Page 46 of PET

I hear snatches of conversation coming from the surrounding crowds, all clearly negative comments that aren’t aiding in my wicked thoughts right now. Is getting a few minutes of Beau’s time worth the chance of killing myself? Fuck, I have to do it.

“Ready when you are,” I tell him, squaring my shoulders.

“Whoo!!” Kage shouts as he runs over to his Subaru.

Beau gives me an inquisitive glance before I turn and head to my car. I’m expecting to race only against Kage, but when Beau’s Toyota Supra MK IV pulls up beside me at the starting line, my heart sinks into my gut again.

Fuck me.

I haven’t had the pleasure of racing Takumo’s car yet, so I’m begging the universe to help me out here. I’m going up againsttwoBarrett brothers—on one of the most dangerous roads in America.

A tall, leggy brunette steps out in front of us, holding a white flag with a smirk on her bright red lips. She throws a wink at the three of us revving up our engines. Sweat lines my top lip as I grip the gear shift and ready my feet for action. Once that flag drops, I’ll go into race-mode. Right now, my nerves are fucking fried.

She drops the flag and all our tires squeal as we take off from the starting line.

The adrenaline racing through my veins makes everything around me become a blur as I shift through my gears. This car is better than I ever imagined, plunging me forward at least a full car's length ahead of those fuckers. I smile when this car handles like butter around each winding curve, climbing us toward the top of the mountain, and ultimately, Captain Jack’s bend. But if this thing can handle like this now, that bend is going to be nothing.

We’ve long since left the crowd in the dust. The full moon and our headlights are the only things illuminating our path. Beau is hot on my tail, moving back and forth to see which inside corner he’s going to try to take me on. Kage is further back, probably cussing up a storm that he’s last.

A sharp curve is dead ahead, and if I miss it, I’ll go right over the edge and roll to my death. But I rip up the emergency brake and turn into the curve beautifully. My tires squealing are music to my ears as I perfectly drift around the corner. Beau is right with me, taking the inside corner and my first position. Son of a bitch.

Pulling out of the drift, I shift to a higher gear and lunge the Nissan forward. I’m hot on Beau’s ass, grinning when I look down and see I have a full gear left to take him. I just need to find the right corner to do so.

And I find that corner right before Captain Jack’s bend. Beau takes the last corner too wide, giving me the entire inside to take my first position back. But I can’t help but wonder if he did that on purpose. Now I’m heading into Captain Jack’s bend, completely blind. I should have let Beau lead so I could follow his lead.

It’s too late for that now, though.

The gnarly bend appears in my headlights, and my stomach drops. It’s a narrow, single lane curve that disappears into a pitch-black tunnel. With very little space to drift, I hold on to the steering wheel as tight as I can and downshift to a more comfortable speed as I zoom through the tunnel.

I held my breath through the whole thing, blowing it out when I finally see the full moon again. Fuck me, I made it. Looking in my rearview mirror, I see Beau coming out of the tunnel next, and I shift gears to keep him in the dust. I’m around another curve before I see Kage slowly catching up with us.

We’re on the downhill grade of the race, which needs perfect calculation too, or one wrong move means I tumble off the side of the fucking mountain. Beau’s right on my ass again; so close I can see the whites of his teeth when he grins at me.Fucker.

A wider than expected corner appears, and I take the bitch too fucking wide. Beau swoops in and steals from the inside again, passing me. My hand aches when I slam it against the steering wheel, shifting gears to catch up to him.

My heart pounds when I see the lights of all the other vehicles at the bottom of the mountain waiting for us—the crowd who’s about to see me fucking lose if I don’t take Beau. I have to win this race. I’m not entirely sure why Dana wants me to get on the Barretts’ good side, but she mentioned Billie being in danger if I don’t, so I’m going to do everything in my power to win this fucking race.

Looking at my dash, I see I have one last gear to shift to before I’m topped out. Two curves left in the entire race, too. We zoom around the first one, my front bumper nearly kissing his rear one.

It’s now or never.

The second curve approaches and I go wide, confusing Beau. I can see his car slow slightly before I yank the wheel and shift as fast as I can, finding my way inside the corner at the last possible second. A quick glance over at Beau makes me grin. He’s as surprised as I feel. I honestly didn’t think that shit was going to work.

We rev our cars to their limits, flying down the last stretch of road before the finish line. We’re neck and neck, fighting for first place. The brunette stands to the side, waving a checkered flag as I hold my breath and push my foot harder into the gas pedal.

“AHH!” I scream out as I downshift, bringing my car to a stop.

The crowd surrounds my car as I jump out, feeling the remnants of adrenaline swirling through me. I’m so fucking lightheaded, I have to hold on to the hood of the car. Beau pulls up near us, getting out with a surprised expression on his face.

He storms toward me, watching the crowd part like the Red Sea. I’m waiting for him to tell me I cheated or that he won, but he holds out his hand for me to shake.

We stare at one another for a long time before I shake his hand. Nothing needs to be said. I proved my point and won.

“I owe you a meeting, don’t I? Come by the estate after seven tomorrow.”

With a single nod, he lets go of my hand and disappears into the crowd—the one who’s cheering me on and patting my back. I not only won against a Barrett brother, I won againsttheBarrett brother.

Chapter 19

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