Page 82 of Midnight Racers

“You’re such an asshole,” Dale raged at me. “You need to release my sister from that ridiculous contract so she can come home to where she belongs.”

I stabbed my feet into my racing suit and continued to watch him because I didn’t want a dagger in my back. “Charlotte belongs with us.”

His face began to turn red and I expected it to explode at any moment, like a big, angry too-ripe tomato. “She is my sister.”

“Then you should have protected her,” I replied, pulling the suit up over my shoulders. “She’s loyal to those who support her.”

He launched himself across the room, but one of the officials stepped in and pushed him back. It was the reason they were here, to ensure there were no dirty deeds done behind the scenes of the race.

I winked at him as I sauntered out, taking my clothes with me, as I didn’t trust leaving them here and getting a bug put on them. I loved my leather jacket, and it would be a pity to have to incinerate it.

I threw my jacket to Joshua, who caught it and put it inside our truck that contained all the provisions necessary to make last-minute repairs. We were a tight unit and Alex took guard position at the truck to ensure no one got anywhere near our stuff.

“Ready?” Charlotte asked, worry in the depths of her eyes.

“Always am. You happy with the car?”

She threw me a filthy look for questioning her technical ability and I ruffled her hair on the way past.

“Everything is set up,” Joshua said. “We have full communications in place and all the cameras are active around the car.”

I nodded. It was standard in all our cars, not just the ones we drove in races.

“You need anything, just yell,” Jordan said, appearing beside me with Megan. He had her hand grasped in his since he was conscious of threats everywhere.

“You intending on getting in a car with a gun and bringing retribution out there?” I queried.

He shrugged one shoulder. “It wouldn’t be the first time I took out a target in a high-speed chase.”

“Psychopath,” I muttered affectionally.

“Sociopath,” he retaliated, making me grin.

“No speeding,” Megan said seriously, earning her a disbelieving glare from Jordan.

“It’s kind of the point, Megan,” Jordan replied.

She rolled her eyes at me, reminiscent to the gesture Jordan tended to use. My lips twitched at her behaviour. She tended to play up to the notion of being a dumb blonde, even though she was one of the most intelligent people I’d ever met.

Charlotte followed me to the car, as if talking to me about the set-up.

“Stay safe,” she said in a low tone.

My fingertips skimmed hers in a fleeting gesture and I saw her swallow. My eyes met Charlotte’s as I slid behind the steering wheel for a brief moment, and I felt her emotions crash into me. No one had ever looked at me like that before, and it felt like the first time she whispered that she loved me as she fell into sleep.

I tugged my helmet into place and focused on my pre-race checks. Joshua sounded in my ear as he talked the rest of the team through our routine. I noticed Megan sliding her arm through Charlotte’s as she tugged her into the background. Jordan stood keeping a watchful eye on the two women.

I relaxed into the familiar pattern of preparing for a race, calling out answers to Joshua.

Robert walked past my car, banging on the bonnet with a smile on his face. He pointed at me as if his finger was a gun in a familiar gesture he’d used for years before disappearing, probably to put a bet on the race.

A countdown commenced on the huge screen to tell us to get into position. Slowly, all the cars moved to the starting position and everything else faded to white noise as all my attention moved to the race. My fingers traced around the steering wheel and I creaked my neck from side to side.

This was the moment Grandpa and I used to talk about when he raced. The calm before the storm. The single instance that you were one with your car because the two of you had to work as a team to ensure you reached your goals. This car was an extension of me.

The final countdown flashed up on the screen and the race official stepped forward with the flag to signify the start of the race.

My heart pounded in my ears, and I flexed my fingers. The countdown reached zero and the flag descended. I slammed the car into first and hit my accelerator. The car lurched forward, and I weaved between cars to head to the front of the group.

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