AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The car loses control, sliding over the edge.
I gasp loudly, reaching up to cover my mouth as hot tears track down my face. Ma is shaking her head, and I can see it in her eyes. She’s imagining what it might have looked like for me.
The rest of the group slows down, taking the turn at an almost overly cautious speed. But I’m thankful for it.
“San? Please tell me they have medics out there,” I say toward the phone.
“They’re already on the way to him,” he answers, and I nod my head, afraid that my voice will betray just how shaken up I am.
When I watch Bodhi make it around the curve to safety, I breathe a sigh of relief.
“We’re halfway there.”
Bodhi
“Fuck,” I shout, slamming the palm of my hand against the steering wheel.
I fight everything in me not to stop and make sure the guy is alive. Sander said Keaton only survived because of the amount of debris there is down there, and that it cushioned her fall. I just hope the same is true for that guy.
We all round the corner slowly, not fucking around and taking any chances. It takes a moment for the shock to wear off everyone, but when it does, they all start to increase their speed.
Everything continues as it was. We ride one another’s bumpers and squeeze past where we can.
My hands grip the steering wheel tight as I navigate through the twists and turns, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Winning this race means everything. Not for the recognition, or the money, but it’s the first step in setting everything straight. Righting the wrongs that Mateo started all of those years ago.
This race is for Keaton, and for Eli. It’s for Tommy. Selfishly, I admit that I want it for me, too. To shove it in Mateo’s face that he won’t get the best of me. Not by a long shot.
As I speed down the road, I catch a glimpse of him in my rearview mirror. I pick up speed, down shift around one turn, and pass two other drivers around the next.
We’re less than two miles from the finish line when the second accident happens. The guy in second tries taking the lead when he hits a patch of gravel and wipes out, clipping the leader’s fender in the process.
They both wipe out, a cloud of dust kicking up in front of me. I grit my teeth and push the gas pedal to the floor, clearing the cars with ease.
I’m in first and can just barely make out the crowd surrounding the finish line in the distance. I just have to make it around these final few turns and—
Out of nowhere, Mateo’s car slams into mine. The sound of metal scraping metal fills my ears and my car jerks forward.
“Mother fucker,” I shout, checking for him in my mirror.
We sail around one turn, and I think I’m in the clear until he bumps my back left tire with his right front, sending me fishtailing. I straighten the wheel, getting my bearings just in time.
A bead of sweat trickles down my forehead as I take another turn, the car coming dangerously close to the edge of the road. But I keep my foot on the gas, my eyes fixed on the finish line.
Mateo is on my ass and not letting up. He pulls around to my right side, egging me on. We’re less than a mile from the end and if I can just hold my position, I’ve got it made. But Mateo isn’t going to let me have it that easily.
When his car slams into mine, I jerk the wheel hard, fighting to stay on the road. He pulls away, and I chance and look in his direction. Just as I suspected he would, he prepares to plow into me again.
I wait, bracing myself, and the second I see his car inch in my direction, I tap the brakes. His car goes sideways, and I punch the gas, turning his ass all the way around.
“That’s fucking right,” I yell, and pump my fist as I sail over the finish line.
Mateo isn’t done, though. He’s back on the road and headed my way.
I brake hard, pulling on the e-brake and skidding to a stop. Throwing open the door, I jump out and make my way directly for him.
I catch Milo out of the corner of my eye, and he nods once.
