“I wouldn’t say it’s so much my plan, but more of Jason’s.”
“What does that mean?” A swirl of wind rushed past me, and I felt like it took my breath along with it.
He shrugged, his voice lowering so only we could hear him. “Jason has a little bit of a drug problem. It’d be a shame if he overdosed.”
“Wh-what?” I stuttered. Ollie’s wrist flexed in my grasp, and it only made me hold on tighter. “What does that mean?”
Ollie was the one to speak. “It means I’m racing, Piper.” His wrist fell from my hand as he shot me a look—one that sent an entirely new batch of fear down my spine.
I stood back and watched as he walked over to his Charger, the crowd following closely behind him. Suddenly, it felt like I’d stepped into an alternate reality, and I was almost one-hundred percent positive it wasn’t going to be a good one.
Chapter Six
Ollie
My hands shook as my long strides took me back to my Charger. My phone buzzed in my jeans again, and I finally took it out and shut it off, gripping my phone with such force I was certain it was going to snap. I swallowed back the rage bubbling up inside of my chest like a shot of Fireball.
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Being behind the wheel was exactly what I needed after that exchange. There were a million and one things running through my head—so much that I could barely focus on starting my engine. It all began with seeing Piper walk her sweet self through the tall grass with Cole, and from that moment on, I felt like a caged animal ready to rip people to shreds.
That was what being around Piper did to me.
She brought out something inside of me that was charged with jealousy, anger, and desire. I felt wild. A protective shield shot out of my very bones when I was near her. Maybe it was because she knew my secret. Maybe this was my way of protecting that little bit of myself that I gave to her so long ago. I wasn’t sure. Either way, I hated the feeling of unsteadiness that it gave me.
Who the fuck was Jason? I turned my Charger on, feeling the rumble settle in my blood. Why was Piper so dead set on paying his dues? Why was she protecting another guy? I pulled up to the starting line, eyeing her standing beside Cole with her arms wrapped around her middle. What was she thinking coming out here with him? I revved the gas a few times, waiting for my opponent to pull up beside me. I had no clue who I was racing, but it didn’t matter. This was something I had to do. The second I slid up beside Piper and took a stance with her was the second all rationality flew out of my head. Sometimes it scared me how defensive I became around her. I felt tethered to her in more ways than one. She was the one person I had confided in, and even if it was on the sly, she was there. She was my anchor. She helped keep me afloat that night. In a way, I owed her. Maybe that was why I couldn’t stop.
The other car pulled up beside me as the crowd began to pull back, giving us space. Fuck, I really had to take this one seriously. The need to win had been instilled in me from a very young age. My dad had drilled it into my brother’s and my heads. Of course, Christian, being the hothead of us both, always won when we’d play football in the backyard, but that was not to say I didn’t let him win—something I was sure he’d argue until he was blue in the face. Nonetheless, winning was usually the only option for a Powell. But are you even— I growled out loud, stopping the thought before it consumed me. “Pay the fuck attention, Ollie.”
My gaze wandered over to the other guy racing. He was driving a Chevy Camaro, and it looked expensive. The cherry-red color gleamed, even with the sun fading into dusk, and the tread on the tires had my confidence wavering for a moment. There was a tap on my window, and when I looked over, I saw Brandon staring at me with apprehension. I hurriedly rolled the window down.
He glanced at the Camaro before giving me a look. “He has a supercharger and nitrous.”
My heart slammed. “Great.”
Brandon flicked his eyes to the Camaro rumbling beside me. I darted my gaze to Piper who was biting her nail on the side of the road. Something awakened inside of me. I’ll win, Piper. Watch me.
“I’ve got this,” I said, eerily calm. My limbs relaxed as I wrapped my fingers around the stick shift.
“I’ve watched him race before. He has a fast car, which is why he’s in the next bracket, but he loses control easily. Stay steady and do your thing. That’s the only thing that’ll help you now.”
I nodded and began to roll my window up, but his hand shot out as he gripped the glass.
“You’re going down a dangerous path, my man. You know that, right? Tank is bad fucking news.”
I turned my head away and looked out at the dirt road. “No backing down now.”
He chuckled. “Spoken in true Ollie form. The most confident son of a bitch I know.” My mouth tipped upward but quickly fell when he asked, “Is that your girl?”
I followed Brandon’s line of sight to Piper, and my heart sped up even more. I swallowed, taking my eyes off her. The unparalleled anxiety I felt from just seeing her quaking little body caused me to rev my Charger again.
“Not yet,” I finally answered.
Brandon grinned and shook his head. “She looks worried.”
“She shouldn’t be. She knows me. She knows I don’t like to lose.”
“Oh, she’s perfectly right to be worried. I don’t know what type of business she’s got with Tank, but the dude is bad fucking news, Ol. Tread lightly. Don’t make a deal with him. You’ll be signing your own death wish.”