Chapter Thirty-seven
A nger is a living breathing thing inside of me.
You’d think I’d be used to it by now, I’ve been living with this demon inside of me for months. It’s been growing, burning, twisting and writhing and only grows stronger with every day that passes. It’s so constant, it’s become a comfort, but the type of fury rolling through me is new.
It’s coiling tight, like a snake ready to strike.
I’m about to make that little shit pay.
He disrespected me, he disrespected Marly…
I keep her close and walk the rest of the way to the car and open her door for her. I don’t like that he’s used her in the bet, in fact I fucking hate it and even though I want to fucking end him, I never would have accepted the challenge. But she trusts me, she believes in me and knows I will not let the assholes near her. I claim her mouth in another kiss, my tongue stealing entrance with her shocked gasp. She melts against me, and I hope with every second that passes with our bodies joined, she understands her trust in this is not misplaced.
I’m about to show her, prove to her that I have her back in this.
Slowing the kiss and pulling away, I can’t help but smile when she follows my retreat before her eyes snap open, and a blush steals across her cheeks.
“Get in the car, Marly,” I order gently, “Let me show you what it means to be mine.”
Her wide blue eyes meet mine and after a moment of hesitation, she climbs into the passenger seat and the door slams behind her. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my key and unknot her ribbon and then I wrap it around my wrist, tucking the ends in on itself so it stays in place. Once inside, I reach for her helmet, handing it to her before I grab my own.
“That’s my ribbon,” She gasps, staring at the blue strip of silk wrapped around my wrist.
“It’s been mine the moment it came out of your hair in my truck,” I place my helmet in my lap.
Her eyes flick between the ribbon and my face before a soft smile curves up her lips, “My grandmother gave me that.”
I instantly reach for it, “You want it back?”
Her hand settles over mine, “No you keep it,” She says, “She’d have loved you, so it seems only right.”
“It was my good luck charm before you were,” I admit to her.
“And what was your luck before the ribbon?”
“I didn’t have any,” I admit, lifting the helmet to slide it onto my head, “I didn’t believe in luck until I found you.”
I start the engine, cutting off anything else she may say to those words and silently, she slips her own helmet into place, but I don’t miss the way her whole body softens.
I bring the car onto the track, stopping at the start line and clock Jake at the side, flag in hand. He meets my eyes, even though they’re hidden, and dips his chin in a nod as Ricky pulls his own car up beside mine. Benji is in the passenger seat and neither of them are wearing their helmets. Track rules state they should be, but I don’t give a shit if they end up through the windshield. Heartless? Perhaps. But no one will miss either of those fuckers.
I certainly wouldn’t.
Jake holds up his hand before he starts to wave the flag and I press the gas, revving the engine as I wait for him to call the start. My breath is held in my throat, and I begin to count and then he whips the flag down and the car lunges from the line, getting a good start on the race. Marly slams back in her seat but she doesn’t reach for the handle like she used to, her head remaining forward as I race around the track. Four laps, two cars… I’m not worried.
Glancing in the mirror I see Ricky is at least two car lengths behind me. He must have been dreaming if he thought he could take me in a race, especially on this track and in this car. Has he not learned by now?
We start the second lap almost two and a half car lengths ahead and I see Marly relax in her seat. This is a damn breeze and it being so fucking easy makes their challenge laughable. I’m even tempted to slow to make them think they can have me but honestly, winning by a mile is just too good to pass up, so I keep my pace, my car roaring around the track effortlessly. The third lap goes much like the last two and then we cross the line and start our fourth and final lap.
Marly giggles beside me but the sound doesn’t distract me quite like it did the first time. It’s still a heart stopping sound, one that filters through my blood and lights up all those dark crevices, but I was ready for it, and I ache to get it again.
I’m just about to take a corner when movement at the edge of the track catches my attention and I see someone throw something onto the tarmac.
“Fuck!” I roar as a spike strip sits right on my racing line.
