Page 96 of Furious
Fox barks out a laugh, his head thrown back as if that was the funniest thing he’s ever heard. I had forgotten how fucking cocky he is.
“We’ll see about that. But I can’t let you place such a large bet without proof that you can pay the house if you lose.”
“JJ said he can offer his bike as collateral. So you know he’s good in case he doesn’t win.”
Cal doesn’t look convinced. “That piece of shit isn’t worth a hundred grand.”
“It’s worth twice that. That isn’t a stock Panigale, it’s been modified to race, it’s a one of a kind piece.”
“Says you.” Fox cackles. “I’m going to have to ask the boss about this one.”
We wait as Fox walks into the hangar.
He comes out followed by Mason Morelli and by Chance and Lev.
“A hundred thousand dollars?” Morelli asks, giving the girl a sleazy once over. “And you say your boyfriend has the money to cover twice that if he loses?”
The girl nods. “JJ is good. Like I already said, you can consider his Ducati a collateral.”
The corner of Morelli’s mouth tips up as he thinks about it. “Fine. But I’m taking a considerable risk here. So I’ll cut your boyfriend a deal. I’m willing to pay him double the odds if he wins. Four hundred thousand bucks. But if he loses, I get him to race for the house for five weeks or until the house wins back the four hundred grand. What do you say?”
The girl hesitates, and I don’t blame her. “I don’t know. This is much more than I thought. I need to ask JJ. I’ll text him.”
My ears perk up when she says that. I don’t know what Smith looks like, but if he’s here, I want to make sure I get to talk to him.
A few seconds go by after the girl sends the texts.
“JJ is in.” She says when her screen lights up with a text.
Morelli’s smirk widens, and he voices the question that’s on the tip of my tongue, too. “Where’s this boyfriend of yours, then? We’re about to start, and I don’t see him or his Ducati anywhere. If he’s man enough to race for almost half a million bucks, he should have the balls to show his face. Am I right?”
Fox, the Gamma president, and some of the other frat guys rumble their agreement with what Morelli just said.
The girl, however, doesn’t look intimidated. “He’s going to show up when it’s time to race. This is how he gets in the zone. He needs to concentrate away from the crowd.”
“Right.” Morelli smirks, checking the girl’s ass as she walks away. “So she says. Whether Smith wins or loses,” he says, looking at Chance and Lev. “You two know what you have to do. Don’t let Smith get away after the race.”
Chance and Lev nod, tension written all over their faces.
What the fuck is going on and why are they doing Morelli’s dirty work?
As Angela announces that the race is about to start using a loudspeaker, the racers walk away, headed toward the hangar where the bikes must be hidden.
When I realized what was going on, my intention was to stop Chance and Lev from racing, but I have a change of heart.
While I hate the idea of them risking their lives in a race without any safety measures, I’ve been looking for JJ Smith for two years without success. It had been like chasing a ghost.
Smith is here, about to compete, and if I stop the race, he might disappear like he did in Bridgeport.
My best chance to talk to him is after the race. I’ll confront Chance and Lev then, too.
“The race begins in five minutes.” Morelli says. “I want some people at the finish line ready to get Smith if he tries to run and Hunter and Reilly fail to keep up with him. Use the golf carts I brought. You won’t be able to catch him on that Ducati if he tries to ride away, but I want them parked to block the road before the intersection that goes toward the gas station. If Smith wants to leave, he’s going to have to come back here or go that way. There’s no other way out of here.”
I make my decision in a split second. As Morelli walks away, I run after the men who climb into three electric golf carts.
I recognize some of them from the hockey team, and some must have been hired by Morelli. Luckily, each group must assume that I belong with the others, so no one asks me who I am.
As the golf carts are parked to obstruct the only escape route, I walk back to watch the race from the finish line.
