Page 49 of Disorder (Elite of Elmwood 2)

The corners of his lips pulled into a wicked grin. “What to ride shotgun?”

Only a moment passed before I responded. “Thought you would never ask.”

He nodded to the other side. “Get in then, Lil’ J. Better hurry before Brock has something to say about it.”

I didn’t give it a second thought and scrambled around to the passenger door, slipping inside before anyone noticed. The Charger’s engine hummed to life underneath me, a gentle rumble like a lion purring, but once Grayson pressed on the pedal, giving the car a little gas, it roared like a furious beast.

Grayson’s smile was that of pure joy, one he rarely displayed, and I found it impossible not to smile in return. I glanced out the tinted window. Brock scowled back at me, shaking his head as he folded his arms. There would be hell to pay, but that didn’t matter right now.

Grayson and I were having a brother-sister moment, something I’d missed out on for seventeen years.

We moved into position in the lineup. Grayson revved the engine as we waited for the signal to begin. My heart beat against my ribs in anticipation, equal parts excitement and fear. The white flag lifted, and Grayson shifted the car into gear. He stole a glance at me. “Brace yourself, Lil’ J.”

The flag went down and Grayson slammed his foot on the gas. I was tossed back against the seat. A rush of adrenaline tore through me. And I laughed.

Grayson handled the car like a pro—like he was born to drive. His fingers fit snugly over the vibrating steering wheel, his other hand shifting the car from one gear to the next. We weaved in and out of traffic, passing racer after racer. I didn’t think I exhaled until we cleared the busy street, heading into a rural part of town where the road opened up.

And that was when Grayson let the Charger free.

I was never so damn thankful for a seat belt in my life. It kept me strapped securely against the seat. The guy beside us kept neck to neck with Grayson’s car, not giving an inch.

“This asshole wants to play.”

Grayson didn’t flinch as he shot through a red light, foot pressed to the floor. “Holy shit,” I whispered, bracing my feet against the floorboards, while my hand clutched the ceiling. I nearly shit myself and decided if I was about to die, I didn’t want to see it coming. My eyes squeezed shut. This was intense. I didn’t know if I was cut out to race.

“Did we win?” I asked moments later, noticing the car was losing acceleration.

Grayson laughed. “You can open your eyes.”

He sounded happy. Like truly happy, so I took that as a good sign.

I slowly opened my eyes, ready to congratulate him for crossing the finish line, but the second I blinked, a pair of blinding headlights beamed through my window, barreling straight for us. I was about to be smashed like a pancake.

“Hang on!” Grayson ordered.

Is that panic I hear in his voice?

I was panicking enough for both of us. My scream got caught in my throat as his foot hit the brakes hard and he cranked the wheel to one side. The car drifted, throwing me against the door.

It felt like the car would never stop coasting over the road, the Charger turning parallel with the oncoming car. The world blurred, the night’s sky nothing but a streak of darkness. Then it all went still except for the thumping of my heart.

“Oh, my God, how did you do that?” I would have frozen, let the oncoming car hit me. Not Grayson. He managed to avoid a collision like he was a damn stunt driver.

His frown turned into a grimace as his gaze swept over me. “Are you okay?” Concern glittered in his features.

“I’m fine because of you,” I replied, residual tremors of fear still shaking through my body.

“The fucking car came out of nowhere.” Anger vibrated in his voice, the lines around his lips hardening.

I recognized the car, and no amount of wishing otherwise would make it less true. “That’s one of Steven’s cars,” I said, staring at the taillights that lit up the vanity plates. IGROWL. It was pretty difficult to mistake a car with plates like that.

“Carter,” Grayson snarled right before he punched the gas, causing the Charger to go from a dead stop to full speed as he gave chase. “That asshole is dead.”

“Do we want to take a moment to think about what you’re doing?” I just barely lived through my first race and managed to escape a car crash. I wasn’t super eager to engage in another.

His foot didn’t let up, conviction flaring in his eyes. “He could have killed you.”

“He is trying to scare me. He is upping the stakes until I agree to help him.”

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