14
HADLEY
I stopat a gas station and ask for directions to the turnout. It must be a pretty popular place since the clerk knows exactly where it is. The area isn’t too far away, just outside of town near the foothills.
During the drive there, we explain to Payton what happened. Confliction masks her face, as if she doesn’t know whether to be happy about the duel or worried.
“Don’t worry; I’ll win,” I assure her as I pull into the turnout, a flattened-out spot right next to the road.
“But, what if you don’t?” Payton asks, slipping on a pair of oversized sunglasses. “Then you’ll end up spending the next month doing them awful favors.”
“We don’t know for sure that they’ll be awful,” I say, quieting the engine.
“Um, yeah, we do,” Bailey tells me. “Those guys are straight-up evil.”
“Nothing will be bad. Remember the stipulations I made?” I shove open the door and stretch my legs as I get out of the car.
“There’re always loopholes,” Bailey says as I slant the seat forward to let her out.
“Stop talking as if I’m going to lose, because I’m not.” I plaster on a cocky grin, but it’s all bravado. “Now, get out so I can win a race.”
Bailey swiftly shakes her head. “No way. You’re not doing this alone.”
“You have to get out.” I glance at all of them. “You all do.”
Londyn’s mouth sinks into a frown. “We’re not letting you do this alone.”
“It’s not about doing this alone.” Not entirely anyway. “It’s about the extra weight in the car.” And how this road runs alongside a shallow cliff that bottoms out into a river.
Londyn’s lips form anO. Then she begrudgingly drags her butt out of the car, Payton and Bailey following. By the time they’ve gotten out, Rhyland’s GTO is pulling into the turnout.
Blaise pulls up to the side of me and rolls the window down. “I see you found the place.”
I slant against my car and cross my arms. “It wasn’t that hard to find.”
He grins. “Yeah, but I thought maybe you’d use getting lost as an excuse.”
I push away from the car, lean down, rest my arms on the windowsill, and level my gaze with his. “You don’t scare me.”
He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, his amusement doubling. “We’ll see if you can still say that when you lose.”
I step back and flip him off, which only elicits a chuckle from him.
“So, where are we racing to? And where are we lining up?”
“We’ll turn around near that rock up there.” He points at a large rock on the side of the road, just a ways up, then nods his head at the passenger seat where Rhyland is sitting. “And he’ll line us up.”
That’s when I become aware that Jaxon and Alex aren’t with them.
“Where’re the rest of your demon squad?” I ask as Rhyland gets out of the car.
“I told them they couldn’t come.” Blaise slips on a pair of sunglasses. “Figured I’d do you a solid and let less people witness your ass getting kicked.”
“Or, did you just not want them to seeyourass getting kicked?” I quip haughtily.
He rolls his tongue in his mouth, struggling not to smile. “You’re a handful, aren’t you? Seriously, how many times has your mouth gotten you in trouble?”
“More than I can count,” I admit truthfully. “But I can always handle whatever comes my way, even cocky assholes, like you and your brother.”