by Parker, Ali
Benji landed two hits on Sid before Mark stepped in and decked him across the jaw. The blow sent my brother reeling. He managed to catch himself and straighten up as Sid’s four goons fanned out around him like vultures.
It was far from a fair fight, but Benji didn’t seem to give a damn. His gaze was still trained on Sid, and I couldn’t recall for the life of me a time I’d ever seen him so angry. He went after Sid again.
The two of them slammed into each other and were locked in a tense battle that only lasted seconds. Ginny whimpered and pressed up tightly against me and the Jeep.
Where the fuck were Mason and Rick?
My brother went down on the gravel. The crowd gathered around us. Nobody tried to help him. So I launched forward to try to get to him.
One of Sid’s guys caught me around the waist and picked me up like I was a sack of potatoes. He put me down on the gravel and stood in my path, stopping me from getting to Benji, who was down on his side receiving kicks to the gut.
“Benji!”
Sid was laughing. So was Mark. The two of them converged on my brother who was now forced to cover his head and curl in on himself. They were taunting him. Cursing at him.
Benji tried to stand up when they backed down, but it was nothing more than a trap. As soon as he was on his hands and knees, they went for him again.,
I screamed for someone to help him. Anyone.
Nobody moved a fucking inch.
“You’re all cowards!” I screamed. My voice cracked. How dare they just stand there. How dare they think they were any better than Sid. My brother needed help, and no one was willing to give it. All because they were afraid of an asshole like Sid Paul.
I tried to weave around the guy who had picked me up. He was big. Over six feet easily with a thick black mustache and tattoos up his neck. I leaped at him, hell-bent on inflicting whatever damage was required for him to let me past. My nails caught in his skin, and he growled before throwing me backward hard enough to slam me into the Jeep.
Ginny shrieked. I went for him again. Anger pulsed through all my veins, and my vision tunneled in on the asshole in front of me. He was smirking.
Bastard.
I wound back to kick him in the balls. He blocked my foot with a sharp slap to my shin with the side of his hand. It hurt like hell, and I stumbled and pitched forward. I was no fighter. I was just a girl who waved a flag to start a race for a bunch of idiots who valued the title of victor more than their own lives.
I looked up, peering at the man above me through curtains of hair that had fallen loose from my ponytail.
“Is that all you’ve got, little girl?”
Benji was still down, grunting every time they kicked him. “Stop!” I yelled. “He’s had enough! Leave him alone!”
But they wouldn’t listen.
Then, all at once, everything changed. It was suddenly quiet. Sid stopped kicking my brother, and the man looming over me looked up, only to be struck so hard across the right cheekbone that it knocked him out cold. He fell heavily before me, his cheek split and bleeding, and I looked up as a man stepped over his motionless body.
Mason.
Chapter 27
Mason
“Bastard,” I growled.
Sid Paul was standing over Benji, who was cradling one arm across his stomach as he leaned over and spat blood out on the gravel.
Rick came to a skidding halt beside me.
Sid splayed out his hands, chuckling. “Well, look who showed up to the party.”
Rick cracked his knuckles. “I’ll hold them off. You get Sid. Deal?”
“I just need thirty seconds.”
“You’ve got them.”
“Deal.”
We didn’t need to exchange more words than that. As soon as I moved for Sid, all of his boys, including Mark, came at me.
Rick threw himself between us and fought dirtier than I’d ever seen him fight. He kicked groins and kneecaps, and I didn’t notice until I was stepping over Benji that he was laughing while he did it.
Sid lifted his fists to fight me.
But I wasn’t interested in a fight. I was interested in inflicting pain.
Sid swung first. His fist hurtled by my face, and I slid past it to grab the front of his shirt in one fist. I yanked him toward me and, at the same time, wound back. His forward momentum combined with that of my hurtling fist produced quite the impact. His nose broke beneath my knuckles, and he let out a shriek of pain as blood spewed out his nostrils and into his mouth.
