We both stood up simultaneously and Robert took a step ahead standing in between me and her. 

His hands held mine securely, silently telling that he was in this with me. Ashley's eyes slowly drifted to me and then to the intertwined hands that I had held closer to me.

"Seriously, Robert?" Ashley asked with a smirk on her face. "You fell for her when it was supposed to be other way round? I thought you could do better."

"Cut it out, Ash." Robert said. It was the first time that I had seen him talk back at her with such confidence and authority. "It's all over."

"Are you saying you are resigning here?" She asked sweetly, walking towards us. Her shoulder length hair bobbed at her every step. The colors on her face were nothing but a mask of anger and corniness. "You might have been able to save Gary. But I've got good stuffs with me this time." Her smirk was undeniable. Her eyes went towards our hands once more. "And with the current developments, I have good news for you."

I could only concentrate on Gary. That meant whatever Monica had told me was true. Ashley had been playing with Robert keeping Gary in her custody, making him dance to her tunes.

"What do you mean?" Robert was quicker.

"Well, I don't think I want to race this girl anymore." Ashley shrugged. For a second, I thought the heavy weight that I was carrying around was lifted and I felt as light as a feather. "But instead of me, my best men will race her." Her envy in her eyes didn't go unnoticed. She looked at our hands once more. "I think that just might be fun if you came with me, Bert."

"I didn't sign up for that." I said, taking a step closer to her. "Robert is my earpiece."

"You signed up for all my conditions, Scarlet Stone." Ashley reminded me. "You have already agreed for anything that I might use here."

I looked away. I had remembered, but never had I thought that she might do something as devastating as this. Yes, I wanted to win and come out unscathed, but now, there was too much at stake.

"What makes you think that I'm obeying your orders?" Robert asked, challenging her.

"Because she's going to beg you to." She answered looking at me.

Robert and I exchanged glances when she rummaged her pant pockets. She got her cell-phone out of her pocket and showed it to me. It was a picture of my Dad, who was tied up in ropes. His face was bleeding as a cloth was stuffed in his mouth. He was still in his wheel chair as two of her bodyguards stood next to him posing for the photograph.

I gasped looked at the horrified picture. My rage knew no bounds, I marched forward and clung to her neck, trying to kill her once and for all.

But even before I could get my hands on her, she had clicked her fingers together and two men were at my side holding me hostage, as I kicked and rebelled.

"No! Fuck you!" I screamed, struggling to get out of hold from those heavy men. "He was not part of the deal! I was the one!"

"Hey!" Robert ran towards me, trying to get me lose from those men. "Let go of her! Ashley, tell them! They are hurting her!"

"And you didn't?" She raised one eyebrow at him. "Boys, get Bert next to that pathetic loser." Ashley said in a bored expression, looking at her manicured nails. "We can't let him loose. He might just shatter my plans."

Another two men walked into the tent, holding Robert. "What are you doing, Ashley? Have you gone mad? What are you playing at?"

"Oh Rob, I saw that you were planning against me from the beginning." She said, walking towards him.

I held my breath wondering where my crew was. Were they tied up just like my Dad? That thought alone made my bile rise to my throat.

"You found out my plan with Gary and let him off." She held his chin as Robert looked away disgusted. "You found out that Evelyn's little accident wasn't an accident anymore. You found my ideas about Casey and then Edward. And now with her daughter."

She laughed wickedly.

"What had Evelyn ever done to you?" Robert asked, gritting his teeth. "She loved Gary and had married him. What did it have to do with you?"

"He didn't agree to marry me." She shrugged, walking away. She stood a little far from us. "He said he couldn't marry someone as vile as me. But guess what? He got what he wished for and I got mine."

"You killed her?" My voice shook with the ease she was talking about the killings she had done. Did that mean that she had killed my mother that day? And then aimed for my Dad after that?

Ashley turned her head towards me and laughed. "I thought you were smart, but you are too slow to catch up on things."

"Why?" My question was desperate. Why was she on a hunt, drinking blood of people who had turned her down?

