Page 209 of The Champion
“Yeah,” Setting my empty beer down, I jumped up to pushLane off the bike only to have him roost me in the face with gravel.
“Asshole!” I yelled after him.
He laughed and grinned the same grin he had when he wasthree.
Lane was quite the racer on dirt bikes. He was racing inthe GNCC which was the Can-AM Grand National Cross Country series, America’spremier off-road racing series. They ran a 13-round series that race on a widevariety of terrain that included hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocrosssections. There a test of survival and speed, two things any Riley was good at.
He’d just won the XC1 Pro Bike Class this year and had avery promising career ahead of him.
He circled around the pits and came back by me as I waswalking to my car.
“How’s that dirt taste?” He smarted off with a smug grin.
“How’s that car taste?” I asked just as smugly as I keptmy eyes forward so he wouldn’t notice the amusement. He was hardly payingattention.
“What ca—” he smacked right into the side of my dad’struck sending him flying over the hood.
“That car,”
Walking around the side, I laughed at him sprawled on theground.
“Not such a hotshot now...areyou?”
Glaring, Lane didn’t say anything.
Axel ended up partying all night with his friends andcousins while the old guys went home to our beds. I tried staying up when Axelwon the USAC Triple Crown last year and ended up lying in bed for two daysstraight with the worst hangover ever. I was not meant to be a party animal anylonger; those days had passed me by.
Funny thing was that I was okay with that. I hadsomething much better waiting for me in bed. I may not be able to party like arock star any longer but I had no problems showing my wife just how much lifemy camshaft still had.
I was able to sleep in my own bed that night before Ileft for Homestead to finish out the season. Sway was packed and ready to gowith Casten and Arie when my phone wouldn’t stop ringing.
Glancing through the numerous emails from Alley and Emmathere were about ten calls from Justin and four from Tommy.
I panicked thinking something happened to Axel lastnight. Trying to keep myself calm and guarded from Sway and the kids, I excusedmyself and stepped back inside the house to call Justin.
He answered his voice rough and drained from any emotion.
“Did you call me?”
“Yeah, did you hear about Ryder?” there was a distance inhis voice that I hadn’t heard in a long time. At least not since the planecrash.
“No—why?” I stopped for a second and then panicked. Ryderwasn’t always the best influence on Axel and had gotten him in trouble on morethan one occasion. “Hey, is Axel with you?”
“No, he’s with Lily celebrating. I heard something aboutthem going to Jacksonville.”
“Oh, all right. What happened to Ryder?” Ryder was stillracing in the USAC sprint car division and swore up and down this was his lastseason.
There was a long pause before he mumbled. “He wrecked atPerris Auto Speedway last night...”another long pause. “He died this morning from head injuries.”
I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my chest.
“Are you serious? Please tell me you’re not serious.”
I couldn’t understand why again.
Why did this kept happening? Couldn’t we catch a break?
“Justin,” I begged. “Jesus, please tell me you’re notserious?”
