Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1 (13 page)

“They
won’t even get near it.”

“Good
to hear. I have a lot of money riding on you.”

I
laugh. “Don’t you always? Where are we meeting afterwards?” Chris doesn’t like
to handle the money out here in the open. He designates a place for everyone to
meet and collect their winnings an hour after the race ends.

“Sandy’s,”
he smiles. “I owe her a visit anyway.” Chris and Sandy go way back. They dated
in high school or some shit.

“I’ll
be there. Hey, have you seen Quinn?” He points in the direction of the drunk
bitches. I should have known. “Thanks.”

As I
make my way over, Jake comes into view. Some brunette has her hands all over
his chest. He’s not going to be happy when I call him away from his groupies.
Before I can get his attention, one of the girls sees me approaching.

“We’ve
been waiting for you, Evan,” she says. Ava is one of the few girls I’ve been
with more than once. She’s blonde, flexible as hell, and has the longest legs
I’ve ever had around my neck. Ava has no desire to make the night last any
longer than it needs to. She never freaks out about me being gone before she
gets out of the shower.

“Jake,
I need to talk to you for a second,” I say, forgetting her.

“You
can talk to Jake later.” Ava comes over to me and wraps her arms around my
waist. “It’s been too long.”

I
pull her arms off of me. “Not tonight,” I dismiss her. She’s baffled by my
reaction. I’ve never turned her down before. “Jake,” I repeat.

“What
the fuck?!” Ava snaps, instantly angry.

“I
need to talk to my friend. Now stop being a fucking bitch!” I snap back, just
as loudly.

Jake
steps out from the group and starts to push me back. “Come on, man,” he says.
“You girls should head to the finish line, or go to Sandy’s and save us a
spot.” They start to walk in the other direction, but I hear Ava call me an
asshole. It’s not the first time. “You okay?” Jake asks once they are far
enough away.

“Yeah,
why?” It’s not the first time I’ve told someone no.

“Because
you just pissed off Ava. It’s not like you to screw yourself like that,” he
clarifies, pointing over his shoulder.

“Whatever.
I’m done with her anyway.”

“Since
when?”

“Since
now.”

“What
did you need to talk to me about?” He’s confused about what just happened. I
thought he would have known.

“Was
that dude’s car still in Kacie’s driveway when you left your house to come
here?”

“Is
that what this is about? You’re jealous Kacie is eating dinner with someone?”

“Jake,
just answer my fucking question. Was he there?”

“I
didn’t think to look. You should have given me a head’s up if you wanted me to
spy on her.”

My
hand runs through my hair. “I don’t want you to spy on her.”

“You
were hoping I did.” He’s right, but I’m not going to admit that. “What’s going
on, Evan?”

“I
don’t know,” I say.

“I
think you do.” I look away. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but you need
to get your head out of your ass and in the race. You can’t go into this
distracted. We don’t know anything about these new guys and I’m not in the mood
to lose, especially on our home turf.” Since I started racing with Jake, we
have always worked these races as a team. We watch each other’s backs and
almost always finish first and a very close second. Is it cheating? Only if you
get caught, I suppose. If Chris knows, he’s never said anything. Prizes go out
to first, second, and third place, but winner takes most.

“We
don’t lose,” I assure him.

Jake
releases a sigh of relief, confident I won’t let him down. “I wonder how they
found out about us.” He’s referring to the new guys who are pulling in now and
getting their starting places from Chris. The only car that stands out in the
group is a brand new orange Stingray Corvette.

“I
have no idea and Chris didn’t mention anything about it when I dropped off our
entry fees yesterday. Guess, he’s not worried about it.”

“He’s
making money regardless. He won’t worry.”

“Chris
cares. He doesn’t want anything to fuck this up.”

