-- Authors Note --

This chapter is dedicated to El (Aphrodite818) because she said that Maksym Kalinichenko (my future husband) is hot. If you looked at the one picture that was on my profile page and thought he was (-- cringes --) ugly, I put more pictures on just for you. I guarantee that you will think he's hot after these pictures. They've caused even the one person I thought was completely devoted to calling him ugly (yes, you, Gracie!) to call him "SLIGHTLY hot," give or take a few comments including botox and Angelina Jolie BUT a hot is a hot and said comments are not important.

-Steph

Note: it has been made aware to me that I accidentally made the hotel The Four Seasons. It should be The Scottsdale Princess, which is where Amy is staying. Sorry for the confusion. And the name of the road that I called "Kalinichenko" was not meant to make it into the story, I forgot to go back and change it. So, keeping the "theme" of the previous roads I've mentioned the road they will be racing on is called, "Bloody Basin," I'm pretty sure that this is a real road in AZ.

Disclaimer: Based loosely off of material that has been created and is owned by Lauren Brooke.

The Peak

Chapter 15— The Start

Ty stood with Mick at his side and they watched Tony and Adam depart The Scottsdale Princess. Once the two other men were well outside the doors Ty spoke, with his back still turned to the doorway, "You can come out now."

Amy froze. I'm invisible. I'm invisible. I'm invisible. He doesn't know I'm here. I'm invisible. I'm invisib… Amy gulped as Ty slowly turned around and faced her. There was no emotion on his handsome face so Amy had no way of knowing how he felt. She prayed that he wasn't angry, she'd seen him angry and she really did not want that intense anger directed at her.

"What are you doing here?" Ty asked in a voice that could be classified as calm. It was his calm. His voice was steady and emotionless. His emerald eyes were devoid of any emotion as they rest level on Amy's face. "You don't have to hide behind the wall, I know you're there."

Amy shifted slightly so that she was more in the doorway. Her hands rested on the wood frame for security. She didn't say anything.

"What are you doing here?" Ty repeated his previous question, his voice a bit harder then last time.

"I… uh, I… I'm staying here with my uh, family," Amy stuttered her reply.

"Yes, I know that," Ty said, his annoyance beginning to creep into his voice. "I mean, why are you here? Right now?"

"I was getting chips and soda," Amy answered Ty honestly.

"I don't see and chips and soda."

"I put them down over… somewhere," Amy gestures meekly with her arms in the vague direction of the grand piano that sat in the corner.

Ty gazed at her thoughtfully. "Uh huh, and why were you listening in on a private conversation? I assume you heard it all, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Amy answered sheepishly.

"Why were you listening?" Ty repeated his previous question, his voice a little harsher.

"I just… I just, uh, saw you sitting there and… was just passing by the door and I…"

"Nice try, but no," Ty cut Amy's weak explanation short. "If you had been passing by the door then how would the food and drink you had been carrying end up all the way over there," Ty pointed in the general direction of the far side of the room.

Amy was silent. She knew she'd been caught in her bad lie and she didn't know what else to say.

"Isn't that right?" Ty's eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"Yes," Amy mumbled.

"Good, so now that we're on the same page, I have an appointment that I really cannot be late for, if you'll excuse," without waiting for her response, Ty turned his back on Amy and prepared to walked across the lobby and to the front door.

"Wait," Amy called after Ty and Mick. They stopped and turned back to face her, Ty's eye burned through her and Amy gulped. She stepped away from the door frame and took several small steps towards them.

"Yes?" Ty asked impatiently, not so discreetly checking his watched.

"You can't do it," Amy finally blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Ty said even though he knew perfectly well what Amy was referring to.

"You can't go and do that race. You could have died the last time and if you and Mick were really serious about what happened that day then how do you know he, Tony, won't try something again?" Amy finished in a rush.

"I don't," Ty said simply with a shrug.

"Then why do it?" Amy demanded. "Why risk your life in a pointless street race when you cou…"

"Pointless?" Ty echoed in shock, his eyes grew hard. "How can you say that it's pointless? You don't know anything. Do you know what is at stake tonight? Do you have any idea what I'm racing for?"

