High-Sided

By L.P. Dover

**STANDALONE NOVEL**

Wild, reckless, and fast.

That’s how I raced until a fatal accident on the track ruined my riding career. I had no choice but to leave that life behind; at least, until now. My name is Logan Chandler, one of the best FBI agents in the country. When an old friend calls for help and winds up dead, I take matters into my own hands. In order to do that, I have to go back to my past, back to the racetrack and to the one girl I never thought I’d see again . . . Kassidy Bennett.

She’s the key to solving it all, but bringing her in could put her in grave danger. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize she was already there. To save her, I have to put everything on the line. It’s a race against time, a race to the death, and only one will make it to the end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.P. Dover
• Release date: Oct 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311604514

L.P. Dover

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Everything’s sweeter in the South has always been her mantra and she lives by it, whether it’s with her writing or in her everyday life. Maybe that’s why she’s seriously addicted to chocolate.Dover has written countless novels in several different genres, including a children’s book with her daughter. Her favorite to write is romantic suspense, but she’s also found a passion in romantic comedy. She loves to make people laugh which is why you’ll never see her without a smile on her face.

Book preview

1

LOGAN

Iwas numb from the waist down. My broken ribs hurt like a bitch, but that was nothing compared to the pain I felt in my chest. If I was going to be bound to a wheelchair for the rest of my life, I wished I would’ve died in the wreck. How could I live like that? I wouldn’t be able to race ever again. I was fucking screwed.

Every day that passed, I fell deeper into despair. It’d been a week and nothing had changed. The rage inside of me was so intense, I thought I was going to explode. I hated the pitying looks, the way everyone talked to me as if I was about to break. Hell, I was close.

The door opened and my girlfriend tiptoed in, gently shutting the door. Kassidy had been by my side since the accident, to the point she appeared as haggard as I must’ve looked. Knowing the depth of her love for me made the coming conversation even more difficult.

I’m not asleep, I called out.

She jerked around and slammed a hand to her chest. Oh my God, you scared me. I started talking to a nurse downstairs and lost track of time. I thought you’d be asleep.

Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slowly, preparing for what had to be done.

With a smile on her face, Kassie strolled over and leaned down to kiss me. I turned away from her. She jerked back as if I’d slapped her. Logan, are you okay? Are you in pain?

Clenching my jaw, I looked at her unfeeling. Not really.

What’s wrong?

I’m getting tired of people hovering over me all the time. I don’t have space to fucking breathe.

She laughed nervously as if it was a joke, but my scowl didn’t waver. Her lips trembled and I could feel her pain. I was an asshole, but so be it. Are you serious? she asked, her voice low and shaky.

Hell yeah, I am. It’s a never ending parade of people, traipsing into this goddamn room, staring at me with pity in their eyes. I’ve had all I can take. Why don’t you go back home? You never leave, and I don’t even want you here.

Tears fell down her cheeks, but she stood firm, crossing her arms across her chest. I don’t believe you. Let me guess, my dad put you up to this?

Her dad was my boss. I was the fastest sportbike racer on his Bennett Pro Racing team, and he was none too happy I was dating his daughter. I’m saying this because it’s the truth. It’s over, Kassidy.

I don’t understand. What changed?

I stared at her as if I didn’t give a damn. I’m damaged, stuck in a damn bed. It was fun while it lasted—while I could fuck you and shit—but I’m bored now. I won’t be racing anymore, so there’s no sense in pretending. I don’t think I can continue to sit here and try to hold conversations with you, it’s excruciating.

But . . . she stumbled back, clutching at her stomach, voice breaking, I was going to go to your college to be with you. I don’t understand. I thought you loved me.

I shook my head. Sorry, Kass. I can see the truth hurts, but it was the only way I knew to fuck you. And now that I can’t . . . I held my hands up and let my words hang in the air.

She backed into the wall, tears flooding her eyes. Sobs broke from her mouth, even though I could see she was trying to hold them in. I might have been a little harsh, but she was only eighteen, and she’d recover from this . . . I wouldn’t.

