Page 24 of Racer

Not sideline him. Not make a statement. Fuckingkill. Just like they’d tried with Emily’s brother.

I pushed myself to my feet, blood thudding behind my ears, and my hands were shaking. Whether it was from the impact or fury didn’t really matter.

Kane called for medics as he knelt over Miller, his expression twisted into something half feral. Edge paced, fists clenching and unclenching, his face dark with murderous intent. Emily held the extinguisher with white knuckles, her mouth pressed tight, eyes locked on Miller.

Sirens sliced through the roar of the crowd—the firemen on their way to join the others currently trying to douse the fire.

“You see it?” I asked, voice low and ragged, looking at Kane. “That delay? He tried to kill the engine, and it didn’t respond.”

Kane’s eyes snapped to mine. “Son of a bitch. An ECU override.”

I scrubbed my hands over my face. “Had to be. And a fuel line rupture. Maybe the seal. It was fucking deliberate.”

“That was a hit.”

I nodded slowly, my eyes returning to my friend who was being loaded into an ambulance on a stretcher. “They wanted him dead, Kane. Not out of the race. Fucking dead.”

Edge stalked over to join us, his eyes black with rage. “The explosion was too clean. Someone planned this.”

“They’re making a point,” I growled, watching the last of the car collapse inward. “And I fucking got it.”

This wasn’t just sabotage. This was a message.

It was for all of us, but especially forme.

That was a bullet meant to graze the side of my skull.

We see you. Back off. Or you’re next.

I stared at the flames as the medics slammed the doors shut on the rig, the wail of the ambulance already blaring in the background. The sound of the impact was still in my ears, the scraping metal like nails on a chalkboard. And the sight of the car when the engine refused to shut down even as fire ate through the hood played on a loop in my mind.

It was the kind of thing you never forgot because it was tattooed into your fucking soul.

For a few minutes, I didn’t speak. Didn’t blink. Just watched.

Until I felt Emily beside me, her fingers brushing my arm.

I turned slowly toward her. The wrath inside me didn’t ebb, but just seeing her next to me, unharmed, brought relief.

There was soot on her cheekbone, and her hair had fallen out of its bun, hanging loose around her face. Her spine was rigid, her jaw was clenched tight, and her cheeks flushed from heat. She looked pissed, determined, and so fucking brave. But I could see the fear swimming in her eyes, something she allowed only me to see.

Needing to touch her, I brushed my thumb over her cheek, clearing away some of the ash. I wanted to comfort her and offer reassurance, but all I could think about was blood.

“My friend almost died tonight,” I said, my ragged voice quiet and even. “That was one of us in that car. One of our own. Again.”

She nodded, her lip trembling slightly, but she still didn’t break. Not even when she whispered, “It was just like that.”

“What was, angel?”

“My brother’s accident. It was so similar…”

Shit.It hadn’t occurred to me that this would bring that memory screaming back. I had no fucking idea how she held it together, and it showed me just how damn strong she was.

“They were trying to scare us,” I growled, teeth bared. “They fucked up because I don’t get scared, I get angry. And I get fucking justice.”

Edge stepped up next to me, his jaw flexing. “Went after another Redline King. Doesn’t get more personal.”

“Yeah,” I said, my voice sharper than steel. “And now I’m gonna make it fucking messy.”

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