Chameleon Soul (Chequered Flag #1) Read online

  “Sure,” I murmured dubiously.

  When Dustin said he ‘did’ street magic, what he really meant to say was he tried. I had yet to see him perform a trick and get it right, which was saying something considering I’d known him for ten years.

  “What’s that supposed to mean, Raine?”

  Ignoring him, I slowed the car and pulled up in front of the flat we shared. Cutting the engine, I found my key and unlocked the doors to the car. Once I had it in my hand and poised to use, I jumped from the car and power walked to the keypad by the front door. I input the code, the glass door buzzed, and I ran into it, pushing hard to move the heavy weighted panel. Not even bothering to hold it for Dustin, I sprinted to the stairwell and up to the third floor.

  I reached our door and unlocked it in a hurry. I kicked it shut behind me and collapsed over the back of the sofa to allow my heart to calm. Then remembering I hadn’t locked the car I dragged myself back up and over to the window. Aiming the key fob through the glass at the car, I pressed down on the button and saw the orange lights flash in the darkness.

  I breathed out a deep sigh of relief when the front door opened behind me, startling me even though I had anticipated it. My mind whirled, trying to formulate an excuse for my erratic behaviour.

  Rather than call me on it, Dustin dipped his hand into the plastic bag he held and pulled out his playing cards. Sliding them from the box, he dropped the packet and bag onto the floor. He gave the cards a quick shuffle and then held them out in a fan to me.

  “Pick a card.”

  “Really? Now?”

  Dustin waved the cards at me like he was trying to cool me with a palm leaf as I moved to sit on the sofa. He followed me and dropped down beside me, brandishing the cards again.

  “Pick one.”

  I drew a card from the deck, peeked at the seven of diamonds, and then held it to my chest so he couldn’t see. With a sigh I glanced up at him, not expecting this to go to plan. “Now what?”

  Dustin pushed the cards back into one pile and cut the deck in two. Pointing to the top of the pile in his left hand he said, “Place the card there.”

  When my card was back in the pile, Dustin gave them a quick shuffle and flipped the deck over. He began dropping cards onto the sofa, rapidly discarding them until he paused. Drawing one card from the pack he flipped it around so I could see it.

  “Is this your card?”

  I bit down on my bottom lip and shook my head.

  “Damn.” He turned over the next card. “How about this one?”

  I shook my head again, my smile becoming harder to fight back. I’d already seen my card in the discarded pile.

  “This one?” He held up the ace of clubs and a giggle slipped out.

  I rummaged in the discarded jumble and pulled out my card. I flicked it at him, full on laughing when it hit his nose.

  “That’s my card, oh great and powerful wizard.”

  “I knew that. I was testing you.”

  “Uh huh. It had nothing to do with the fact you’re rubbish at magic and refuse to admit it?”

  “Nope, because I succeeded.”

  I arched an eyebrow in question. “How? You didn’t guess my card.”

  “Who said I was trying to guess your card?”

  “You weren’t? What were you trying to do then?”

  “Make you relax and take your mind off things.”

  I should have known what he was doing as soon as he walked into the room and didn’t call me on my crazy behaviour. Dustin may not have been good at magic, but he knew how to read me.

  When I glanced up at him through my eyelashes, he started waving jazz hands and cried, “Tada! And for my next trick I will make you laugh.”

  The jazz hands in front of his puffy face were too much. I chuckled, shaking my head at the same time.

  “See? I’m amazing.”

  Sobering slightly, I gazed at him in earnest. “Thank you.”

  “I think I’m the one who should be saying that. After all, I was the one in a cell.”

  “Speaking of which, how much trouble are you in?”

  He swatted the air nonchalantly. “I got off with a warning. Aston wanted me arrested for indecent exposure, which was ridiculous. Thankfully the girlfriend ignored him and they let me go.”

  “Wait, what?” I cried. “It was Aston’s girlfriend you flashed? How could you be so stupid?”

