Page 52 of Survival

“Get what in?” Izzy questioned as she walked up, a salad in hand. She looked at the empty table in front of me. “You didn’t want anything?”

“He’ll get something in a minute.” Annie waved her over. “He just got his NLI.”

“What? You did?” Izzy’s tone immediately changed, and she rushed over, grabbing my wrist to look at my phone. “Oh, my God, Tucker. This is amazing. Yes, sign it.” She wrapped herself around my arm, hugging herself to me,and for a moment it felt like the old her beside me with her excitement shining through.

Best fucking day.

“On it.” A few quick swipes and my signature, and I sent that fucker off, a weight I didn’t even realize I was holding releasing from my chest. I sent a screenshot of it to my parents, knowing they’d be going nuts, too.

“Oh, my God. This calls for a celebration.” Annie slapped her hands to her legs. “What should we do?”

“There’s a race tonight?” Jet quickly piped up, hope in his expression hiding behind the apprehension I saw when he glanced at Izzy and I.

I looked down at my girl as she glanced up, the two of us silently checking with each other. The last one she’d been to hadnotgone well, but a small spark was lit inside the depths of mossy emerald green at that moment, giving me hope, and she gave me a tiny nod.

“Yeah, we’re in.” I held her gaze, not wanting to miss a moment of the small glimpse of life there in her eyes, and she reached up to grab my hair, pulling me down in a kiss that made my heart jump in my chest. A sliver of that hope beating through it that maybe I could get her back.

JET

“I feel like I’m getting a glimpse at a whole new side of your group,” Nic commented, his eyes assessing, taking everything in as we pulled up to the races that evening.The street and muscle cars, the rougher crowd, and the casual use of alcohol and drugs around the scene.

Not that the latter was something we did. We had too many goals with sports and our careers to mess with our bodies that way, but it wasn’t something we judged others for.

“It’s more Jet’s and my scene than Izzy and Tucker’s,” Annie said from the front seat. “But yeah, we started coming here about a year ago. Jet’s pretty good.” She squeezed my thigh with a smile, and a wave of pride went through me that she called thisours.She’d embraced it with me.Forme. The fact that Izzy and Tucker were finally joining us again tonight was a bonus.

I gripped her chin between my thumb and index finger, locking her gaze with mine. “Prettygood? I think you mean damn good, sweetheart. And I’m going to dominate out there tonight after the upgrades you got for me.”

Desire flashed in her eyes, a moment passing between us, but before I could lean in to claim her mouth with mine, Nic cleared his throat from the backseat. Annie’s face dropped as I smirked. “Sorry, man.”

Tucker’s Chevy pulled up with the tailgate first next to us as I threw my car door open, and we all got out, taking our places on the back of his truck. He pulled Izzy into his lap, and Annie perched herself between my legs. Nic stood off to my side, leaning against the edge of the tailgate, his arms over his chest as his eyes still traveled around the scene.

“So, what do y’all do here exactly?”

“Watch the races and make friendly bets on who’s going to win,” Izzy said, her eyes bright as she took in the cars lining up. “I’m gonna say the blue one.”

Annie smirked. “The Charger? Maybe, but I think the Firebird may take this one.”

“You know, you were right that first night we were here, Izzy.” I looked over at her. “Monty does run actual bets on the races, too.”

Her eyes widened, and she smacked Tucker on the thigh. “See! And y’all made fun of me. I knew what I was talking about.”

Tucker chuckled and snuck an arm around her waist as he leaned in to nuzzle her neck. Her breath hitched, her body stiffening, and he murmured in her ear just loud enough for us to hear. “Sure, princess. But I think it was more of a lucky guess.”

She raised a single brow, shooting him a look, and I couldn’t help but grin watching them. If I’d known getting them here would bring back some of their old spark, I would have dragged them out here with me sooner. Annie turned back to look at me, and I knew she was thinking the same thing. Her hands squeezed my arms that I’d wrapped around her waist, and I nibbled behind her ear.

“Who’s that guy?” Nic jerked his chin, and I followed his gaze over to Monty.

“The guy who runs the races. Hey, Monty!” I held up my hand as he looked over, and he nodded, running a hand over the tattoos on his shaved head before walking over.

“Good to see you, Jet. It’s been a few weeks.”

“I was out of the country for a while and then just busy. Got any room in the lineup tonight?” I jerked my head at his clipboard.

He held it up, checking over the list. “Yeah, I can fit you in, easy. We’ve got quite a few racers out here tonight. Itake it you still don’t want Hernandez, though.” He eyed Tucker.

He just stared back, his voice going hard. “That wasn’t about this. He had it coming.”

“Not my business. I just don’t want the drama if I can cut it back.” Monty looked back at me. “No Hernandez?”

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