Page 30 of Furious
Cal smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I was afraid you’d say that. But I think you should reconsider your answer.”
I’ve had enough of his veiled threats. “What are you gonna do if we don’t? I have been giving this whole situation some thought, since your brother told us we would race here every week or he’d show our initiation video to the mayor. You know what? I’m calling your bluff. Go ahead. We might go to jail, but so will you. And Dave will get expelled and kicked out of Gamma Delta Tau. Those videos are supposed to stay secret.”
My words don’t have the intended effect.
Cal doesn’t back down. “The mayor getting us arrested, or losing your spots at school and in the fraternity is child play compared to what my ‘sponsors’ will do to us if they don’t get their money or if we get busted.”
The fear in his eyes tells me that he isn’t bluffing.
“Who are your sponsors?” I bite out. “Who the fuck did you get involved with, Fox?”
“The least you know, the better it is for you, believe me. Pay up and get the fuck out of here before we attract any attention.”
For once, I do believe him. Until we figure out a way to disentangle ourselves from this bullshit, we need to pay him.
“I don’t have a grand on me, neither does Lev. Can we Venmo you?”
Some of the tension in Cal’s shoulders eases, and his insidious smile returns. “No electronic payments, no fucking checks. Cash only. We don’t want anything traceable. Come to my work in a day or two. Dave will text you the place tomorrow. Now get those bikes in there,” he points at the old hangar. “And get the fuck out of here.”
We hesitate.
“We aren’t going to leave our bikes in there.” Lev says before I can.
“Really?” Cal challenges us. “And where are you going to leave them until next week?”
I explain how we’ve transported our bikes here and how we’ve kept them hidden.
“You fucking kept two bikes in the mayor’s garage? Right under his nose? I’m surprised that you must have grown a pair since I last saw you, but no.” Cal’s tone brooks no argument. “If you get pulled over on your way home, if your father goes into your garage for any reason, we all risk getting busted. You’re going to leave them here.”
“So you can fuck with them and make sure you win the next race?” Lev argues.
“I’m not gonna do anything to your fucking bikes.” Cal states.
Our expressions must say more than a thousand words, because he explains. “Even if I wanted to fuck with them, when people saw your bikes, they upped their bets. My sponsors were pleased. It’s in my best interest to keep them happy, so I guarantee that your bikes will be safe in the hangar.”
Truth be told, it’s a relief not to have to leave campus with two motorcycles in the back of my truck. And not having them hidden in mine or Lev’s garage will help me sleep better at night.
There’s one last thing on my mind. “You said we’d race every week.” I say to Cal and Dave once the heavy, rusty chain and padlock secure the door of the hangar. “What about the weeks when we have away games?”
They thought of everything.
“Usually there are parties when we come home, whether we win or lose. Racing when everyone on campus is partying is the best way to do this. Once people are drunk enough, they don’t pay attention to a few people sneaking out.”
Lev and I walk to where we left my truck. At first, the full moon provides enough light to walk down the empty road, but once we cut into the woods, we need to use our phones to see where we’re going.
That’s when I notice that I have a text from Zara.
“Looks like Zara was tired and went home by cab, so we don’t have to go back to the party unless you want to?”
Lev shakes his head. “No. Let’s go home to our girl.”
Our girl.
His words cause an odd feeling in my chest. I don’t hate the sound of that. Lev is more than a best friend to me. He’s my brother just as much as Ares. Maybe even more. When we werewith Zara, together, it somehow didn’t feel wrong. I felt at home, complete.
I wish there was a way to keep that feeling for longer than it’s gonna take Zara to make a choice.
All of a sudden, I panic. Just the idea that Zara might choose Lev or Ares over me makes me feel jealous and possessive.