  Everyone knew who Aston Hattersey was. As the current Formula One World Champion, he was the guy every girl wanted. Of course, he also happened to be an enormous jackass known for his volatile temper and possessiveness over whichever woman entertained him for that month. Aston liked other guys to know they were beneath him and he wasn’t afraid to show it.

  “It was an accident. I was there by myself and she started talking to me—” Dustin stopped talking abruptly when he could see I wasn’t paying attention. My thoughts had drifted elsewhere. “He wasn’t there, Raine. He isn’t back yet.”

  It scared me how well Dustin could read my thoughts sometimes. I’d assumed if Aston was back in Milton Keynes then so were all of the British drivers. It was the summer break in the race calendar, which meant four weeks of hiding and carefully scheduled planning to avoid them all.

  “Why don’t you go see him, Raine?” Dustin said, picking up on my shift in mood. “It’s obvious you miss him.”

  “No way. Tonight’s about you.” I forced a smile to my face. “I’m never going to let you live this down, so I’m definitely not through laughing at you yet.”

  For a second he remained quiet, likely deciding whether to accept my obvious diversion. He tried to look resigned. The expression was awkward with his swollen eye and lips, and his words came out with a deep breath.

  “I knew you wouldn’t. Where are you going?” he asked quickly when I stood and walked into the tiny kitchen.

  I opened the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen peas. I returned to the sofa and held them out to him. “Here, put this on your face. I’m going to head to bed.”

  Dustin took the bag in one hand and grabbed my wrist with the other.

  “You good?” He ran his thumb over the back of my wrist and I swallowed hard at the thoughts he’d sent careening back into my mind. Not wanting to worry him or add to the guilt I could already see forming at my delayed response, I nodded.

  “Are you sure?”

  Truthfully? No, I wasn’t. I had no idea whether the nightmares would plague me that night or whether I’d be allowed to sleep, yet I wasn’t going to tell Dustin that.

  “I’m fine, just tired.”

  He studied me for a minute, refusing to let go of my wrist. Finally, he must have realised I wasn’t going to give him the answer we both knew I should have spoken and released me.

  “‘Night, Raine.”

  “Put that bag on your face,” I ordered, heading for my room.

  Chapter Two

  Teo

  My legs burned as I pushed myself further and faster. I was nearing the five-mile mark and my feet were thundering against the treadmill. I upped the speed even more. Sweat poured off me, creating a dark V down the front of my shirt, and probably the back as it soaked into the grey cotton. The beads on my forehead were trickled down, so I raised my arm and drew the back of my hand over my face to wipe them away without losing my stride.

  Though it was the summer break and I finally had some time to myself, I needed to keep in shape. People assumed because I was a racing driver I didn’t need to be as physically fit as other athletes, but I would like to see them try and do what I do without training. Even if they could get the car up to speed so they could actually stay on track, they’d never be able to do a minimum of fifty laps. To keep up the concentration needed to make it through an entire race was a feat of its own, and that was without adding dehydration, G-force, other drivers on the track, and different types of weather to deal with.

  Anyone who thought drivers didn’t need to be fit was talking bullshit.
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br />   Anyway, I liked pushing my body to the limit. When I worked out I was the only one around. I could lose myself inside my head and ignore the world. The only things that mattered were the numbers counting up on the display and the burning ache in my body.

  At least until a voice broke into my trance. “Coates!”

  I slowed my speed to walking pace and glanced over to my left, where Aston Hattersey strode towards me. His bleached blond hair, darkened with water, was swept off his head, and he had a towel draped around his neck. His jaw was locked tight and his eyes seethed with anger.

  Just what I needed.

  Figuring it was best not to be on the treadmill at all when my teammate confronted me, I jumped off and hit the power button. After taking a second to calm my breathing, I spoke.

