Page 1 of High Velocity

Chapter One

Charli—Hunt, ID—20years ago

“What doyouknow?You’re just a girl.”

The boy sneered as a few others around him snickered with laughter.Well, not Bradley, whose gaze snapped between her and the bully who never stopped running his big, fat mouth.Todd.More like toad, Charli thought.

She had been back in town for a month and within a week had quickly learned who would be a friend and who wouldn’t.Todd, apparently a new kid to the area, definitely wouldn’t.

It was Saturday, which meant hanging out at the track where her dad raced cars with friends.Stock cars would race this evening, but right now, motorcycles were occupying the ring.Charli loved every aspect of the track, from the stalls where the crews prepped their vehicles, to the arena where they put those vehicles to the test.American flags were proudly displayed everywhere, and the aroma of fried food tickled her nostrils and made her belly rumble.She looked forward to her moments spent here, with her dad and their extended family.The sights, the sounds, and the smells always delighted her, making her feel right at home.And you couldn’t find a better caliber of people.

Well, most of them.

She’d walked around the make-shift pits, watching the riders and crew work over their bikes between heats.When Bradley had spotted her while heading toward his stall, he’d given her a huge smile and waved her over.He’d barely finished a qualifying round due to his bike sputtering on the final few laps, and Charli offered to check out his settings.

She had known him and his family for as long as she could remember, and they’d become fast friends when she began spending entire summers here.Bradley, who never went by Brad, was only two years older than Charli, who was fourteen.

When she hit that childhood milestone of becoming a teen, she’d begun to see changes happening to her body.And a year later, they were even more noticeable.Charli only hoped another certain someone would also take notice.

Roark.Bradley’s older brother.

She wanted him to notice the change in her height that brought her nearly as tall as him.Notice the development of curves to her previously uncontoured form.Notice the way she kept her long hair clean and brushed to a shine.And the touch of gloss she’d started swiping on to make her lips look kissable.

Charli didn’t know anything about his dating life, and he probably had a handful of girls after him, but it didn’t stop her from dreaming.From being infatuated.

In her eyes, he was mysterious, cool, and so fine in his rugged way.She loved that he was respectful too.He never dismissed her from hanging out with them.Never balked at ideas or suggestions she had.Roark listened as if truly interested.That made him even more appealing.

“Hey, loser, move along.This is for riders only.”

Charli ignored Todd and kept pace with Bradley, who told the kid to shut it.Bradley pushed his bike into his pit, hitting the kickstand down.Without waiting for permission, she grabbed a few tools and crouched down to adjust valves on the carburetor.She then removed the plug wire, opened the sparkplug gap, sprayed out the cap, and snapped it back on.

“Put gas in it and fire it up,” she said to Bradley.As he grabbed the gas can, Roark walked out of the trailer, looking curiously at her then his brother.

“Hey,” he said, when he met her gaze again, his voice deep and rich, melting Charli’s insides.

Her heart raced faster than the RPMs of Bradley’s motor, but she tried to play it cool and not like the love-struck teen she felt like when around him.

“Hey,” she returned.

Roark raised his eyebrow then turned to Bradley when his bike came to life.It already sounded better to Charli’s ears, running steadily without hiccups.When Roark faced her, he grinned.“What’d I miss this time?”

“Sparkplug gap needed widening, and the ATF ratio was too rich.”Air-to-fuel ratio.“Should run better and get him a higher spot next round.”

Roark chuckled, and Charli hoped she wasn’t blushing.If so, she could blame it on the heat.South Central Idaho in the summer was no joke, and this summer was already shaping up to be a hot one.

“Thanks, CC!”Bradley said, ever-present smile in place.“Wanna join our crew for the rest of the summer?It’d be great to have you hang out here.In the pits.”

Charli looked from Bradley to Roark, who raised his brow again.“Guess my skills aren’t up to snuff, and I’m getting replaced?”He handed her a towel that’d been hanging from his back pocket so she could wipe her hands.

She accepted it and said, “I’ll teach you all I know.”

His grin turned into something Charli couldn’t quite name, and the look in his eyes made her quiver in an unexpected but not unpleasant way.

“Only got a few months left, then I leave for Basic Training.”

Charli’s heart plummeted.Of course, she knew he’d made the decision to join the Army, but she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge that he was leaving.And who knew when she’d see him again?But she put on a brave face and responded.

“Better make the most of our time then.”