She drops her gaze to her hands that are picking at her nails. She’s been biting and picking at them more recently. I wish I could take away her pain and anxiety. She doesn’t deserve anything that’s happened to her. If it should happen to anyone, it should be me. I’m the evil bastard.
It’s almost time for us to head to the track, so I need to prep the Noire and ensure she’s ready to kick ass tonight. I’ve never lost a race, and I don’t plan to now. At this point, it’s not about the money, but my pride, and it’s the most the Vipers have ever bet. After the bullshit they pulled with Kelsey, I plan on taking those sorry sacks of shit for every penny they have.
The gravel crunches under the Noire as I drive usaround to the back of Hickory Speedway. This is where all our races have been held. It’s a smaller track, but we buy it out for all of our events. Since I started these races, I hired my own security. All tickets must be purchased by one of the squads personally. You can’t just show up and expect to pay your way in.
Tonight is supposed to be our biggest night. The grand total of tickets purchased over four thousand and bets made by fans is still going up, but the last count was almost two million dollars.
I pull through the back entrance and idle at my pit stop. Cory, one of my pit crew members, taps my hood. “You ready, bro?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Hayden’s Ferrari sits in the pit ahead of me. I see his arm hanging out the window with a lit cigarette. The smoke blows off in the cold winter air.
“This place is slammed tonight,” Kelsey says beside me as she leans closer to the windshield, eyeing the crowd.
“Yeah. Our biggest race yet.” I’ve never seen it like this before. Don’t get me wrong, we have a couple thousand attendees each race, but there are rows and rows of people all around the track. The stands couldn’t hold them all, so they have resorted to the grass areas and hills.
“I’ll be back,” I say to Kelsey before exiting the car. She exits too, although I expected she would stay in the warmth of the car until the race starts.
“I’m gonna go talk to Jessie.” She closes the door and meets me at the hood, standing on her tippy toes, shewraps her arms around my neck and presses a kiss to my lips. I grip her hips, pulling her closer. My tongue presses against her soft lips, and she parts them, letting me in. Her chapstick tastes like strawberries, and I’d gladly lick every bit of it off them.
I smack her ass when she pulls away and sprints off towards Jessie. Hayden tosses the cigarette out of the window as I walk up.
“You know what that shit does to your lungs, right?”
He chuckles, “And weed doesn’t?”
“It’s medicinal,” I quip.
He waves me closer with two fingers, “Anything feel odd to you about tonight?” He speaks low enough for only me to hear.
I look around at the booming crowd, and I spot the Vipers’ at their pit along with Russia, Mexico, and Spain’s squads at their stations. Nobody here is friends. We all come with one thing on our minds. Winning. They all know who wins every time, but they don’t leave empty-handed. They still take a participation percentage, and that’s what keeps them coming back for every event.
I don’t feel anything off, but for the Vipers to have placed that large a bet is a little suspicious. I’ve heard they’re a part of some Venezuelan mafia, but what squad here isn’t a part of something dirty? The Mexican squad is open about their mafia connections, which is why nobody really fucks with them. We all try to keep them on our good side for a rainy day.
Spain and Russia show up for their percentage and doonly God knows what in their downtimes. Nobody’s ever questioned it.
“Other than the Viper’s betting another steep ass bet they probably can’t afford? No.”
“How the fuck do they keep getting this kind of money? It doesn’t make sense.” I agree, but I’ve never asked, because that’s not my business. I’ll keep taking their money until they’re dirt broke and begging on the streets.
I shrug, “You got my back, tonight?”
“Hell yeah, let’s kick ass!” We fist bump, and I head back to my car.
I stop halfway and find Kelsey in the center of the track with Jessie. I wave her over, since the race is about to start. She runs over with a big grin on her face. Her cheeks and nose are red from the cold. I drape my arm over her shoulder and pull her into my side for some warmth.
“You ready?” She asks, beaming up at me through thick lashes with those big green eyes I love so much.
I smirk and wink at her, “As ever.”
I grip the steering wheel and rev the engine to warm her up while I wait for my cue to pull forward.
“Just stay behind me, man,” I speak through the helmet’s Bluetooth to Hayden.
“I gotchu, bro.”
I get the signal and merge into my lane, slowly rounding the track. The gunshot rings through the air, and I press the clutch while switching gears until I’m passing the other squads. I check the rearview to ensure Hayden’swhere he should be. The Noire vibrates as I reach max speeds.
