Chapter 19 Ryker
Ryker
FOUR YEARS AGO
On the edge of town, car headlights light up the night.
The bright lights of neon underglows illuminate the asphalt, while custom rims glint with chrome. The blast furnaces were practically begging for some action, and we’re always more than happy to bring the noise.
No one knows who started The Lost Tropics, but Jace and I have been coming since sophomore year. Everywhere I look, I’m completely immersed in the music, rumbling exhausts, noise and money.
I follow the gravel road and park the bike at the bottom of the hill. After killing the engine, I use my foot to bring the kickstand out. Gianna squeezes me tighter before I reach around, offering her my hand.
She places her warm palm in mine and steps off to the side. I follow and help her remove the helmet. Her hands fly up to fix her curls. Bringing her in close with my hand around her nape, I press my lips to her forehead.
‘Your hair is fine,’ I mumble against her soft skin, taking in her sweet scent of jasmine and lemons. ‘You look perfect.’
She peeks up at me, brown eyes sparkling under the lights. A small smile forms across her perfect plump lips as redness floods across her nose and cheeks.
I watch her take it all in. It’s as if I’m experiencing the Lost Tropics for the first time again by showing her. The grounds are teeming with people, and the robotic pump of hydraulics mix with the bass vibrating the air.
‘Don’t lose me,’ I tell her.
‘You’re six-foot-six. I couldn’t lose you if I tried.’
Six-four, but she’s right. I wouldn’t let her lose me. I just enjoy how small and perfect her hand feels in mine. I weave my fingers between hers and gently squeeze as I lead the way. A few buddies greet me, asking when I’ll be racing, but tonight, I’ll just watch.
The plan may have always been to meet here, but Gianna’s right – the initial plan didn’t include bringing her, and Jace’s words from this afternoon still ring clear in my head.
He doesn’t want Gianna involved in the racing.
But there’s a small part of me that hopes he’ll change his mind.
That he’ll see she’s safe with us. That she belongs here.
We always meet at the same spot, at the top of the hill, to the left of the track.
It’s a bit away from the crowd, but still close enough to the strip.
The crowd thins out and at the crest of the hill Jace, Renny and Monique come into view, the headlights of the Mustang and Renny’s WRX lighting the ground behind them.
It takes a moment to see Tyler at the back, leaning against Renny’s car, a phone pressed to his ear.
‘Monz!’ Gianna lets go of my hand and rushes to her friend’s side.
‘The Prank was fucking crazy!’ Renny laughs, his red mask propped on top of his head as he points to Monique. ‘This one’s a fucking fireball.’
‘What did you do?’ Gianna asks, her eyes widening.
Renny grabs Monique’s shoulder. ‘I circled back to see her fucking jump her car over the kerb and scare the shit out of those Empire City shits so Ryker could escape. Let’s be real bro, you were so fucked.’
He’s right. After Gianna ran off, at an impressive speed for someone with such little legs, Lex and Erik had me pinned.
‘You did that?’ Gianna asks her friend.
Monique smiles sheepishly. ‘I’ve never been so scared in my life.’
‘But would you do it again?’ Renny implores.
His smile widens as his eyes burn into Monique’s. We all turn to face her. There’s a beat of silence, but then she takes a deep breath.
‘Absolutely,’ Monique says, looking proud of herself.
‘Fuck yeah!’ Renny screams, shaking her shoulders once more.
Tyler appears in our circle, pushing his mask up to reveal that even he is wearing a rare smile. Gianna and Monique whisper excitedly to each other while Renny lights a cigarette. The ground vibrates through my boots as ‘Rollin’’ by Limp Bizkit pumps through loudspeakers.
I notice Gianna wrapping her hands around her arms and shivering slightly.
I run over to the Mustang, pull out my Kings jacket and slip it over her shoulders.
She looks up at me and gives a small smile before sliding her arms through.
My chest tightens seeing her in my clothes.
I don’t think I’ll ever want that jacket back.
‘Thank you,’ Gianna says. ‘This feels like being in your truck.’
‘My truck?’
‘Yeah.’ She smiles. ‘It’s warm and feels like a big Ryker hug.’
Fuck. This girl is going to kill me. ‘You can have all the hugs you want.’
Footsteps approach and Jace appears beside us, ripping his mask down so the strap hangs around his neck. ‘Gia, go home,’ he suddenly orders.
I whip my gaze toward him. His arms are folded across his chest and a mean look is on his face.
What’s up his ass? He was fine a minute ago.
I look back at Gianna, unease pouring through my veins when I see her flinch.
Her shoulders slump, glossy lips parting as she fiddles with her rings.
Something tugs in my chest at how her fire is being snuffed out.
‘Lucifer’s Dream is on tonight, remember?’ I rush out. ‘We’re all only here for a bit.’