“True,”
he agrees. Jake appears to have something to say. After a short time, possibly
considering how to say whatever is on his mind, he starts, “Just so you know,
Kacie is done with Nate. She may feel like she has to reconcile with him to
some degree. They split unexpectedly and Kacie took off before they could talk
again. She doesn’t like to leave things that way. You have nothing to be
concerned about, if that’s what you were getting at.” I only nod. “What’s been
going on with the two of you?”

“Nothing,
really. We had lunch a few times.”

“Give
her time. If she hasn’t kicked you to the curb yet, she’ll come around when
she’s ready,” he adds with a half-smile. “I honestly thought you wouldn’t stand
a chance after Jade tried to warn her about you. You’re one lucky son of a
bitch.” He pats me on the shoulder and we head toward our cars. “You ready to
do this?”

“Yup.”

“Let’s
roll. There’s a hot girl waiting for me at the finish line.” I’ll be damned.
That bastard just stole my line.

All
of the racers are in their cars and ready to go. The sound of engines revving
is echoing off of the surrounding buildings. Each one of them is trying to
outdo the other. Little do they know, all of their asses are about to be
kicked. The anticipation is one of my favorite parts. Adrenaline begins rushing
through me as Marco makes his last trek across the starting line.

The
beeping of the Bluetooth in my ear indicates a call is coming through. “Still
focused, Pierce?” Jake’s stern voice asks.

I
glance over into the car alongside mine to see my friend staring back at me.
“Focused and ready to leave these fucking amateurs in my dust. If they dent my
car, I’m going to beat the shit out of someone. Try to keep up,” I mock him.

“I
have no problem with coming in second. Just don’t fuck up because, if you do,”
he turns his attention straight ahead, “I’ll be ready to speed by and take your
place.”

A
thought runs through my head. “Are you still talking about the race?” I ask as
a tall brunette in a mini-skirt takes Marco’s place in the middle of the
starting line. In her hand is a red cloth of some sort, which she’ll use to
start the race. Chris is now down at the finish line, probably waiting for the
all clear from his tech guys. He leaves Marco and a few other guys up here to
get it started and to watch out for the flagger, the girl starting the race.

“Just
don’t forget it, Evan. Oh, and watch out for this dude in the yellow piece of
shit to my right,” he advises me. “That son of a bitch just looks crazy.” The
street lights suddenly come on, brightening the road ahead. “It’s show time,”
Jake says. Our phones stay connected so we can communicate during the race.

The
flagger raises the hand holding the flag. Her eyes are watching Marco, waiting
for him to give the signal. While most of these guys are taking in every inch
of this girl’s long body, I keep my sight on her hand. She must see what she
needs to because her attention twists to us. Moments later, her arm drops,
sending seven cars down the three-and-a-half mile stretch. This winding road is
only four lanes wide and is a little narrow for seven cars, but that’s Chris’ call.
Not mine. It doesn’t matter to me. My Volkswagen immediately jumps out in front
of the pack and keeps on going. Feeling how she flies down the road makes it
completely worth every damn penny I’ve spent on her.

“Holy
shit!” Jake shouts through the earpiece. “No one is even coming close to you.
You have to build me one of those!”

“Just
make sure you stay in second or I’m not splitting the money with you,” I tell
him, checking to see where he is in my rearview mirror. He’s not that far
behind me with someone on either side of him. “Watch both flanks, Quinn.”

“I’m
good,” he swears. “Just finish this. I don’t want these punks to get a dime of
our money.”

Before
I know it, my car is rounding the last bend. Both sides of the street are
filled with crazy, screaming people all the way to the end. Danny, looking
proud, comes into view just before I cross the finish line. I can’t help but
laugh at my mechanic. I slow down, but don’t stop. Just in case the police have
been called, no one hangs around, but I never leave without Jake.

“Jake,
you’re still behind me, right?” I ask, just as his reflection once again
appears in the mirror.

“I’m
here,” he announces, speeding for the finish line. There isn’t anyone close to
him, so he easily takes second place.

“I’ll
meet you at the bar,” I tell him when his car is beside mine. “I’m going to
take this back to my uncle’s house and get the truck.”