"This world is pretty messed up, sweetheart." She said, as her eyes hardened. "Sometimes, you will have to snatch things that are not handed to you."

"So, you snatched Evelyn's life?" Robert screamed. "What had she ever done to you? What had Casey ever done to you? What has Scarlet done to you?"

"Vengeance." She said. "People need to learn lessons."

"You are a psycho!" I shook my head, not able to believe the devil that was standing in front of me.

Ashley laughed. "It all began with your father, love." She said pushing his hair behind her shoulders. "My sister was the purest soul one could ever find." She walked towards the entrance and stood there, staring at a distance. "She loved Edward so much. But what did he do?"

When she turned towards me again, her eyes were blazing with fire. She could've already burnt me by then.

"He left her to die along with my nephew in that hospital bed. He didn't even come to see them." She said cruelly. "Don't you think he should have the same experience?" Her face slowly turned cold. "I killed his wife in that race that day. I had mixed up the car's wiring and she was poof!"

I gasped as she laughed hysterically.

"How did you get to her car?" I asked, still in shock.

"Calvin was with me on that." When I looked horrified, she shrugged back. "Money does a lot of things to people, sweetheart, you need to know that."

I reached forward, but her men held me back.

"That was how I planned Edwards's death in that race too. I don't know, he was lucky." She shrugged, cursing a little. "He only lost a leg when he had to lose himself."

I looked at her with my mouth wide open. She had gone in a psychotic spree, killing people just because they had crossed her.

"That was when I got this idea. Why should he die and be done with it?" She asked me with her smile back on her face. "Calvin became a little scared with my plans, so I had to make a new one. I hired Robert, got him under your nose to believe him and now boom, you are going down."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked against, still not able to believe what she might get if she's killing my whole family.

"Revenge is sweet." She smiled. "I'm not going to do anything to your father, don't worry. But you are going to die tonight. He needs to know how it is to be alone in this world."

"I'm not going to let her, you bitch!" Robert shouted at her, struggling to be free from the guys who were holding him. "I'm not making the same mistakes that I did when I could've done something for Evelyn. I'm not leaving this alone!"

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked. "It's not like you are going to be left free. You will be watching her die tonight."

"No! I'm not!" Robert said. "I'm going to get the cops involved in this! You are not going to win this time and I'll make sure of it."

"I would love to see you try." She said. Ashley clicked her fingers again and the two men dragged Robert out of the tent.

No amount of shouting was helping her bring sanity. I kicked my legs, shouted names at her and called for Robert, but it all went to drain.

"I have two baits with me, babe." Ashley walked towards me when Robert was taken away. "Your Dad and your boyfriend."

"Please, don't hurt them..." I cried, sinking to the ground. I didn't know how much I could bear with this shit. They were all that I had. "I'll do anything, please don't hurt them, please."

"Good." She smiled. "Now get ready to race."

Ashley walked away, taking her boys with them. Just before she left she turned her head towards me. "I thought you were talented." She smiled. "It's a shame that you are going to die to save those two idiots. Evelyn made the same mistake too. It's a pity."

---

My tears had become dry. I had accepted the facts and I was ready to die. There was no point in crying now. 

Everything seemed clear. It was all a crocked scheme of hers to get her revenge on my Dad. It was too painful to even come up with the plan. Suddenly, I saw myself defending Dad for all the things that he had done.

Whatever had happened, it was years ago and yet, Ashley had carried that retaliation fire in her all this time. It seemed like she was feeding me as the sacrificial lamb for the kill. All I could see in her was the orange flame burning not only her but us as well.

Dan gave me the microphone, but I denied it. With whom was I conversing anyway?

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." He said. "I didn't know anything about it, I swear."

"I know, Danny." I hugged him. "Please take care of Dad for me."

He nodded his head at me. I showed him the key chain he had given me on my birthday. He gave me a sad smile before letting me put on the helmet over my head.

"All set?" Calvin came to my window just as I put on my helmet.

I couldn't believe that he was behind all this. He knew it from beginning that it was all a master plan. The fact that he did all that for a few green notes was something that broke my already broken heart.

