Outracing Demons: The Streets Series

by Parker, Ali

  We drove for a few minutes before we reached the familiar warm light of the city streets. Other cars cruised by us at moderate speeds, and Mason effortlessly wove around the slower vehicles.

  “I’m sorry,” Mason said suddenly.

  I looked over at him. He had his left hand resting on top of the steering wheel while his right was on the shifter. “Sorry for what?”

  “You know. Sid and Mark and all their bullshit. They scared you tonight. And I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “It’s a little bit my fault.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “How do you mean? It’s not on you that Sid is a complete sociopath.”

  Mason chuckled. “Perhaps not, but it is on me that he acts out the way he does. It’s because he hates me so much. And I provoke him on purpose because I enjoy it. But I’m putting you and others at risk when I do that shit. I’m sorry. I just can’t help it sometimes.”

  I shrugged. “I’ve been known to poke the bear too. Sid makes it too easy.”

  We came to a stop at a red light. “You’re not afraid of him?”

  “I don’t know. A little. Yes.”

  “Which one is it?” Mason asked, a note of amusement coloring his voice.

  I paused and picked at the same loose thread at the knee of my jeans I’d been playing with earlier. “Yes. I’m afraid of him. And Mark.”

  Mason nodded.

  “But that has nothing to do with you. It has to do with them and how they treated me before this whole mess started. I’ve always been on Sid’s radar. Unfortunately.”

  “But it’s gotten worse since you and I started, you know…” he trailed off as the light turned green and we started moving again.

  “Do I?” I asked.

  He glanced at me and caught my grin. It made him smile too. “I was hoping you’d clarify for me. I’m a little lost, to be honest.”

  I giggled. “You? Mason Thomas, the Street King? Lost?”

  Mason laughed and shook his head. “Don’t go getting caught up in that shit. Stupid titles and whatnot.”

  “I won’t. Don’t evade the question. What do you want us to be?” My question hung between us like an invisible tripwire.

  “Honestly?”

  “Of course.” My heart started pounding faster. My palms were slick enough to have been incapable of holding onto anything.

  “I want to keep doing what we’re doing. I want to get to know you better. And I want to put this race behind us so we can move forward.”

  “I’d like that,” I said. My voice sounded thin in my ears. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting. Maybe I thought it would have been reasonable for him to ask me out officially. To suggest we go steady. But this was the same thing, wasn’t it? Just without the labels. I could do that. Surely, I could.

  We stopped for booze at a store down the street from Mason’s house. While we were there, I picked up Tylenol in case Mason ran out soon along with some bandages. I’d noticed Mason’s split knuckles in the car and wanted to wrap them for him. I was sure Benji and Rick would have the same problem—among others. Benji most of all.

  Afterward, we got back into the car and finished the drive home. The lights were on, and the Jeep was in the driveway when we got back to Mason’s. We went inside and found the others in the living room.

  Benji was sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed. He had an ice pack over his swollen eye but cracked open his good one when he heard us come in. “What took you two so long?” he asked sharply.

  Rick stood up from his place on the opposite sofa beside Ginny and took one of the bags from Mason’s hand. He peered into it and pulled out a bottle of tequila while saying, “I bet they were, you know, celebrating.”

  I scowled at Rick. “We got stopped by Sid, you jerks. There was no funny business. We stopped to get drinks and some medical stuff for your busted ass. You’re welcome.”

  Benji frowned. Well, I thought it might have been a frown. His face was looking a lot puffier than usual, and it was hard to tell. “Sorry, sis. Headache.”

  “It’s all right.” I sighed. Then I motioned for Mason to sit down beside Benji. “Sit. I’ll wrap your guys’ knuckles.”

  “Tequila first,” Rick said as he unscrewed the top of the bottle we’d brought. He didn’t bother to get shot glasses. He sipped it straight from the bottle and then passed it to Ginny, who stared at it for a minute before doing the same. Rick’s eyebrows crept up his forehead as his mouth curled with an impressed smile. “Look at you, girl.”

  Ginny blushed, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and then held the bottle up for someone to take. Mason took it off her hands and took two big swigs before passing it to Benji, who indulged in four. It made sense. He was probably in a lot of pain.

  Then he held out the bottle to me. I took three big gulps before catching the cap Rick tossed at me and screwing it back on. Then I sat down on the floor and opened the shopping bag to pull out medical tape and bandages for wrapping. All three men let me wrap their hands. When I got to Mason’s, I noticed the scars on his knuckles from previous fights. But I didn’t say a word.

  The tequila bottle continued to be passed around. Mason told us the highlights of the race. We recounted the events of the fight with Sid and Mark and told the others about how he tried to stop us from leaving the track.

  “Seems weird that he’d back off so quickly,” Rick said.

  “That’s what I thought,” Mason agreed.

  I looked back and forth between them. “Do you think something’s up with them?”

  Mason nodded and took a sip from the bottle. He passed it to me, but I shook my head. My body was already tingling pleasantly. My thoughts were still my own and made sense, but there was a soft fuzziness that told me I was definitely buzzed. “Something’s always up with them,” he said.

  “I mean more so now than usual?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe.”

