by L. N. Pearl
Now, I only cared about one woman and had no interest in any others.
When had that happened? Who was I anymore? Usually I was surrounded with women hanging off of me. Now, I didn’t care about any of them. I just wanted her.
She looked nervous. I knew she would be, after what she saw the last time. I tried to tell her I’d be fine, and she pretended to believe me.
She stared at me…intently, like she was willing me to win and be safe. I hoped it worked.
She warned me against Marco too, as if I needed such a warning.
“As long as that asshole doesn’t try anything like he did last time, I’ll be okay,” I said.
Just then, he appeared out of nowhere. I had gotten used to the way he sneered when he looked at me. He was just trying to fuck with my head, to throw me off.
He had to use every trick he had, since he was a shitty rider.
“Him, I remember,” Maggie said. She sounded like she already hated him as much as the rest of us did.
“Don’t pay any attention,” I warned them. Especially Trinity.
She was practically vibrating. I knew Marco was looking at her, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of starting a fight.
“Wow, I’m surprised you got that piece of shit fixed in time for the race,” Marco said. “I thought you wrecked it when you fucked up in our last one.”
“When I fucked up. That’s hilarious.” I smirked.
“You’re supposed to be such a great rider. You tell me how you lost, then. You must have fucked something up. Or maybe you’re not as good as you think you are.”
“I gotta say, you have some seriously big balls.” I laughed. “You have the nerve to cheat to win, and then bring it up and rub it in a guy’s face. Or maybe you’re just fucking stupid. If you weren’t, you’d let it go, and you for damn sure wouldn’t be bragging about it.”
“I’m not bragging…because I didn’t cheat. I don’t need to.”
“You’re a fucking coward who can’t win without playing dirty,” I spat.
I stared him straight in the eye, and he looked away first. Like I knew he would.
“I don’t play dirty, I play smart.” He walked away with his crew, and all I could do was shake my head.
Trinity kissed me and ran off with Maggie, to meet me at the finish line.
I did a few last-minute checks on the bike. I wondered in the back of my mind whether Drake was around somewhere. I reminded myself he wasn’t my priority right now.
Winning the race was. I was sure he was around somewhere, anyway. I didn’t care anymore.
Then it was time to start.
Marco pulled up at the starting line, across from me. I didn’t look at him. All I saw was the finish line.
All I had to do was focus on getting there first. I saw myself winning, just like I did before every race. I would cross first. I would get the money. It would all work.
Then we were off.
I pulled out in front with no trouble. The road was fairly empty, like even strangers knew to stay away during the race with Marco.
I stayed cautious, though. I couldn’t let myself think I was winning just because I was in front of him, not like last time. I kept my eyes out for any tricks he wanted to pull.
Still, it was going well. I was way out in front. The finish line got closer. I was halfway there.
Then, out of nowhere, I was surrounded by other bikes. There were five of them—one in front, two on each side. I couldn’t get around them, I couldn’t get through them.
They had me trapped.
Fuck! So this was how he was gonna do it this time. I recognized at least one of the guys from Marco’s crew. He was so obvious, it was sad.
They were slowing down, forcing me to slow down with them. I could have screamed. I had to do something—especially when I saw Marco pass me.
I swerved, hoping one of them would swerve away from me and give me space to get through. It didn’t work.
I got desperate. I pulled up close to one of the bikes and kicked out at it. The rider lost control and crashed on the side of the road.
I pulled through that hole and screamed past the rest of them. They couldn’t catch me.
But I had to catch Marco, and he was getting closer to the line. I had to get him.
I went faster and faster. I saw Marco look back at me. He was shocked—he didn’t think I’d be able to catch up so fast. Pussy.
“Come on, baby!” I yelled, urging the bike to go faster.
The line was flying up to meet me.
And I crossed, just a second before Marco did.
Chapter 7 - Trinity
It felt so good to be behind the wheel of my car again. It was running better than ever, thanks to the work Tyler did on it—for rock-bottom prices, too. I wasn’t going to complain about that.
Maggie sat in the passenger seat, a change of pace from the way she’d been hauling me around for weeks. We were on our way to the race.
“Stop acting like you’re so experienced,” she laughed at one point, as we drove to the field. “You’ve been to a total of one race.”
“I was only trying to tell you what to expect. I mean, if you’d rather I let you walk into it with no idea…”
She laughed. “I think I can take care of myself. Don’t worry about it.”
Her face told a different story once we pulled through the crowd and parked. As she climbed from the car, her jaw was hanging open.
Her eyes were wide, darting back and forth like those of a scared animal. It was sensory overload, I knew, having experienced it myself.
“Real smooth,” I said, motioning to my own jaw. She closed her mouth, but still looked stunned.
“I had no idea it was like this!”
“I know!” I laughed. “I thought the same thing!”
“How long has it been going on?” She marveled at the bikes and cars, some of them really fancy.
“I have no idea,” I admitted. “But the cops hate it. My dad has it out for them...big surprise there.”
I tried to think of him as little as possible. It wasn’t as though I had to give him the cold shoulder, either—we were barely speaking even before Tyler came over.
