Page 12 of Merciless

“You’re going to lose, asshole. And you’ll eat your fucking words.”

Asher leaps from his seat, the chair knocking backward in his rush. The table goes quiet, and we watch as Asher storms away.

“What the fuck is his problem?” Derrick’s features twist.

“I’m not sure,” I say. “But I’ll find out.”

“So what happened before I came out?” I say.

Asher spares an annoyed glance my way before looking out the passenger window. I let out a soft laugh, but there’s nothing humorous about this.

My custom GT-R’s engine fills the silence as I drive to the race start.

Asher plays with the stick from his sucker, rolling the candy back and forth in his mouth. It’s something he does when he’s upset. It clacks against the backs of his teeth, each sound striking a nerve.

I side-eye him and shift my focus to the road as I drive.

“Did she say anything to you?” I ask.

Silence meets my question.

If the little bitch upset my brother, I’ll make sure she pays for it. If she thinks her life is terrible right now, she’ll wish she’d never been born when I’m through with her.

I clench my jaw and tap the screen on the console to play music. I can’t stand the silence, and if he wants to keep to himself, then I’ll respect it. For now. Eventually, I’ll find out what he’s hiding from me.

For the rest of the ride, I don’t say anything to Asher. Once we get to the meetup, I line up with the others to start the race.

Engines and over-inflated egos run hot. I spot the familiar yellow Mustang and find the Walker brothers staring at me. I smirk and turn forward right as Katie walks in front of us, a white shirt in her hand.

“Do you think I’ll win the bet?” I say, wanting to test Asher’s reaction.

He slowly turns his head, anger brimming in his cold eyes.

I’ve never seen him react like this.

Maybe he’s worried about my reputation; fucking Eden could come back to bite me if things go south. I don’t foresee it happening, though. But I don’t think it’s that. It has something to do with Eden.

Maybe having him watch her wasn’t a good idea. Perhaps I should tell him to back off. Now that I have a bet to win, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take over.

“Don’t worry,” I say. “I know what I’m getting into, and I’ll make her pay for what she and her whore mother have done.”

Katie smirks at Derrick in his Mazda, holds up three fingers, and counts down. Tires screech before the shirt hits the ground, and I’m pushed into the seat as I stomp on the gas.

The Walker brothers’ Mustang catches up to my side and veers closer to push me off the road. I cast a bored look at them and shift gears to gain speed. The others trail behind us, unable to keep up. Even Derrick’s Mazda can’t come close to our custom GT-R.

I turn a corner onto a different street and watch as the Walker brothers follow. My lips curve into a smile as their car shakes before the front tire pops off. They shouldn’t have left their racer unattended at the local burger-and-shake shack.

Sparks and smoke flare up as the Mustang screeches to a stop. Austin whips the steering wheel to the side to get out of the way of the other cars racing closer.

I focus on the road ahead as I break away from the rest of the group. Unlike the Walker brothers, the others don’t drive dirty by pretending to swerve into me.

I release the gas and drift into a tight corner on a different road. Smoke billows around the car, blocking my view of the path ahead. After a moment, the smoke clears, and I break onto another street, racing toward the designated finish line.

The others have no chance of catching up. I grin and look at my brother for his reaction, expecting anything but the frown he’s sporting. He holds the handle above the door, eyes straight forward and sucker rolling in his mouth.

I speed through the night and check the rearview mirror every few seconds. Nobody has caught up, which means I won the race.

I chuckle and stomp on the gas. Hopefully, the Walker brothers get it into their fucking heads that we’re not to be messed with.