I’d seen him drift a lot on backroads, so I knew he’d use it to his advantage here.
It had been a long time since someone had beaten her, but as we inched ahead, I was starting to think Turbo was going to take her crown.
I’d never been in the car with Turbo when he’d raced, and I admired his skills as he drove like it was part of him, slamming through gears and taking corners at the exact right time to drift. I expected him to play dirty, but he didn’t try to run her off the road once.
He was genuinely enjoying himself.
People were screaming and cheering from the fence, most of them on team Beckett.
No wonder she had a complex.
I relaxed the closer we got to the finish line, and adrenaline pumped harder as we shot across it just before Beckett and Reid.
Turbo fucking won.
He slammed on the brakes and spun us around to face the other way, turning to glance at me as Beckett parked beside us. “See? I can be a good boy when I need to be.”
“I didn’t doubt you for a second,” I deadpanned, climbing out and facing my sister who looked pissed. I knew I’d ruined whatever plans she’d had for him, but it was probably rubbing salt in the wound that Turbo beat her too.
“Nice race,” she grumbled, her gaze flicking to Turbo as he joined me, leaning back against his car.
“We’ll have to do it again sometime,” he said cheerfully, nudging my shoulder. “You’ll have to race me next time. I have a feeling you’d be a good challenge too.”
“Sounds fun,” I muttered.
Beckett sighed, offering him her hand. “Congrats. Not many people beat me here. You want to stick around for a drink?”
I didn’t like that. Beckett wouldn’t have decided to be friendly with him without a motive, especially after he’d made her look bad on her own track.
He chuckled, shaking her hand. “Thanks, but maybe another time. I’m not much of a drinker, and I have places to be later.”
“Oh? Places with my sister?” she asked lightly, and I let out a groan.
“Let it go, Beck. I’ve already put up with Stanley and Luna’s bullshit tonight, and I don’t need yours on top of it.”
“It was just a question,” she threw back, not taking her eyes off Turbo. “Another time then.”
He nodded, stepping back and dropping an arm around my shoulders. “C’mon, Donovan. Let’s go for a celebratory cigarette before I go.”
Beckett’s eyes narrowed as he turned me and opened the passenger door of his car. I slid inside, wondering what the fuck he was up to. He had a look on his face that was calculated, which meant trouble was coming.
He climbed behind the wheel and drove us back to where my car was parked, but he didn’t climb out when he shut the engine off. “Tell me right now if you know what your sister’s up to.”
I frowned, turning in my seat to angle my body towards him. “What do you mean?”
He stared at me for a moment before sighing, his shoulders relaxing. “She’s up to something. We ruined her plans by putting you in the car with me, and she’s not the type to let things go. She doesn’t like us being friends either.”
“Trust me, my whole family’s pissed about our friendship,” I mumbled, keeping my attention on him. “Do you have a bad feeling?”
I was surprised by the tired look in his eyes, his walls dropping just enough for me to see the stress he was hiding. “You know what it’s like to be at the top. Your whole family is a target and they have each other to keep an eye out for trouble, but me? I’m on my own. I’ve learned to read people really well, so when I say your sister’s up to something, I mean it. I’ll always put myself first, and I won’t lie and say I haven’t used you as a shield for most of the evening.”
“I figured that was the entire purpose of my presence, yes.” I snorted. “But thanks for the honesty.”
“You were hard to read for a long time,” he continued, leaning back in his seat and scrubbing his face with his hands. “You don’t show a lot of emotion, and you turn everything sarcastic to hide what you’re feeling. I know if you snap, it’s because you’re really pissed. I also know when you’re hurt, you get mad too.”
“Where’s this going? A therapy session?” I snarked, making him chuckle.
“My point is, I learned to read you. Everyone saw you being an angry friend before with Luna, but I saw how hurt you were. I pay attention. Now, your sister? She doesn’t hide her emotions as well as she thinks. She’s trying to get me away from you.”