Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
ELIZABETH
I Will Never Let You Go
M y nerves are on edge, every muscle in my body tense. Why in the hell is Ryder racing against Marshall?
Ryder’s car growls to life as he pulls up to the starting line, Marshall idling next to him in his shiny new Mustang—a departure from his usual Camaro. The sleek lines of the cars catch the glow of the pole lights, but the sight of chrome and glossy paint only churns my stomach more.
When I start gnawing on my nails, Julien’s hand shoots out and forces my arm to my side.
“Marshall doesn’t stand a chance.”
I know that. But it’s not only the race that’s making my skin prickle—it’s everything else. I hate Marshall with a passion that’s hard to put into words, and this nagging, uneasy feeling won’t let go, especially after Fallon started with his cryptic “secret for a secret” bullshit. Fallon’s always looming, always watching, and I refuse to let him see how much he gets under my skin. He stares at me, and I stare right back.
Fallon strides onto the track, but he doesn’t do his usual theatrics to hype up the crowd. No showboating or grand gestures. Instead, he stands in front of the cars, arms raised high, signaling for the drivers to get ready. The engines roar, shaking the air like rolling thunder before a storm. Through the tinted glass of Ryder’s Hellcat, I spot his left hand gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turn white. That single detail makes my stomach twist even tighter.
Fallon drops his arms and shouts, “Go!”
The cars propel forward in a roar of engines that split the night like gunshots. Dirt flies up as their tires spin to gain traction, and then they shoot off in a blur. My pulse hammers as the cars tear down the track, headlights cutting through the swirling dust.
“Go, Ryder!”
The words rip from my throat, but the cacophony swallows my voice. It doesn’t matter that he can’t hear me; I scream anyway.
As they hit the first corner, Marshall veers too close and clips the back of Ryder’s Hellcat. The car fishtails, spinning wildly toward the grass. My breath catches, panic flaring white hot in my chest—but Ryder pulls it back, regaining control just in time.
Ryder pushes hard, gunning it to catch up on the short straightaway. He edges wide, ready to pass, but Marshall swerves, trying to sideswipe him.
My hands fly to my mouth, helpless anger flooding my veins.
Marshall’s playing dirty, risking more than just a race. One wrong move, and Ryder could wreck—or worse.
As Ryder flies past the finish line well ahead of Marshall, all I see is red. I don’t remember running out to the track. I don’t hear Jayson or Julien calling my name. I don’t hear Ryder yelling for me. I don’t remember much of anything until I am at Marshall’s car.
“You son of a bitch!” I shout when he gets out.
I pull back my clenched fist and punch him in the face.
A crunching sound is audible above all the noise of the crowd, but I don’t know if it belongs to him or me because, holy shit , that hurt.
“Ow! Fuck!” I yelp, shaking my hand out.
Marshall cups his nose, blood dripping between his fingers. “You crazy, stupid bitch!”
Did I break his nose? Part of me is very impressed with myself.
Oh crap. Marshall lunges for me.
To my downright shock, Fallon is the person who jumps between us and pushes Marshall away from me.
“Don’t you fucking touch her.”
Fallon protected me. Fallon . I’m at a loss.
I’m yanked backward by several pairs of hands.
“Jesus, Liz,” Jayson pants, breathing hard. He folds me into his body and holds me tight, palm gripping the back of my head.
Julien takes my injured hand to inspect it. My knuckles are already swollen and bruised but I don’t give a shit.
Jayson crushes me to him to the point I can’t breathe. “What the hell were you thinking?”
My anger is too vibrant right now, and I know I need to calm down before I do something else crazy, like attack Marshall again. I want to give him two black eyes to go with his bloody nose.
Ryder storms over and slams Marshall against his car.
“You come anywhere near her again and I will kill you.”
Elijah’s dad and the other deputy who are here tonight push into the chaos to figure out what’s going on.
“Everything okay here?” Mr. Barnes asks us.
No one says a word. We know to keep our mouths shut. If the parents think fights are happening at the Fields, they may shut it down, and that’s something we will not allow to happen. This place means too much to all of us.
Mr. Barnes looks at me. “Do you need medical attention?”
I shake my head no.
He asks Marshall, “What about you, son? Looks like you broke your nose.”
“I’m good. I’m leaving anyway.”
Fallon shoves Marshall into his car.
Mr. Barnes’s sheriff’s gaze slices to Ryder.
“Nothing happened.”
“Uh-huh.” He adjusts his badge on his belt. “Okay, then. I think that’s enough excitement for tonight. Pack up and head home, kids. Races are over for the evening.”
The crowd groans their displeasure, but everyone turns around and heads to their vehicles to leave.
“I’ve got an ice pack in the first aid kit of my car. Elijah will bring it,” Mr. Barnes tells me.
“Got a mean right hook, kitten,” Fallon remarks as he walks by.
Ryder grabs hold of his arm and stops him. “Did you know he was going to pull that shit tonight?”
Fallon’s face morphs from cocky to threatening.
“No. I’ll deal with him. Send me the bill for the damages to your Hellcat.”
My muscles tremble as my adrenaline crashes.
“Baby, let’s get you home and get that hand looked at. Julien, can you grab the blanket from the back of the truck and bring it for Liz?”
“Yep. Be right back.” Julien kisses my temple and leaves to get the blanket.
Elijah jogs over, holding the ice pack from his dad’s car. “That was the most awesome thing I have ever seen. You are such a badass, Liz.”
“If I wasn’t so mad at you right now for scaring the shit out of me, I’d agree,” Jayson says.
My knuckles sting when I hold the cold pack to them. “He tried to hurt Ryder.”
“Elizabeth, I’d rather he hurt me than you. If Fallon hadn’t been there, Marshall would have hit you.”
I wiggle out of Jayson’s arms and approach Ryder. He looks down at me. My amber-eyed daredevil.
I crash myself into him, holding on. “No one will ever hurt you or take you from me. Ever,” I tell him vehemently.