The door opened and her father came in. His gaze darted from me to Kassidy. What’s going on?

Kassie ran out of the room, the sound of her cries could be heard even as the door clicked shut behind her. He shot me a look and hurried after her.

Goodbye, Kassie.

2

KASSIDY

Eight Years Later

---

Why did memories hurt so bad? I had a lot of good ones, but at times, the bad ones overpowered them. My mother’s room was the last place that needed to be cleaned out before I put the house up for sale. It was secluded, with twenty acres of land in the small town of Franklin, North Carolina. My parents used to share it before they got divorced and it went to my mother. One day on the market and it’d get snagged up.

I’d piled all of the boxes into her room, so it wouldn’t feel so lonely now that she was gone. I could still smell her perfume lingering in the air. She was a fighter until the very end, but eventually, breast cancer took her. My sister and I stayed by her side the entire time. It was nice having Madison here with me, but her job was pretty demanding. She was a sports reporter and traveled all over the country, interviewing famous athletes. The only time I ever saw her was on TV.

It’d been a month since my mother passed, but the pain was still raw. I hadn’t hurt that bad in eight years.

Kass, you okay up there? Levi called.

I didn’t realize I’d been crying until I felt the warm tears sliding down my cheek. I’m fine. Just looking through some things, I shouted back.

Levi and Sean had moved all the bedroom furniture to my house, but now all I had were the boxes full of her things, mixed in with some of the junk I’d left behind many years ago. There was one box in particular, with a giant X on it, taunting me from across the room. I hadn’t looked at its contents in years.

Getting up and sitting on the hardwood floor, I pulled it over and stared at it. Why did I have problems opening it? It wasn’t like any of it mattered anymore. Opening the box, I reached in and pulled out the photographs.

Kass?

I jerked around and dropped the pictures on the floor, scattering them. Levi rushed over and knelt down to help me pick them up. His eyes went wide. Holy shit, this was prom night.

He showed me the picture of him and his date, standing beside me and Logan. My mother and I had found the most gorgeous midnight blue gown for me to wear. That was a good night; it also happened to be the night I lost my virginity. Seems like such a long time ago, I whispered.

His smile faded. You’re not still hung up on what happened are you?

I filtered through more pictures of me and Logan. He hurt me, Levi. After his accident, he up and left us all. He hadn’t just abandoned me; he left his friends behind too. No one had heard a word from him in years, not since I found out he had fully recovered and was back on his feet. I thought for sure he’d get back into racing, but he didn’t. I had no clue where he was, or what he was doing.

Levi put the pictures back into the box. What do you want to do with these?

I couldn’t stand to see Logan’s face, so I threw the pictures back inside. Throw ‘em away, burn them. I don’t care. Just make sure I don’t ever see them again.

Taking the box, he walked to the door and stopped. I’m gonna head out to meet your dad at the garage. He wants me to test drive the new bike. You okay here?

I nodded. Go. Sean will be here to help me.

All right, I’ll see ya later. He walked out and Sean came in, his concerned gaze meeting mine.

What are you doing on the floor?

I nodded at the boxes. Looking at old memories. I guess we can load all this up in your truck and head to my house.

He held out his hand to help me up. We can do that. Afterward, you wanna get some dinner? he offered.

Sure. I just need to get changed when we get to my house.

We loaded up all the boxes into the back of his truck and while he waited outside, I took one last stroll around the house. There were still crayon drawings inside my bedroom closet from when I was five. My mother never wanted to paint over them. She ended up drawing on the wall with me.

I had so many fond memories, but recently, all I could focus on were the bad ones. I remembered standing in the living room when my parents told me they were getting a divorce. It was one of the hardest moments in my life, especially when they gave me the choice to pick who I wanted to live with. I chose both and spent half my time with each of them; Madison did the same. The worst memory of all was watching my mom pass away in her bedroom. Her death wasn’t as peaceful as I’d hoped it would be. It wasn’t what she deserved. But she was in peace now, and that’s what I had to focus on.

