Page 47 of Blind Spot
“Waste of money and time. It had nothing to do with what I was doing and where I was going.”
“All I’m saying is that Charly was at a weak point in her life. You weren’t there. Her dad had started a serious relationship, and her mom had passed. Ramon took advantage of it. I overheard your mom telling him that one time.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. So don’t be afraid to bring her around as your woman. It doesn’t matter that she was with him first. The family won’t judge you or her. In fact, everyone’s saying it’s about time. For what it’s worth, she’s a good look for you. I think she’s your soulmate.”
I smiled as my cousin clapped my shoulder. “Thanks, li’l bit.”
“You’re welcome. Just remember that when Thanksgiving rolls around. I don’t want you MIA because you’re not trying to spoil the day.”
“I hear you,” I replied with a chuckle, thinking about Joaquin’s warning.
I watched as my cousin walked away to stand with some guy she’d been dating. He looped his arm around her shoulder and dropped a kiss on her lips. That was what I wanted, to be openly affectionate with Charly without having to hide it.
My attention turned back to where she had just finished doing a burnout. I walked up to her car while JP took a few last-minute bets on his phone with some of the bystanders.
“Hey, you good?” I asked, resting my arm on the top of her car and smiling down at her through her open window.
She looked up at me with a serious expression. “I’ve never been better, Dom.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. Now get ready to prove Chopper wrong. Make him come begging you to join the team,” I stated.
She winked at me, and I leaned in and kissed her. I didn’t give a shit who was watching, who said what, or what folks thought. When I pulled back, I couldn’t help but smile at the twinkle in her eyes.
“Thanks, Dom. I needed that.”
“No, you didn’t. You’ve got everything you need inside of you. Charly, you’ve always been great, and you’ll continue to be.”
“It just feels good knowing that you believe in me.”
“Always have and always will. Now kick ass.” I patted the roof of her car and stepped back into the crowd.
A couple of minutes later, JP held his flashlight up, and I held my phone up and started recording. Freeway was at the finish line waiting to record the completion of the race. I did not doubt that my baby would bring home the win.
She was racing Jaheim “J-Dog” Callaway. He was notorious for cheating like the other members of his team. He often tried to sabotage other racers, but I wasn’t worried about it. I knew that my girl had this on lock. Her 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 426 Hemi was primed for this race. I had done a lot of work on it before and after I was locked down. She had finally sold the car her parents bought for her sixteenth birthday, a few years ago, and bought the Challenger.
A lot of people thought we were crazy to race our cars, her Challenger and my Plymouth, because they were muscle car classics, but we had specifically outfitted them for optimal performance. They were the best high-performing cars of their time, and I continuously worked on both to make sure they remained that way.
The sound of her engine roaring sent chills down my spine as I allowed a smirk to grace my face. The minute that the flashlight went on, both cars took off.
“You nervous, Reaper?” Shine asked, patting my shoulder as he, Bear, Indomitable, and King walked up to me.
“No more than I am when I’m racing,” I lied.
“If you weren’t nervous, I’d say you were crazy as hell,” Indomitable stated.
“Why’s that? I don’t doubt her. She can win this race,” I countered.
“I know she can too. That’s why I put some skin in the game. I easily put four G’s in this one for her.”
“So why do you think I’d be crazy not to be nervous?”
Smirking, Indomitable replied, “If that were Sharon out there racing, I’d be going insane.”
“Yeah, your woman is out there racing one of the most unscrupulous niggas we know, and you ain’t on that road with her. You gotta be nervous,” Bear declared.
“My woman?”
