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“Yeah, yeah. I’m here to race. I’ll go get ready,” Travis answered quickly as he tried to cover up his nervousness with a grin, then walked off without looking at me.
“Are you okay?” Mack’s face softened a little as he turned back to me. I nodded just as Tayia wrapped an arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze.
“I’ll just be over here,” she said and turned back to a group of our friends, all of whom were casting curious glances our way.
“What did he want?” I turned my attention back to Mack.
“Me.” I shrugged and lowered my eyes. There was only silence for a several moments, and when I lifted my gaze the impatient look Mack gave me said he was waiting for me to say more. So I told him about the notes, the stalking, and the restraining order. I didn’t know how he would react to my story, but I certainly didn’t expect him to throw his head back and howl with laughter.
“Wait a minute, you dated Cool Guy Frye and he turned into a fuckin’ stalker?”
“Cool Guy Frye?” I asked, but Mack’s laughter was so contagious that my words came out in a giggle.
“Yeah, that’s what everyone’s been calling him. A rich boy with a fancy car, but he ain’t got nothing for my list. He was on it for a week before he got knocked off. Then he wouldn’t stop whining about it so I came out here anyway to give his import another shot. He’s always running his mouth and bragging about all the chicks he pulls, and it’s annoying as fuck. But come to find out he’s been writing love poems and shit. Then putting them in underwear drawers?” His shoulders shook as the laughing subsided. Honestly, I really didn’t think it was as funny as he was making it seem. I mean I could see the humor in it now, but not when I was going through it.
“Well, I’m glad you’re amused.” I twisted my mouth at him and crossed my arms over my chest while I waited for him to collect himself. “It was very creepy, Mack.”
“I know, I get it but oh, that’s just too good.” He looked over in the direction Travis left and shook his head. “The fucker.” He swiped a hand across his eyes and inhaled a long breath as his expression sobered. “I’ve had a taste of you so I can’t blame him. If I were a different man, I’d stalk you, too.” Unsure how to take that comment, I scrunched up my face and looked away, although the idea of Mack King being hooked on me was slightly intriguing. But instead I asked him the question that had been bothering me all week.
“I guess being a different man is also the reason I didn’t get a call from you either?” As soon as the words left my mouth I felt like kicking myself. I had no idea how to be the girl who had casual sex with a guy like him. He stared at me but didn’t give much of a reaction.
“I was going to call.”
“When?”
He shrugged.
“You’re here on the island where you know I live, and I bet you never even thought about it once.” I took a step closer to him. “Admit it.” His eye twitched as he held my gaze, but his expression gave no indication of his thoughts.
“I was going to call, Jonna,” he repeated flatly. “I just had some things come up.” I wanted to ask what sort of things, but I felt like it was none of my business. I decided that it was probably time for me to leave before I said something else jump-offs aren’t supposed to say.
“Right, well it was cool running into you, but I guess you’re pretty busy with everything, so I’m just going to go.”
“No, don’t. I’ve been dying to do this for a week.” He pulled me into his arms and placed his lips on mine. It was a soft kiss with our lips hovering close together. His tongue touched my lower lip, and I opened my mouth and let out a sigh as his slipped inside. I rested my palms against his hard chest while he wrapped his arms tighter around me. Being in his embrace was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. It was as if he had the ability to wipe my mind completely clean of all rational thought, and I would give my next breath in order to remain this close to him forever. Wait, forever?
When our mouths separated it took me several seconds to gather myself and remember that I was in full sight of curious eyes, but I didn’t care. I knew gossip would most likely get back to my brothers, and I didn’t care about that either.
“Hey. Look at me,” he said softly as he lifted my chin up. “That guy won’t bother you again. I promise you that.” The finality in his words and the serious look on his face made me believe him, so I nodded. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him. “Come on, girl. It’s time to race.”
Chapter Six
I followed him to where a large crowd was gathered to start the race. Mack climbed up and stood in the flatbed of a pickup truck, and everyone huddled around him. He pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and began to read off names that would be pairing up, speaking in a way that commanded attention. I looked around at the group of faces as they listened attentively and nodded their heads. There were a total of three races scheduled.
“First up.” Mack glanced down at his sheet of paper. “The current number ten spot and the sentinel of the list, Jamie ‘Razor’ Risto, and his challenger, Travis ‘Cool Guy’ Frye.” There were snickers from the crowd, and I looked over to Travis, who didn’t look embarrassed at all; he simply nodded his head. He seemed to embrace the name that was given to him. I was also shocked to see Jamie Risto on the lineup, but he nodded confidently at Mack, and then glanced over at Travis.
“Alright, get your shit to the starting line then,” Mack called out, and then jumped down from the truck. He grabbed my hand again and walked us over to the race master and gave him instructions. Then he dialed a number on his phone and spoke to a guy who was posted at the finish line. I picked up from the conversation that his job was to pay attention and choose the race winner. Then he made more calls to each of his security guards who were set up at both entrances of the secluded road in order to look out for cops or unsuspecting motorists heading our way.
I did my best to ignore several pairs of eyes on us as we made our way through the crowd. I knew they were all wondering who the hell I was and why I was walking around with Mack’s hand in mine. Hell, I would have been wondering the same thing. I’d seen Mack here with ot
her girls occasionally, but never the same ones from what I could tell, but then again they were never where my attention was focused.
After he’d made his rounds we moved to stand on the side of the road just in time for the race to start. The race master, a retired racer who went by the name Jungle Jim, walked to stand in front of each car, and then waved both drivers forward until their cars were perfectly even with the crack in the asphalt that served as the starting line. When he seemed satisfied with the position of each racer, he turned, walked four paces forward, then spun around and clicked his flashlight on. Both cars immediately peeled off.
The smell of burned rubber and exhaust fumes filled the air. It was clear that Jamie was the faster car because he gained the lead instantly while Travis struggled to keep his car straight, his front tires lifting off the ground while his car bounced up and down. However, the time it took for him to gain control of his car cost him big time. Jamie’s pass was flawless as he shot down the road with expert skill. Before he even made it to the end of the road, his crew was already celebrating. Mack gave no reaction other than to pull out his sheet of paper and scratch Travis’s name off the challenger column.
“Like I said, nothing to see there.” He winked at me, and I smiled back. I was just excited to be witnessing the action this close up with the king himself. The rest of the races followed suit. Feeling pumped up from his win, Jamie immediately called out the number nine spot and won that race also, pushing a racer named Nitro from number nine to number ten, thus making him the new sentinel of the list, meaning that is was his job to protect the lineup. If a new racer wanted on the list, they had to at least be faster than Nitro, which was a tough thing for most newbies to accomplish. Jamie was the only one this year to make it.
I looked around at the crowd of people, observing the way several race crews were moving with efficiency as they prepared their equipment for competition, and the way everyone seemed to respect Mack. His rules were law here. All racers had to wear helmets and race jackets. He also required that all vehicles be equipped with a rollover bar.
