“He says his truck will do.”
I scoff, rolling my eyes, my voice laced with amusement. “Ha, that clunker doesn’t stand a chance.”
Roman scoffs at my comment, but a clunker is just what I need to get him out of the way. “I’ll be there shortly, see you soon.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you in a few.”
With that, she ends the call, and I take a deep breath in, holding back the tears that threaten to spill as I look to the car that lingers like death. Adjusting my mirror, I place the car in drive and go join Xena.
Chapter Six
Roman
“Ican’t believe you’re really doing this,” Xena says, lacing her fingers through mine.
Music blasts from every direction—basslines, screeching synths, and muffled traps. The air reeks of burnt rubber and oil. It’s… weirdly comforting. Controlled chaos. My kind of church. Not knowing what to expect, the thrill of the race has my body humming with anticipation. Who would have thought? From the corner of my eye, I catch a blue car rolling up.
The car’s two passengers are wearing neon Ghostface masks. The car seems awfully familiar, and once again, a feeling of dread wraps around me like a vice. Gentle hands squeeze my hands, and I realize the steel grip I have around the steering wheel.
“Ro, you okay?”
I nod, unsure of how to respond.
“You sure? You seem kinda out of it.”
My eyes remain on the car until I lose sight of it—it’s too much of a coincidence to see the car in Cedarvale and then again here. “This is going to be epic; we’ve never done anything like this.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. Feeling Xena’s free hand cup the side of my face, I lean into the touch, kissing the soft palm of her hand just as Tokyo pulls into the parking lot. Her neon green car sticks out like a sore thumb. She smiles as she notices us. Xena pulls her hand away as she waves at her friend, happy as a cucumber. Ever since I’ve been back and she’s been clean, it’s like the old Xena is beginning to resurface, trying to find her normalcy from before all the trauma.
I want to be there with her. I really fucking want to. But only one of us can afford the luxury of living in Lala land, and it isn’t me. Tokyo waves back, and something in my stomach churns. I don’t know what it is about this woman, but everything seems to happen too perfectly. The way they randomly met, how they clicked—it wasn’t that I didn’t believe in coincidences, but this seemed more like an invasion. However, I am tired of arguing with Xena about the matter. I just have to trust her. I just wish she trusted me with this.
Tokyo reverses her car into the parking spot beside us, one arm around the headrest of the passenger seat and the other one focusing on the wheel—a natural behind the wheel. Xena rolls the window down.
“He’s really racing with that clunker?”
I scoff under my breath, my knuckles tightening from my grip. “I’ll outrace you with this clunker.”
“Well, you’d better hope that you do,” she retorts with a smile. Xena’s hand lands on my thigh, a silent command not to engage.
“So, what’s the game plan?” Xena asks as she opens the passenger door and steps out. I follow right behind, needing to be close. Wherever she goes, I go. It’s my sick obsession, but she doesn’t mind, and well, neither do I.
Tokyo steps out, her hand tussling her blue locks as she scans the area. In prison, you learn a lot about people’s body language to survive, and her body is tense, almost as if it were holding its breath, waiting for something to pop off.
What has her so riled up?
“I arranged for us to race in the next round.” She looks down at the screen in her hand. “So, in like five minutes, we line up.” Xena wraps her arms around my waist. She’s so happy, and it’s hard not to enjoy the feeling because I’m too hyperaware. My entire body is built like an alarm system.
Waiting.
Watching.
Ready to jump into action to protect what’s mine.
The girls are chatting amongst themselves when my eyes catch a car sitting alone in the empty lot across from us. Something inside me rings an alarm through my body, but the moment I feel those arms squeeze around me, I’m pulled back from my paranoia.
“Hey, it’s time.”
“Already?”
