I was so messed up. Jumbled. Nothing seemed right anymore.
One thing I did know: I had to figure out how to get the rest of the money for Tank before Ollie got too much deeper in this.
I had to keep him safe.
And somehow keep Jason safe, too.
Eric didn’t wait for me to explain what I’d gotten Ollie and myself into. Instead, he pulled me by my wrist, and we ended up near the starting line, away from the thickening crowd. I heard murmurs from people as we snuck by, talking about who’d win the race and who they’d bet against. The majority of the people said they bet for Ollie to win because someone let it leak that he’d done some upgrading to his Charger.
I only hoped that he knew what he was doing, because the suspense was wrapping around my throat and suffocating me.
I scanned the crowd as the cars revved their engines, ready to take off whenever the girl wearing the short, make-you-take-a-double-look shorts walked in between the two cars to wave her flag.
My heart stopped as I spotted Tank with his stupid man-bun several yards away. Sky was standing to his right, but when my eyes shifted to the left, I froze.
Jason.
There was my brother, casually standing beside Tank as if nothing at all was wrong. I raised up on my tiptoes to get a better look, but Eric pulled me down by my arm.
“Stay out of sight, Piper.”
I gave Eric a dirty look before trying to get a better glance at my brother when I heard the two cars
taking off at a rapid speed. My heart fell to the ground along with my stomach, and my hand flew up to my mouth. Oh my God.
The back of Ollie’s maroon Charger zipped down the dirt road, and people flocked to the billowing dust to get a better look.
Black dots crowded my vision as I tried to catch my breath. Ollie. The only thing I could envision was Ollie’s car being wrapped around a tree, or it coming to a sudden stop and flipping with him inside.
The distant roar of the two engines faded into the background, and I continued to force out choppy breaths. Small puffs of air escaped me when I felt two hands on my shoulders. I peeked up and saw Eric hovering over me. “Breathe, Piper. He’s going to be fine, but not if you pass out right here. Take a damn breath!”
I gasped as I watched the worry fade from Eric’s eyes. “There you go. Just breathe. He’ll be back soon.”
My eyes shifted past Eric, and I searched for my brother. Another wheeze escaped me, and oxygen seemed to come in a little easier knowing my brother was here and that he appeared to be okay.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Eric’s hands dropped from my shoulders as he settled in on Madeline’s voice from behind me.
I didn’t dare take my eyes off the direction of the rising dust and crowd of people. I kept my attention on Tank and my brother, waiting patiently for Ollie’s Charger to reappear.
“What the fuck, Madeline? Why the hell are you hanging around here?”
Madeline’s tone was packed full of heat “I don’t know. Probably the same reason you are!”
I tuned the two of them out as Eric rounded my body and walked over to her. I could hear my heartbeat in my own ears, but as soon as the sound of a roaring engine filtered in, everything else faded. My throat squeezed with anticipation; my heart fluttered against my ribcage. The one and only time I’d felt relief like this was when I’d seen Hayley again after she had been taken by the men from her father’s past.
A small yelp left my mouth as Ollie’s Charger got closer, and before I knew what I was doing, my legs were pulling me into the sea of people. Ollie. My legs were picking up their pace as I pushed past people I didn’t even know, my hands coming out and moving them aside so I could get closer to him.
Ollie.
I heard Eric calling after me, and I was certain he was hot on my heels, but I didn’t care. The only thing I was worried about was wrapping my arms around Ollie, because the fear of him dying in a car crash was still fresh in my mind. The anxiety that I’d pushed away all week was catching up to me.
My hair swished around my face as I continued getting closer, and when I saw his long legs climb out of his Charger, I almost wept right there. The sun was setting, and the moon was coming up, but when his eyes landed on me, I swore I could still see the shine in them. He’s fine, Piper. But my body acted on its own. I rushed past the last person, and before I knew it, my arms were around his torso, and my head was pushed against his chest.
I was gasping, all but wheezing for air, almost to the point of hyperventilating.
“Piper?” Ollie’s hands immediately wrapped around my upper arms, but I only clung on harder. “Piper? What happened?”