  “What do you want, Aston?” I widened my stance and folded my arms across my chest, making sure the resentment in my voice was clear. Although we were teammates driving for Braxton Racing, it didn’t mean we had to like each other. In fact, usually, we couldn’t even be in the same room alone. Ever since he deliberately knocked me out of the final race last season to claim the championship, we’d been rivals. He did everything and anything to win, including sabotage. Everyone knew it, we just couldn’t prove it.

  “What’s with the workout? You do know this is meant to be our holiday, right? There are better ways to burn calories.” He gave me a knowing look. “Or do you not go for girls that aren’t on the circuit?”

  I didn’t need to correct him. All of the drivers on the circuit went after the grid girls for the same reason: they were easy, convenient, and didn’t expect commitment. Fucking the grid girls was an easy way to avoid a relationship and scratch the itch.

  “Get to the point,” I spat.

  “How’s that dipshit brother of yours? Did he enjoy the night in a cell?”

  He grinned at me. The smug bastard. I didn’t even know what he was referring to, and he succeeded in pissing me off.

  I clenched my fists, pressing them into my chest. “Stop messing around. If you have something to say, do it so I can get back to my workout.”

  He shoved his hands deep in the pockets of his shorts, unfazed by the increasing desire to punch him welling within me. Turning for the exit, he paused to cast me a cocky look. “Let’s say he’ll think twice about flashing my girl again. If I were you, I’d have a word with him. Fights don’t look good to sponsors or to the teams. Neither does a police record for that matter.”

  Quicker than he entered it, he left the room.

  I ground my molars together, my fists clenching and unclenching as I fought the urge to go after him. I jumped back on the treadmill, instantly powering up the speed until I reached a sprint. I kept up the speed for two minutes before I realised running was doing nothing to shake the questions and frustration from my mind. Slowing to a walk, I finally stopped. The burning in my thighs and calves was more intense than last time, and I had to bend over and clasp my knees while I regained my breath.

  Once I’d recovered enough to speak, I dug out my phone from my pocket and brought up Dustin’s number. He answered on the third ring.

  “Hello,” he groaned, sounding like I’d just woken him, which didn’t come as a surprise seeing as it was six a.m.

  “I’m assuming you didn’t spend a night in jail if you’re answering your mobile this early.”

  “Teo?”

  “Yeah it’s me, jackass.” I paused, calming myself until I was ready to speak again. “Why, out of all people, did you choose to flash Aston’s latest girlfriend?”

  “I didn’t know who she was until he was throwing punches.”

  I massaged my forehead, groaning in frustration into the handset. “Dustin, you know this isn’t what you need right now. What were you even doing drinking? You have a race this weekend.”

  I didn’t catch what he said through his muffled response, although I could guess. No doubt it had something to do with Elora.

  “It was only one. I needed to get out.”

  “Okay, let me get this straight. You flashed Hattersey’s girlfriend while you were sober? What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I told you I didn’t recognise her, and I was doing a magic trick.”

  “What? ‘Hey, Chrissy, look at my dick?’”

  “You’re hilarious, Teo. No, she saw me shuffling the cards and asked if I knew any tricks. My hand got stuck in my pocket.”

  “And it happened to be the night you chose to go commando?”

  “What? Like you don’t do it.” He snorted indignantly.

  “How much trouble are you in? What did the cops do? Do you need a lawyer?”

  “Geez, relax. They let me go with a warning and I got Rai—uh, a friend to pick me up.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath at his slip. He was about to say “Raine.” The stabbing pain in my chest made that perfectly clear. She was a subject we’d avoided for a year. Whilst I knew they were still friends, I never asked and Dustin never shared. I’d tried that when she called things off and got nowhere. The only option had been to cut her out of my life completely, including as a subject of conversation.

  Word of advice: don’t date your sibling’s best friend. Ever. That shit never ends well. All she ends up doing is leaving you and it’s impossible to distance yourself because of family ties.

