The street narrows into a single point of light, but I don’t let up. I don’t even blink.
A split second later, I take the win by half a car length as we rip across the finish line in a blur.
My friends and our sisters are waiting when I park and step out, greeting me with a chorus of cheers and rough pats on the back. Noah jostles me and tries to grind his knuckles into my scalp, but I shove him away before he can ruin my hair.
“He almost had you there for a second,” Maverick says with a wide grin.
Yeah, right.
I let out a short, derisive laugh. “He wasn’t even close to winning that race.”
I always had it in the bag, but Maverick’s answering chuckle suggests he thinks otherwise.
Across the lot, Chris parks and slams his door shut. His friends try to console him, but he ignores them, stalking over like a thundercloud. If I thought a race would settle things between us, I was wrong.
So what will?
By the look on his face, Chris has no intention of letting this go, but an agreement is an agreement. He can lick his wounds somewhere else.
“You stay the hell away from her,” he growls, slamming his hands into my chest. I stumble, and he knocks me again.
I fist my hands. “I won that race fair and square, Holt. You wanted to race for your sister, so we did.”
He gets in my face. “I don’t fucking care! You stay the hell away from her.”
“Or what?” I shove him back, and he crashes into his friends, but I don’t care. “What are you gonna do, huh? This is my town. You have no power here.”
“Kane,” Cash says in a warning tone behind me.
I’m not done. I’m nowhere near fucking done with this prick. He’s trying to get between Jessica and me, and I don’t care if he’s her family. No one comes between us.
“I bet I can pay you to back off. How much is your sister worth?”
“Kane!” Lily snaps.
I ignore her too.
“How much?” I press, squaring off against Chris. “Ten thousand? A hundred? A million? Tell me her price, and I’ll pay it.”
He gnashes his teeth. “You want to buy my sister? Is that what you’re saying?”
I raise a brow.
“She’s not for sale.”
“Everything has a price.”
He really doesn’t understand how the world works if he hasn’t figured that out yet.
His nostrils flare briefly, and he exhales a bitter little laugh, then steps away. “You’re a piece of shit, you know that, Ravencourt?”
“Tell me something new.”
He spins on his heels, striding off in a huff, but only makes it a few meters before turning around and walking backward. “This is far from over.”
Bring it, Chris. Give me your worst.
The left side of my mouth tips up as I watch him walk off. “She’s mine,” I call out, cupping my mouth so my voice carries over the crowd and the thumping bass.
