Page 51

It’s kind of a quiet agreement that I always drive to help me get as much experience as I can under my belt. I like driving, so I don’t really complain.

I asked Viktor if I could order an SUV to haul the group around, and he had to check with Riot before saying yes, but a few days later, he drove up in a new, neon pink Range Rover Sport. Steal.

Apparently, I’m the last one into the living room, cause they are all standing by the door, staring at the hallway I just walked out of.

Bags surround their feet, and Destiny has a backpack on. Anna has a bag full of what looks like drinks and snacks.

“Fucking took you long enough,” Kai grumbles, and I flip him the bird.

“We agreed on an hour,” I argue. I walk towards them and out the front door. They all pick up their bags and follow suit. It’s already parked out front, and I assume one of them told someone to pull it up. It’s parallel parked, ready for me to just drive.

Loading into the SUV, all the bags are thrown lazily in the back while they all argue about who gets the front seat.

“I get it,” Anna says.

“Nuh-uh, she likes me the most,” I think Melody argues.

“It should be me. I’m the best looking,” Kai bites.

“Shut up or none of you get the front seat,” I explode, my veins popping on my neck. They all shut their traps and stand in a line on the side of the car. “Des gets the front seat.” I turn around to go to the front seat and hear all their groans behind me.

“Groan all you want! It doesn’t change my mind!” I shout in a sing-song voice. I hear a few of them mumble under their breath as I hop into the driver’s seat. The engine roars to life, my small frame vibrating in the seat, teeth clattering.

The doors open and the car shifts as everyone takes their seats. There are three rows of seating in this car, so everyone fits perfectly. Destiny climbs into the passenger seat before reaching into the back and roughly snatching the bag of food from Anna.

She protests. “Hey! Give that back.” Destiny sticks her tongue out at Anna, which is shortly followed by her yelling ‘OW!’ when she gets punched. I bust out laughing, Kai joining in after seeing Destiny pouting and rubbing her arm that is slightly red from where Anna struck.

She plucks a bag of chips and a bag of Skittles out for me before throwing them back into Anna’s lap. I hear them fighting over the bag as I start the car.

Looking over at the Manor before pulling out, I freeze. Riot stands on the small front porch, glaring daggers at me, his hair slightly falling over his eyes. “Who’s that hunka hunka?” Destiny purrs from her seat.

Making my voice loud enough, grabbing everyone’s attention, “That, ladies and gentlemen, is Riot Petrov.” Small gasps sound throughout the car. I look at Destiny, and her face is beet red, looking scared and embarrassed.

“You’re telling me, THAT, is the Riot?” Kai questions.

I hum a yes, not breaking eye contact with the man on the porch.

He starts walking down the steps, towards the car. Without another thought, I put the car in drive and step on the gas, tires spinning on the gravel as I shoot out of the driveway onto the small road out.

Before we’re on the main road, I hear the roar of Riot’s car echoing off the trees that surround us, sounding like a monster coming to life.

“What the fuck was that?” Melody questions, and I don’t answer, just continuing forward.

After a few minutes of driving down the dark road, trees curving to block the sun, we hit a main road, only a couple of miles before we reach the interstate.

After about a minute, I see a car in my rearview mirror, approaching rapidly. As it gets closer, I see the dark red shine off the sun, and I know it’s him. Everyone is distracted, either by their phones or bickering with one another.

I turn onto the highway, picking up speed, trying to create distance between him and me. Weaving in and out of cars, getting brights flashed at me and honked at. Destiny is holding onto the Oh Shit handles, eyes wide as I maneuver around.

After a few minutes, I think I lost him, so I slow down slightly, still keeping a high speed, just barely passing cars. “What was that all about?” Destiny questions. The people in the back were oblivious to her question or my driving.

“I don’t want him following us.” She nods at my answer, not questioning further.

It’s been around two hours. Riot has been on my ass the whole fucking time. Destiny has noticed him a few times, giving me a side eye but not saying anything. The roads are clear, and the sun is still shining bright for a few more hours. We’re going to need to hurry at Walmart to pitch tents in some daylight. I was hoping to see the sunset on the lake, but I don’t know if that’s possible now.

We all chatted about where to camp while they were searching away on their phones for spots. We ultimately decided on Lake Bonaparte because it’s lakefront. We also decided to stop at a Walmart to get all the supplies we needed after we ate.

I’m brought back to the present when I hear the acceleration of Riot’s car. I see him crawl up to my side of the car, matching pace with me. I watch his car jolt forward a few times, signaling a race.