I wasn’t even close to being done.
Sid fought back like the little scrapper he was when I didn’t release the front of his shirt. He dug his nails into my forearms and practically hissed like a cat as I wrenched him off his feet and took him down to his back on the gravel.
I was aware of Rick yelling at me to get the hell on with it. He was likely getting his ass kicked while I dealt out the beating Sid more than deserved. I held him down and waled on him. Sid tried to cover his face, but he was useless against me. That first hit had knocked him senseless, and I wasn’t giving him time to gain any of those senses back.
After the fourth strike to his jaw, I backed off but kept my right fist raised. “Tell your boys to back the fuck off,” I growled.
Sid sneered at me.
I shook him roughly. “Tell them!”
“All right!” He turned his head and spat a clump of blood onto the gravel. “Enough!”
His word settled the fight behind me. I heard Laina saying Benji’s name and assumed she had gone to him.
Sid smiled. I tightened my grip on his collar and pressed down, making him grimace. “You’d better still be fit to drive, you piece of shit,” I said.
Sid chuckled. It was a wet sort of sound. His nose was broken, and he looked like a fucking mess. “Get the fuck off me. I can race.”
I didn’t have time to stand up. His boys grabbed me by the arms and hauled me up. One of them, a particularly mean-looking guy with a skull tattoo on his shoulder, dealt me a punch to the gut and shoved me backward.
I stumbled and nearly fell but was caught by several people in the crowd, who pushed me up on my feet.
I put my back to them and faced Sid and his goon squad as Laina hovered over Benji. I locked eyes with her when she looked up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked scared. And furious.
Sid was getting to his feet. Mark offered to help him, but he swatted his hand away. Sid nearly pitched forward, but he steadied himself and lifted his glare to meet mine. “You’re full of surprises, Mason.”
“Didn’t expect to see me?”
Sid shook his head and licked blood from his lips. “We should have come back and driven into your fucking car to make sure you weren’t walking away from that fucking crash.” The crowd rumbled with angry whispers. Sid was oblivious to it. He moved forward and pointed his finger at my chest. “Mark my words, Mason. I’m not through with you yet. It’s gonna get worse for you. I swear it.”
I grinned. “Bring it on, Sid.”
The crowd began to whisper with excitement. Those in the front were passing word to those in the back of what was happening. This was my chance to let everyone know why I was here and what I was fighting for. I looked around at them all, eager faces, bright eyes, anxious breaths.
Sid spat more blood. “What the hell are you looking at, Mason?”
“Them,” I said simply, gesturing around at everyone looking at us.
“You always were an attention whore.”
I shook my head. “No, Sid. You’re missing the point.”
“Oh? Then what is the point?” He snarled as he came at me. Mark stepped between us and held Sid back. He knew Sid was in no shape to fight me. He was furious, sure, and that anger would make him slip up. Mark knew firsthand how ruthless I could be with my fists, and I had more than enough motive to turn Sid’s face into my own personal punching bag.
Shit. I’d do it just for kicks.
“The
point is, you’ve shown your hand, Sid. You’re a transparent, foolish jackass, and everyone knows it. Your time here is done.”
Sid threw his head back in manic laughter.
Laina was slipping under Benji’s arm and helping him to his feet. He staggered, and Rick went to her aid, sliding under his other arm. They walked him toward the Jeep and away from Sid and his band of not so merry men. I could hear Laina whispering to her brother that he would be all right, and I hoped Benji wasn’t too banged up. How long had the beating been going on before I got there?
“Let me guess, Mason,” Sid said as he began pacing back and forth. He commanded the attention of everyone in the vicinity. “Are you going to be the one to get rid of me?”
I smirked. “I’m here. Aren’t I?”
The crowd rippled with laughter. Sid narrowed his eyes at me. He was losing his edge, and he knew it. The crowd favored me. He was scum. Sid lifted his chin anyway. “All you do is make shit worse, Mason. You had it all, and you ruined it. You lost everything. It happened once, and it can happen again. I’ll make sure of it.”
