“Yep. If he has any, I’ll put a slice in the fridge for you.”
“Thanks.” She gave me a smile before turning to her book again to dismiss me.
I made my way down to the kitchen to find Kate waiting for me, and she happily followed me out to the Corvette once Mom had repeated her rules to both of us. I knew her concern was because Kate was being fostered, which meant any little fuck up could get her taken away.
I was glad the foster kids we had were well cared for and got to feel what love was like. So many from other places didn’t have such luck.
* * *
We spent the evening eating and just hanging out at the bar, Blake and Kate playing pool together while the rest of us stayed at our booth. Luna had been uncomfortable at first since she didn’t know anyone well, but she was happily chatting to Turbo now that he’d proven to be a nice person.
“You should bring Luna with you sometime,” Turbo said as he sipped his coke, eyeing me over the rim. “I think she’d enjoy it.”
Luna frowned, not understanding what he was referring to, but I snorted.
“There’s no way in hell that’s happening. It’s dangerous for starters, but if we do get busted by the cops, I’m in a lot of fucking trouble for dragging her into my mess.”
“Are you talking about the car stuff? Can’t I come and watch without being in the car?” she asked, a sigh leaving me. I dropped an arm around her shoulders, keeping her close so I didn’t have to talk too loudly. Harley and Alex would definitely tell on me.
“It’s not like the track, Lou. We race through towns and side streets. We sometimes start somewhere like Stoneleigh, then end up in the Heights. It changes each night.”
“That doesn’t sound very safe,” she mumbled, making me snort.
“Itisn’tsafe. You remember that Reid’s in the hospital right now fighting for his life, right? That could’ve easily been me.”
Her eyes widened, but Turbo waved his hand dismissively. “Stop scaring her. You’ll be fine.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, asshole,” I scoffed, eyeing Luna. “It’s dangerous and completely illegal. That’s why I don’t tell anyone about my involvement. It’s not really your thing either, and I don’t want to risk your life in the process.”
“But you’ll risk yours?” she snapped, making me cringe at the volume. Alex glanced our way with a frown, and I knew I had to calm Luna down before she got me in a world of trouble.
“It’s hard to explain. We’ll talk about it more later, okay?”
“Whatever,” she bit out, getting to her feet. “I need to pee.”
I let her out of the booth, watching her stalk off to the bathroom before I turned to glare at Turbo across the table. “Thanks, asshole.”
“Just go and shove your fingers in her. She can’t stay mad at you then.” He smirked, making me roll my eyes.
“Here? In the bar that her uncles own? Doubtful.”
“Just tell her that at the end of our race season, you’re done,” he offered, my eyes narrowing.
“I don’t want to lie to her.”
“Who’s lying? I think the next few races will be it for me,” he replied lightly, sipping his coke. “Too many people know me as Ander now. Those two worlds don’t need to collide, and my other businesses are taking too much of my time. A lot of people have died or been seriously hurt while participating in my races, and it’s becoming too much of a cop magnet. If I draw too much attention, it’s going to start becoming problematic for my other stuff.”
“You really want to shut it down?” I asked with surprise, realizing how serious he was.
“I think it’s time, don’t you?” he murmured, eyeing Luna as she walked back towards us. “Besides, it would be a shame for you to die now that you’re happy.”
That would just be my luck too.
Luna
Riley didn’t bring up the conversation of street racing over the next few days, and as much as I enjoyed being able to be with her in public, anxiety was constantly eating away at me. People whispered wherever we went, and I knew Riley was sensing my impending freak-out.
My feelings were still all over the place, but I knew she made me happy. Was it love though? Or was I just clinging to her?