Twisted Mind (Chequered Flag #2) (23 page)

Chapter

Thirty-Two

Dustin

“Turn to the left, Dustin,” Harry the photographer called out and I shuffled round. The flash went off and he directed me to a new position. We had been doing this for over half an hour. Being the newbie, I’d been scheduled last and had to wait for every other driver to have their shots taken. They were the images that would be used all over the media and promotions during next season. It wasn’t a massive change to what I’d done in GP2, but I’d never liked it then either.

“Take five, Dustin, we need to set up for the walk,” Harry said. That
was
a new thing. In GP2 it had been stills only. Formula One required us to film footage of us walking at the camera.

With a curt nod I walked off the backdrop and picked up my phone from Anthony to see three missed calls and two messages from Taz.

Taz: I need you to pick me up.

Taz: Don’t worry. I’ll meet you there, everything’s sorted.

I glanced up at the clock. We were overrunning slightly so her arriving here would work in our favour. I’d finished sending her a reply when Harry called me back in front of the camera.

It took another ten minutes before we were finally wrapping up. And with every minute that ticked by the more distracted I became.

Tazia should have arrived by now and I’d finally reached my limit.

“Dustin!”

I scowled at Anthony and continued to walk away without waiting to be dismissed. “Give me a minute.”

I snatched my phone up and stormed from the room. Halfway down the corridor I lifted it to my ear to listen to it ring.

“Everything okay, Dust?” Teo clapped me on the back as I hung up.

Ignoring him, I dialled Tazia’s number again, only for it to cut to her voicemail immediately.

“Tazia should be here and I can’t get hold of her.”

“Maybe she’s running late. You know how women are getting ready.”

I shook my head. I did know what women were like, and Taz had never been like that. She took time getting ready, but never to the point of being late.

“Dustin!” Anthony cried out behind us, jogging to reach me.

“What now? We’d finished,” I snapped.

“I got the results from the lab.” Dread seized me immediately at his pale complexion and worried gaze.

My arms shot out to grip his shoulders. I squeezed harder than necessary. “
And
?”

“It’s Perry. He has a prior conviction for cocaine possession and assault.”

“Shit.” I dropped Anthony to run to my car. All of the unease dwelling within me intensified. I didn’t know how I knew, but something within me told me something bad had happened and I needed to get home as quickly as possible.

“Dustin, wait. What’s the rush?” Teo called, matching my pace easily.

“Tazia’s with Perry. He’s the guy next door and he hates me. I have no idea why, and he’s been after Taz since they met.”

I shot out of the car park, explaining everything about what had been going on as I raced home. I didn’t stick to the speed limit once, my imagination on overdrive, picturing various scenarios in which I could find Taz.

“Slow down, Dustin! You’re not going to get to her quicker if you get pulled over by the cops!” Teo shouted, clutching at the dashboard. He was the worst passenger ever. For someone so used to speed, he reacted badly when he wasn’t the one in control.

“We’re not going to get pulled over.”

Teo’s knuckles were white, his teeth clenched. “You aren’t going to be able to help her if we’re wrapped around a tree either.”

He should have known nothing would slow me down. He’d have been the same if the roles were reversed. “Give my driving some credit, Teo.”

I screeched the car to a stop in front of the flat, fighting with my seatbelt when my arm became tangled in my hurry to break free.

Slamming the door shut behind me I raced into the building with Teo at my heels. I was fumbling in my pocket for Tazia’s key when her scream pierced the doorway.

Chapter

Thirty-Three

Tazia

“Help!” I wailed. “Somebody, please!”

I fought against the restraints, but Perry had locked the handcuffs around my wrists and ankles too tight. My hands were becoming numb from the lack of circulation, although that was the least of my problems.

Perry knelt on the bed between my parted legs, leering at me. “Nobody’s going to come, Tazia.”

I bucked my hips, attempting to fight him off as he began crawling up my body.

“Get off me, you bastard!”

“I’d rather get you off.” He ran a finger over my jaw and I snapped to try and bite him. “Please don’t make me gag you, Tazia. I have plenty more things I want to do with your pretty mouth.”

I’d bite anything he put within reach, but I remained silent and fell back against the mattress.

“Good girl.” Perry shifted to straddle my hips and tugged at the hem of my dress.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I can. Coates stole something from me so it’s only fair I steal something important to him too.”

“What did he steal?” I didn’t care, I only wanted to keep him talking for as long as possible, hoping to delay him and buy Dustin some more time.

“The love of my life.” He trailed a calloused finger over my bare thigh. “So I stole his love, then what he thought was his baby, and now you. I have to admit, you’ll be the worst one yet. I never realised how much he hated Elora, which was why I came up with the plan to lie about aborting my baby.”

