Grahm’s mouth is parted, and his lips twitch like he wants to say something but can’t find the words. Roman sets his arm over my shoulders, sending a shudder up my spine. My brows pinch together as I’m helplessly pulled away by Roman. Grahm just watches; he doesn’t intervene like I thought he would.
What did Roman mean by that? It sounds like they know each other a lot more than Grahm led me to believe. I have to bite my lower lip to keep my mouth shut. The last thing I want is to make this situation worse.
He drags me all the way back to his car, where someone my height and wearing the same hoodie is standing and waiting. I don’t get to see their face before I’m shoved into the passenger seat and the door is slammed in my face, but I’m betting that’s who he mistook me for.
I wrap my arms around myself, trembling, as I wait for him to get in on the other side. He says a few words to the person he thought I was, and they head toward the stands, where people are waiting for the race to begin.
Roman throws his door open and plops down, cursing under his breath as he starts the engine back up.
I try to open the door but it doesn’t budge, and I can’t find the lock. How the fuck do auto shop guys in the middle of nowhere get their hands on a car like this?
I try to make myself as small as I can, digging my nails into my leg to punish myself for being so stupid and allowing this to happen.
The silence of waiting for him to say something is worse than his blow-up last night. I’m leaned up as far as I can get against the door and watching him carefully.
He ruffles his hair with a frustrated breath, then shoots me a dirty look. “You’re in serious trouble, you little brat. Did I not scare you enough last night?” His eyes shift lower to my waist, and I hold back a scream as he leans over and grabs the seat belt. His scent drenches over me and a small, scared whimper escapes my lips as he clips the belt into place.
Roman’s face is a mere few inches from mine when he looks up at me, grinning despicably. “You think I’d bother touching someone as worthless as you?”
Okay, ouch.
He drops the e-brake and shifts his car into Drive, pulling us forward up to the line where the other cars are currently revving their engines. “You better hold on to something if you don’t want to smack your head. Although I wouldn’t be upset if you did, conniving brat.”
My hand quickly snakes around the door handle. “Who did you think I was? It’s not like I wanted to be dragged into a car with Satan’s right ass cheek.”
Roman rolls his eyes and flexes his jaw. “Believe it or not, we usually have a trusted co-rider in the car during our races. Mine happens to be a meek young woman who doesn’t whore around with my squad.”
“Dude, you have some severe mommy issues, don’t you?” I snap at him and instantly regret it when he glowers at me.
He takes one look at my stiffened state and sighs before shoving his helmet on.I don’t get one of those?I want to shake him and force him to let me out of the car, but the flag girl isalready walking out onto the runway and getting ready to wave it.
“If you try distracting me in anyway, I won’t hesitate to hurt you. My mission doesn’t include dancing around a dumb bitch,” Roman warns.
As if I thought I loathed him last night.
I fucking hate his guts.
I hold on to the designated handles for dear life as the flag girl waves the red cloth around and brings it toward the ground in one fell swoop.Wait, he said mission… What the fuck is that supposed to mean?—
Roman throws the stick into first gear and floors the gas pedal.
The song “Thunderclouds” by LSD comes blaring out of his speakers, it’s a remix that I don’t recognize, so my eyes flick down to the dash screen and it reads “Lost Frequencies Remix.” The cabin of the vehicle is soundproof and the speakers are top-of-the-line, so I can barely hear anything other than the music pulsing through my veins and the furious roar of the engine. The bass is so intense it vibrates my thighs and forces a mewl from my lips.
Thank God he can’t hear any of the embarrassing sounds I’m making. Not with how fucking loud it is in here and definitely not through that helmet he’s wearing. The G-force from the initial takeoff has my stomach in knots, and I can barely force my eyes up to the windshield to see the road.
I instantly wish I hadn’t. We’re going at least 100 mph on a dirt road, and a huge turn is coming up. Only one other car is head-to-head with Roman, and he’s not letting up on the gas at all.
I duck my head and scream as Roman rotates the wheel quickly all the way and the car starts drifting. Even above the music and my bloody-murder screaming, I can hear Romanfucking laughing at me. Honestly, I couldn’t care less if he’s laughing. I’m trying not to vomit up the two drinks I just had.
He straightens the wheel, and the car snaps back into full throttle. I look up, thinking the worst is over. That’s when the car head-to-head with us slams into the driver’s side. My head jerks and smacks against the passenger window.
The last thing I hear is that godforsaken asshole laughing before everything goes black.
7
BRIAR
A familiar voicestirs my mind back into the present.God, my head is killing me.
