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He started cursing me out, but I wasn’t paying attention. I kept my eyes on the others who were watching us with worry. Turbo was murmuring something quietly to Luna, but her eyes were on me. I hated that my world had collided with hers like this, and if I had the opportunity to take Slick out, even if it put me at risk, I’d take it.

We lined up and Slick made Blake call the race, and the moment she shouted go, I slammed my foot down on the gas and yanked my foot off the clutch, my car jerking forward as I started shifting through gears. I didn’t pay attention to Slick until we were on the main road, and he caught up to me.

My phone rang, and I glanced at the screen to find Cruz’s name, so I quickly hit answer on the hands-free. “I’m a little busy, dude.”

“You didn’t turn your location off. I just got a call from Beckett, and they’re coming out here to beat you up for racing. Hunter’s watching you on the Height’s surveillance.”

I cursed, narrowly avoiding a parked car that seemed to come out of nowhere in the dark.

“Tell Beckett to stay home. I don’t want her to see how this is likely to end.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“I need you to do me a favor,” I continued, my tires screeching as I took a corner too fast and almost lost control. “I need you to go to Luna. Turbo and Blake are with her. She’s going to need you.”

“Tell me what the fuck is going on, Donovan,” he snapped, his car keys sounding in the background as he barked orders at someone.

“Slick took Luna to force me to race him. I’m not stupid, I know he’ll have plans for me like what he did to Reid. Go to her, Cruz. Please. She trusts you. We’re finishing the race at the start of Rawson, but I don’t know if we’ll make it that far. If you see us, keep fucking driving to her, alright? I’m counting on you.”

Slick’s car tapped the back of mine, but I managed to keep it on the road despite my impending heart attack.

“I’ve got eyes on you. We can cut you guys off and stage some bullshit that won’t seem like you’re involved,” Cruz said quickly, starting his car. “It’s hard to set something up in the dark that you’ll be able to see yourself in time, but…”

“No, go to Luna,” I demanded, dodging a few late-night drivers as we sped through suburbia. “Tell Beckett to back off too.” Then I hung up.

Slick and I were neck and neck as we reached the next road, and this time when his car clipped mine, there was no saving it.

Tires squealed as they skidded on the road, and panic consumed me as I started rolling. I couldn’t hear anything else other than my heartbeat and the crunching of my car turning to scrap around me, and all I could think about was it was all because I hadn’t played my music.

I knew that was what kept me alive every other time.

My vision blurred as my head smacked into the window, and blood pooled in my mouth as I bit my tongue. If Cruz and Turbo didn’t keep Luna safe for me, I was going to come back from the dead and kill the pair of them.

The last thing I saw before blacking out was Slick’s car on its side close by, turning the air around us silent.

I’m sorry, Lou.

Luna

“Riley’s going to kill me for this,” Ander grumbled as he drove after them, making me growl.

“I don’t give a shit. I want to make sure she’s okay.” I was sitting on Blake’s lap since his car was only a two-seater.

“I’ll remember you don’t care about my life when you need my help next time,” he threw back lightly, but there was no anger behind it. He was just as terrified for Riley as I was.

We were driving a lot slower than they’d been going, but I knew we’d find them eventually. Riley hadn’t turned her location off, so it was easy for Ander to track her. He frowned the closer we became, his voice wary. “Why the fuck did they stop there?”

A sick feeling seeped into me, but Blake was the one to speak. “Drive faster.”

I held on as he gained speed, my stomach twisting as fear spiked. I had no idea how any of them could go this fast in the dark without hitting anything, but that was the last thing on my mind the moment we drove onto the road that Riley was stopped on to find a car engulfed in flames.

“Fuck,” Ander cursed, driving closer before parking, all three of us bailing from the car. It was dark here, only the flames lighting the street up, but as we ran towards the car, we noticed another one further away. Relief hit me as I realized Riley’s car wasn’t the one on fire, and before I could run to her door to try and yank it open, an arm banded around my middle to haul me back.

“Hendricks, don’t.”

I glanced behind me to find Cruz, his face twisted like he was in pain. “I need to help Riley!”

“You girls stay back. We’ll get Riley out,” he promised, and Blake took my hand to keep me beside her, leaving the guys to inspect the damage. Cruz had Drake with him, and all three of the guys managed to get her door open despite it being a mess. I waited until Blake released her tight hold on me, and the moment she did, I started running towards the wrecked Supra.