"You killed my mother! You frigging asshole! I thought you were a nice guy!" I shouted, not able to control my anger.

"Scarlet, listen to me." Calvin shook his head.

"Fuck off!" I said, before I pressed on the gas. There was no time to chat with him and ask him why he did what he did.

To think it again, I should have understood it in the first place. Calvin had always made sure that he was the one who was talking with Ashley all the time. I should have at least guessed it. I shook my head sideways, not wanting to waste my time on them.

I stood in line with the other contestants, who were all on Ashley's side, planning one or the other ways to get me killed for her.

Unlike other times, my nerves didn't shake with fear. I wanted to get this done with and I was here to do things right. I didn't know if me getting killed was one way to stop her, but I had to try my best at it.

I was in her turf now and I didn't know if Ashley had let any loop holes for me. I thought about it hard, but there were none on my side. She had been very keen on keeping this very clean from her side. All her killings were done by her followers and the blood didn't fall on her hands.

The whistle was blown and I knew I had to start off. My time had come up. Since Ashley was sure about my kill in the first lap, I guessed that was it. She had further gone ahead to announce that if I were to die earlier than that the race was called off.

As I stepped on the gas, all cars stumbled around mine to make sure that I was cornered while I raced. One of them next to me had pulled out a long chain to break open my windows.

Right then, I wondered why was there a race in the first place to kill me. She could have achieved it very well in another roads rather than the tracks. But then again, this was easy. It was illegal, and could also be called as a sporting accident if it was taken up ahead.

It was all in her favor.

I wheeled further dodging the chain that barely scratched the front window. With the already pitch black atmosphere, the scratch seemed to make a mess on my visions.

There was a high pitched laugh like scream and I immediately knew who it was. It was the vitiligo girl, her voice was now etched in my mind.

"You are good, sweetheart." As I focused on the road ahead of me, a small gadget raised itself from the cabinet toward my right. It stood straight to my face and I could see a small display on it, with Ashley's face.

"What the fuck!" I wondered out loud at the beautiful face with a thick layer of evilness possessing it.

"I know how to bring people like you down." She sing-sang the lines as I twisted in my seat, anticipating the worst.

She adjusted the camera to her right and there was my Dad, all tied up and beaten. My eyes moistened at the scene and momentarily I lost focus. No matter what he had done to me, he was still my Dad and just couldn't sit with the fact that he was hurting.

His face had fallen to one side, defeated after taking in the hits. Next to him was Robert with a similar pose. He too was tied into a chair and was silenced with a rag cloth in his mouth.

The scene made my stomach twist with guilt and agony. The two guys whom I considered too dear to me were in a chair, bloodily beaten by a psychopath.

"What more do you want from me?" I shouted, my patience wearing with her. As I debated my proposition, another car came dashing at me, putting me into the infield. "Look, I'm ready to die, just let them go!"

"That's so touching." She said. "Look Robert! Edward see, you asshole! Look at her! She's begging me! Me! Just like how Camilla did when you left her! Look at her! Beg Scarlet! Beg for your life!"

"Scar... don't... don't give up..." Robert's voice was muffled, his eyes hardly gazing at the screen. "Don't... beg... no."

"Shut up!" Ashley struck him on his cheeks while his face fell on the opposite side because of the effect.

"No! Please Ashley! Why are you tormenting me like this?" I cried, as I continued to drive. Though I wanted to stop short and let the guys kill me once and for all, I didn't want to go without a fight. "You are not playing fair!"

"Nothing is fair here, darling." She scoffed, bringing the focus back on her.

It had become difficult to concentrate on the game when she was putting these kinds of stunts on me. I cried as I was being torn apart with the two most precious things - family and racing. I was completely bare in front of her, but she didn't find it in her to stop.

"I read somewhere that the calves are tortured in front of their mothers just before they are cut down." She said as a matter of faculty. "I felt like I should try it."

"That means..." I left the line hanging as I understood her meaning behind those words.

