Page 4 of Barker

Once I’m in my car, I plug in my phone and turn up my favorite bandNew Years Dayto get me ready for this race. As I make my way to the Sons of Sin Clubhouse, I have to steady the nerves attempting to take over my body. I pull into the alley behind the clubhouse and spot Talon waiting for me. He smiles and comes over to me. I roll down the window and pause the music. “I was getting worried.”

“Sorry, got a late start after seeing dad. So, what do I do?” I ask.

He points ahead of me. “You’re in the last race. Get behind the black Challenger and just wait. When they move forward you move forward.”I scan the cars, but I don’t see Barker’s Camaro anywhere. I turn back and look at Talon and as if he can read my mind. “Barker should be here any minute now. Go line up. I’ll hang out here.”

I roll my window up and drive forward. As I’m sitting in the line waiting for my turn, I take in my surroundings. The alleyway doesn’t have a lot of light, which is both a good and bad thing. People are lined up against the walls of the buildings. I notice money being passed back and forth and that’s when I remember I didn’t give my buy-in to Talon. I send him a quick text. His reply is instant and infuriating. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve got this in the bag.” I hope he’s right.

By the time we get down to only one car in front of me with no sign of Barker, I really start to worry. What if he doesn’t make it? What happens then? The cars in front of me take off once they are signaled and now I’m at the starting line. I’m staring down the alley, but there’s still not a car beside me. Seriously, how can you host a race and not show up for it?

Rolling down my window, I holler for Talon. He appears and I can tell he’s worried my bad side is about to come out. “Where the hell is he?”

“He must be running late,” he replies with a shrug.

“Ya think?!”

He holds his hands up in a calming gesture. “Just give him a few minutes. He’ll be here.”

“I’m going to be late and you know I can’t be.”

“You won’t. I promise.” Just as the words leave my body, the sound of heavy metal fills the night air. The bass thumps down the alley just as the Camaro comes up beside me. The passenger side door opens and a leggy redhead with pumped-up lips and boobs steps out of the car with a smirk plastered on her face. I make a noise of disgust in the back of my throat and roll my eyes.

“It’s about damn time,” I mutter, as I roll my window back up. Turning the music loud enough to drown out the beating of my heart. I take a deep breath, gripping the wheel I stare down the alley, visualizing the win. I don’t look to the side, but I already know that he can’t see me, thanks to my extremely darkened windows. I watch as Zoey, Drake’s fiancé, steps between the two cars. She raises the flag and then drops it to the ground and we’re off.

I fly down the alley, the speed vibrates through the car and courses through my body. The sweat forms at the back of my neck and even the music fades away. The sidelines of people and buildings are nothing but a blur.When I reach the end of the alley, otherwise known as the finish line, I take a deep breath trying to calm down the slamming of my heart. I watch as Barker’s Camaro pulls up alongside mine. Oh crap! I just beat Barker. At first, I’m shocked, then I think of something.

I get out of the car and make my way over to his. He rolls his window down and I have to bite back a laugh at the stunned look on his face. Apparently, Talon didn’t tell him I was a girl. I smirk. “That’s right, Barker Tobin, you just got beat by a girl.” I lean forward but for a moment, I forget what I was about to say because those dark eyes hypnotize me. “Maybe next time you could do us all the courtesy of actually showing up on time, Romeo,” I say, as I stand up and make my way over to my car where Talon is now standing. “I have to get to work. Collect my winnings. See you at home,” I tell him, as he opens the door for me.

The whole way to the club I’m high on winning and haunted by those eyes.

Four

Barker

I had been keeping an eye on the clock, but then Amy was doing things that distracted me. Before I knew it, I was late and not just a little late, but really late. I rushed toward my Camaro with Amy wobbling after me. Damn, I was going to have to race in order to make it to the actual race on time. I should have been there over an hour ago. Getting caught at the red light, I glance at the clock. Damn it! I should be at the starting line right now and I’m still fifteen minutes away.

I turn down the alley and see the black Honda Civic already sitting at the line. Talon is standing next to the car. This must be his friend. Got to admit, this dude has a nice car, but it’s going to be an easy win I’m sure. As I come to a stop at the start line, I turn to Amy. “Time to go babe.” She tosses her fake hair over her shoulder and gets out of the car.

Zoey steps between both cars with the flag in her hand. I glance at the car next to me, but the windows are so tinted that I can’t even make out the guy inside. I shrug and turn back to the alley. My posture is relaxed as I wait for Zoey to drop the flag. I notice some of my Sons of Sin brothers and nod in their direction. They kind of shake their heads at me. I should have known they’d be pissed that I was late. Gunner is standing in the crowd too. He looks unsure, but he’s here, that’s a step in the right direction. The guy is my friend, but he’s got to get his shit together. Maybe, with the motivation of joining the club, he can.

I’m lost in thought when Zoey drops the flag. It isn’t until I see the Civic lunges forward, away from the start line, down the alley, and toward the finish line, taking my win with him. I curse out loud as I come to a stop beside the Civic. I hate losing, but I’m not afraid to admit when I’ve lost. I see Talon approaching as the driver-side door opens. I know how to fix this. I’ll just double the stakes if we race again. He’ll be cocky enough after beating me now to think he can have the same luck twice. He’ll think he’s got this in the bag.

However, my entire train of thought comes to a screeching halt when I see the red heels step out of the car. The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen gets out and makes her way towards me. I take her in. She is all curves and walks with a quiet confidence, but you can tell she doesn’t notice the attention thrown her way. She has blonde hair and I can’t tell if it’s bleach blonde or naturally blonde with the poor lighting. I can tell she has high cheekbones and a set of amazingly full lips. The red lipstick she’s wearing doesn’t really look like her, but it does amazing things for those lips. Once she’s close enough, she leans down and the floral scent she’s wearing invades my space and her sage green eyes render me speechless.

This girl smirks. “That’s right, Barker Tobin, you just got beat by a girl."She pauses, almost hesitates on her next line for just a moment. A moment where I hope she’s as affected by me as I am by her. “Maybe next time you could do us all the courtesy of actually showing up on time, Romeo.” Then she stands and walks away. I’m just sitting there like a dumbass. I didn’t even reply to her. I watch as she says something to Talon then gets in her Civic and takes off again.

I take my first deep breath once her taillights are gone. What the hell was that? I get out of the car and listen as people laugh or give me an apology for my loss. I just shake it off as I approach Talon. “Doesn’t she want to collect her winnings?”

“She had to get to work,” he says, but I can see the worry in his eyes. John comes over and hands me a wad of cash.

“Are you taking the winnings for her?” I ask. Talon nods and I hand the money to him.

Talon scratches at the stubble coating his jawline. “I’m sorry about you losing.”

I wave him off. “You win some, you lose some, but you know you could have told me Annistyn was a girl.”

Talon looks at me suspiciously. “Would it have made a difference?”

I want to say no, but that’d probably be a lie. I probably would have laughed, because I’ve never met a girl who knew anything more about a car besides how to start it. To think of one racing seems outrageous to me. I give him the only answer I can. “I don’t know.” We stand there in silence for a moment. “Come on, let’s go get a drink,” I tell him, in hopes of learning more about Annistyn.

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