Page 77 of Full Throttle

Jer jerked his chin. “We got it. Go home to Kay,” he urged.

Collin looked over to us, his eyes landing on me first as he walked over. He held his hand out to me. “Thank you.”

My throat was tight, and all I could manage was a nod. I was tired of talking.

With that, he and Xander left the warehouse. Jer turned to us, folding his arms over his chest. “I appreciate what you did, Cain. I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like—going back over there.”

“No, you can’t,” I responded.

Lee stiffened as Dontell glared at Jer.

Jeremy looked to his boys, the men he’d known way longer than me, and said, “I understand you’re upset—”

“It was my idea,” I pressed, cutting him off. “The sooner we get this shit done, the sooner we can go back to living our lives in peace.” A silence settled over us, but I knew that some of the tension had been shaved off.

A sacrifice had to be made, and I was the only one who could do it.

“I owe you,” Jer said, his voice firm.

My eyes met his, and I said the only thing I could respond with. “We’re fucking family.”

Dontell nodded as Leon looked to me then to Ivan. “You guys go. I’ll stay here until he wakes.”

Chapter Sixteen

Nikki

“What’s going on with Carrie?” I asked Amara as we entered the office at Oasis. The races had just begun, the building filled with people from all over the world, engines purring, music blaring.

Amara sighed as she leaned against the desk, her eyes going to Leon’s copy of Dracula. “She still isn’t talking.”

Carrie Hale was the daughter of Mayor Gelling, who had been working with Kavi and the now-former Chief of Police. They kidnapped three children, but with the help of the FBI, Amara found them—in the mayor’s basement. Carrie’s father also had Kavi kill her husband, Robert Hale. She found his mutilated body in their bathroom and since then, she’s tried to take her own life.

“Not that I can blame her,” the detective continued, picking up the book.

I couldn't either. The pain she must be feeling is…unimaginable.

I leaned against the door, my head turning to look at the wall of screens that showed every angle of Oasis. People were dancing, laughing, and thriving. My heart swelled at the sight. “I fucking missed racing,” I whispered, changing the subject.

Amara laughed softly. “I bet you did.”

My head snapped to her, a brow rising. “Wait—you aren’t going to ask me if I’m really ready to get behind the wheel?”

She pursed her lips. “You’re a badass, Nikki. I know you’re ready.”

I made a noise of surprise, and she tilted her head to the side. “What?”

“Nothing, I just—I just figured you would be worried about me getting back out there. Everyone else was.”

She set the book down before folding her arms over her chest. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m worried about you—all of you…” She trailed off, looking at the screens now. “I can’t imagine the kind of courage it takes to try and control those beasts.”

I looked down to the floor, my mind trying to pull memories of the crash. All I could remember now was the heat and being pulled from the car. “It still scares the shit out of me,” I murmured, looking up at her.

Her hazel eyes softened. “But you love it.”

I nodded. “I so fucking love it.”

Amara’s face split into a glorious smile. “I can’t wait to watch you smoke those guys.”

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