Amy frowned. "Yeah, I heard. Your cars."

"Fuck the God damned cars!" Ty said harshly. "Do you think I give a damn about my car? I can just buy another one if need be. It's just a car. No, what we're racing for is something bigger, something that is more important to me then having a shinny Lamborghini."

"Well then wh—"

"My pride. My pride and my dignity. Whatever can be salvaged from it at this point I'll take. You have no idea, no idea, what you people have done to me; in the three weeks you've been here my whole life has turned upside down. Nothing is the same as it used to be. I was serious when I said I was better off not knowing anything that happened outside of the past two years. Those are the only years that matter now. Actually, tonight is the only night that will matter in the long run. I've lost more then my fathers car since you've gotten here and tonight I intend to earn at least a little of that back."

Amy was silent for a moment. "Fine. Then I'll come with you."

"Excuse me?" it was Ty's turn to be surprised. He had anticipated her trying to stop him but never did he see that question coming.

"You heard me," Amy said, "let me come with you," she repeated.

Ty took a step closer to her but Amy stood her ground and returned his gaze. Mick shifted uncomfortably, glancing between the two. He prepared himself to jump in and intervene if the situation called for it.

"Why would you want to do something like that?"

"No matter what you believe, you were my best friend two years ago. I almost, or I did loose you once when I could have stopped that accident from ever happening. I don't intend to make that mistake again. Do you really expect me to go back up to my room knowing full well what you are about to do? Especially after I know what happened the last time. Once my sister's wedding is over and I go back to Virginia I probably won't ever see you again. I'll accept that fact but I'm not about to let you do something stupid and get yourself killed while I am here," Amy took a deep breath and kept her eyes focused on Ty's face to gauge his reaction from her little speech.

"That is stupid," Ty scoffed. Amy's face dropped a bit at Ty's harsh words.

"Do you know how long I blamed myself for what happened to you in that tornado two years ago? I've never stopped blaming myself. I could have stopped you. I heard the beams creak, we both did. I could have told you to get away from Dylan. He was jumpy. We would leave him to settle down a bit; the emergency trucks would have been there soon anyway. But no, I didn't stop you and all of this happened. If I had known what was going to happen, I would have sooner sacrificed the whole barn full of horses just to keep you there. To keep you safe." There was silence as Amy finished her passionate thoughts. She took a shaky breath as she realized that she had just voiced the thoughts that had stuck with her for the past two years. No one else knew everything she had just said.

"I would have been okay if I had only known where you were. Just as long as I knew you were alive it would have been better," Amy finished in a small voice.

She kept her eyes focused on the floor and furiously blinked back the tears that filled her gray eyes and threatened to spill over. She would not let Ty see her crying.

Ty did not say anything in response to Amy's words and Amy looked up with a deep, calming breath. Her eyes widened in shock when all she saw was Ty and Mick's retreating backs. She stared after them in shock; deep down, Amy had a horrible gut feeling that if Ty walked through those doors she would never see him again.

Ty turned back around just as he reached the doors. He looked at Amy and cocked one eyebrow in his trademark way, accompanying it with his trademark grin. "Aren't you coming?" he called back over to her. "I have forty-five minutes to make a forty minute drive!"

Amy looked over her shoulder guilty. She was supposed to watch movies with her friends. She looked forward again and was swept away by Ty's smile, the closest thing she had seen to a genuine smile from him. Her heart fluttered. Without a second thought to how her family and friends might worry when she didn't return to the rooms and couldn't find her in the hotel, Amy ran to Ty's side and they exited the building side by side. Mick walked just behind them, his lips lifted at the corners into a half smile.

Amy got into the passenger side of Ty's car after a moment of hesitation. Ty got into the driver's seat and Mick got into his Corvette. The drive to Bloody Basin, the road Amy had heard Ty choose for the location, was about forty minute drive from the hotel, just as Ty had said. Ty didn't say anything throughout the drive and drove surprisingly within the speed limit. Amy wondered if he could possibly be nervous, the Ty she had known the past few weeks hardly seemed like the person that would show his nerves or fears. But, from all the things that Ty had claimed so passionately were at stake for this race he had a right to be nervous. Amy remained silent, being respectful of Ty's silence and silently acknowledging the fact that maybe he just wanted his own thoughts for company right then. He had, after all, let her come along with him, which in itself was something noteworthy.

