Page 9 of Austin

“And I’m not showing you where I really live.”

He forcefully breathes out his nose and shakes his head. “Okay then. Here you are. I’ll see you around, Pyle.”

“Pyle? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Seems pretty fitting, considering how you got into my car in the first place.”

I take in a sharp, insulted breath. With a clench of my jaw and a grunt, I swing my door open and jolt out on wobbly feet. “Thanks for the ride, ‘Falcon.’”

You can sure as shit believe I threw in some air quotes.

* * *

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.” Eva dramatically holds out two hands as she takes in the story I just told her.

My purse and keys are in Beckett’s car, so I had to wake her up in order to get into our apartment.

“You raced in Falcon’s car? No one—and I mean, no one—has ever been in that car, let alone for a race.”

Now, it’s my turn to act completely shocked. “How do you know about Falcon?”

Eva and I have been friends for years and roommates for the last two. While her ability to know everything about everyone astonishes me, I wasn’t quite prepared for her to be well versed in the world of underground street racing.

“Remember that guy, Russell, I dated for, like, six weeks last summer? He used to go to those races. That Falcon guy is a legend.”

My eyes roll so far up into my forehead, I think they might freeze there. “I’m so sick of hearing about how he’s some god. That’s all Beckett kept talking about on the ride to that stupid race. Why is everyone obsessed with some douche in a Camaro?”

She climbs on my bed and sits on her knees, excited to tell me what she knows. “He’s so secretive about everything. Only a few people even know who he really is. I hear talk that he might be a famous actor or a politician’s son or something.”

“He’s not anyone I recognized.”

“You saw him?” she yells in disbelief. “No one has ever fully seen him. He hides under that hat and hood, so you can only get glimpses of his face.”

I pull my eyebrows together at how absurd that sounds. “Yeah. I demanded he take his ridiculous LUNATIC hat off, and I saw him clear as day.”

The bed shakes as she bounces up and down, eager for the info. “So, who is he?”

“I don’t know. Some prick who demanded I get in his car and threatened my life with his driving.”

“Stop it.” She hits my shoulder and then tosses her long black hair over her own. “You needed to be manhandled like that; don’t deny it.”

I let out a little groan at her. She’s right. I might have been scared while it was happening, but no matter how much I try to fight it, tonight was definitely the most exciting night of my life.

I close my eyes tight, only to relish the rush of sitting in that car, waiting for the flick of a flashlight to determine my fate.

When it went off, it was wild.

Terrifying and awakening.

My stomach dropped as Falcon took us from zero to sixty in what felt like a second, making my body ripple with fear. I gripped the seat, digging my fingernails into the worn leather. Every second had me praying for my life, yet when it was over, I had an odd sensation of loss. I’ve never been so terrified with so much adrenaline rushing through me. Everything in my body was on fire.

Yet, when he stopped, all I could think of was how to get out as soon as possible.

I’m a walking contradiction, and I blame Falcon.

My phone vibrates from my back pocket, making me open my eyes and pull it out. Beckett’s face fills the screen. Eva is staring at me with raised brows while pulling her hair back in a ponytail as I answer the call.

“Seriously, Beckett? I could be dead in a ditch by now,” I say as soon as I hit Accept.