Seth pushed out a growl of frustration, and his gaze focused in on Breeze. She stood next to the car, her hand on the door handle and her weight shifting from foot to foot. She caught his gaze and quickly looked away.
“Go,” Caleb urged.
Seth didn’t need to be told twice. He hurried across the parking lot and stopped in front of her. “Breeze,” he began, not sure how to convince her or Ridge that this was all on that slime-ball Flint. It wasn’t their fault that the man was a depraved lunatic. Sure, Ridge shouldn’t have taken drugs or got mixed up with the wrong crowd, but that didn’t make him responsible for another man’s horrific actions.
She held up a hand. “I’m so sorry, Seth. So sorry.” She hugged him fiercely around the middle then pulled away and wrenched her door open.
Seth put his hand on her arm, stopping her. “Breeze. Please stop blaming yourself. This is on Flint.”
She shook her head, her dark eyes bright with unshed tears. “I told you I wasn’t worthy to be around you and your family. This just confirms it.”
Seth’s jaw tightened. “I don’t want to ever hear you talk like that again,” he growled.
Breeze’s lips trembled. Seth wanted to pull her close and hold her.
“You won’t,” she whispered. Tilting her chin up, she looked like a princess with her long, blonde hair, dark pretty eyes, and regal bearing. “You won’t ever have to hear me again.”
Seth tried to protest. “Breeze—”
“We’ll get you your money and I’ll be praying for Rachel.” With that she ripped her arm free and slid into the car, slamming the door shut. The motor clicked but didn’t turn over. She tried it a couple of times and Seth felt a lurch of hope. If her car wouldn’t start, she’d have to spend more time with him and maybe he could somehow change her mind. Ridge climbed out, gave him an embarrassed smile, and lifted the hood. He wiggled the battery cable and the car turned over reluctantly. Knowing how good Ridge was with vehicles he probably kept this piece of junk running by sheer talent. Ridge climbed back in, Breeze backed out of the stall, and puttered out of the parking lot.
Seth wanted to run after her, wanted it more than winning another event in the X games, but he didn’t know what else to say. If he couldn’t convince her she was worthy to be around him and his family, that none of this was her fault, then it seemed hopeless. What could he do more to fix it? All his life he’d been focused on doing crazy stuff with Caleb and racing. He’d had lots of girls chase after him and sometimes he took one of them semi-serious, but for the most part, no one besides his family had affected him as much as Breeze had.
He watched Breeze drive away, knowing she was the woman he wanted in his heart, wanted to affect him and love him. And she’d just promised he would never see her again. His shoulders slumped and he trudged to his brothers. It was time to focus on Rachel and his family, not his selfish desires to run after Breeze. He could only hope Flint was arrested so Seth didn’t have to kill the villain himself.