She was killing my Dad and Robert together while her men would kill me. Her revenge would be complete then, no one to stop her from what she wanted. All her evidence erased and history rewritten.

As I sat there, my mind numb from the shock, a car collided with me, but I didn't do anything about it. My head hit the dashboard as blood trickled down the side of my head.

"What are you doing?" Ashley screamed at me, her voice echoing through the empty car and my empty heart. "Fight!"

"Why?" I asked, not bothering to get an answer from her.

"Because I said so!" She shouted. When I didn't do anything when another car hit me, she put the camera on my Dad. "Look at her!"

Before I could entail what was happening, she hit my Dad on the knees where he had hurt six months ago. He shouted back in pain as blood oozed out, spilling around his wheel chair.

"No!" I whined. "You want me to fight back? I will! I will! Just don't hurt him! Please!"

Just as another car was coming my way, I reversed and went backwards. The two cars which were aiming at me, collided onto each other with their previous impact while I dashed with the one behind me.

As I recovered, one of the cars that collided up front, raced towards me with full speed. With tears filling my eyes, I yanked the steering wheel towards the left just as the driver from the car pulled out a chain and struck on my window.

The glass shattered as I closed my eyes, hoping that it would end right there. But Ashley had more in store for me.

"Look Ed!" I glanced at the screen. My vision was blurred but I saw her hold my Dad's hair and lift his head up. His eyes were hardly focusing, but I could see the pain in his eyes. "Your little girl is in the game now. Just how your wife was on that day! This is what you feared the most, wasn't it? Look at her now! I made it all happen. I'm the Ashley you are not supposed to get caught up with! You understand? Yes?"

She struck him again and again, over and over. The initial screams were muted out and no sound came out of him.

"Robert Hastings." She sang walking towards him. "You said you loved her and I should spare her life for yours. Is that offer still valid, sweetheart?"

"No!" My head ached as I tried to get past another dozen of cars. I had weakened with time, both mentally and emotionally.

"Look at her now! This was the same pain I had when Gary chose Evelyn instead of me." She looked away. "Do you feel that now? I get what I want, Robert. You should have known that by now."

As I wiped my eyes, the car which had pulled the chain on me, came back and hit me with full force. The crowd went bonkers, throwing in their reaction into the mix. The driver door of mine, jammed into my side and with another blow from the opposite direction, the door came off, scrapping off the road with a screech.

My whole body ached along with my emotional turmoil.

"She's dying, boys." Ashley had gone half mad, laughing at me as she danced around my boys tied up in her care. "She's dying! Now, it's your turn!"

I was in no position to drive. My car had come to a complete stop. With a broken front shield, a damaged bonnet and a no door to the driver seat, my car seemed to reflect my whole life.

There was no cure and it only had to be sent for salvaging.

With Ashley's words ringing in my head, I whipped my head to what she was doing through the display screen. She had picked a knife and was going towards my Dad.

"No, no, no!" I muttered, but my voice wasn't raising up above a whisper.

"Edward, this is for Camilla!" She said as she stabbed him in the hand and then in the thigh. Her third blow was on my Dad's ribs.

"No!" I screamed with all my might, but not a sound came out.

Just then, I was hit by a car. The sudden jerk pushed me off of the my car, making me fall on the infield. My whole life flashed right in front of my eyes and I wondered if it was worth the fight I was fighting.

Liquid trickled down my face and I started to wonder if it was tears or the blood. My limbs didn't obey my orders to stand up. My eyes didn't open, but my ears had heard everything that Ashley had done.

My father... my Dad... she murdered him...

Before I could conjure what had actually happened down that lane, I felt like I was being dragged. Dragged into the darkness as my knees scrapped, my arms ached, and I felt like I was flying in the air just before I hit my head on a solid object.

There was nothing I could do. Everything went blank.

In the end Ashley had gained victory. She had uprooted my family and had eliminated all its members, slowly and cruelly.

Ashley Matthews had won the battle because my Dad had done one simple mistake of dating her sister.

---

A/N: I'm still recovering from the facts and I have no words to put down right now...