Maggie laughed. “Wow, they act like it’s some sort of festival!”
She was right—that was the word for it. Music, dancing, beer, and the main event…a death-defying race.
A bunch of people, living it up as much as they could for as long as they could. The riders among them could be dead by the end of the night, or seriously injured. They were soaking up everything around them.
It was how they lived…right on the edge.
There were even more people here than I remembered seeing for Tyler and Marco’s first race. Word must have spread over Marco’s cheap win the last time around.
Now, the entire racing community and their friends wanted to see how the rematch would go. I wanted to see it, too.
There was an almost palpable excitement in the air. We all knew we were about to see something big, no matter who won.
“As long as Marco doesn’t pull any tricks this time, Tyler will win for sure,” I murmured, as we made our way through the crowd. “You should have seen how fast he went last time. It was no contest.”
“So why don’t you look more confident?” Maggie asked.
I blushed…embarrassed. I had been trying to put on a brave front, to show her I wasn’t afraid.
Really, all I could do was remember the way my heart leaped when I saw Tyler slide out during the last race. I didn’t think I could handle that again.
“I want to think positive thoughts. Okay?”
She shrugged good-naturedly, and we explored the party.
Soon, we made it over to where Tyler sat parked on his motorbike. He was deep in conversation with somebody else, so Maggie and I hung back.
Maggie tugged on my arm. “Holy jeez! That’s Tyler?”
“Yup,” I said, glowing with pride. I knew Maggie well
enough to know she was salivating over him.
“Holy crap. I had no idea. I mean, you said he was gorgeous, but I didn’t think he was drop-dead gorgeous! No wonder you couldn’t stay away from him! The body, the face, those eyes…”
“Down, girl,” I laughed. “He’s mine…find your own man.”
He wasn’t mine, not really, but I knew Maggie would understand what I meant. It was nice hearing her appreciate him the way I did.
“Does he have a twin brother? An identical twin brother?”
I laughed. “No such luck. A four-year-old sister, though.”
“Just my luck,” she pouted, then stood on tiptoe to look over the heads of the crowd.
“Is Drake here? Have you seen him?”
I grimaced. “No. Trust me, I’d tell you if I saw him. And you’d be able to spot him yourself anyway. Just follow the trail of phlegm on the ground.”
“Oh gross, Trinity.”
“It’s true. He is nothing if not disgusting.”
I looked around to see if I could spot him anywhere. “I don’t think he and Tyler have spoken since Tyler asked him about his involvement with Angela. He said it seems like Drake knows something.”
“So ask him yourself!”
“I know, that was my first instinct, too. But Tyler made a good point. If he wouldn’t tell Tyler the truth, why would he tell me? And if he’s guilty, I don’t want to tip him off that I know. We need some proof to get him to talk. I just don’t know what that will be.”
I’d been thinking about it all week, and I kept coming up empty. There had to be some way to scare Drake into fessing up.
I refused to believe he wasn’t involved, not after what Tyler told me. Between that, and just seeing the man with my own two eyes, I wouldn’t put anything past him.
When Tyler was free, I took Maggie over to meet him. She was a little tongue-tied, which cracked me up.
Maggie was usually the most confident person I knew, and once she set her sights on a man there was no hope for him. Tyler turned her into a giggling teenager.
When we could speak quietly, I told him how nervous I was—I wasn’t afraid to admit it to him.
“Please, please, be careful.”
I stared hard at him, wanting him to know how special he was to me. I didn’t know what I would do without him.
It had been hard enough seeing him crash at the first race, when we hadn’t done anything more than kiss and barely were acquainted. Now, I felt like my world revolved around him.
“I’ll be just fine,” he said, stroking my cheek in that special way.
My knees went weak. How could he do that to me, with just the simplest touch?
“You just stay away from Marco, okay? He’s gonna try to mess with my mind, and that might mean messing with you, too. I swear to God I’ll kill the fucker if he tries anything with you again.”
As if he heard us, Marco appeared.
“Him, I remember,” Maggie muttered darkly, as he and his crew walked past. He was getting ready for the race, too.
I wished he’d crash into a tree. He was no good. He exchanged words with Tyler, and I noticed the way he kept glancing at me.
I hated him, the way he looked at me like we had a secret. We had nothing between us. He would never touch me again.
The race was about to begin so Maggie and I ran for the finish line. I definitely wanted to be there when Tyler crossed first.
I prayed every prayer I knew, asking that Tyler would stay safe and actually win this time. I knew how much the money meant to him, that he needed it for Gigi.
Plus, his pride was at stake. As for me, I wanted to see Tyler wipe the ground with the loser.
They were off. The crowd started screaming, cheering like mad. I craned my neck at the finish line, praying, begging God to let Tyler win and be safe.
Please, please, please…
“Look at that!” Maggie screamed, pointing to the bikes that suddenly surrounded Tyler. “The fucking cheater!”
She was right. It was no coincidence that a handful of bikes were suddenly boxing Tyler in, while Marco sped ahead.