Once they exited the limits of the town, it got so dark that Amy could hardly see where they were going. Thank God for the bright headlights on both Ty and Mick's cars. They had really, truly entered the desert. There were no houses lining the roads, or strip malls on every corner. There were no lights from passing cars. The lights of Scottsdale twinkled far behind them in the distance.

Amy didn't even see the small side road as Ty turned and for a split moment she thought they were driving right into the desert. The road ahead was soon illuminated by the headlights though.

Ty slowed the Ferrari (a/n: not the Enzo) to a stop. He got out of the car and Amy followed him slowly, wary about being out in the middle of nowhere in the intense darkness. A full moon shone bright over head and the black sky was dotted with stars.

Ty left the Ferrari running and the headlights illuminated a circular spot of land in front of the Ferrari. Tony was already there, leaning against his Lamborghini and staring into the dark night like it was nothing new. The darkness and the location did nothing to faze him. Adam was there too, he was shifting his wait from foot to foot, his hands clasped behind his back and he stared up into the sky. As the two new cars pulled up, Adam looked towards them and quickly lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the bright lights of the headlights. Tony did not even glance in their direction.

"You just made it," Tony's strangely angelic voice cut through the still night air. He finally turned to face Ty and Mick. Amy stood slightly behind Ty and was momentarily blocked from view.

"I wouldn't have missed it," Ty said in a strong, cold voice.

"I'm sure…" Tony mussed. The pushed himself off of the Lamborghini and stepped towards Ty and Mick. His hands rested loosely in the pockets of his designer jeans and his expensive shoes made the slightest noise against the pavement. "Your cars aren't terribly impressive," he remarked as he eyed the Ferrari and the Corvette.

"Scared, Tony?" Ty's voice was filled with humor at some private joke.

"Of course not, Baldwin. I was merely concerned for how you will perform on this race."

Tony walked forwards some more and circled Ty. He finally caught site of Amy as she moved to stand closer to Ty. "Ah, what do we have here?" he crooned as he eyed Amy up and down. "Decided to bring your little girlfriend along, did you?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Ty said through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps," Tony said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. He looked back up at Ty. "I was not aware we could bring along… personal friends. Otherwise, I would have found a pretty lady to sit by my side."

"I said nothing in the rules about it being not allowed," Ty said.

"So you didn't… so you didn't," Tony said thoughtfully. He tapped a long, slim finger against his lips as he watched Amy. Amy shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing and hungry gaze. "What's say," he began, "we add her to the prize tonight."

Ty finally turned to face Tony. His emerald eyes were livid and blazing. He reached out and his arm fastened tightly around Amy's slim waist. He pulled her closer to him. "She's not part of it. The price has been agreed upon, she stays out of it."

"You know, Baldwin, for someone who's not her boyfriend you sure are protective of her." Ty glared harder at Tony but did not say anything. "Fine, shall we get started then?"

"That would be a good idea," Ty forced the words out of his mouth, still trying to get his anger at Tony towards his comments to Amy in check.

Tony nodded thoughtfully and started to walk back towards his car. He shot one last look towards Amy. Ty caught it and it almost sent him over the edge. He gripped Amy's waist tighter to keep himself from doing something stupid.

"You know, Baldwin, when I see something I like I get it. I've seen something I like tonight and mark my words, I will get it."

"This is between you and me, Tony," Ty growled. "Leave her out of it."

"She's out of it… for now."

"I swear, Tony, if you even touch her—"

"You're sure you're not with her?" Tony asked. "You're mighty protective of her and even the tiniest; the simplest comment directed towards her sets you off." Tony laughed.

"Fuck you," Ty hissed.