I sucked in a strangled gasp. “You’re the one Elora cheated with?”

He grinned at me. “Coates deserved it. But enough about my past. I think it’s time I saw what’s mine, don’t you?”

“Dustin will make sure you spend the rest of your life rotting in jail if he doesn’t kill you first.”

I squirmed beneath him, struggling to pull free. He slid my dress higher and his breath swept over my bare stomach.

“Get the fuck off me!”

Suddenly his weight disappeared. Perry’s nails clawed at my leg as he was ripped from my body and a sickening crack echoed throughout the room. Then Dustin appeared above me, uncontained anger burning off him.

“Where are the keys, fuckwit?”

I jumped at the second voice, my eyes darting around the room to search for the owner.

“It’s Teo, babe. You’re safe.”

Dustin pulled my dress back into place and sat next to me. “I’ll get you out of here, Taz.”

A tear broke free, too many emotions surging within me. All of the fear I’d repressed trying to fight Perry, all of the relief at seeing Dustin, it hit me like a sledgehammer.

“Catch, Dustin,” Teo called, and Dustin glanced away from me only for a second. Soon he focused on me again and undid the handcuffs. When my wrists were free Dustin went to work on my ankles. I rubbed the raw welts, tears flowing freely down my cheeks now.

Dustin returned to my side and I threw myself into him, burying my nose at the crook of his neck.

“Did you hear him?” I murmured against him.

“Every fucking word. I swear I’ll make him pay, Tazia.” He held my head close, gritting out the words.

“Get her out of here, Dustin. I’ll wait until the police show up,” Teo ordered, and instantly I felt myself being lifted up.

* * *

It took a while for me to finally calm down enough to recount everything to the police. Thankfully, Dustin held my hand throughout the entire ordeal because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get through it. It also saved me having to repeat the parts he’d missed later on.

As I detailed everything Perry had done, Dustin’s grip on my hand became tighter. From the corner of my eye I saw his nostrils flare and his teeth grind together. I knew he wanted to kill Perry and it had taken an enormous amount of restraint to walk away from him.

“Thank you, Miss Nixon” the officer said, standing. “We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions. Are you going to be okay on your own tonight?”

I reached out to shake his hand. “I’m not alone. Dustin’s here.”

He gave a curt nod and scribbled down his direct number on a piece of paper he tore from his pad. “If you think of anything else or have any questions, you can reach me at the station.”

“Thank you, I will.”

As soon as they left, Dustin pulled me into his arms like he couldn’t quite believe I was still in the room. “How are you feeling? No, that’s a stupid question, forget I asked.”

“I’m okay, Dustin. You got there in time. He didn’t do anything.”

He squeezed me tighter. “If I had been a minute later—”

I pulled his head forcefully down to mine. “But you weren’t. You got there in time. I’m just a little shaken and bruised.”

His jaw tightened. “If anything had happened to you…”

“It didn’t.”

“But if it had…”

How we’d ended up in the position of me comforting him I’d never know. “Will you shut up? You didn’t, he didn’t. I’m okay. I’m not going to let that fucker get to me and neither should you. I want to forget the whole experience.”

Dustin opened his mouth to say something.

“If you say but one more time I’m going to punch you,” I growled.

With a weak laugh that was heavy with relief, Dustin dropped his forehead to mine. “I love you, Taz. You’re the bravest person I know.”

“I love you too.”

Chapter

Thirty-Four

Dustin

One Week Later

I leaned against the doorframe watching Taz whirl about my kitchen in nothing but my t-shirt and her panties. I had no idea what she was making, but it smelled heavenly and my stomach refused to allow me to stop her even if I was going to have to start cutting down in time for the Formula One season.

She hadn’t slept at her flat once since Perry’s attempted rape and I could understand why. Even to think the words
attempted rape
made me seethe and wish I’d been able to put my fist through Perry’s face like Teo had. However, I’d been more focused on Tazia and as much as I wished the bastard could suffer at my hands, I know I made the right decision.

I’d plucked up the courage to phone Elora one last time for the truth a few days after, seeing as Perry was indisposed, rotting in a jail cell. She’d finally owned up to the truth, and for once she had done it without shouting. Perry had been inserting himself into her life for weeks before she finally gave in and slept with him. She told me she felt me pulling away and thought she’d cut me out of her life first. When Perry knocked her up he hadn’t cared until the baby became a useful tool to hurt me.

I didn’t feel anything for Elora when she told me that. How could I? She’d made me think I had a child of her own accord, and none of it could excuse her violence. It had been Perry’s manipulation which got her to convince me she had an abortion. Like she’d said in Abu Dhabi, she just didn’t want to be alone, to which I gave her the advice that maybe she should see a therapist for her anger, otherwise she would remain on her own.

