Page 22 of Little Psycho

Addy grabs my hand and pulls me towards the edge of the crowd, eager to get a closer look at the action.As we make our way through the bustling group, I can’t help but feel a surge of adrenaline and excitement, a small thrill that courses through me and makes my entire body tremble with desire.For what?I’m not sure, but I fucking love it.Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

We find a spot near the starting line, the thrill palpable in the air.As the engines roar to life, I find myself getting lost in the moment, feeling a sense of liberation I haven’t felt in a long time—in fact, ever.I glance over at Addy, who is beaming with delight written all over her face.For the first time since I’ve been on the run, I allow myself to relax—to forget about the troubles that brought me here in the first place.

As the race begins, I lean in closer to the barrier, exhilarated by the speed and intensity of the competition.Right now, in this very moment, surrounded by the pulsing energy of the thrilling underground environment, I feel alive—truly alive.And for the first time in my entire life, I allow myself to believe that maybe—just maybe—everything will turn out okay.

“I haven’t seen you around here before,” a deeply seductive voice comes from behind me, and I force myself not to show fear as I turn around to see who the mystery man is.

My jaw drops when I come face-to-face with him, completely covered in tattoos with a black Carhart beanie covering his head and a tall, muscular body wrapped head to toe in black, which makes him look so fucking hot—whoever he is.I can’t take my gaze off of him, and as I slowly raise it to meet his emerald green eyes, I find myself getting lost in the twinkle in them that glimmers under the neon lights.

“I’m Five,” he introduces himself with a perfect smile on his face that shows off his pearly white teeth and the hoop pierced through the side of his bottom lip.“Do you want a drink?”he asks, holding up a red Solo cup with some kind of clear liquid inside.

Finally managing to speak, I whisper, “Sure, thank you.”And I take the cup from him without asking what it is, tossing it back in one gulp.

Completely naive and unsuspecting, I keep my eyes on him as I drink it.Pineapple lingers on my tongue, and I can tell that what I just drank was Malibu and pineapple, and fuck, it was delicious.

“The um… Uh, my name is Addy.”I blurt out eventually, not knowing what I should’ve told him.

I see Addy standing beside him, intensely checking him out, laughing at the fact that I used her name instead of mine.

“Addy, what a sexy name.”He licks his lips as I do the same, his eyes darting directly to mine.

“Thank you.”I smile, not knowing what else to do or say—not knowing how to react in a situation like this.

I just hope that I’m blending in.But realizing that I’m still wearing a wicked short dress and my bloody heels, I begin to panic on the inside...until I look around and see half of the girls wearing outfits even sluttier than mine, their asses and tits hanging out—at least mine aren’t.

It looks like I might just fit in after all.Maybe I don’t have to hide in the shadows anymore.

The lights around the crowd fade into the background as Five keeps talking to me, his voice soft and inviting.But my focus shifts to my peripheral vision, and I notice someone heading in my direction from the other side of the street.

Fuck, it’sthem—it’s the guys that I used to call my best friends.How the fuck?There’s no way I can stay here now.They couldn’t have known I would be here, right?

“Hey, it’s time for the next race!”Five shouts over the growing noise, gesturing towards the starting line.“You should come watch with me.”

I hesitate for a moment—still in utter shock—weighing my options.But then, without a second thought, I follow him into the sea of people, grateful for the distraction.

As the drivers take off, leaving a thick cloud of dust and fumes behind them, I begin to feel a slight sense of belonging—like I was made to fucking be here.

Nervously, I look over Five’s shoulder, watching Dominic, Killian, and Ash getting into three separate cars parked next in line for the race, and stupid butterflies swarm in my fucking stomach.

I didn’t know they raced.But to be fair, there’s a lot about them that I don’t know, including who the fuck they are anymore.

The feeling of Five’s heavy hand planted on the small of my back sort of jolts me awake and into the present.Peeling my eyes off the guys, I look up at him and flash a timid smile, suddenly feeling quite vulnerable and more exposed than I did before.

“Hey, is there somewhere that I can change?”I ask, tugging at the hem of my dress, feeling very self-conscious, just wanting to get out of the outfit that holds so many unwanted memories.

“Yeah, my place is just upstairs there,” he says with a stunning grin on his thick lips and a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

Pointing to the spot above the tobacco shop, he waits patiently for my answer, which doesn’t take me long to blurt out.

“Do you mind if I use it?”Batting my lashes and putting on a sweet face to get what I want, he nods, leading me back through the thick crowd with his hand still protectively on my lower back.

I know Addy is still following me, but I don’t dare look back to see if the guys have noticed me.As much as I want to see them, I don’t at the same time.I’m not ready just yet.

Once inside, Five gestures for me to follow him up a narrow staircase to his apartment above the shop.

The room is sparsely decorated, with a few pieces of mismatched furniture and a distinct smell of stale smoke lingering in the air.Without a word, Five hands me a fresh t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, giving me some space to change.

“Oh, I have clothes, but thank you,” I tell him, but as he goes to take them back, I yank my hands away, deciding against it.

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