Page 68 of Unlucky You

“What happened to I’m not here for him?” He smiled smugly at me and I shrugged.

“Things change.”

“Indeed they do.” He grinned, cutting a glance at Grand before his eyes were on me again. “You been out here before?”

“No. It’s not really my scene.”

“You sure?” The smugness of his smile caused my frown to deepen.

“Yes, I’m sure. I don’t see the thrill in watching a man risk his life driving like a maniac just for an adrenaline rush.”

“Damn that felt personal.” He laughed and I shrugged.

“It’s just not my thing.”

“Never say never. You might change your mind when you see me cross the finish line.” He winked and turned to his cousin. “Let me holler at you for a minute.”

Grand jerked his chin toward Tali before he stepped away then turned to me. “Give me a minute and stay right here.”

They stepped away and I moved closer to Tali’s bike and removed my phone to turn on the flashlight, admiring the midnight blue color with a matte finish. Silver accents blended with the brushed chrome finish. The bike was custom and looked expensive so I changed my mind about leaning against it to wait while they finished their conversation.

Instead I stood close by and did a quick search of what I could see from my vantage point. We were on the south end of Highway 290 where the trains bypassed the city to circle Diamond Falls. There weren’t any buildings or streetlights, so the only thing illuminating the area were headlights from the bikes and cars.

“Alright, muthafuckers. Let’s get this shit started,” a man’s voice yelled from nearby. I swung my head to find him standingabove the crowd on the back of a pickup truck. The voices and music lowered as he rubbed his hands together.

“We have three races tonight. Winners qualify for a spot on the roster of Crash or Burn. This is the last round. So if you get to line up, consider yourself lucky.”

A few engines revved and shouts echoed from the crowd. The firmness of Grand’s body moved behind me. His arm hooked loosely around my neck so I relaxed against him. Tali stepped up beside us but leaned against his bike. “I better be on that fucking list.”

“Why is there a list? I thought whoever wanted to race, could race.”

“Not for Crash or Burn. First place is a hundred grand, second seventy five. Third through fifth get twenty-five grand each and bragging rights for the next year along with top selection for any of the races. They get to pick who they line up with.” Grand’s voice was a deep rasp so close to my ear that my body hummed with awareness.

“That’s a quarter of a million dollars. Who the hell funds these races?”

“Not the kind of people you want to piss off, so whatever you’re thinking, don’t.” Tali cut a glance my way.

“I’m not a…”

“Reporter. I know but you’re nosy as fuck which is how you ended up with him. The last thing you need are pictures circulating of what goes on out here with your name attached. Trust me, you don’t want to piss these people off. I saw that article on Inside Track.”

“My name is not attached. Just my pictures.” I frowned, not sure how he’d connected the two, but then again, I was there…

“You were the only one walking around all night with a gotdamn camera, pretty. It wouldn’t be hard to figure out, notfor me or anyone else who gave two shits about you potentially exposing them.”

“I’m not crazy enough to attach my name to everything I do and I’m careful,” I admitted.

Tali grinned but I could tell he wasn’t convinced. However, we were all distracted when the guy began calling out the line up.

“First to the line, we have Marcus and Jackson. The second race is Tali and Neshawn. Last one of the night is Dev and Tony.”

My eyes went wide at the mention of Neshawn racing. He raced, but it never crossed my mind that he would be out here tonight. Twice in one week was too much of a coincidence.

“Is that why you asked if I’ve been out here before?”

“I’m just looking out for my people.”

“Did you know that was who you were racing?” I stiffened at the growl in Grand’s voice when he spoke from behind me.

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