A gentle pair of hands took my upper arm. I knew it was Laina without having to look over at her. She tugged my arm, guiding me back a step, and went to her tiptoes to whisper in my ear. “The race starts soon. Leave this nonsense and get to your car. Beat him on the street.”
Sid glared at her as she spoke to me. “You want to speak up, baby girl?”
I hated that he called her that—like he owned her.
Laina gripped my bicep tighter and glared icily at Sid. She didn’t utter a word.
Sid chuckled and ran his fingers over his forehead. “You and your women, Mason. What is it about you that brings out their crazy, huh? First Evelyn, and now this little number. When are you going to call it quits?”
Laina sighed. “Just leave it, Mason. He’s grasping at straws trying to rattle your cage.”
I knew she was right. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t working. I rolled my shoulders, and Sid’s gaze brightened with menace. He licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak, but another velvety voice spoke up first, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Gentlemen,” Evelyn said. She slipped through the crowd like a serpent and went to stand beside Mark. She traced a long fingernail across his shoulders and then down his arm to interlace her fingers with his. She lifted her dark eyes to me, and her red lips curled in a sensual smile. “Can we be done with the foul play for the evening? The little girl is right,” she tipped her chin to Laina, “the race is about to begin.”
Laina sucked in a breath. “Little girl?”
Evelyn’s eyebrows lifted a couple millimeters.
I wrapped an arm around Laina’s waist. “Come on. Like you said, they’re just trying to rattle us.”
“It’s working,” Laina grated.
I almost smiled. She was all fire and fight, and I loved that about her. She was my match in that sense, and it could get her into trouble. I had to keep a cool head for her sake, not mine. And Benji needed us to get him the hell away from these assholes.
I turned back to the others. Rick was opening the back door of the Jeep and helping Benji get inside. Ginny was already sitting in the back seat. She offered Benji her hand, and she pulled him up into the seat, where he rested his head against the back rest and grimaced with pain as he tried to find a comfortable position.
He was in bad shape. His right eye was swollen shut, his lip was split, and I was sure there would be bruises beneath his clothes from the beating he’d gotten. I should have gotten there sooner.
“Mason,” Sid growled from behind me as Laina and I moved toward the Jeep.
I turned back.
“You better watch your back,” Sid said.
Silence enveloped us. If someone dropped an earring or a pin or a Kleenex, you would have heard it hit the gravel beneath our feet. But nobody dropped anything, and the silence became even more deafening.
I was the one to break it. I gave Sid my best devil may care grin. “Keep squirming, Sid. I’m coming for you both, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. The Streets are mine. You hear me? Mine.”
The crowd cheered. Sid and Mark glared at me. Evelyn whispered something in Mark’s ear. I didn’t give a damn. Let them scramble and try to come out ahead. They would fail. I would make sure of it.
I stood at the back door of the Jeep. Benji cracked open his less swollen eye and peered at me. Blood vessels had burst in the whites of his eyes.
I rested a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry it took me so long to get to you, man.”
Benji smirked and winced when it cracked open the split in his bottom lip. “We put on a good show, didn’t we?”
“Sure did.”
Benji nodded over my shoulder. “You’d better go. Don’t worry. I’m all right. Just kick their fucking asses and don’t get yourself killed. You got me?”
“I got you.”
Chapter 28
Laina
I watched Mason close the back door of the Jeep as Rick slid into the driver’s seat. They paused to talk to each other in the open door, and Rick told Mason he would meet him at the finish line. Benji wasn’t capable of standing on his feet, so they were going to drive him to the end of the race, and as soon as Mason crossed the line, they would get the hell out of there before Sid and Mark got any other bright ideas to try to start a fight.
Mason nodded and slapped his hand on the frame of the Jeep. “Okay. I’ll see you in a bit. Lock the doors.”