Jace scoffs. ‘I’m not going to some stupid carnival. That was all your idea. You go if you want to.’
‘Alright then.’ I shrug, not in the mood for his dickish tone. ‘Grab your phone and let’s go, Gianna.’
‘She’s not going with you,’ Jace snaps. ‘She’s going home.’
‘Bro,’ I start, ‘what the fuck is the problem? We’re all here. So we can either stay here at the Tropics, or go to the carnival and still have a good time. I don’t see the issue.’
Jace’s look tells me to stay the fuck out of it. He turns back to Gianna. Her arm is still linked with Monique’s and she blinks a few times before nodding.
‘Monz and I won’t cause any trouble,’ she says quietly. ‘We’ll stay up here with you guys. We won’t run off. Just let us stay?’
‘The Tropics isn’t a place for you,’ Jace says sternly. ‘And The Prank wasn’t either. You shouldn’t have followed us tonight. You could have got caught back there.’
‘But we didn’t.’ I nudge him. ‘We’re all good now. Monz and Gianna can stay.’
‘Yeah, relax, mano.’ Renny blows smoke through the corner of his mouth. ‘é nóis.’
Jace glowers at Renny and me while Tyler stays neutral, standing off to the side.
The smell of weed drifts through the air before I see him, but X runs over the crest of the hill to us, with a smile so wide he’s clearly oblivious to the tense situation he’s just walked into. ‘Yo!’ His eyes zone in on Jace. ‘Next race. You in?’
Jace gives Gianna a warning look before he turns to X. ‘Yeah. Give me a minute.’
‘It’s a straight race, but it’s not winner takes all,’ X clarifies. ‘It’s two out of three, that cool?’
‘That’s fine.’ Jace waves him off.
X turns to head off but pauses. ‘Wear the mask.’ He snaps his fingers at the silver skull hanging around my brother’s neck. ‘I think the crowd will dig it.’
Jace pulls his keys from his pocket, moving through the circle toward the Mustang. He stops at Gianna’s side and she unlinks from Monique to turn to him.
‘Please let me stay?’ Her bottom lip juts out a little.
Christ.
There’s that look in her eyes that makes me want to give her anything she wants, and I’m not the only one. Jace’s eyes soften and he sighs before his lips press into a thin line.
‘One race,’ he says. ‘You can watch one race.’
She squeals and pushes into his arms, giving him a hug.
‘Yeah,’ Jace says, trying to act tough. ‘Alright, alright.’ He heads toward the Mustang but before he opens the door I call out, ‘Yo, what time is it?’
Jace turns around to throw me an unimpressed look, but then it slides off his face. ‘Hammer time,’ he calls back. He slips the silver mask over his face.
I wait till he gets into the Mustang and drives down the hill toward the start line, where three other cars are already lined up.
‘C’mon.’ I pull Gianna’s hands, leading her further up the hill.
Her hands slip from mine as she points down to the track between the brick structures. ‘But the race is down there.’
‘The view’s better up here.’
‘Alright.’ She turns to Monique. ‘Are you coming?’
Monique’s eyes flick to mine and she flashes a knowing smile before turning back to Gianna.
‘No, babe.’ She nudges Gianna’s arm. ‘You go ahead. I’ll stay here.’
Renny steps to her side and wraps an arm around Monique. ‘You go, Little G. I got her.’
A flush creeps into Monique’s cheeks and she shares a coy smile with Gianna, who finally turns to me. I hold out my hand. She takes a few quick steps before the warmth of her fingers steals through mine. I smile at how it feels.
I’d always torn my eyes away from her because she’s my best friend’s baby sister, and when thoughts of her crawled into my mind, I’d pushed them out.
But I don’t care anymore. She’s more than that now.
I wrap my arm around her, keeping my stride slow to match pace with her small steps as we ascend the hill. When we make it to the top, we look down at the rainbow of neon colours, glinting chrome and headlights flooding the bitumen. The cars rev their engines, and Gianna clasps her hands together.
‘You’re right, the view is better up here. C’mon, Jace.’
Revs boom through the sky before the tyres squeal and the cars take off. Gianna’s body tenses, and I can feel she’s holding her breath.
I’ve both raced in and watched these rallies a thousand times. Behind the wheel, it feels like things happen in slow motion. You feel every hair stand on end and every breath burn through your lungs. But watching, it happens so fast. The cars scream past in a blur, cutting through the air.
Peeling my gaze away from Gianna, I look back in time to see Jace a single moment ahead of the other drivers. But that’s all he needs. He wins.
Gianna screams at the top of her lungs. ‘That’s my brother!’ she squeals. ‘That’s my big brother! So he’ll race two more times?’
‘This one’s out of three, but he’ll just need to win one more to claim the title. There’s a small break in between for NOS reset.’