"Resorting to petty school boy insults now, Baldwin?" Tony laughed louder. "Are my words really affecting you that much?" Ty opened his mouth to fire off the insults that he knew were to come. "Ah, ah, ah, Baldwin," Tony tutted, "we have a lady in our presence, you wouldn't want to say anything… vulgar that might offend her."

Ty turned his back on Tony and dragged Amy back to his Ferrari and Mick's Corvette.

"I knew you shouldn't have come," he hissed to no one but himself. He turned to Amy. "I knew you shouldn't have come. This was a mistake," he repeated, "you'd have been much better off at your hotel with your friends."

Amy remained silent.

"Ty…?" Mick said his friends name hesitantly.

Ty turned to Mick. "What?" he snapped.

Mick jerked his head in Tony's direction. Tony was once against leaning against the shinning yellow door of his Lamborghini but this time his eyes were focused on Amy. Ty shifted his body so that he blocked Amy from Tony's view. Tony's chuckle flitted through the air.

"Don't let him get to you, man," Mick said to Ty. "Come on, you've never let him or anyone have this kind of affect on you."

"That was before," Ty muttered so low that Amy wasn't even sure she had heard right. He looked up and looked at Amy's face. "You stay here," he spoke up and Amy didn't even attempt to argue with him. Ty looked towards Mick and back to Amy. "You stay with Mick, right by his Vet. Mick, you watch her; don't let her go anywhere or anything happen to her. I have no intent on this happening but if Tony does arrive back first you take her and get in the Vet and leave as fast as you can. Don't stick around to see what happened to me, I'll be fine." Ty looked around into the dark desert and glanced towards the mountains. "I don't like this," he muttered softly. He looked back at Mick, "Go, get to the Vet," he ordered.

Mick stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and nodded his head. "Good luck, Ty," he said to his best friend sincerely. "Drive safely, if Tony starts trying anything funny then pull back. You'll win," Mick flashed his famous grin, "I'm sure of it."

"Thanks."

Mick turned his back on Ty and Amy and walked swiftly to his Corvette.

Ty turned to Amy, not even surprised that she was still standing next to him, then he realized that he still held her waist in a death grin. He unlocked his grip on her and let his arms fall away from her sides. He was about to tell Amy to go with Mick when she surprised him once again.

Amy stood on her tiptoes and place one hand on each of Ty's cheeks, cupping his face. She hesitated but a small moment before she quickly pressed her lips to his. She broke away before Ty was even able to process what had just happened.

"Good luck," she whispered in a very small voice. She crossed her arms across her chest and hurried after Mick. Mick gestured to her to get in the passenger side and grinned at her back as she slipped into the car.

Ty got into his Ferrari without another word to anyone. He'd felt something funny when Amy had kissed him but he pushed it away and let it be replaced with thoughts of the pending race.

He started the Ferrari's engine and, as always, the rumble of power beneath his seat comforted him. He pressed expertly down on the gas pedal and the Ferrari began to roll forwards like a ghost in the night. Ty stopped once he was level with Tony. As Tony got into his Lamborghini, Ty pushed the button to raise the top on his Ferrari. Once the top was covered, Ty felt secure in the small space.

The rumble of the Lamborghini's engine joined in with that of the Ferrari's as Tony inched the expensive sports car forwards. Ty did the same until they both stopped, even with one another.

Ty rolled down his window and yelled to be heard over the roar of both engines. "We race to the end of road and back. The first one back wins, no questions asked."

Tony nodded and turned his head back to the road. Ty rolled up his window. He turned back to the road before him and his hands rest lightly and loosely upon the leather bound steering wheel. His foot was poised expertly above the gas pedal.

Adam came to stand in the middle of the two cars that were raring to go.

He raised his arms and waited for three seconds before letting them drop as he yelled a single word, "GO!"

Amy sat on the edge of her seat in the Corvette, he hands clamped together and her breath caught in her throat as she watched the two cars flew into the night, the rear lights getting smaller and dimmer and farther away with every passing second.

a/n: short, I know, but I have to go to my algebra class and it wouldn't work for some reason last night. This is more of a two part chapter. Hope you liked it! It was definitely better then the last chapter. Now stop begging for Amy and Ty stuff! Review! -Steph