Once I was done, I stopped on the front porch and locked the door.

You sure you want to sell this place? Sean asked.

I was prepared to say yes, but then I glanced at him over my shoulder, his concerned expression giving me pause. I don’t know, I answered honestly.

He walked up the steps and pulled me into his arms. Then don’t make a decision now, Kass. Give your mother’s passing some time, then think about it.

I nodded. That might be best. There was a part of me that didn’t want to let go, but the other part felt it’d make things easier if I did.

After dropping the boxes off at my house, we’d eaten lasagna at my favorite Italian place. It was a hole in the wall, but they had the best Italian food around. Now we were at the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop, the place I always found myself when I wanted to drown my sorrows. It was the same place Logan used to bring me when we were dating. For the past eight years, it had been mine, Sean, and Levi’s place.

We sat outside at one of the picnic tables, the wind blowing my hair into my face as I finished up the last of my strawberry cheesecake ice cream. It was probably one of the last cool, days of spring before the heat of summer took over.

Sean reached over and tucked my hair behind my ear. Do you ever wonder what would’ve happened if our parents didn’t get married?

I shrugged. Sometimes. We had a good year together.

He lowered his head. Yeah, we did. I hate it had to end.

So much had changed over the years. We’d started out as friends, then a couple years after Logan broke up with me, we became lovers. Our relationship never officially went public, so imagine our surprise when his mother and my father announced their engagement out of the blue.

I still cared about Sean, but it didn’t feel right being with him, knowing we were step-brother and sister now. That was why we’d kept our distance for a while, until things got easier.

He started dating other girls and I saw other guys, but he had a jealous streak about him. He still had feelings for me, but knew I didn’t love him like that. He was my best friend and I cared for him deeply, our connection stronger than any other relationship I’d ever had . . . except for what I thought I had with Logan.

I grabbed Sean’s hand and he lifted his head, gaze torn. Now that my father had named us co-owners of Bennett Pro Racing, we were going to be connected for a long time. You just need to find a good girl, Sean, I murmured.

He shook his head. I already did. What gets me is, you’re still single too. Doesn’t that tell you something? We’ve failed at every other relationship we’ve been in.

He had a point, but I knew what my problem was. I hadn’t let anyone completely in since Logan. That doesn’t mean anything. We just haven’t met the right ones yet. Besides, can you imagine what our parents would say if they knew we were intimate?

He scoffed. "Who gives a fuck? I can see it being a problem if we were kids fucking around, but we’re adults. We were together before they even started seeing each other."

Sighing, I let his hand go. I can’t argue with you there, but it still doesn’t change anything. We have to move on for the team’s sake. When my father retires, it’ll be me and you handling the business. That means, whatever happened in the past has to stay there. We can’t let feelings interfere.

His jaw clenched and he looked away. So it’s completely over then?

I hated hurting him. He’d been by my side for years, always there when I needed him. I’m sorry, Sean. It’s the way it has to be. Having you as my friend has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t want to lose that.

Turning his gaze to me, he stood and held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me into his arms. You’re not ever going to lose me, Kass. We’ve been through a lot together. If being your friend is the only way I can have you, so be it.

Promise?

He chuckled and let me go. I promise. Now let’s get back to the shop and see if we can catch Levi on the new bike.

I loved watching the guys practice. Sounds good.

We got in his truck and started back toward the Bennett Pro Racing shop, which was down the street from my father’s house. Over the years, our company had grown from a small, backyard building, to a two thousand square foot garage with every amenity you could think of.

His mother, Angela Mills, had worked for DB Racing, which was owned by Donnie Baker. Donnie and my father were childhood friends, and we’d been shocked when Sean had wanted to ride for us and not him. Donnie was like family to us; we were always supporting each other.

When Sean joined our team, Angela would come around to watch him race, leading to the eventual romance between her and my dad. But that was many years ago. Since then, Sean had decided to step down from racing, leaving us with just four riders.

