PROLOGUE
AUSTIN
The roarof the engines filled the darkness inside me.
I hadn’t felt this alive in at least a year, but that’s the way it was in a small town. Excitement was hard to come by, but every once in a while, I convinced one of the Parkers to do something stupid, just for the hell of it.
And the more dangerous, the better.
This time, it was Jeff. After hanging out at The Beaver and Boot for a few drinks, I’d gotten bored and challenged him to a drag race up the main road of the mountain that ran between our two properties. It was dangerous as hell with all the twists and bends in the road, and that was just what I was counting on.
Maybe this time he’d go flying off the mountain.
I chuckled as I imagined his eyes widening as he hit the brakes, skidding on the gravel on the edge of the road before flying over the edge.
I didn’t actually want to kill Jeff. Not personally. I just enjoyed the thrill of the hunt—to see how far I could push a person to do what I wanted. And I had a feeling that tonight was going to give me everything I needed to fill the gaping hole of darkness looming inside me.
“Let’s do this!” Remi shouted from the tailgate of his truck.
I gritted my teeth at the man. He was just a punk kid a few years younger than me, but where the Parkers went, Remi was never far behind. Maybe next time I could get him to race me, and then I’d be rid of him once and for all.
“Ready?” I heard my brother shout.
Spinning around, I saw him climb into my car, the one I was supposed to be driving. I took off at a sprint toward the car, but he was already revving the engine. He couldn’t hear me screaming for him to get the fuck out of the car.
I reached him just before he hit the gas. Slamming my fist against the window, I signaled for him to get out.
“I’m doing this!” he shouted.
“Get the fuck out. This is my race.”
He flipped me off and then hit the gas, tearing down the road and leaving me in a cloud of his dust. Two sets of taillights raced up the mountain, driving dangerously fast.
Cody wasn’t as good a driver as I was. He didn’t know the roads at night like I did. While he was busy hanging out and playing his guitar, I drove through the countryside, looking for a hint of fun. Now, I knew the roads like the back of my hand.
“Get in the fucking truck!” I shouted at Remi.
“Dude, they’re coming back.”
All it took was one look for him to jump off the tailgate and hustle to the truck. But we didn’t even make it out of the parking spot when I heard the squeal of tires and the crunch of metal.
Remi kicked it into high gear, tearing out of our spot. Within a minute, we could see the steam rising from a vehicle that had smashed into a tree. The other car idled just a few feet away.
I knew it was Cody before we pulled up to the scene. Even in the dark, the taillights of my car were easy to spot. Screeching to a stop, I got out and ran toward the car. Jeff was already leaning in the driver’s side window, talking to my brother.
My pace slowed as I approached from the passenger side of the vehicle. The damage was worse than I expected. The whole frontlooked like a fucked up accordion. I could only imagine what the interior looked like.
“Cody, talk to me, man. It’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna get you out of here,” Jeff was saying.
I steeled myself for what I was about to see, but nothing could have prepared me for my brother leaning over the steering wheel and the blood dripping from his head. There was hardly an inch between the steering wheel and his seat. He was lucky it hadn’t squashed him.
If he was still alive.
“Austin! Call 9-1-1!”
My lips curled in disgust as Jeff pretended to care about my brother. He should have known better than to race Cody. The challenge was from me, not him.
“Austin!” Jeff shouted. “Get on the phone, man! Call for help!”
