“Race cars?”
“Yeah,” She laughs, “What else?”
“Why?” I ask, turning to them.
“Why not?” She shrugs, “For money, for thrill, for bragging rights, it was started by River and his brother, but it’s only River now.”
“Can anyone go?” I look back toward the track but we’re lowering back toward the ground and the view is disappearing.
“It’s not some secret society,” The girl answers, “Of course anyone can go.”
I look to Zara, ready to ask her if we should head there next but she’s already grinning and nodding her head.
Chapter Two
Ithrow the keys to my Barracuda to Jake who catches them with one hand and climbs into the driver’s seat, pulling away from the track so he can park it at the garage for the night while I head to the pop-up bar for a damn stiff drink. I won the race of course, but racing doesn’t help me anymore.
Ever since the fire I haven’t been able to rest. The flames may have been extinguished but it only continues to burn inside of me, and the scars on my body only remind me of that fact.
Lana, Jake’s sister works at the bar with her fiancé and grabs my order before I’ve even made it there. I take the shot first, letting the burn of the vodka work down my throat and into my stomach before I snatch up the beer and head toward the benches opposite the bonfire currently blazing at the edge of the track.
I rest my elbows to my knees and dangle the dark bottle from my fingers as I watch everyone around me. A new race is about to begin, and a makeshift dance floor has been set up now thatnight is upon us. It’s like this every night, crowded, loud, no matter the weather, come rain or shine, this place is always busy.
The thing about this community is that we are all close, we all know each other and while it’s not unusual for newcomers to come and go, there are a few that stand out. Just like the two girls wandering onto my track.
I’d usually pay them no mind; they’d be gone by the end of the night but there’s something about the blonde that has my attention. It’s not the fact that she’s gorgeous, the type of gorgeous you don’t see round here, tanned skin, blonde hair that looks like silk and a body begging to be explored, it’s more than that. I know her face, I know it only because of who her brother is.
She doesn’t belong here.
But here she is, a lamb in a wolf den. She has no idea how much trouble she’s just gotten herself into.
Jake throws himself down onto the bench beside me.
“Sick race, bro,” He downs half his beer in one go, “Thought I had you.”
I scoff, eyes still on the girl. Little Marly Winchester. She’s a good girl, or so I’ve heard, always following the rules, nothing but smiles and manners for anyone who comes her way. West Rocks precious sweetheart is certainly a long way from home.
“You weren’t even close,” I grumble to my friend, watching as a couple guys head toward her and her friend, a brunette who looks just as expensive, but I couldn’t give a shit about her.
Marly blinks at the guys, eyes wide and she looks to her friend for guidance. Holy shit, she really is out of her element.
“Who’s that?” Jake leans forward having seen my attention is elsewhere. “I don’t recognize her.”
Of course he doesn’t know who she is, why would he? It’s not like any of us pay attention to what happens up town, we read about the parties and the politics in the newspaper but they’re just a bunch of faces to us which is how it should be, it used to be like that for me too.
Until my brother died.
No one knows how the fire happened, but I do, and I’ve been holding onto that secret this whole time. Not out of choice but survival. Jake understands it was no accident, and he knows it has something to do with the Winchester’s.
“New around here,” I mumble. It’s not quite a lie, especially since I doubt this girl has ever stepped foot on this side of the tracks. “Perhaps we should go introduce ourselves.” I suggest.
“Looks like Ricky got there first,” Jake stands with me, draining the rest of his beer before he throws the bottle into the trash.
“Ricky can fuck off,” I take my drink with me as I push through the crowd, not stopping even when I’m spoken to. I ignore the pain in my scarring, I haven’t taken any pain meds since last night as they make me a little drowsy and I refuse to drive while on them. I’m feeling the lack of them now though.
Marly’s friend is talking when we finally make it over, but Marly is just wide-eyed, quiet, and looking everywhere all at once. Like a deer caught in headlights, she’s so far out of her depth it’ll be a surprise if she ever makes it back to the surface.
Her wide blue eyes catch on me as I stop at their group, framed by thick lashes and the color of the summer sky. Pretty pink lips part slightly and this close, I notice the light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. A real beauty.
