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“You let Luna near him? He’s trouble, Riley.”

“She was only near him once, and that was because she got in the car with a stranger who brought her to me.” I scowled, giving her the side eye. “Right, Lou? You’re not doing that again, are you?”

“You got in a random person’s car?” Landon snapped, frustration filling his eyes. “Why the hell did you do that? If you needed a ride, you should’ve called me.”

She huffed, crossing her arms and only managing to look even less threatening as she stepped back from me. “He said he knew her. I was walking, and he pulled over and offered to give me a ride.”

“Did he have a handful of candy and a white van, by any chance?” he deadpanned, but she frowned, not understanding his sarcasm. “No. It was a flashy car. Why would he have candy?”

I rolled my eyes, speaking to Landon. “It was one of Beckett’s friends from Rawson Grove, but Luna doesn’t know him. She was lucky he wasn’t a creeper and he actually brought her to me.”

“You’re asking to get kidnapped and held for ransom,” he muttered, but he pulled Luna against his chest to crush her with a hug. “You’re too smart to be that stupid.”

“Ugh, thanks?” she mumbled into his chest, relaxing into his hug.

He watched me over the top of her head, and I could sense the worry radiating out of him. Archer and the Reapers of Chaos crew had a lot of enemies, and most of them would love to snatch his baby girl and do God knows what to her to make a statement.

I had to keep a better eye on her.

ChapterFourteen

Riley

We ended up hanging out at the bar playing pool and talking for most of the afternoon, and I was enjoying myself until Turbo’s name flashed across my phone screen. I considered ignoring him, but I didn’t want to deal with him bitching me out later for it.

“Hey, stud. I’m a little busy,” I said as I answered, holding the phone to my ear as I handed the cue stick to Landon. He gave me an odd look, but he took his shot and left me alone.

“Get unbusy then. You’re coming to the track tonight,” he said without saying hello, making me scoff.

“My real question is why the fuck areyougoing to the track tonight? Legal racing doesn’t really get your rocks off. There’s no high stakes, and most of us use it for bragging rights and fun. You can’t make thousands off people there.”

Luna lingered close by, and I knew she was listening to me. I couldn’t walk off without looking suspicious, so I leaned against the wall and got comfortable. “And I highly doubt my sister will let you in the gate.”

He chuckled, a playful edge to his voice. “Your sister’s the one who invited me.”

I groaned, scrubbing my hand over my face. “What did you do to deserve that? The track’s our territory, idiot. It can’t be good if she’s inviting you. Decline it.”

“Nope. I’ve always wanted to race the infamous Beckett Donovan.”

“Wait, you’re actually racing her? I’m going to fucking kill you, Lavaro,” I hissed into the phone. “If you think I’ll show up to be moral support, you’re dead wrong. My family comes first, every fucking time.”

“If a fight breaks out, I don’t expect you to take shots at your big sister. Just be my passenger,” he said lightly, and he was lucky I couldn't reach through the phone and punch him.

“What’s in it for me then? You know I don’t do shit for free,” I said more quietly, my eyes on Luna as she moved around me to take her shot. “You promised to keep your world out of mine, Turbo.”

“I meant it too. Problem is, your world’s the one slipping into mine. If your family wants to keep an eye on me to make sure you’re safe, isn’t it in your best interests to play along too? I’ll make sure you get a rush.”

“You can’t race on the track like you do on the streets, asshole,” I growled, cringing when Luna and Landon both glanced at me. They definitely heard that. “My brother died on that fucking track, so I won’t let you risk my sister too.”

“Simmer down. I’m not going to try to ram Beckett off the track. I’m not a complete idiot. How about this for a good deal? You sit your ass in my passenger seat for the race and act like we’re buddies, and I’ll take your Supra back to mine and fix it for you. I noticed you haven’t repaired the damage from the shoot-out yet,” he replied, and I could hear the grin in his voice. “You want more money for your boyfriend? I can arrange that too.”

I hadn’t had the chance to give Zavier the cash from last time, but the track might be a good place to do it.

“Call Z. Tell him to come with Reid. I don’t want your money, I just want you to promise me that there’s no drama coming,” I finally decided. “And keep Slick away. He’s not fucking welcome.”

“Sold. I’ll come find you when I arrive,” he murmured before hanging up.

I glanced at my two best friends who were eyeing me suspiciously, knowing they heard enough to know what was happening. “So, do you two want to hit the track tonight?”