My heart sank. He was going to lose again. And it was such an obviously dishonest ploy, too.
Then, something wild happened. I couldn’t tell how, but one of the bikes slid out of formation and crashed.
Tyler must have used the distraction to pull ahead of the others. There was no chance of them catching up to him once he hit full speed.
“Come on, Tyler!” I screamed, jumping up and down, willing him to beat Marco.
He was gaining on him. My heart was racing as fast as the bikes. Closer…closer…they were nearing the finish…closer…
“Yes!” I shrieked, along with Maggie. She was jumping up and down, screaming her head off for Tyler.
We hugged, jumping together, then I took off at a run for Tyler’s bike. I was elated, overjoyed, and so proud.
I pushed my way through the crowd and threw myself into Tyler’s arms. “You were amazing!”
I was near tears, it was so thrilling. He kissed me, and for a moment, the entire crowd faded into the distance and it was only the two of us.
Not for long, unfortunately.
I heard booing, and we broke the kiss to see Marco and his crew passing by.
I knew then, without a doubt, that it was his guys who had tried to block Tyler. They looked like scared little kids who knew they were going to get it from dad when they got home.
“What happened out there?” I asked. “I could hardly see from where we were standing.”
Tyler shook his head. “I don’t even wanna talk about it. Besides, it’s not important. I won. That’s what matters.”
Marco laughed. He must have overheard. “You got lucky, punk,” he snarled.
“Luck? Yeah, lucky I made it through your little trap,” Tyler fired back.
“Trap? Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t need to trap you.”
I was seething, seeing red. I had never felt such hatred for another person before.
“Fuck off, loser!” I yelled. I heard cheers from around me. It was clear Marco was not a fan favorite.
He looked just as hateful toward me. His eyes burned into me, and I felt my skin crawl. He sneered.
“You’re tougher than your sister,” he said, with a smug smile.
The world stopped for a second. “What?”
“Don’t listen to him,” Tyler warned, pulling me away. “Don’t let him get in your head.”
It was too late. He was there already.
“Did you know my sister?” I asked.
How the hell? Why would Angela have anything to do with that piece of human garbage?
He was still smiling, and I wanted to claw his eyes out for it. My fingers hooked into claws, ready to do the job.
“Why don’t you tell her what your best friend did to her sister? Or are you afraid to, because you know she’ll hate you for it?”
I lunged for him, but Tyler held me back. “What did he do? Tell me!”
“It’s not my place,” he shrugged. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
“No! If you know, tell me! Now, dammit!”
I reached for him, wanting to get just a piece of him. Anything to make him hurt the way he was hurting me.
He didn’t say anything. All he did was look at me, then at Tyler. He laughed coldly, then, and walked away.
As soon as he was out of my sight, I started trembling and was glad I had Tyler to hold me up.
Otherwise, I would have sunk to the pavement, screaming in frustration and rage.
Chapter 8 - Tyler
I wanted to murder Marco right there in front of everybody. I didn’t care how many witnesses there were. It would have been worth it.
I was holding Trinity back, then holding her up. She was collapsing.
Maggie put an arm around her shoulders, saying, “Sweetie, it’s all right. They’re just words. He’s an asshole, and he’s probably pissed that you turned him
down before.”
“She’s right,” I said. “Plus, he wanted a fight with me. He wanted to piss me off enough to fight him. He tried to do it before the race, too. Honestly, I don’t know why he would. I’d fucking kill him, the scrawny bitch.”
“He’d probably have his crew jump you,” Maggie suggested.
She was right. Our eyes met over Trinity’s head, and I nodded.
“You have to calm down, Trinity. He can’t hurt you. He’s full of shit so just forget him.”
I knew she wouldn’t, just like I wouldn’t. My jaw clenched against the words I really wanted to say.
My hands were curled into fists, dying to make contact with that asshole’s face. He was a cheat and a coward, and he used Trinity to fuck with me. I couldn’t have hated him more.
There was one more thing…I knew he was telling the truth. At least, some of the truth.
How the hell did he know anything about Angela, unless Drake had told him something or he saw something he shouldn’t have?
Was I the last person I know about this? Maybe it was my friendship with Drake. I’d been blind for too long. It seemed that everybody knew what he did to her but me.
“Listen.” I pulled Trinity close to me. “I’m gonna talk to Drake, but first I have to find him.”
“Alone?” She looked scared, her eyes big and round.
“Of course. Why not?”
“Aren’t you worried he’ll try something, now that he knows you’re on to him?”
I shook my head. “No. I know him too well. He can’t fool me, and he can’t beat me in a fight. I’ll be just fine.”
I knew she didn’t believe me, but I wouldn’t let her convince me otherwise. I had to do it. I was tired of waiting for him to come around and be a man.
I had to find him, confront him and get the truth.
“Why don’t you and Maggie get out of here? There’s nothing else going on now but a party.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
Trinity pressed herself to me, leaning her head on my chest. She knew just how to push my buttons.
My instincts took over, and all I wanted to do was take her away from everything and have her all to myself.