Do you miss racing? I asked, even though I knew he did. I could see it in his eyes every time we were at a race and he wasn’t out there on the track.

He released a heavy sigh. Every day, but I know it’s for the best. We both know accidents happen and the results from that. The last thing I want to do is leave you to run Bennett Racing on your own.

My phone rang. I pulled it out of my purse and saw Levi’s name. He was one of our four riders, and a close childhood friend. Hey, I answered.

Where are you? His voice sounded breathless and concerned.

On my way to watch you ride. What’s going on? I could hear shouting in the background, one of the voices being my dad’s.

It looks like they found our stolen tire changer.

We’d had a break-in a couple weeks back, and a six-thousand-dollar tire changer went missing. After filing a police report, I’d figured we’d never hear of it again. Holy shit, where?

Apparently, Miller went over to Ethan’s house and found it covered in his garage. He came back and told your dad.

Gasping, I slapped a hand over my mouth. Ethan Landis was our pit crew manager and had been with us for twenty-five years. Not to mention, he was a great guy—like a second dad to me. He wasn’t the type to steal anything. How is that possible? Ethan would never do that.

If there was ever a good guy in the world, he was one of them. His wife baked us goodies all the time, and even cooked dinner for me the whole month I worked on getting my mother’s house cleaned out. I couldn’t see him stealing from us.

Levi huffed. I know, but it doesn’t look like there’s anything we can do. Just get here fast.

We hung up and Sean squeezed my hand to get my attention. Kass, what’s wrong?

I was in shock. Looks like we found the person who broke into the shop.

Who?

I looked over at him. Ethan. By the expression on his face, he couldn’t believe it either.

3

KASSIDY

Sean got us to the shop in record time. There were two police cars parked out front and everyone stood outside. Levi was talking to Miller, who was one of our racers, and also the one who found our stolen equipment in Ethan’s garage. When Levi noticed us pull in, he rushed over and opened my door.

Where’s my dad? I asked, getting out of the car.

He nodded toward the shop. Inside, with Ethan and the cops. He swears he didn’t do it.

Sean stood beside me and sighed. Then how did it get in his garage?

Levi shrugged. Don’t know. He’s pretty pissed and shocked by the whole thing, not exactly the way I’d imagine a guilty man to act. Not unless he’s that good of an actor.

Ethan would never steal from us, I said. He’s been a part of our family since I was in diapers. He’s a good man.

I know, Levi agreed, glancing over at Sean. You’ve worked with him, you know how he is.

Sean nodded. Agreed. It makes no sense.

Tires squealed down the road and Sean’s mother – my stepmother – came to a screeching halt in the parking lot. She ran over to us, eyes wide and wild. Sean looked nothing like her with his brown hair and amber eyes, while she was blonde with blue eyes. He took after his father in that department. What’s going on? Why are the cops here? Is Richard okay? Angela gasped.

Sean put his arm around her. He’s fine, Ma. Apparently, we found out who stole our equipment.

Levi moved closer so he could whisper in my ear. I want to get Ethan’s side of the story. Let’s see if we can talk to him before it’s too late.

The door to the shop opened and Ethan stormed out, with the cops following close behind. My father exited next, and everyone swarmed around him, giving us the time we needed. The cops got into their cars, and Ethan marched over to his and slammed his hands down on the hood.

Ethan, I called out.

He jerked around, face red. His breaths came out in deep growls and he shook. Your father will kill you if he sees you talking to me.

He’s going to have to get over it. Crossing my arms, I stepped forward. Tell me it’s not true.

It’s not, he answered, looking straight into my eyes. I didn’t steal anything. I wouldn’t. Huffing, he glanced behind us toward the shop. There’s something going on and I don’t know what it is. I’ve felt this way for years, ever since . . . He stopped and met my gaze, not finishing the sentence.

Ever since what? Levi asked.

Ethan sighed and closed his