  Thankfully, work had kept me busy and I’d had no time to myself for the last year. Not only was I the new rookie driver, but I’d also managed to come second in the championship. That was enough to put me in the spotlight on its own. Combined with the fact I should have been champion and speculation over Aston’s fair play, the media descended. It led to an intense few months where I was doing some kind of interview or work for my sponsors nearly every day. When I finally had a free day, I spent it in winter testing to prepare my car for this season, which began five months ago.

  All of that meant I didn’t have time to think about Raine…much. It definitely meant I didn’t have time to see her, so I’d filled the void she left within me with girls and racing. She didn’t want me after all; I was free to do what I wanted.

  “Sorry, man,” Dustin said when I didn’t respond for a while.

  “It’s good.”

  It wasn’t. After a year I would have thought I’d be over everything, yet it still ate away at me that Dustin had a relationship with her and I couldn’t. I was only lying to myself by thinking I’d forgotten about her.

  “So, everything’s all right with you?”

  “Yep.” Dustin popped the “p,” and the short answer did nothing to convince me. “Are you going to be at the race this weekend?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  We said our goodbyes and I pocketed the phone while heading for the showers. The high my workout had left me on had been quickly squashed by Dustin’s slip, and I had no energy left to undo the damage. I had avoided anything that would remind me of Raine Wilkins and distracted myself all year. Regardless, now I was home, with nowhere to run to and no distractions, she was the only thing that consumed my thoughts.

  Chapter Three

  Raine

  Much to my surprise, I awoke at eight a.m. after having slept through the entire night. Normally, I’d wake up screaming and in a cold sweat, especially if I went out after dark. Sometimes my sheets were soaked through from the sweat produced by my sheer terror as I relived that one night.

  I frequently wondered how long I was going to be a slave to my memories. It wasn’t enough that it actually happened and I suffered through the ordeal, but then I had to live through it all again nearly every night for a year. There had to be a point where my body had enough, right? Wasn’t it time that my mind accepted things and moved on?

  Rather than allow myself to dwell on the negatives, I threw the covers from my bed and hopped out. Sleeping through the night was an achievement in itself. It was the first step on a long road.

  Though it may seem ridiculous, the small victory meant everything to me. The m
ore I thought about it, the wider my smile grew. I skipped from my room as I hurried to tell Dustin.

  “Guess what?” I cried, bursting through his bedroom door without thinking. I shrieked and closed my eyes when the sight of his bare ass greeted me. Nonetheless, it was too late. The image of Dustin bent over and pulling up his jeans had been permanently branded on my mind and it was one I could have done without.

  I remained by the door, my hand clasped firmly over my eyes as a secondary barrier. “Serves you right for barging in here,” Dustin said with a chuckle. I heard the sound of a zip and then footsteps moving towards me. A few seconds later he pulled my hand away. “You can look now.”

  I cracked one eye to be sure. He tugged a shirt over his head, finally fully clothed except for his bare feet, and I let out a relieved breath.

  “What’s up? Because your reaction has me thinking it wasn’t the thought of me naked that had you rushing in here.”

  “I didn’t have a nightmare.” I bounced a little on the spot, biting down on my finger to dampen my grin.

  He squeezed me in a crushing hug that caused a bubble of laughter to escape my lips. “That’s great, Raine!” We parted and Dustin gazed down at me with tenderness. “A full night’s sleep looks good on you.”

  His words said it all, really. To actually compliment my looks because I’d slept showed how bad things had become. I was surprised he hadn’t moved out long ago if I was honest. I kept him awake constantly and he frequently had to come in to comfort me. I was hopeful this was the start of a new era.

  When I stepped back, my brain finally registered the swelling on Dustin’s face. It hadn’t gone down even a little bit overnight, and the daylight only made it stand out even more.

  “I didn’t think it was possible for you to get any uglier,” I teased, jabbing him in the ribs. The unexpected force had him folding over with an oomph to clutch his side. “You look like you got kicked in the face by a horse.”

  “Why are you hitting me then? Haven’t I been beaten enough?” His lips twisted comically, the expression he tried to convey unreadable behind his puffy lip.