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“How does everyone afford that?” I asked. “Reid and Blake couldn’t buy one, right?”

She glanced at me, not answering for a moment until she let out a sigh. “Turbo supplied them. We all pay them off though.”

“They look really expensive.”

“They are.” I frowned, trying to figure out why anyone would go into debt just to race, and Riley chuckled dryly at my confusion. “Just because I race for the thrill of it, doesn’t mean other people do. There’s a lot of money in it if you win.”

“How much? Is it worth dying for?” I replied, her fingers flexing on the wheel.

“To people like Reid and Blake? Yes. They can pay something like three grand to race, and end up taking home twelve grand if they win. That’s a lot of money when you’re desperate.”

“What do you do with the money if you win? You don’t need it,” I said curiously, and her jaw tightened at my words.

“I give it to them. I race for the fun of it and have no need for the cash. You think I keep it?”

“Don’t get mad at me,” I mumbled, staring out the window at Blake’s car as she revved her engine. “How am I supposed to know? I didn’t even know this side of you until recently, and I only found out by accident. It’s not like you told me because you wanted to.”

“I didn’t want you dragged into this, that’s why I never told you sooner,” she answered, her voice strained. “I didn’t want to ask you to lie for me if anyone started questioning what I was doing.”

“When are you going to realize I’d do anything for you,” I said quietly, not looking at her.

“Lou…” Numbers started flashing on the screen, and she let out a sigh. “Hold on. This isn’t like the track, and you’re likely to shit your pants.”

I didn’t reply, but my body went tense as the countdown hit zero and she slammed her foot down on the gas, sending us forward so fast that my stomach did a flip. My fingers dug into the seat as fear started seeping into me, and I closed my eyes tightly when we almost got hit by Blake as she passed us.

I had no idea how Riley thought this was fun, it was terrifying.

We were way too close to the others as we moved through narrow streets, taking the turns way too fast. One of the Kingslake guys almost ran into us on one corner, and I started to freak out.

“Slow down!”

“Do you know how a race works?” she threw back, darting around parked cars in the dark. “If I slow down, I’ll lose.”

“If you don’t slow down, you’ll fucking kill us!” I snapped, hearing her huff.

“Once we finish, I promise to never bring you with me again.”

“I want to get out. Right now,” I begged, her hands tightening on the wheel as one of the rich pricks hit the gravel and sent their car skidding across someone’s front lawn, slamming into a parked car and a fence.

“I can’t just pull over and let you out,” she hissed, passing Ander and almost hitting his side mirror. “There’s also a car on my ass and if I slow down, he’ll hit us.”

Tears pricked my eyes as we skidded around a corner and the back tires slid out. My heart hammered as Riley managed to correct it, but I was done. If she wanted to die so badly, she wasn’t taking me with her.

“Let me out, please,” I repeated, not giving a shit that I was crying. “Stop the fucking car!”

She slammed on the brakes, moving off the road to let the others pass, and I flung open the door and scrambled out on shaky legs.

I heard Riley curse as she slammed her door, joining me on the side of the road. “I told you you’d hate it. This is one of the reasons why I don’t bring you with me, apart from it being dangerous.”

I turned to face her, not hiding how upset I was. “You find this fun? You’re going to die, Riley!”

“We can’t sit here arguing. The cops will be on their way to deal with the asshole who crashed,” she warned, but I shoved her away when she reached for me.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” I shouted, knowing we were probably waking people up. I started walking, and she grabbed my wrist to pull me back.

“Where the fuck are you going? Get in the car and I’ll take you home,” she growled, and I was surprised to see Ander’s car idling not far away. He must have seen us stop and decided to throw the race to make sure Riley was alright.

“I’m not getting back in the car unless you promise not to race again,” I said firmly, her eyes widening.