I jolt the car to the left to avoid it, slowing so I don’t accidentally veer us off into the trench on the right. Marly lets out a startled scream, but I just drop a couple gears and turn the car, getting us back on track in a matter of seconds.
But those seconds cost us.
Ricky has closed the gap and is so close to the rear end of my car, I can’t see his headlights.
“River!” Marly screams right before the sound of metal crunching fills the cab and our bodies are jolted forward.
The fuckers rear ended us.
“Hold on, princess,” I warn just as they slam into us again, my grip on the wheel becoming tenuous and the car swerves on the track.
Adrenaline rocks through me, my heart notching up several gears and on the third deliberate crash of their car against mine, I know I have to think quick.
Flicking my eyes to the mirror, I see them slowing to gain distance between us. We’re at the final corner before the race ends, and right on that bend is a deep trench and then a wall of trees.
I press the brake.
“River!” Marly cries in panic but I ignore her, watching the fuckers in my mirror as they hit the gas and race toward us.
Right before they can hit, I slam on the brakes and move to the side, watching their car pass us, going too fast to stop themselves. They hit the brake too late, their tires leaving skid marks on the track as the car veers off, right down the ditch and then crashes into a big oak.
I don’t stop.
Moving the car back onto the racing line, I hit the gas, take the corner and pass the finish line to the wave of the flag, foot hitting the brake the moment we are through. When we are stationary, I have my door open and I’m moving to where their car is smoking against the tree.
“River!” Jake yells my name followed by Marly, but I do not stop. I do not falter.
I’m at their car in the next minute, the driver’s door open as Ricky falls out of it, trying to crawl away from the crash but fuck that. I grab him by the collar of his shirt, bring him up to face level and snap my head forward, cracking my helmet against his head.
He crumples like a piece of paper.
Dropping him to the ground, head gushing blood, I move to the passenger seat, finding Benji unconscious and laying against a quickly deflating airbag. Teeth clamped together, I reach forward and press two fingers to his neck, waiting with my breath held to feel his pulse. It still beats, rapid but strong so I leave them there and head back to Marly who has her helmet off, and her hand is covering her mouth.
I take my own helmet off, dropping it to the ground. I know it’s now useless and I’ll need to replace it but it’s taking up space when all I want is my hands on her.
My hands come up to cradle her face and I don’t miss the way her eyes shine, glazed with unshed tears.
“Told you I wouldn’t lose,” I remind her and lay my mouth on hers, kissing her gently.
She whimpers into my mouth, the kind of whimper I can recognize from her anywhere. Adrenaline will do that; it’ll make your body act damn crazy without reason. The sound shoots straight to my cock.
“Marly,” I warn.
In answer, she slides her tongue against mine.
“Get the fuck out of here!” It’s Jake’s voice that has me breaking away from her, looking over my shoulder to where Ricky and Benji limp toward us, both their faces bleeding, bruising and swelling already coming up across their faces.
“You want a little more humiliation?” I ask them, keeping Marly shielded behind my back.
Ricky reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper, smearing blood all over it before he throws it down on the floor. The pink slip to his car.
“Don’t come back,” I warn them. “It’s one thing being fucking disrespectful, it’s another being a cheat. Next time, I’ll make sure you don’t walk away.”
Ricky spits onto the ground and leaves, Benji limping behind him and then I see Rachel.
Her shoulders are sagged, and she has a wannabe puppy dog look on her face, “River I–”
“Bitch, get the fuck out of here,” It’s Sadie who steps between us, “You think I didn’t see what you did?”
“I didn’t know – I didn’t think they were going to hit them!”
I didn’t see who threw the spike strip but now I know.
“I warned you before, Rachel,” I tell her, voice calm, disguising my current turmoil.
“I’m sorry!” She cries.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Sadie hisses at her, “You could have gotten them killed!”
“I – we – I’m sorry.”
“Leave,” I grunt, “Now.”
She blinks rapidly and then dips her chin and turns, pushing through the crowd toward the exit.
I let out a steady breath and then pull Marly closer before I grunt, “Move. I’m getting me and my girl a drink.”