  I looked around at everyone. “I realize this probably isn’t what people want to talk about, due to, you know, awkward histories. But I feel the need to say that Evelyn showing up the way she did was weird tonight. Right? What was she playing at? And why did Sid and Mark listen to her like they were her loyal lapdogs?”

  “Because they are,” Rick said simply.

  “How do you mean?” I asked.

  Rick glanced at Mason as if asking for permission to continue discussing his ex-wife. Mason didn’t say anything, so Rick carried on. “Mark’s had a thing for Evelyn ever since she and Mason started dating. When she went to him, it seemed like they were on a level playing field, but as time went on, it became clear that one of them was calling the shots. And it wasn’t Mark.”

  I blinked and looked at Mason. “Do you think Evelyn’s the one who wants you out of the race and getting Sid and Mark to do her bidding?”

  Mason shrugged. “Possibly.”

  “Doesn’t this bother you?” I asked.

  Mason took the tequila from Ginny after she took a sip. He drank it like it was water before passing it to Rick. Mason looked me in the eye. “I don’t really give a damn anymore, Laina. I’m done thinking about her and trying to figure her out. She wasted enough of my time already. If she’s the one calling the shots, then that just means she’s going down with them.”

  I caught Rick looking at his brother. We shared a quick glance, and I could see the same concern in him that I felt in my soul. Was Mason just saying this, or did he really mean it? If it came down to it, would he really be able to turn his back on the woman he used to love?

  If he couldn’t, what did that mean for him? And what lengths was Evelyn willing to go to in order to close that chapter of her life?

  Chapter 31

  Mason

  My hangover wasn’t as bad as I’d been expecting when I woke up on Sunday morning. Laina was asleep beside me, curled up on her side facing the window. She had the blankets all wrapped up around her legs to such an extent that I had no idea where she ended an
d the blankets began. Getting out of bed would be difficult for her.

  I didn’t want to wake her. She’d had a long night, having had to deal with Sid, watch her brother get his ass kicked, and handle the adrenaline rush of waiting for me to cross the finish line. It was a lot of stress for a person to bear, and she never showed a single crack in her foundation.

  Well. Maybe a little. But I couldn’t blame her for that.

  We’d all cut loose after really getting into the tequila last night. Before I knew it, the stereo was cranked and both Laina and Ginny were dancing in my living room while the three of us boys drank and talked about cars.

  Of course, I was only indulging Benji in the conversation so he didn’t notice me checking out his sister the whole time.

  Then, around three in the morning, Benji had passed out on the sofa. Rick and Ginny slipped away to the guest room, and I gathered Laina up in my arms and put her to bed in my bedroom. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, and I’d held her in my arms while I drifted off too.

  I couldn’t think of a better way to the end the night, and nothing made me feel like more of a winner than having her asleep in my arms.

  By early afternoon, everyone was stirring. Laina and Ginny went out to do some shopping and have some girl time, and Benji, Rick, and I stayed at my place shooting the shit.

  Rick nodded his chin at me when I dropped onto the sofa beside him. “So what’s your plan for next Saturday? You still going to race Kline’s car?”

  “If he’s open to it. Yeah.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if Sid and Mark show up with new wheels,” Benji said.

  I had thought about that too. It was unlikely they’d come out to play in the same cars they’d been racing in the qualifying races. Chances were, they’d show up in something faster—especially after they saw the way the Boxster performed. They would have to step up their game if they stood any chance of beating me. “They can try to find something to outdrive me, but we all know they’re going to fail. I’m not interested in playing games with them. I want to beat them. Nice and clean. No cutting corners. That way I can really rub their faces in it.”

  “And the truth comes out,” Rick chuckled, slumping back in the sofa.

  “Can you blame me?” I asked.

  Rick shook his head. “Not even a little bit. I can’t wait to see their sorry faces when they lose.”

  “I second that,” Benji said.

  “It’s been a long time coming,” I said.

  Benji looked like he was about to say something when the front door opened, and Laina and Ginny came in. They had bags in their arms and were giggling about something one of them had said. They came into the living room, and I looked Laina up and down. She was wearing skintight black leggings and a loose gray top that covered her ass. I wished it didn’t. She looked hot as hell and had no makeup on, save for a swipe of pink gloss on her lips. Her brown hair was up in a high ponytail that was full of curls.

  “Ladies,” Rick said as he rolled to his feet. “It looks like the two of you had a lucrative shopping venture.”

  “Stop trying to impress Ginny with your big words, you bastard,” Benji said sourly.

  Ginny turned bright pink as Rick scowled at Benji.

  Laina giggled at them and caught my eye. I nodded at the bag. “What did you get?”

  “Oh, just boring stuff. You wouldn’t care.”

  “Tell me.”

  Laina blinked. “Okay. I bought a dress.”

  “It looks stunning on her,” Ginny said with an enthusiastic nod. “Show him.”

  “He doesn’t care about a stupid dress, Gin,” Laina started to say.

  “Show me,” I said.

  Laina bit her bottom lip and watched me for a moment. Then she opened her bag and withdrew something royal blue and silky. It caught the light from my ceiling fan, and it almost made the fabric look wet. She let it fall open and held it up for me.

