I CROSSED THE SHOP IN a few long strides, needing to mix some gas before Austin showed up for work. Things were slow since the season ended, giving me enough time to catch up on the mountains of paperwork and emails I'd neglected. Some of it was for the shop, but a large chunk was for Paul's business.

Running two businesses was taxing. I still needed to count inventory, ensure the track was up to par for winter and do up this season's Snocross roster.

Ah shit.

I slowed to a halt as I came to the door, scrubbing the side of my face.

I still needed to figure out if Nadine was racing this season.

I took my phone out of my jeans pocket, sending a quick text. She rarely answered my calls anymore. I didn't blame her. I'd hardly seen her since the hospital. When she came home last weekend, she went straight to her room, then was gone before I got up.

My heart twisted like a jagged piece of metal. I waited for a reply, watching the blue text bubble appear, then disappear.

I sighed—my hope gone in a single breath. My family was deteriorating. Hadley was still pissed at me. She'd finally run out of patience last weekend when Nico tried and failed to sneak in on Sunday night. My worries turned to full-blown rage as the door creaked open—the moon's light spilling onto the floor of our darkened home.

I shot up off the couch, catching him red handed. His eyes widened in terror as I scolded him for not calling and how I was out all night looking for him. I didn't know what had happened. The woods around our house were vast, dangerous and full of no-service spots. For all I knew, he could have crashed and internally bled to death.

Guilt pricked at the memory.

I took his bike after, but that didn't stop him from lashing back, following me to the garage, where I chained it up. Grounded was what he was, and I let him know with a long point up the stairs when we got inside. Hadley waited in our room, ambushing me with another attack before Luke called me midargument, needing more authorizations.

My hands shook, and I slammed the door when I left, choosing the couch in my office at the track where Hadley told me to stay until I figured out my priorities.

She blamed me, of course. For not spending as much time with Nico as I should. For not checking in with Nadine when she asked me to.

My heart hung, my sanity clinging by a single thread. If only she could see what I was trying to do. I knew how hard it was for her and her brothers, for Nadine and Nico. I was just trying to alleviate some of the stress. I owed it to them. I owed it to Paul for all he and Linda had done for me. But every time I tried to explain, she snapped, having enough of my excuses.

I stuffed my phone back in my pocket, about to open the door, when Jace caught my eye.

I lifted a tattooed arm, leaning against the frame.

He stepped out onto the gravel, eyes squinting as he looked up. Unaware of me lingering in the shop.

He exited the mess hall, clad in a plain blue hoodie. He wasn't going for a ride. That much was clear, judging by his white shoes, which meant he was likely on his way to town. He gripped his phone in his hand, thumbs flying across the screen.

He hadn't been right since his loss to Hunt, which showed in the permanent frown he seared at his phone. He'd been checking it constantly. For what, I wasn't sure. He hadn't come to see me since his final race. Part of me wondered if it had anything to do with guilt from losing, but I knew Jace almost as well as my own kids, and he would have come to talk to me about it if that was the case.

I quietly observed, my brows narrowing when Jessica came into view. She hurried across the lot, blonde hair sweeping her shoulders from the high ponytail she wore. Jace sloughed her off like he had the night Nico and I took off for the city, but instead of hugging herself and drawing back, she snatched his wrist, and he whipped around.

I rubbed the stubble on my chin, unable to hear what they were saying, but it wasn't good if the way she pointed and yelled in his face was any indication. He snapped back, shouting at her angrily and throwing out his arms.

Linda's death rocked the family, but it seemed to ripple out.

A few of the boys called for Jace from the parking lot, grabbing his attention. He stormed off, leaving Jessica to wipe angry tears.

She made her way to the shop, yanking the door and was about to step inside when she nearly ran into me.

"Jesus." She gasped, setting a hand in the center of her chest and stumbling a few steps back. "Mr. Baker, you scared the shit out of me."

I tilted my head slightly. "Everything alright?"

She blinked, trying to catch her breath. "Everything's fine. Why do you ask?"

"It didn't seem fine."

She twisted, following my gaze to where she and Jace just stood. "Oh that, I..." She glanced at her tennis shoes, wiping a finger beneath her nose. "I forgot to change the oil in Jace's bike. It won't happen again."

I arched a brow when she lifted her head. "His reaction seemed a little excessive."

She nodded, biting her lip. "He hasn't been the same since Nadine's trip to the hospital."

I caught the hurt in her words, but something told me it wasn't my daughter that caused her pain. "Have you talked to Nadine?"

"Not recently. Why?"

She bunched the ends of her sleeves in her hand. From the cold, one would think, but I wondered. "She's been distant," I replied, speaking with as much nonchalance as possible as I folded inked arms across my chest. "I was hoping maybe you knew something."

"Sir?"

"Rumour is she's seeing Levi Hunt. He drops her off every Friday and drives her back Sunday evening. She says it's nothing, but I'm not buying it. I was hoping, as her friend, you might know something."

She swallowed—a tinge of fear glimmering in her blue eyes. "I haven't heard anything."

I doubted that.

She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her grey hoodie, twisting at the sound of Austin and Lilly's footfalls. "I should get to work."

She squeezed by me, retreating into the shop, but she didn't get far before I said, "If you talk to my daughter, can you ask her if she's going to race this season."

Lilly came to the door, green eyes narrowing at the sight of Jessica. She recoiled. "I'll ask her."

Jessica left, disappearing through the back. "Hey uncle," Lilly greeted, holding a box of what I assumed were parts, "everything alright?"

"What's going on?" I asked.

She lifted her shoulders. "With?"

"Nadine. She's not answering any of my texts."

"Your guess is as good as mine," she replied, allowing Austin to shimmy past with a box of his own. "She's not answering my calls either."

I clenched my frustration in my fists. "What happened with her and Jace?"

"They broke up," Lilly answered, a little too quickly for it to be that casual.

"They were together for a long time," I said, "There must have been a reason."

Lilly's eyes ticked in mine as if she were mulling over her reply. "Maybe you should ask Jace."

A line creased between my brow. There was poison in her words, matching the venomous glare she seared as she uttered Jace's name.

My niece brushed past me into the shop, dark hair sweeping mid-back.

My team was keeping secrets from me, and I was determined to figure them out.

I stepped out into the crisp morning air and took the phone from my pocket. If no one wanted to give me answers, I'd figure it out for myself.

A/N: Looks like daddy Baker is putting the pieces together 👀👀

Thank you so much for reading! <3