“See
ya in a few.” The call ends. He pulls out in front of me to make a right out of
the industrial park and I make a left. I scroll down to Meg’s name on my phone
and send a text letting her know it’s over. At least she’ll be able to relax
now.

The
parking lot at Sandy’s is packed for a Thursday night. This bar doesn’t get
much traffic during the week. Speaking from a manager’s point of view, I sure
hope Chris warned her we’d be coming here. That way, she’d be prepared with
extra staff. There are a few spots open in the rear of the building, so I back
my truck into one of them and go inside. As soon as I walk through the door,
the cheers of congratulations start. Any other night, I usually eat this shit
up, but what I really want to do right now is collect my money and get the fuck
out of here. Slowly, I make my way through the crowd. People stop me at almost
every table, asking questions about the Scirocco.

Finding
Chris is no problem. He’s always at the table closest to the bar. When I
finally get there, Sandy sees me coming and jumps up. She throws her arms
around me and kisses my cheek. “Long time, no see. I’m going to make sure your
burger gets made the way you like it.”

“You’re
the best!” I guess I’m staying long enough to eat.

“I
know. It’s your friend that forgets.” She tilts her head in Chris’ direction,
then goes back toward the kitchen.

Chris
is smirking when my ass hits the chair. “Guess it has been a while since you’ve
seen her,” I say.

“Apparently.
She’ll get over it when I get her alone. This is yours,” he says, handing over
an overstuffed envelope. “The most you’ve ever made in a single race. I’m
thinking maybe we take the summer off. Let the tourists do their thing and
we’ll pick back up in the fall.”

“Fine
by me.” A waitress drops off a beer. “Thanks,” I say without looking up. She
walks away.

“Thanks?”
Chris says. “What the fuck was that?”

“What?”

“That
girl was hot and you didn’t even peek. I saw you and Ava earlier, too.
Something happen?”

“The
last time I saw her was after the last race. I have no plans to see her again.”
There is one girl I’d really like to see right now, though.

“Interesting,”
Chris comments as Sandy brings my food over.

“What’s
interesting?” she questions.

“Evan
not noticing your hot waitress who brought him over a beer, and then saying
he’s done with Ava.”

“What’s
wrong with my waitress?” She mocks offense.

“She’s
not the girl I’m thinking about right now,” I say, then take a bite of the
cheeseburger.

“That
explains it.” Sandy smiles.

“What
a little bitch,” Chris remarks, making Sandy laugh.

“Leave
him alone. Evan made you a lot of money tonight,” she reminds him and pulls a
chair up right next to Chris. His arm goes around her.

“You’re
right.” He kisses her head. “You’re still a little bitch,” he whispers to me.

Jake,
Danny, and a couple other guys come over to sit with us. Everyone is still talking
about my new car and how well it did tonight. It’s not like the competition was
anything worth talking about. Chris tells us how the three new guys are all
connected with some racing circuit south of here and they just wanted to check
out how we run shit. We sit there discussing the race for the next hour. The
brunette who was feeling Jake up earlier in the parking lot has made herself
comfortable in his lap. If he would just take her home already, I’d be able to
leave, too. Sitting here bullshitting with these guys isn’t cutting it tonight.
This is not the way I feel like spending my only night off.

Jake
stands up and I’m thinking he’s finally going to make some excuse to leave.
Instead, he says to the girl, “I’ll be back. Wait right here.” He sets her down
on the chair, then disappears into the crowd. He’s just going to take a leak.
Damn it!  

Out
of nowhere, Ava suddenly appears and slams an almost empty bottle of beer down
on the table in front of me. When did she get here? She leans over so her face
is level with mine. She tries to whisper, but it comes out loud enough for
everyone to hear. “Only because I’m drunk and horny as hell am I going to
forget how rude you were to me earlier and let you take me home.” The guys are
laughing and offering to help her out. I should let them, but she’s my ticket
out of here.