Rick chuckled. “I don’t think we’ll need to take those precautions.”
“You have Ginny in the back seat. And Laina’s busted up brother. Just lock the damn doors.”
Rick rolled his eyes. “All right, all right. Good luck.”
“Don’t need it,” Mason said.
Rick closed his door, and Mason turned to me. “You still up for this, flag girl?”
I nodded.
“Good,” Mason said as he reached out and offered me his hand. “I like having you there at the start.”
I took his hand, and Mason pulled me through the thinning crowd to Kline’s Boxster. He opened the passenger door for me, and I slid in. He drove right to the front of the line and only had to honk at a few people to get out of our way.
Sid and Mark were each two cars back. Neither of them was in the vehicle but had gotten out to stand in their open doors, leaning over the hoods to talk to each other. I wondered if they were conspiring. Probably.
I looked down at my lap as Mason put the car in park. I had blood on my hands and jeans. Benji’s blood. I let out a little whimper and dragged my palms across the denim to get rid of the blood. It only sort of worked.
Mason reached out and put his hands over mine. “Hang in there. This will be over soon enough, and we’ll head back to my place and get you cleaned up. Okay?”
I nodded.
“Are you sure you’re up for this, Laina? Harley can ask someone else to start the race. You can go wait with your brother and Rick. I’m sure Ginny would be happy to—”
“No. I’m fine. I can handle this. It’s just a bit of blood.”
Mason patted my hands. “Sure. On that note, head’s up. Here comes Harley.”
Harley’s boots crunched on the gravel as she crossed the parking lot and then hit the street. Her hips swayed with every step, and she drew up short at my side of the car and then bent over as I rolled down the window. She rested her forearms on the window frame and looked back and forth between Mason and me. “Where the hell have you two been?”
“Sorry, Harley. Things got a bit messy. Had to take care of it,” Mason said.
She scowled at him. “I don’t give a damn what happens off the track. The others drivers have been ready to go and I’ve kept them waiting for your ass.” She opened the car door and wiggled her fingers at me to get out. “Are you coming or not, flag girl? You’ve got a job to do.”
I turned to Mason. “Please, don’t do anything stupid like las
t week.”
He gave me a crooked smile. “No promises.”
“You’re such an ass. Why can’t you just say what I want to hear?”
Mason reached out and cupped my cheek. He ran his thumb along my jaw and looked deeply into my eyes. “I won’t do anything stupid like last week.”
My breath caught in my throat. He was so close. I could smell him. I could feel his warmth radiating off him. I was aware of Harley impatiently waiting for me to get out of the car. The toe of her boot was tapping on the asphalt. But I just needed a minute.
Not even.
I leaned in and gathered the front of his shirt in my hands before drawing toward him for a deep, slow kiss. He held my face in his hands as I moaned softly into his mouth. When we parted, Mason pressed his thumb to my bottom lip and looked at my mouth as he spoke. “After you wave the flag and the last car leaves, go meet up with your brother and the others. Don’t hang around on your own. Okay?”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“I will,” he said. I didn’t believe him. He’d only said the words for my benefit.
“Come on, lovebirds. Get this over with,” Harley barked behind me.
I slid out of the car and closed the door behind me. Neither Mark nor Sid said anything to me as they got back into their cars. Harley pushed the red flag into my hands and marched off the track to wait at the sidelines as I found my red X on the pavement.
I distanced my feet shoulder-width apart. I wondered what I looked like, standing there with a red flag, my thighs smeared with blood. It didn’t matter.
I lifted the flag over my head. The engines roared. Mason’s headlights flicked on.
I could feel the vibration of the power of the cars beneath my feet. It traveled up my legs and through my bones. I savored the moment, relishing the sound, the vibration, and the cool night air against my face. The calm.
Don’t die, I thought as I dropped the flag.
The cars launched forward. Mason took the lead quickly, and I turned in place as the last of them blew past me to watch as they sped off into the night.