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“You think I’m mad because you pulled a shady-ass move to win? I don’t need to cheat to win—”
I ground my molars together and pushed him back. “I’m not a fucking cheater—”
“Gentlemen, knock it off and get to debriefing.” Commander Levy’s voice over the hangar’s intercom echoed around the base, and I looked up to see the entire training class staring down at us from the viewing area.
Panther’s eyes were narrowed as he looked at me with unveiled contempt, and then he slowly backed away, shaking his head. He turned on his heel and headed to the bay to change, but I took my time going that way, giving myself a minute to cool off. When a minute didn’t do it, I said to hell with it and joined him in the bay, but this time he didn’t say a word, didn’t even look my way.
The tension was palpable, and so was his anger by the way he slammed shit around, and it only got worse as we sat through debriefing with the rest of the trainees, all of them looking between us like they expected a fight to break out at any moment.
But I didn’t want to put my fist in his face. I just wanted to put him in his place, and beneath me seemed like a good spot.
After getting admonished by the instructors in a more civilized way than Panther had gone at me—though I’d technically done nothing wrong or illegal—we were dismissed, and Panther tore out of there like hell on wheels.
I found myself following him, because apparently my weakness had become a pissed-off Panther. All that passion aimed at me was like an electrical jolt to my cock, and I couldn’t let him get away that easily.
Stepping in front of his bike as he kicked on the engine, I placed my hands beside his on the handlebars and shouted over the roar, “You still mad? How about a rematch?”
Panther flipped up the visor on his helmet. “Move.”
“I’m serious. Put your money where your mouth is.”
“Grow up, Solo.”
“Oh. You’re scared.” I pushed off his bike and backed away. “I get it. No worries, then.”
As I turned to walk away, I gave it about three beats, and then I heard Panther say, “All right. You’re on.”
24 Panther
IF SOLO WANTED a go at me, he could fucking have it.
I was over the narcissistic asshole tackling whoever he wanted to get to the top, no matter what the cost. This shit wasn’t going to fly with me. Not anymore.
“Third and Sunset,” I yelled out to Solo over the purr of our engines, and then I took off out of the base, my adrenaline pumping even more than it had during the hop. It was mixed with anger and frustration now, making it a deadly combination that Solo wasn’t ready for.
He wanted a race with no rules to ignore? He’d fucking get one.
I rolled up to the intersection of Third and Sunset, practically deserted at this time of day, and didn’t have to wait long for Solo to pull in beside me. As he looked over at me, he revved the engine, causing me to grit my teeth. I flipped up the visor and pointed out in the distance some twenty miles away. “The end point is Black Rock Cliffs. You know it?”
Solo nodded.
“On green,” I said, pointing to the traffic light, and snapped my visor back down and got ready to fly. The heavy thud of my heartbeat was like a countdown…four…three…two…one.
The light flipped to green and we were off.
Gunning it through the streets of Mesamir, my vision may have been red, but my focus was clear. Solo wasn’t winning this time. I’d hand him his ass on a platter and relish every second of it. First, though? He could choke on my dust.
I raced ahead, swerving into his lane and cutting him off, an asshole move right up his alley. In my mirrors, I could see him move to the left, and I followed, blocking him yet again. Then to the right he went, but a car in the lane beside us forced him back behind me, and I grinned.
Was it the smartest thing in the world to race in broad daylight where we could get caught? Hell no. But I didn’t plan to get caught, and as we outpaced the car beside us, it was clear Solo gave no fucks either.
It was like the guy got off on the danger, like giving the finger to anyone of authority made him high. Invincible. I couldn’t fathom how anyone went through life without a moral code to keep them in check, but this guy… This guy was too much, and his ego needed to be brought back down to earth.
Up ahead, the road turned into a series of sharp curves, one side rocky cliffs and the other nothing but open air, the road overlooking the ocean below. As I rounded the first section, my bike so low to the ground I almost grazed the asphalt, I maintained the speed, not giving an inch. Solo had kept pace with me so far, and I needed to get a wider lead.