  I’d never been a man for fashion, so I had no idea what to look for in this dress. All I knew was the color would look good on her, and it would show a lot of leg. So I did what any reasonable man would do. “What sort of occasion would you wear a dress like that on?”

  Laina shrugged and looked at it. “I don’t know. I guess I’d have to have somewhere nice to go. I wasn’t going to buy it, but I just loved it so much that I—”

  “Go put it on.”

  “Sorry?” she asked. Ginny was smiling beside her, already catching on to what I was doing.

  “Go put it on. I’d like to take you out for dinner.”

  Benji groaned from where he was draped over the sofa. “The hits just keep coming.”

  Rick laughed at Laina’s brother’s expense and told him to shut up. “You’re ruining the moment.”

  “So what do you say?” I asked Laina, who had turned the brightest shade of pink I had ever seen on a woman before. It was adorable.

  She nodded. “I would love that. Just give me some time to get ready, okay? Gin, you want to get ready with me?”

  “Of course I do,” Ginny gushed.

  Both women hurried up the stairs to my bedroom, where we could hear their giggling for the next half hour as Laina got ready. Benji never said anything besides his one comment about me asking his sister out formally, and I knew he would get past it.

  He had to because I wasn’t going to cease my pursuit of her. I knew a gem when I saw one, and women like Laina Harris did not come around often, especially not when you lived a life like mine.

  I had to go upstairs at the half-hour mark to get ready, and Ginny flitted out of the room like a little bird. I found Laina in my bathroom looking at her reflection and leaned up against the doorframe. “It was made for you.”

  Laina smiled at me in the reflection of the mirror. “I’m glad you like it. You may or may not have been on my mind when I bought it.”

  I went to her. She turned to me and put her hands flat on my chest. “It’s about time we did this, right?”

  Her nose scrunched up a little. She was confused by my question. “Did what?”

  “Went on a real date. Took another step.”

  She smiled. She was so beautiful when she smiled like that, when it touched her eyes. “Yes. It’s time. I’ll meet you downstairs?”

  I nodded, and she slipped out of my grasp.

  “Don’t take too long, Mason,” she called as she disappeared.

  I didn’t take long at all. I was eager to get to my girl, whisk her away to a fancy restaurant, and spoil her all night long. It was the least I could do for the woman who had thawed my frozen heart.

  * * *

  The restaurant we went to was one of the top Italian destinations in all of New York City. The tables were adorned in crisp white tablecloths and napkins, which our waiter swished off the table, flicked open, and draped over our laps for us as soon as we sat down. Water was served on ice in a wine glass, and the table was set for a five-course meal with too many cutlery options for me to make sense of.

  Laina seemed at ease in the place. She smiled at the waiter, pronounced everything on the menu properly, and helped guide me through my order with admirable patience. When our food arrived, I was pleased to see I’d ordered a normal lasagna. Laina had a creamy seafood pasta of sorts, and we both ended up eating off each other’s plates. We each had one glass of wine, our heads still a little fat from the night before, and then we sipped on our ice waters instead.

  After dinner, we ordered a decadent chocolate mousse dessert, which was served under layers of fresh berries and whipped cream.

  Laina took the first bite. I watched her in awe as her eyes closed and she savored the treat. “Oh my God,” she breathed. “Why is chocolate so good?”

  I took a spoonful as well. It was rich and sweet and melted in my mouth. “This is the best dessert I’ve ever had.”

  “Me too,” she said, going in for another bite and then another.

  I liked that she wasn’t shy in front of me. She was
completely herself—at least, I was pretty sure she was. I’d been tricked into thinking I knew Evelyn too. But I’d always known my ex-wife had a bit of darkness in her soul. Laina was Evelyn’s complete opposite in every way. There was nothing lurking under the surface, no ghoul waiting to devour my heart and my will and leave me as nothing but a shell of the man I used to be.

  Laina was kind.

  And she looked incredible in her blue dress. It hugged all the right places of her body and flowed away from her waist. The fabric was thin and light and moved around her legs as she walked, dazzling me with every step she took. It cut low in the front and the back and showed off her lean, tanned arms and legs.

  I had to mentally catch myself from gawking at her with my mouth hanging open.

  I paid the tab once we were done and tipped our waiter well. He was appreciative and held out Laina’s coat for her after she stood up. She thanked him, and the two of us walked arm and arm out of the restaurant toward my old Challenger parked at the curb. It was forest green with chrome mirrors and details and had taken me a long time to restore.

  I unlocked and opened the passenger door for Laina, but she stayed on the curb, smiling coyly at me. I arched an eyebrow. “What’s that look for?”

  “Can I drive your car?”

  I laughed, reached into my pocket, and tossed her the keys. “Don’t tell your brother.”

  “It’ll be our little secret,” she said before she ran around the front of the car and unlocked the driver’s side.

  Chapter 32

  Laina

  Mason was watching me as I put the seat belt on and gripped the steering wheel. I stretched out my left foot to find the clutch, which I couldn’t push down all the way due to my and Mason’s height difference.

  “I don’t mind if you adjust the seat,” he said.