AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The sound made Bobby smile. “This day is honestly one of the most horrible in my life, but I have to say I’m really glad I got to talk to you. I hope we can have coffee and go out sometime.”
“I’d be glad to,” MJ answered shyly.
“You’re so shy it’s too cute for words,” Bobby teased. She burst out laughing when MJ turned red. “Okay, okay, I’ll quit teasing. If I keep teasing you, you might not talk to me again like you did last year.”
MJ’s eyes widened. “Oh no, did you think I was deliberately not talking to you?”
“Actually, I just thought you were shy.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s one of the rules of the club. When you’re a first year rookie, you’re only allowed to speak to officers when inside the club.”
“What?” Bobby exclaimed. “That’s crazy.”
“It’s for the club’s safety. There was a huge scandal a few years back because of a rookie’s indiscretion so...”
Seeing MJ was uncomfortable with disclosing club secrets, Bobby said quickly, “You don’t have to tell me.” Before she could say anything else, the bikini-clad flag-waver was shrilly counting down, “Three...two...one!”
Sabastian and Leandro’s beasts roared down the race course.
In a few seconds, it became quickly evident that Sabastian’s bike was a lot faster than Leandro’s, which was specifically built to conquer off-road terrain. On an even course, its bulk became a disadvantage, allowing Sabastian to take a greater lead.
Her heart in her throat, Bobby watched through her binoculars as Leandro leaned forward on his bike, resolve stamped on his face. But if this continued, there was no way for him to win.Surely Leandro had known how his bike would fare against Sabastian’s in this kind of race, Bobby wondered uneasily. And if he did, then why had he even bothered to race in the first place?
A more sinister thought occurred to her, and Bobby stiffened. Was it because Leandro wanted to fool her again for whatever reason? Did he want to fool her into thinking that he cared for her – again?
When Blaine had played his cruel trick on her in high school, Bobby had told herself that she would not be fooled by another man again. That she would be wiser. But Leandro came and proved her wrong. Once a fool, always a fool.
Bobby deliberately kept her face expressionless as she watched Sabastian increase his lead, speeding along as he and his beast bent to the side when making a sharp turn to the right.
Leandro was a good distance behind him, and Bobby told herself it was how it should be. Sabastian would win the race, she would not have to be Leandro’s prize, and—-
Her eyes widened when Leandro made a sudden turn towards the ramp.
What the—-
Was he serious?
A silent gasp of horror broke out of her as she watched Leandro take the ramp, his bike shooting into the air before diving down and landing in an explosion of dirt and gravel. The dangerous jump had given Leandro a shortcut, but Sabastian was still a few miles ahead of him.
Leandro didn’t seem bothered, racing down the course but when he reached the first intersection, he made a turn to the left, away from where Sabastian was and heading to the rope bridge. This time, Bobby cursed fluidly.
That rope bridge didn’t just look flimsy – certainly not strong enough to bear the weight of Leandro’s big, badass bike. It was also thin, leaving him no room for error. Was he seriously thinking of—-
Oh my God, he was!
Bobby started to run. She didn’t care that she was giving herself away. If that fucking rope gave out, Leandro would crash from twenty feet up in the air and take a nosedive into a mountain of gravel. Whoever designed this racecourse had clearly been watching too manySawsequels. If something happened to Leandro—-
She halted mid-run when the rope bridge did give out and Leandro was still a few feet away from reaching the other end.
Bobby screamed.
****
THE SCREAM HAD LEANDROalmost jerking his head around to look over his shoulder. That scream could only belong to Bobby, but he knew he would end up killing himself if he did look. As the rope gave out under him, Leandro took control of his bike, allowing his instincts to take over.
Every obstacle in Helios’ ever-changing racecourse was designed with safety nets. If the rope bridge had given out, Leandro knew it didn’t mean the end.
His gaze quickly scanned the land below him, sizing up his options and he immediately saw the best safety net to take advantage of. He turned his bike towards the sharply inclined ramp. It would mean careful balancing to prevent him from driving down at a vertical angle, but it was better than a head-on collision with the ground.
