Page 44 of Filthy Liar

“Speaking of impressing a girl, how about you race me so I can embarrass you in front of yours?” Kai offered, tilting his head in challenge.

“You think your Impreza can keep up with the Supra? Have you done some work on it since the last time I smoked you?”

“Very funny,” he chuckled, motioning to me. “Your girl’s safe with the guys.”

“She rides with me,” Ander said sharply, making Kai put his hands up.

“Chill, dude. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“You want to race him, baby? You’d win,” Ander deadpanned, holding his keys out to me and making the guys laugh.

“I’m good,” I said dryly, tensing when Chelsea Hartmann appeared with a beer in hand.

“Raven? Where have you been? I tried to find you at the party but you’d vanished,” she said with surprise, and I had to force myself not to flinch at the mention of it.

“Uh, hey. Yeah, I had to leave.”

“Did you hear about Devon and Michael?”

“Car accident?” I managed to get out, Ander moving to stand beside me. His hand rested on my lower back, and I leaned into him slightly.

She nodded, sipping her beer before talking again. “They were both super drunk. They’d been driving back from a road trip, apparently. Someone said they left the party to go. I thought they were with you when I couldn’t find you.”

My hands were sweating, and I scowled. “I wouldn’t go anywhere with Devon, and you know it.”

“That’s why I was looking for you. I was worried. He could be a prick when he wanted to be, and I know he liked to target you. I’m glad you’re okay. I can see you upgraded from Michael, he was bad news.”

“Why didn’t you keep an eye on her then?” Ander asked bluntly, and I elbowed him.

“Be nice. Cami was the one that was supposed to look out for me, not Chelsea.”

“Cami’s a mess,” Chelsea said with a wince.

“She’s off the rails again?” I asked, and she nodded.

“She’s been sleeping at the Pit in some car she bought. It’s a piece of shit, but she got kicked out of her place so it’s all she’s got right now. If you’re looking for her, she’s usually parked around the Heights. Have a beer with me, the guys chased you away last time, and I’d like us to be friends.”

Ander was tense, but I patted his chest confidently. “You go race, I’ll stay here. The guys are okay, right?”

He sighed, knowing I’d get my way. “Yeah, they’ll keep an eye out. Right, Vaughn? You wouldn’t even let the mafia near my girl, would you?”

“That’s not funny,” I scolded, but Vaughn waved his hand dismissively.

“You know we’ve got her. Go humble Kai a little.”

Kai flipped him off, and Ander dipped down to give me a kiss. “Stay close to them. You need to pee? You take one of them with you.”

“You need to relax, man. She’s fine,” Vaughn said with amusement, giving me a grin. “We’ll be besties in no time, right, Raven?”

“Can’t fucking wait,” I said sweetly, making him laugh.

Ander gave me one last look before heading to his car and starting it, Kai doing the same in his. We had a good view of the track from here, so I motioned for Chelsea to follow me as we got closer to the fence.

CHAPTERNINE

RAVEN

“What happened with you and Michael?” Chelsea asked once the guys had driven down to the track, my stomach twisting.

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