Junkie(49)

“Got a passenger tonight,” he said.

“I can handle the extra weight,” I said, knowing that’s where he was going. The weight in the car would only make it harder to win.

That’s okay. I liked a challenge.

He shrugged. “She’s a lot lighter than your usual passenger.”

Joey made a sound, and I ignored her.

“You running this show?” I asked.

He nodded. “Four grand.” He held out his hand.

Joey pulled a black leather bag with fringe on it out of the back and plopped it on her lap. The next thing I knew, she was handing me four grand in cash.

I raised both my eyebrows. “Just pocket change?”

She shrugged. “I am my father’s daughter.”

I turned back and handed the money over. In exchange, I was given a GPS preloaded with the route of the race. All we had to do was hit start.

I stuck it to the dash and glanced up. Lorhaven was standing near the hood of my car, staring in with a darkness to his features.

“You weren’t invited,” he demanded.

I hitched my arm on the door of the car and leaned out. “Aww, what’s the matter, Lorhaven? You afraid you might lose now?”

“It was only one time,” he ground out.

“One’s enough.” Winning one race against him was all it took to get in his head.

“Go home,” he spat, his face darkening.

“Someone isn’t very liked around here,” Joey observed from her seat.

“No one likes a threat,” I said mildly.

“My money’s just as green as everyone else’s,” I called out to Lorhaven and glanced at the guy collecting. He nodded.

Lorhaven frowned and stepped forward. “Where’d you even get the money? Who’s in the car with you?”

“We here to race or gossip?”

“You invite him?” Lorhaven stopped right beside the other guy.

He nodded. “You told me to put it together and load the pot. Five drivers makes it twenty grand.”

“That’s gonna buy me a lot of car parts,” I mused.

Lorhaven’s shadowy eyes snapped to my face. “You might own the speedway, but I own the streets.”

“Aww, are you mad your little puppy hasn’t been able to smoke me at the raceway?” I stuck out my lip in a pout.

His fists clenched at his sides.

“Are we racing or what?” Joey called.

Lorhaven forgot about me, and his eyes widened.

Joey might have a boy name, but that’s the only way anyone could mistake her for a man. Even her voice was all female.

The next thing I knew, the guy running the race was gone, and Lorhaven’s ugly mug filled my open window.

“Well, well,” he said. “Who’s this?”

Joey waved her fingers at him but said nothing.

I grunted. “I brought a date.”

Lorhaven was quiet a minute. “Do I know you?”

Oh shit. I never thought anyone would recognize her here. I hadn’t a clue who she was ‘til she told me and I looked her up.

“No,” she replied, terse, and turned to stare out the window.

“We doing this or what?” I intoned. “People are impatient.” I motioned to the crowd standing around on the side of the road.

He straightened out of the window and glared at me. “You’re on, Forrester.” Then to the man he put in charge, he demanded, “Let’s go!”

The crowd cheered and engines revved.

A girl in skintight jeans, lace-up boots, and a crop top stepped in front of the line with a large black-and-white checkered flag in her hand.

I gripped the steering wheel and pulled in a breath, letting my lungs expand as I welcomed the adrenaline into my limbs. My fingers were already tapping the leather on the wheel with anticipation. I was ready to do this.

I craved it.

I was going to fly so fast tonight, when I finally hit the brakes, I wouldn’t even remember my own name.

All my attention narrowed down into the road. My heart beat to the same cadence as the engine, and the smell of exhaust filled the air.

Someone wasn’t even going to finish the race judging by that smell.

Good, one place closer to claiming my cash.

The girl in the street raised her arms, and the crowd around us cheered. Her hands cut downward, and the flag fluttered with the motion.

All five cars squealed off the line and burst forward.

There wasn’t enough room on the road for all five of us to drive side by side, so we had to slide into places. Lorhaven was first. He was driving a Corvette tonight.

A green Mitsubishi bullied its way behind him, and I hung back, taking up third place. The Camaro was behind me, and behind him was the remaining car.

I didn’t concentrate on them. The way I saw it, they’d already lost.