“Was that Ander? He’s racing?” Landon asked, giving me a stern look. “No offense, but I don’t want either me or Luna dragged into that shit.”
I watched Luna for a moment before relaxing my muscles, knowing I looked tense.
“Beckett challenged him to a race. He probably just wants to make sure it’s not a way for the crews to get to him.”
“Don’t think I didn’t hear you mention the street racing,” he muttered, stepping closer so he wasn’t talking loud enough for others to hear. “What the hell do you know about his races?”
“Who doesn’t know about it?” I scoffed, hoping I didn’t look guilty. I hated lying to them, but the last thing I needed was either of them sniffing around that shit. Someone would get hurt.
“You’re just going to take his word for it about tonight?” he said in disbelief. “What if he’s full of shit? I’m talking to Beckett about it.”
“Go for it,” I gritted through my teeth. “I wouldn’t let you two near him if I didn’t think it was safe though. So thanks for trusting me.”
He met me dead in the eye, his voice flat. “Start telling me the truth then.”
I let out a breath, glancing around before replying. “What do you want me to say? That I’ve raced against him on the street before? I don’t want you dragged into it.”
He seemed surprised by my honesty, but Luna looked horrified. “You raced on the street?”
“Keep your fucking voice down,” I warned. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. It’s not a big deal.”
“What’s not a big deal?” I heard behind us, and I managed to keep my face blank as I found Maddox behind me, Beckett and Zane not far behind him. They all had their crew jackets on, so I assumed they were here for business.
I motioned to Beckett, not missing a beat. “Turbo called me and asked about tonight’s race. Apparently, Beckett challenged him.”
Maddox’s lip lifted in a sneer, his voice sharp. “The fuck did he call you for? To cry about it?”
“No,” I huffed. “To see if I wanted to go.”
“You’re not,” he threw back instantly, a light laugh leaving me.
“Uh, yes I am. Are you guys up to something? Why are you worried about me being there?”
“I don’t want you near him, Riley,” he bit out. “He’s going to get you in trouble.”
“Says the dude with the Bloody Psychos’ jacket on.” I smirked, patting his chest. “Whatever you’ve got planned for Turbo, it won’t work.”
“Want to bet?”
“Yes, actually.” They couldn’t do anything to his car if I was in it, let alone try to run him off the track. Turbo wasn’t stupid, and now his demand for me to join him made sense. He knew it wasn’t just a race. “You can’t hurt him without hurting me. I’m his passenger for the night.”
He cursed, clenching his fists before jabbing a finger against my chest, his face twisting with anger. “Why do you have to stick your nose in everything? You don’t know what you’re messing with.”
I swatted his hand away, glaring up at him. “You’re the one putting your nose in my shit. Leave him the fuck alone.”
“I didn’t think you were that close to him? Seriously, stay out of it. If you’re just trying to be difficult for the sake of it…”
I gave him a shove, and I heard Beckett curse from close by. I knew she’d get between us any second now.
“Does Mom know about this?” I demanded, spinning around to glare at Beckett before she could pull me back. “If you do anything to Turbo, that makes you as bad as Jeremy Lopez for what he did to our brother. You know that?”
Her muscles tensed as she contemplated knocking me the fuck out. She knew I was right though.
“What do you know?” she asked, glancing at Maddox. “Did you tell her anything?”
He scowled, motioning to me. “Ander called her. She’s his passenger tonight.”
“Of course he fucking did,” she growled, holding my gaze firmly. “He doesn’t give a shit about you if he’s willing to use you as a shield.”