much weaker opponent than usual. I continued to struggle against Jake when he wrapped his arm around my waist to try to control me. A maneuver he’d done a million times, but today it was bad. I cried out from the pain shooting through my body, inflicted by his touch. Tears instantly filled my eyes. I had a feeling that Todd had done some real damage to me last night, and the pain I felt when Jake held me only added to my fears.

  When the twins saw my reaction to being touched, they both froze. Cade strode across the room toward me as Jake stepped back, their blue eyes full of alarm. Before I could move away and pretend I was fine, Jake had a hold of my hands and Cade was lifting my shirt to expose my abdomen.

  “Hey,” I whimpered, “get the hell off.” But I knew the moment they saw the bruises. I felt Jake’s hands tighten around mine as I fought to get away from his hold. Cade just stood still as a statue and stared at my mangled body. The evidence of both old and new abuse marked me.

  “What the hell is this, Antonia?” Cade whispered. But I didn’t bother answering; I didn’t have to. My secret was out, they knew.

  “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill him,” Jake growled, his usual easy-going manner was now dark and explosive. “He’s fuckin’ dead.”

  “No, it was an accident. He didn’t mean to hurt me.” I tried to placate them. I didn’t want them to do anything which could get them in trouble. Over time, I realized the reason I did what I could to hide the bruises and injuries was because I was more worried about what the twins or my dad would do than anything. I didn’t want the people I loved getting in trouble because of me. And now, seeing the murderous look in Jake and Cade’s eyes, I was terrified that what I had been trying to prevent would come true.

  “Is it far?” Jake asked. I could see the unease. We’ve never been far from each other for long. They followed me to Mooresville after everything with Todd because they worried about me. They would probably follow me again, but their lives were here. The thought of being too far away was concerning for all of us, but thankfully that issue was moot.

  “Nope, not far at all,” I said, trying desperately to hide my smile. Keeping my voice as flat and unfeeling as I could, I continued. “As a matter of fact, it’s only about a twenty minute drive from here. I’ll be interning with Kyle Redding.” Then I waited. They were avid race fans, just like me, so I knew it wouldn’t take long to link Kyle’s name with the racer’s name. After about twenty seconds, they both leapt off the couch and pulled me up with them. They wrapped their arms around me until I was sandwiched between the two behemoth brothers as if I was nothing but a wisp of air. It was another thing I loved about being friends with these guys; I wasn’t petite and willowy like a lot of girls. I was tall and my form both muscular and curvy. I wasn’t the kind of girl that feels small around anyone. I was often as tall or almost as tall as many of the men I was surrounded by, but with Cade and Jake, I always felt good about myself.

  “Julius Fuller’s team? Are you fuckin’ shittin’ me? You’re gonna to be on the number fifty-five race team?” Jake asked.

  I nodded. “Yep, I report tomorrow morning at eight.” I couldn’t hide the huge smile pulling at my lips. This was the greatest opportunity ever.

  “You know we train some of their crew, right? And you know Kyle Redding and Julius Fuller actually train here as well.”

  I shook my head, I didn’t know, although it shouldn’t surprise me. Jake and Cade had made quite the names for themselves and since Kyle was Roger’s son, it was no wonder the number fifty-five team found out about the brothers. Then again, I was kind of surprised about Julius Fuller training here. I guess I just always figured he would have a private place to train. “Julius Fuller trains … here?” I asked astonished. “Why?”

  They both scowled at me and I had to hold back my giggle. It was the same exact look on both their faces, and it reminded me of the eleven-year-old boys who used to get so mad when my go-carts would be better or faster than theirs. They always gave me the same frustrated scowl; it was cute. Sometimes I wished I could see one of them in a romantic way. They were sweet and genuinely kind. They both brought women flocking to them with their good looks and bright blue eyes. I loved them dearly, but they were my brothers as far as I was concerned, and I didn’t think either of them looked at me in any way other than as the annoying little sister. Whatever women ended up with them would be extraordinarily lucky.

  “Yes,” Cade growled at me, “he trains here often. He comes in when the regular customers leave or he comes in the back entrance and uses the private weight room. He’s consulted with me several times for the best workouts to keep him in shape for racing.”

