Page 4 of Vicious Temptation

“I said I got this.”

AJ grips the dash and the handle above her head, but I don’t have time to worry about her. The Camaro edges closer again, lining up for another hit. I ease toward him, letting him think he has me.

“Do it,” I whisper.

He takes the bait.

Steel collides again, the impact shuddering through the car, but this time, I’m ready. I drop a gear and bury the throttle. The turbo screams as we surge through the narrowing gap, leaving the Camaro scrambling for space until it clips the barrier and sends sparks across the pavement.

AJ twists in her seat. “Oh shit, he hit it!”

Adrenaline rushes through me, and I let out a wild laugh.

“Yes!”

The city stretches out ahead, and the finish line is only a few turns away. I already know I won’t catch the cars in front of me, but beating that asshole should be enough to have me grinning the rest of the night.

It isn’t.

Some days, racing still gives me the same high it always has. Other days, I cross the finish line and wonder why I don’t feel a damn thing anymore. This is one of those nights.

I pull into the lot and kill the engine. Usually, AJ would already be replaying every corner I took. Tonight, she just sits there.

“You gonna tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Maybe the real question is what’s going on in yours?” she asks, turning to face me.

“Okay, you’re saying a lot without saying much. Spill it.”

AJ reaches over the center console and squeezes my hand. “Rem, I leave tomorrow, and I should be excited.”

“You should be.” I squeeze her hand back. “So what’s wrong?”

“I am excited. So damn excited.” She lets out a small laugh. “I just...feel guilty.”

I already know where this is headed, and I hate that she’s right.

“Val’s gone.” Her eyes find mine. “Now I’m leaving, too. And you’re going to be here by yourself.”

I force a smile.

“What? You think I can’t handle a bunch of overgrown men?”

She laughs.

“No. I know you’ll keep the guys in line.” Then her smile fades. “I just want to know you’ll be okay.”

Family has always meant something different to us. We grew up knowing the people we loved would do whatever it took to protect each other, even if it meant getting blood on their hands. There was never any judgment because none of us ever had to wonder who would be standing beside us when things went to shit.

Valentina and I have always been close, and despite the miles between us now, she’ll always be like a sister to me. As AJ got older, she and I naturally gravitated toward each other, too. Between late nights at my garage and weekends being reckless behind the wheel, she stopped feeling like my little cousin and became one of my closest friends.

The fact that my closest friends are also my cousins probably says something about my social life.

God, I really am that lame.

But trusting anyone outside my family hasn’t exactly worked out well for me.

“I’ll be fine,” I say, reaching into the glove compartment for my emotional-support lollipop. “You go to Spain and kick some ass.”