CHAPTER 23
Evren
Psycho In My Head - Skillet
The garage hums with engines, laughter, and clattering tools.
Food and drinks pass between the crew as they talk over each other.
Cars sit half-dismantled around them, grease staining concrete and hands. Red lights bleed through the smoke.
Music pulses beneath the noise as engines roar and bottles hit the tables. Chrome, oil, scattered parts, and empty cans cover every surface.
And I’m looking at my car. At what she did.
That crazy bitch completely destroyed my Charger.
But God, it was worth it.
Having her at my mercy, trapped like a little rabbit in a snare, watching her grip that steel bar, threatening Neo as if she couldn’t care less who he was.
That was thrilling.
But I should have killed her, hurt her physically instead of licking her like a horny virgin.
Why did my body react like that?
The adrenaline, maybe. The intensity.
The hate, for sure, there’s no other explanation.
For all kinds of reasons—fear, obedience, charisma, or simply because they find me attractive—people submit.
Her? None of that, she gives me nothing.
She’s difficult, fights back, hits me, bites me and pushes against me at every turn.
It drives me insane.
How the fuck is she not afraid? How the fuck is she not already begging for her life?
My mind drift to the way she moaned. The shiver that ran through her body. The flush spreading across her face.
The hatred burning in her eyes even as I held her pinned beneath me.
Every time I close my eyes, I see her glaring at me like she wants to kill me.
Like I’m the enemy.
Which I am.
I always have control. I fucking control everything.
I run a hand through my hair, slicking it back in frustration, and let out a long breath.
But it’s like my body knows something I don’t, and it pisses me off.
And she’s disturbing that peace just by existing, just by breathing the same air as me.
And yet, I know she felt it too that dangerous, forbidden whatever the fuck it was.
I should’ve snapped her neck the first chance I got. Now she’s become a problem I can’t stop thinking about.
“Fuck!” I punch the hood of my Charger, denting it even more.
Why is she doing this to me? She’s just a spoiled Upper brat.
I hate that right after I left, I fucking had to masturbate three times before my cock finally softened.
I shake my head and turn back to my gang.
They’re spread around the garage, eating the food I ordered—burgers and fries that barely taste like anything.
Synthetic garbage.
Still, with enough sauce and salt, it’s close enough to real food to get the job done.
“Are you still thinking about that crazy slut who destroyed your car?” Neo asks, cutting straight through my thoughts.
“She fucking destroyed it.” He scoffs. “And we’re the ones fixing it when she should be the one paying for the damage, at the very least.”
He takes a huge bite of his burger, chewing obnoxiously loud.
“What do you want me to do, Neo?” I take a step forward. “What the fuck do you all want me to do? She threatened you like you were nothing. You could’ve taken her down in a matter of seconds, and she knew it. But she still stood there and threatened to crack your fucking skull.”
I let the words hang in the air.
“Yeah, no shit.” Neo pushes himself to his feet.
Varek and Ren follow, while the others avert their eyes, knowing better than to get involved.
“Who the fuck is she?” he demands, a vein pulsing in his neck. “Because you never mentioned some crazy-ass girl who was bold enough to walk in here, threaten us, and make a fucking mess.”
“He’s right, Evren,” Ren adds. “People who saw what happened are talking. A lot.”
My eyebrow shoots up.
“The fuck do you mean?”
“He means,” Varek says, stepping forward, “that our reputation—your reputation—is being challenged in the Lower Layers because of her.”
“Because you let her live,” Neo snaps, gesturing vaguely around the garage. “And even worse, she walked away.”
Silence settles over the room.
Nobody has to say it out loud. They all think the same thing.
She should’ve never made it out of here, and I let her when I would’ve fucking killed anyone else for daring to even touch my car.
And my reputation—ours—is on the line because of her.
My jaw clenches.
They’re right, but hearing them say it out loud—hearing the doubt in their voices, hearing them question me, question my fucking leadership—is worse than anything.
I spent nearly a decade building this gang from the ground up, and I let her walk away.
If I let this slide, if I let her get away with it, the cracks will start to show.
And once people start questioning their leader, they’re already halfway to replacing him.
The person who’s going to take this gang from me hasn’t been born yet.
I let out a frustrated sigh, cross my arms, and crack my neck.
“Stop working on my car. Take off whatever you fixed and leave it exactly the way it was—wrecked,” I order. “I’m going to go get her and make her work her pretty ass off fixing it.”
The garage erupts in laughter, and they obey.
I grin.
This might actually work.
I need everyone to remember who they’re dealing with. I built Crimson Velocity with my own hands.
I’m not some weak asshole people get to challenge and walk away from.
She embarrassed me enough. She walked into my territory, made a scene, and walked back out.
For them, that’s what happened.
My comm buzzes. For a second, I think it’s her.
After all, I was the one who tracked down her comm number and sent the first text.
A crooked smile tugs at my lips.
I bet she’s pissed. She’ll probably insult me, tell me to go fuck myself.
Hell, she might even block me.
I pull the comm from my pocket and glance at the screen.
She hasn’t even read my text.
Irritation flashes through me, settling behind my eyes and tightening my jaw.
Lira being Lira—harassing me and threatening to go see another man.
It’s been almost a month since I’ve seen her. Not since the race where I met Riven and crashed into her and her little friend.
I haven’t thought about Lira once.
I roll my eyes and ignore her message.
I don’t give a fuck what she does. She can get her pussy fucked if she wants to.
I have a gang to manage, and a troublemaker to catch.
A surge of anger shoots through me as the thought she is ignoring me. I can feel my adrenal booster spike, my eyes glowing with an unhinged light.
How dare she fucking ignore me after I made her come on my tongue? How dare she wreck my car and put my own reputation at risk?
Riven wants to ignore me?
Fine.
I’ll give her something she won’t be able to ignore.
I hurl my comm across the garage.
It nearly takes off one of my members’ heads before smashing against the far wall.
Every conversation dies instantly.
Every head turns toward me and, almost as one, they take a step back.
Even Neo keeps his distance.
I stalk over to Varek and hold out my hand. He doesn’t ask questions. He just drops his keys into my palm.
I turn and walk out of the garage, slamming the door behind me hard enough to leave a crack running through the metal.
I’m going to find her.
I’m going to make her fix my car.
And then we’re going to have a conversation about what happens when she thinks she can ignore me.