Page 143 of Hyperspeed
“Okay,” he said on an exhale, his lithe frame relaxed. His eyes sparkled, the stardust swirling like a fresh snow globe. “I’m ready.”
“You’re damn right you are.”
I took his hand and led him through the garage to where our teammates waited on the grid.
And right up until the moment we climbed into our vehicles, Rev held on tight, never letting go.
The track was kicking my ass, just like it did every year.
But this time, my mind kept drifting to a certain rookie who’d clawed his way into fourth place. He was miles ahead of Jax in fifth, and my teammate had already grumbled about not being able to close the gap.
Rev might not have a shot at winning, but he was pushing hard enough to snag one more podium before the season wrapped up.
Zylo was in second. He’d been riding my ass for the last five laps, and I couldn’t lie; it rattled me. With only two laps left, there was no way I was going to screw this up now.
“I might have to dust off my trophy shelf if you keep this up, Mercer,” Zylo cackled over the radio.
“Fuck off, old man,” I shot back, making him laugh even harder.
I was sure the producers running the livestream were loving our little soundbites, but I was more worried about Zylo inching closer in my wing mirror.
On top of that, I was sweating buckets inside the cockpit, and part of me wished I was driving in just my boxers.
Veilbreaker Circuit was a track that hugged the planet’s massive shifting fault lines, skimming volcanic ridges and plunging through sulphuric canyons. It was a hot, stinky ride, and one I was relieved to be almost done with.
There was also sulphur fog. Thick, yellow, and a nightmare on the lungs if you got caught in a cloud while driving around the track. The smell of eggs would cling to your hair and skin for fucking days, and given I had some plans that involved Rev and me, naked and writhing against each other, I wanted to avoid any turnoffs.
The track looked straightforward on the surface. A simple ride, right? Wrong.
Large cracks could open up anywhere if the fault lines shifted, leaving cavernous pits that were tricky to navigate if you weren’t paying close attention. To make matters worse, bursts of steam hotter than the fires of hell could explode through the asphalt with no warning.
Chunks were already missing from the road around turn three, forcing at least three drivers from different teams out of the race. One of the Vanguard drivers had also lost the back end of their vehicle when steam erupted at the worst possible moment, sending them into the wall.
Whoever had thought it was a good idea to build a track over a river of lava and geothermal vents was a fucking psychopath.
“My grandma drives faster than you.”
I snorted as Rev’s voice crackled through the drivers’ radio. It was followed by a colourful string of curse words from Dray, who must have been overtaken.
“Since when can your grandma drive, rookie?” I chimed in.
“She can’t,” he fired back. “That’s what makes his driving even more embarrassing.”
“Oh, fuck you, you snarky little twatwaffle,” Valen fumed, which made the two of us snicker like schoolboys.
“Nice of you to join us, Revvy.” Zylo’s voice came through, happy to see his teammate up in the top three. I couldn’t blame him, because I wanted Rev on the podium with me just as much.
Rev slipped in behind Zylo like a shadow, just visible in my wing mirror. Whatever nerves had plagued him earlier were gone. His movements were sharp now, purposeful.
Whether he meant to overtake or box Zylo in, I couldn’t say. But I didn’t mind. Even if his team came before me out here, I couldn’t help the swell of pride I felt at the fire he brought with him.
“Gonna give me a hand and take out your teammate, rookie?”
“I’d rather take you out, hotshot.”
“That can be arranged, boo,” I shot back, making a smoochy sound with my lips. “See me after the podium.”
“Can you two keep it in your pants?” Dray groaned. “I swear I’m gonna puke in my helmet.”
