Mason
My teeth were clenched, and I was white-knuckling the steering wheel when we took the first corner after we went beneath the overpass. I’d been a tad bit trigger happy watching Laina, and as soon as that flag went down, I was ready. The damn car in front of me had held me up a quarter of a second. He was weaving across the road and leading the pack, being an ass and not letting any of us past him.
I guess that was the name of the game.
But I was itching to get around him to really see how this car of mine could perform. I knew there was a hell of a lot of power in her than what I was currently riding her at, and the only way I could let her fly was to get out in front.
The car in front was a yellow Mitsubishi Lancer. A typical ride for this scene. The paint was broken up by a royal blue stripe from the front of the hood down to the rear bumper. As it swerved from left to right, another car pulled up beside me. A red Nissan. Low to the ground with wide set tires, it was built to corner and eat up the pavement. The windows were blacked out like all the other cars on the road, and it was impossible to tell who was behind the wheel.
It didn’t matter.
They were all just cones on the road put there for me to weave around and leave in my rearview mirror.
We emerged from the lower dock road and pulled out onto one of the main lower roads where other traffic was stopped at a red light. Good old Harley. She knew the traffic light schedules and mapped out routes to minimize risk. All twenty cars came pouring out into the intersection and took the corner, launching off down the road and spreading out now that we had three lanes to play with.
The yellow boy in front would have a hard time maintaining his lead now.
I smirked as he wandered to the right side of the road to block another driver who was trying to creep up the side. I let him go and maintained my speed. I waited. It was not easy. The yellow car kept drifting closer to the right, and I made a move to the outside left, creating more distance between the two of us.
The red Nissan beside me must have figured out what I was doing. He swerved left, cutting into my lane, and kept creeping in on me to try to force me to slow down or be driven into.
I wasn’t the sort to slow down.
I dropped a gear and put my foot down hard on the gas. The car lurched forward, slamming me back in the seat as I pulled away from the Nissan.
The yellow car was drawing back to the middle of the road, but he’d made his mistake. My opening was there, and I was taking it.
I sped out in front of him, and he cut in behind me. Just like riding a fucking bicycle, I thought smugly.
We followed the track through another intersection. The light turned yellow as I raced through, and I checked my mirrors as other cars at the back of the pack didn’t make it before opposite traffic filled the intersection. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw Benji’s coupe make it through. The squeal of brakes rang in my ears, and I hooked a right, my back end sliding out behind me, and got my car back in line.
The yellow car was still on my ass. The driver’s headlights filled up my cab as he jerked from side to side, nearly fishtailing behind me like a fucking psychopath. The pavement was wet, and he was risking losing all his traction by being an asshole.
Then he drove into my back end.
I was rocked forward and had to make some quick adjustments as my car tried to turn sideways. I pulled it back into line as the yellow car came up beside me.
The driver’s window rolled down.
Sid Paul. Of course. I should have known.
Did he know it was me in the Mustang?
It didn’t matter. What mattered was that the course narrowed into a single lane road between two buildings. It was hard to tell from this distance, but it looked like the narrow lane was at least four blocks long. Only one of us was going in.
Sid tried to ram me again, and I had to swerve to the right. I checked my mirrors. No other cars were even close to overtaking us. For now, Sid and I were the only ones in this race.
I gripped the steering wheel and floored it. Sid opened his car up too, and we both sped toward the narrow opening. The pavement seemed to pass underneath me at a frightening speed, and we were still neck and neck.
I knew one thing without a doubt. If I didn’t get in front of him, Sid would not back off. He would drive into the side of the building to stop me from getting through.
At the very last second, I jerked the wheel to the left and diverted from the course. I drove over a section of sidewalk and nearly lost control of the car as Sid disappeared into the narrow lane. It might have been my imagination, but I was sure I heard him let out a victory whoop.
I pushed the Mustang hard to make up for lost time. I drove down a side street that was not sectioned off for the race. I was risking getting spotted by a cop or being reported by a citizen. I was driving with no plates, and my engine was roaring as I blew a red light and took a sharp right turn to get back on track. We were on the final stretch of the race, and I came out about ten feet behind Sid’s car.