She said she’d consider the idea.

What I still struggled to wrap my head around were the lengths Perry went to over the fact one girlfriend left him for me. It took me a while to remember what he had been talking about since I’d been single for years until meeting Elora. However, finally I remembered, and I’d stolen no one. It happened six years ago for crying out loud, and she’d come to me on her own. I’d never even considered Perry’s ex until she pursued me. It certainly wasn’t enough to warrant Perry’s hatred, but he’d always seemed unstable, even before I knew he had a vendetta against me.

I half expected him not to be able to stand trial because of insanity.

That, or he still had a drug addiction fuelling his delusions.

My money was on that option, though either way, I finally had the answers I needed and I still had Taz.

She moved about my kitchen with ease, opening and closing cupboards. I loved she felt so comfortable, not only in making herself at home, but with me. After the attack a part of me expected her to crumble and become more reserved, probably because of seeing how Raine dealt with trauma, yet Taz was the complete opposite. I liked to think it was because she felt so at ease around me she didn’t feel the need to hide her body or cover up. And whilst that was part of it, I knew the majority of it was just Taz.

She was one of the strongest people I knew.

The oven chimed and I strolled into the kitchen, causing Taz to jump. Her feet left the floor and her hand flew to her chest when she caught sight of me. With an exaggerated breath, she laughed around the sound. “Could you make a noise next time?”

I shrugged. “Where’s the fun in that?”

A clatter rang out as she opened the oven and dumped the two tins holding twelve fairy cakes each onto the hob. “You’re not getting any cake then. I’ll give them all to Raine.”

I moved up behind her, attempting to reach over her shoulder and grab one. I picked it up by the case and searing heat penetrated the tips of my fingers. When I snapped my hand back the cake went flying across the kitchen and into wall.

“Shit, that’s hot.”

“What the hell did you expect? You saw me take them out of the oven!” Tazia cried around her laughter. “Go run your hand under the tap, you big baby.”

I sighed when the cool water made my hand stop feeling like it was on fire. I kept my eyes on Tazia, watching her scoop the cakes out and place them on a cooling rack.

“So, I’ve been thinking…” She cocked her hip against the counter, waving the knife she’d been using like a wand.

“Oh God, you and thinking…there’s a recipe for disaster.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Really? You’re going to make fun of the person with the knife?”

“You love me too much to use it. Anyway, I’m pretty sure I could distract you.”

“Yeah right, try me. I have unwavering focus.”

I dried my hands and folded my arms. “Are you turned on, Taz?”

Her face scrunched up. “What? Why would you think I—”

“Your panties. There’s a giant wet spot on them.”

Like I knew she would, she looked down in horror. I used the distraction to close the gap between us and slipped the knife from her fingers. Placing it on the counter, I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed my way across her knuckles.

“Thought you had unwavering focus?” I smirked in response to the glare she sent me.

“You don’t fight fair.”

“Never will with you, babe. Your reaction is too funny.” She opened her mouth to complain so I interrupted her. “What were you thinking about?”

She peered up at me through her eyelashes, the humour back. “I think I’m going to move in.”

I fell in love with her a bit more in that moment. There was nothing more I wanted than to wake up to her every morning and fall asleep with her every night. The fact she felt so confident in our relationship to just blurt it out without me asking made me fall for her even more. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to tease her. “Did I miss the part where I asked you?”

Tazia wrapped her arms around my neck. All I could focus on were her boobs pressed against my chest. She wasn’t wearing a bra.

“You mean you don’t want to wake up to me naked every morning?” She slid a hand down between us, running it over my obvious arousal. “Because I think he says differently.”

I groaned at her touch. “Okay, I take it back. When do you want to move your things?”

“We can start today if you want since I’m working the afternoon shift. We can put them in the spare room and I can stay in there.”

My gaze shot to hers. I’m not sure what expression she saw because there were too many running through me to be sure which showed—confusion, panic, desperation, possession. “If you move in here, no fucking way are you sleeping in the spare room.”

Her lips quirked. “Oh yeah? Where am I going to sleep then?”

“In my bed, preferably naked after mind-blowing sex.”

She laughed. “Someone has a high opinion of himself.”

“It’s only what you’ve told me, babe, but I’m happy to prove it to you right now.”

“Really?”

I inched forward, closing the gap between us. “Of course. I’m happy to prove it to you every minute.” I kissed her. “Of every day.” I kissed her again.

Tazia tangled her hands in my hair, holding me against her as she parted her lips to allow my tongue into her mouth.

“I guess that means you want me to move in?”

“Fuck yeah, babe. I wouldn’t have you anywhere else.” I crushed my lips back to hers, picking her up and carrying her back to our room. Moving her in could wait, first I needed her again.

I’d never be able to get enough of her.