  I was shocked. I had no idea they knew Julius Fuller. I was impressed they kept the secret of the ultra-hot racecar driver working out in their gym a secret. That kind of information would have given their business a huge boost, but the twins wouldn’t do something to benefit from others. It was something I respected them for.

  Nervously I asked, “Is he a nice guy?”

  Jake smirked and teased, “Are you intimidated, little Toni?” I scowled at his patronizing voice, but it just made his grin widen. “He’s alright. He does seem kind of arrogant, but you find a successful athlete like him and not find some arrogance in them. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t arrogant. Hell, when it comes to cars, you’re egotistical too.”

  I furrowed my brow at him. “I am not!”

  They both laughed at my annoyance. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Cade said. “You’ll be fine. Just go and do what you always do, you’ll win over the other mechanics. Besides, you’ll probably never see Julius Fuller anyway.”

  I’ll probably never see Julius Fuller? The idea made me both happy and sad. I wanted to prove myself without getting caught up with ogling the driver, but I also wanted to meet the famous face in front of the team. It was probably better I stay in the background and prove myself to Kyle first anyway. Besides, it wasn’t as if the infamously handsome racecar driver would ever pay attention to some random intern anyway.

  “Well since this is apparently a news sharing day, I have my own good news,” Cade said with a sideways smile.

  “What?” I asked. Jake had his own grin working on his face.

  “I have news too,” Jake included. He played with the cell phone in his hand. He typed away on the screen, making me wonder what he was doing or whom he was texting with. Who could be so important he felt the need to text them now.

  “Come on guys, what’s going on? Did you two find twin girlfriends or something?”

  They both scowled, but there was a chuckle working its way through. “As fun as that would be,” Jake started, “nope. No twin girlfriends.”

  “Besides, you’re the only girl for us,” Cade said sliding onto the table next to me.

  I furrowed my brows at him. “What’s going on?”

  Cade looked at Jake, then he smiled widely at me. “Well, I enrolled in a Physical Fitness bachelor’s program. I’ve decided to get my degree so we can expand our business.”

  I looked at Cade in surprise. I hadn’t realized he was even thinking about going back to school. I launched myself into his arms and hugged him tight. “That’s tremendous!” I exclaimed. “When do you start?”

  With a smile, Cade said, “End of the month. I’ve been tossin’ the idea around for a while and figured the gym is doin’ great, it’s as good a time as any.”

  I turned to Jake, smiling hugely. “And what’s your news?”

  “Nothin’ like that. I’m good; I don’t need more school. I hated it years ago; I doubt it’d be any better now. You�
��ll find my news much more fun.” I found his words to be strange. Why would I find fun in his news? He seemed stiff and a bit put off when he got up and walked across the room. I watched his every movement, confused. Whatever the surprise was, it made him uncomfortable. He opened the door which leads to the private gym area. Standing in the doorway was my best friend Mia. Her long golden brown hair hung in perfect ringlets around her warm tawny brown face. She hadn’t changed at all since the last time I saw her. Still beautiful and elegant, her long thin limbs were covered in her stylish dark jeans and a red sweater that brought out the bronze undertones in her skin. She lit up with excitement when her bright hazel eyes landed on me. She pushed past Jake and launched herself at me, knocking us both down onto the couch giggling.

  “Surprise!” she shouted through her laughter.

  “What are you doing here? When did you get here?” I asked. I was so excited to see her. I’d missed her so much. After graduation, she moved to Nashville to attend school. We talked through texts and online, but we hadn’t seen each other or had a real conversation in a while.

  Glancing at Jake, there were a myriad of emotions in his eyes. He looked angry, sad, and relieved, among other things. The fact that she was there with him confused me. They weren’t really friends; they hadn’t been since we left the safety of grade school and entered high school.

  Turning and looking at Jake, she placed her hands on her narrow hips and contorted her pretty face, looking skeptically at Jake. “I didn’t believe it, but I guess you can keep a secret.” She smiled back at me, her dark skin seeming to glow with her grin.

  Jake scowled. “You know damn well I can keep a fuckin’ secret.”

  His declaration startled me. He looked furious now, like there was more meaning behind Mia’s skepticism. Looking between the two, I wondered what was going on between them. Mia turned and glared, but didn’t respond. She turned back to me, a smile-like grimace on her face. She wasn’t good at pretending to smile.