“My brother will lock Summer and me up forever if he sees us.”
“Malice will lock me up, too.” Her slow grin is mischievous and contagious. “So let’s not get caught.”
Seriouslyby Trebill blasts through the speakers of a nearby sports car, where a group of guys inspect what’s under the hood. It must be impressive, given how wide everyone grins, except for the blonde guy in the middle, who reaches in with a frown while the others keep talking.
The place looks different now than it did when I was here with Kane. Headlights cut through the dark, flashing as drivers test their brakes. Neon underglow reflects off the asphalt. Heat rolls off the cars, making the air feel heavy.
A guy’s arm brushes mine as he squeezes past. I step closer to Rain. She cranes her neck, trying to see the cars doing doughnuts, but I’m not wearing stilettos, so I don’t have achance of seeing anything. The same goes for Summer, who looks mildly terrified.
“Come on.” Rain links her fingers through mine and weaves through the crowd to find a spot with a better view.
The air smells of gas and the bite of burned rubber. Smoke pours from the drifters, swallowing the street. I’d lie if I said it doesn’t excite me. All the noise. The smells. The streaks of pink and green in the smoky air as expensive cars roll past, their neon lights spilling across the blacktop.
An orange Chevrolet Camaro drives past, the passenger window sliding down to reveal a guy with a mop of dark hair. “Uff, mamacita!” he says to Rain with the kind of playful, charming grin that makes it impossible not to smile back. The car speeds off, and Rain leans in to say something, but then her eyes widen, and she grabs mine and Summer’s hands. “We gotta go.”
We hurry to a cluster of parked cars, where she makes us crouch behind a black Ford Ranger.
“What the hell?” I whisper-hiss.
She peers around the corner. “Overprotective brothers incoming.”
Summer and I trade a glance. My sister starts to rise, but Rain, like a ninja, pulls her back down. “Stay low.”
“They should have driven past by now,” I say.
“They’re on foot.” She crawls forward again, careful not to dirty her knees. “They’ve stopped. Why have they stopped?” she whines.
Ignoring her frustrated huff, I unzip my purse to check my phone for any new messages from Kane.
There’s nothing. My heart sinks, and I toss my phone back into the bag. Not this again. The back-and-forth with him. Why does he do this? Go silent on me for days?
“Shit! They’re heading in this direction.”
Rain shuffles back, wiggling her ass and forcing me to retreat into Summer, who scuffles along with us. We press our backs to the door, still crouching, and I lock eyes with a brunette by the car opposite ours. She’s part of a group of women, all dressed in leather jackets and short skirts, staring at us like we’ve completely lost it.
“Overprotective brothers,” Rain explains to them with a lighthearted scoff, waving it off. I squeeze my eyes shut in embarrassment.
Just then, Jackson’s laughter drifts over the thumping bass. Rain shoos me along with a laugh, urging me to hurry.
“I hate you,” I grumble.
“You love me.”
“Can you two stop bickering?” Summer hisses over her shoulder.
“She started it,” Rain says.
“Whatever, oh wise Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
“Very funny.”
We shuffle along the side of the car like crabs, just managing to round the corner as the boys come into view.
With her hands braced on the trunk, Rain peers down the side of the Ford. “When I count to three, we bolt.”
“Where?” Summer asks.
“Where do you think?” Rain gives her a pointed look and gestures in the opposite direction from the boys. “That way?—”