Mason Sid swerved all over the place to block me. He took the last corner tight, forcing me to the outside. I lost more ground on him. We straightened out to take the final straightaway. The finish line was a speck in the distance. I had about a mile and a half to catch him and take the lead. “Come on,” I yelled, slamming my hand on the steering wheel. “Come on!” I came up on his right side. It was my best chance. I had a bit more space as we barreled toward the finish line. I drove hard and opened the Mustang up all the way. The engine roared. Everything thrummed with power. She crept ahead, inch by inch, until my front end was in line with Sid’s. He jerked his car to the right. I retreated and anticipated his next move. He would do anything to guarantee his win, and there was still plenty of time for me to pass him. I knew he’d try again, and I’d be ready. I rode in his blind spot an
LainaI licked the rain from my lips as I looked back and forth between the two men who were staring each other down. I felt like I was on the brink of seeing something I could never unsee. I wasn’t sure if I should be curious or frightened. Ginny had her left shoulder pressed tightly against my right. She was shivering a bit from the cold and looked from Mason to me before muttering, “Isn’t that the guy you told me to stay away from?” I nodded. “Yeah. Sid Paul. He’s not a good guy.” Sid took a couple of steps forward, moving from the rear end of the Mustang to stop at the driver’s side door. Mason stood at the front of the car with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked like the last person I would want to pick a fight with. But Sid was crazy. Always had been. And he had Mark Denning at his right side, hovering over his shoulder like any respectable villain’s henchman. Had I not known how mean Sid really was, I might have found the whole thing
Laina The tension in the crowd evaporated, and soon they all dispersed, going their own ways and talking about the excitement of the race. We were left standing near Mason’s car with hammering hearts and goose bumps rising to attention on our wet skin. Benji finally released my arm. I ran my fingers through my hair and shook it out as Ginny deflated like a balloon beside me. “That was tense,” she breathed. “Tell me about it,” I said grimly. Mason looked over at me. “You all right, Laina?” “Me?” He nodded. I blushed and tried to look like the tough girl in the crowd. The girl who didn’t get her feathers ruffled by a guy like Sid. “Yeah. I’m fine. I can handle a loser like Sid Paul in my sleep.” Mason smiled, but I wasn’t sure if he bought it or not. His jaw flexed as Rick threw an arm over his shoulder. “I thought fists were going to fly.” “For a minute, so did I,” Ma
MasonTaps was a pub not far from the docks that my old racing team and I used to frequent back in the day. It was in an old rundown apartment that had been converted into an office building, and the pub consumed the entire bottom level. It also had a set of stairs right in the middle of the place leading down into a basement that was riddled with high tables and chairs. The walls were the original brick from nearly a hundred years ago, and although it smelled a bit musky down there, it was a perfect place to sit and have a couple of beers. It was open late on weekends, so when we showed up, we knew we still had a good few hours left before we’d have to clear out. We went straight downstairs because that’s where the dance floor was, and the girls found us a table while Benji, Rick, and I went to the bar and ordered drinks. I paid the tab and ordered everyone two shots of tequila along with some drinks packed with liquor sure to get us feeling good in no time. It was a cele
Mason I left the table and went back up to the bar to order us another round of drinks. I bought some shots that weren’t tequila so Ginny could partake and returned with a tray of liquor. I passed them around and caught Laina smiling at me. I winked at her. She scooped up a dark purple shot and smelled it. She seemed to approve because she held onto it as everyone else claimed their drinks. I offered my brother some, but he shook his head. He would stay sober. One of us had to get the Mustang home, and he told me I deserved the celebration. I accepted his offer, and like we were all goofy teenagers, we tossed back two or three shots each, washed them down with a beer, and let our drunken stupors take hold. The music doubled in loudness, and Laina danced in her seat. Ginny leaned into Rick, who was watching her with amusement as she told him a nearly incoherent story about something that happened to her earlier in the week. She was laying
LainaMason and I finally spilled out onto the sidewalk. I was dizzy with lust and feeling good from the booze. Light. Free. Mason cut to the curb and threw his hand in the air to flag down the first cab that drove by. Unfortunately, it was full, and we ended up having to walk a couple blocks down the street to get away from the pub district. There were too many people also in need of cabs at this hour, and both of us were itching to get somewhere private. We made our way down a less busy street, and I leaned against the side of a shop front as Mason looked both ways, watching for a cab. He glanced over his shoulder at me as I ran both hands through my hair. I paused, catching the way he was eyeing the lines of my body, and stood there with my fingers in my hair and my shoulder blades pressed to the shop at my back. He licked his lips and turned from the road to come to me. I stayed where I was, my breath catching in my throat when he pl
Laina The curtains were open on the north wall. The moon and stars peeked through the clouds as he tossed me onto his bed. The sheets were navy blue and gray and silky. They felt good on my skin as he pushed me onto my back and lifted my right leg. Then, slowly and gently, he pulled off my boot and tossed it over his shoulder. I propped up on my elbows and watched as he did the same with the other boot. Then he pulled his T-shirt over his head, and I nearly had an orgasm right then and there. “Wow,” I breathed. I hadn’t meant to say it aloud. It just sort of slipped out. His tattoos were swirling works of black and gray art that covered his arms and torso. Muscles rippled beneath the ink, shifting beneath his tanned, taut skin as he reached for the zipper at the front of my pants. He drew the zipper down. It hummed softly as if thanking him for finally undoing my pants. I lifted my ass off the bed as he began pull
Mason“Should I go?” Laina asked. Her chin was resting on top of her hands, which were flat on my chest as she looked up at me with tired eyes. I shook my head. “No. You should stay.” “You sure?” “Course I am. It’s late. There’s plenty of room in this bed for both of us. And what would happen if I woke up horny and you were gone?” Laina laughed and curled up on her side to press her cheek flat to my chest. “So persuasive.” I rubbed her shoulder and closed my eyes. It had been a long time since I felt the warmth of a woman in my bed. Six months, to be exact. The last time I’d felt this sort of closeness with someone was with Evelyn, and that had blown up in my face. At the time, I’d been sure I would never trust another woman again. But there was something different about Laina. Something trustworthy and honest. Something good. She took a deep breath beside me, and I opened my eyes to look d