“River!” She yells.
“Live a little, princess,” I laugh, taking the car toward the start line at speed.
“Oh my god, I’m going to die!” She shrieks.
“Nah,” I bring the car to a stop, “I’d never allow it.”
She whips her head to me but where the helmet is a little large and heavy, it makes her head wobble on her shoulders.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she says, her hands balling into fists against her thighs.
“If you want to get out, Marly, I won’t stop you.” I confirm, “Or you can stay here and trust me that I would never do anything on this track that’ll hurt you.”
“You can’t promise that,” She breathes out shakily.
“Sure, I can,” My hands flex on the wheel, “All you need to do is trust me.”
For a few long seconds, silence settles between us, the engine rumbling is the only sound and I know her eyes are on me, even without seeing them.
“Okay,” She eventually says.
With a grin, I focus back on the track, three cars pulling up to the right of me. The thrill of the race settles into my blood and everything else funnels out, all I feel is the car vibrating beneath me, all I hear is the purr of the engine. One of the guys steps up to the edge of the track holding a red flag high and I begin to count.
At ten, he whips the flag down and my reaction is instinctual, I hit the gas, tires squealing as I pull away from the start line and the race begins.
Chapter Sixteen
The car lurches forward as soon as the guy whips down the flag and I’m thrown back into my seat, my heart jumping into my throat as fear works through me.
I want to scream but it seems to be stuck and all I can do is watch as the world blurs around me, the car only gaining more speed every second. River throws the car through the gears, his hand wrapped around the wheel as he steers us around the first corner, only slowing a touch to get us through the bend safely.
He’s focused and determined and a quick glance in the mirror shows the other three cars in the race are at least three car lengths behind.
He takes another bend which throws my body toward him, my arm touching his and before I can right myself, his hand is on my thigh. He squeezes it gently before moving back to the stick, and I don’t know why but that touch, the slight caress eases the fear in me. My heart is still going a mile a minute but the terror I felt when he first pulled away has now been replaced by this bubbling excitement.
A laugh escapes me as he gains even more speed down a straight lane, the engine roaring with it. He turns to me, but I can’t see his face behind the dark visor of his helmet and it’s only for a second before he’s focusing back on the track, slowing to take the last bend before we cross the line to start another lap.
“Do it again,” I hear him say but when I turn to look at him, not understanding, he’s still facing the road.
“What?” I yell because I can barely hear myself think let alone talk.
“Laugh,” His throat bobs with a swallow, “Laugh again.”
My brows pull low in a frown, but I don’t get a chance to respond when he curses loudly, and a car overtakes him, cutting in front of us just before a corner.
“Shit,” He growls, “Hold on, princess.”
I reach for the handle above my head, eyes going wide as he pushes the car impossibly faster, trailing close to the now leading car and when we get round to the long straight, River wastes no time. He gets so close it seems as if the bumper is touching before he swerves the car to the left and overtakes him, the wheels skidding at the last corner.
River rights the car and we cross the line, the flag waving to show the race is over but River keeps the car moving.
“Where are we going?” I ask as he slows the vehicle and takes a dirt track I didn’t see before at the first corner. He doesn’t answer me, just keeps driving, trees swallowing us as we keep moving over the dirt road. Gravel crunches under the tires and branches snap, darkness swallowing us. The lights cut through it ahead, but I’m surrounded by such darkness outside the window, I can’t see much beyond the first line of trees. He takesthe car around a corner and an opening ahead catches my eye before he pulls us to a stop.
We’re on the brow of a hill, the forest behind us and ahead is the view of the town. Lights twinkle below and from this high you can’t tell which part of the town is which unless you really look. On the south side the lights are a little dimmer, a little more sparce and even from here, I can tell which property belongs to my father. It’s the brightest and biggest one.
It’s beautiful, nonetheless.
I reach for my helmet and pull it off my head, swiping at the tendrils of hair that fall across my face before I reach for the handle and climb from the car.
