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“I’m thirsty.”
“I’m on it.”
Several shots of tequila later, she was in my bed. Things started off easy between us. We had fun and we got along. We knew a lot of the same people, went to some of the same hangouts, and caused equal amounts of trouble. We never made any promises or had any expectations. Or so I thought.
The biggest mistake I’d ever made was getting shit-faced at a party one night and taking some chick, whose name I can’t even recall, home with me. It was the look on Harley’s face when she found the two of us naked in my bed I’ll never forget.
After that, I’d lost her. The person she had been with me was gone forever, and the light in her beautiful hazel eyes went dark every time she looked at me. I knew she didn’t have anyone, and I let her lean on me because aside from my brother, I was alone in the world, too. I didn’t know how to fix things between us and eventually had gotten to a point where I didn’t want to fix it. We were never going to be right for each other, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less for her to stand in front of me and choose to be with someone else.
“Harley, tell me you didn’t leave me for this dumb fuck? Are you with him?”
“I am.”
“Aagh,” I growled. “I’m so sick of you fucking with my head. It’s cool, though. I’m done with you, too.”
That’s when I walked away from them, grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels from my car, and made my way across the field and through the woods. This was also the reason I found myself stumbling around in the darkness in the middle of fuckin’ nowhere. I stopped for a second and looked from left to right trying to decide which way to go. The sound of a car engine fast approaching caught my attention, and I stood still as a set of headlights grew closer. My feet didn’t move and I couldn’t think of a reason to make them.
I’d loved cars ever since I was a kid. My uncle Eddie gave me a set of Matchbox cars for my fourth birthday and they became my pride and joy. I took such good care of them and played with them for hours. I’d also kept my cars carefully hidden in a good place so that no one would ever find them and take them away.
Uncle Eddie also was the one to give me the Shelby. He let me work on it with him for two summers, and when I finished high school he gave it to me as a graduation present. A few months later Uncle Eddie went to prison, and since most of the men in my family, including my father, were there already it was sort of like a little family reunion.
So it seemed fitting that my love for cars would also be what killed me.
I lifted my arms out to my sides, looked up at the sky, and studied the shape of the moon. The roar of an engine and the screech of tires didn’t even cause me to flinch.
It would all be over soon.
The next thing I saw was the ground, then the sky, then the grass as I tumbled down the side of the hill. I rolled to a stop and landed on my back. I searched frantically for the moon, but there was only darkness. Until I saw her, with golden curls and bright blue eyes as she stared down at me. She was beautiful, like an angel. She carried a warm glow in the heavy gloom that surrounded me. Completely drawn to her light, I was unable to speak. She reminded me of the little fireflies I used to chase around the yard in the summertime when I was a kid. All I wanted was to capture those tiny things with my hands and watch their lights flicker. They seemed magical, and I envied their ability to burn brightly even when everything around them was dark.
My eyes shifted to her perfectly shaped mouth and saw that it was moving. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but I felt a strong message in my soul.
Don’t give up.
In a flash, her glow was gone and I wanted to chase after her. Then my brother’s blurry face suddenly appeared in front of me.
“Shit, you okay? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” He looked me over as he tried to assess my injuries.
“I’m fine.” I pushed him away and brushed a hand over the scratches on my arm. I strode back up the hill and to the waiting car and looked around, but she was gone. Had I imagined her?
&
nbsp; “The crazy chick who ran you off the road must have taken off. Are you sure you’re okay, Mack?”
I jerked my head in a nod as I sat in the passenger side of the Shelby. I didn’t feel any pain, or at least not the pain caused from my fall. The ache in my chest was back, but not for the same reasons as before. I’d seen a tiny flicker of something beautiful, and for once, I wasn’t alone in the dark.
Chapter One
The night before the race?.?.?.
I could count everything I knew about Mack King on one hand. First, he was considered the king of racing throughout the Carolinas. Not only was he fast, he also ran the show. Nobody raced for ranking without his say so, and he’d earned that respect by putting together discreet and well-organized races. Second, he attracted big names because he was good at what he did, which meant big money for everyone involved. Third, he made it his business to know everything there was to know when it came to his competition. If a new racer was gaining a reputation for being fast, he knew about it. If someone was building a car in preparation of racing it, he knew about that too. Fourth, you weren’t anybody in racing until you were on Mack’s list.
On the rare occasion Drew, Woody, and my dad would let me come to races, I’d developed a habit of seeking Mack out. If he was there, I’d find him. His vintage black Ford Shelby was unmistakable. Of course, he had no idea I even existed.
Tayia and I had been hanging out at The Spot, a big clearing on the island where all of the local racers and gearheads hung out. That’s where we’d heard about the plans for a party on the mainland prior to the big race between Woody and Knight, and I knew there was no way I would miss it. My brothers didn’t like me hanging around with racers, but I didn’t care. I was an adult now and could make my own choices.
Besides, I was certain that Drew would be spending the night in with his new girlfriend, Harley. The two were nearly inseparable and only came up for air in order to work at Catch and then retreat into their own little love bubble. They were sickening sometimes.
The night of the party I had to stop myself from going into complete fangirl mode when I saw Mack King standing next to a pool table in the far corner with a pool stick in one hand and a beer in the other. I could still see the scratches on his arms from the tumble he took last weekend.
