Tate met my eyes, and then we both turned back to the road, ready.
“Go!” Madoc roared, and all hell broke loose.
“Shit!” I hissed.
Tate and I shot off, but she must’ve been sitting in second gear, because she didn’t hesitate to pick up speed as she shot forward and then cut right in front of me, just in time to miss the pickup truck that sat at the stop sign ahead of us.
“I told you she was good,” Jax said matter-of-factly, but I ignored him.
Slamming down into second and then up into third, I punched the gas, swerving to the left, now that she’d taken my lane, and sped up beside her.
Madoc held on to the handle above the door, glancing over at them anxiously. I shifted down into fourth, inching ahead and thankful for the deserted street.
“Jared, get over in the other lane,” Jax advised.
“What do you think I’m trying to do?” I barked, pushing the gas until I’d gotten up to sixth.
Looking ahead, I spotted a white sedan headed our way, and my heart lodged in my throat, seeing it in my line of driving.
My neck craned to see Tate, a flash of fire in her eyes, and she shook her head at me, telling me not to even try it.
“Jared,” Jax warned as Madoc held on.
I floored it, staying head to head with Tate.
“Jared!” Jax yelled, and I heard the white sedan honking frantically.
Tate’s scared eyes flashed to mine, and I smiled. Twisting the wheel, the muscles aching in my arms, I put the front and back driver’s side tires on the curb, feeling the car bottom out before I got the angle I needed.
“Goddamn it!” Jax cursed, and Madoc laughed.
The white car zoomed between Tate’s and my rides, still honking. I looked over, seeing Tate turning her head nervously to look behind her, so I took my shot.
Powering ahead, I picked up ten more miles per hour and jerked the wheel to the right, into her lane with just enough space to cut her off.
“Whoo!” Madoc roared, and I caught sight of Jax in my rearview mirror with his head back, hands over his eyes.
I shook my head and tipped my chin down, focusing in on the road ahead. Luckily, this street didn’t allow curb parking, so there was plenty of room and no vehicles hiding pedestrians.
Coming up on Main, I braked, spinning the wheel to the right and shifting down to reduce the car’s speed.
“Go, go!” Madoc shouted as I heard Tate’s tires screech behind me.
I glanced in my rearview mirror and noticed that she spun out, but she recovered almost as quickly.
“Everyone keep your eyes open,” I gritted out. “There’s going to be a shitload of people up here.”
While Sundays were sleepy in the neighborhoods—until afternoon, anyway—the center of town was always bustling. People shopped, lunched, took in a movie, or just enjoyed the square.
I sped ahead, while Tate weaved back and forth behind me, trying to get a look at what was ahead. I could also see the excited movements of the other three girls.
“Oh, shit!” Jax yelled, and I jerked my eyes back to the road.
I slammed on the brakes—seeing a company van backing out of a driveway and into the street—while Tate swerved around me, taking the oncoming lane to go around and zoom ahead of me.
“Fuck!” I growled, jerking the wheel and following behind her.
“Why didn’t you just go around?” Jax shouted, taking off his seat belt and moving closer to the front.
“Piss off,” I barked and then looked ahead at her significant gain. “God, she’s good.”
I heard Jax swallow. “Yeah, she’s got great reflexes. Better than you, apparently.”
Shifting into fifth, I picked up speed and then punched into sixth, starting to see the first stoplight ahead.
“Come on,” Madoc urged, and I pushed my back hard into the seat, squeezing the wheel.
Juliet and Pasha kept turning around, checking us out through the back window. Pedestrians on the sidewalk started taking notice, and I spotted them in my rearview mirror spinning around to watch the two speeding assholes—as they were probably calling us right now—barrel down their street. Some guys went wide-eyed, pointing as both our cars raced by, and I heard a cheer through the open windows.
The light ahead turned red, and Tate slammed on her brakes, the high-pitched screeching bringing everyone’s attention outside straight to us.
I punched the brakes with everything I had, skidding to a halt right next to her.
“Oh, shit!” someone outside shouted. “It’s Jared and Tate!”
But my eyes were on her.
She watched the stoplight, glancing anxiously at me and biting away the smile from her bottom lip. I could tell her leg was bouncing up and down, because her shoulders and head looked like they were vibrating.
“Jax,” I said, breathing hard. “You still in good with the cops?”
“Yeah,” he answered in a hesitant tone. “Why?”
“Because.” And I looked up at the traffic cam perched on top of the stoplight, and glancing left to right and seeing no immediate cars, slammed my back into the seat and gassed it, speeding through the red light.
“Motherfu—!” I heard Tate’s curse, but her voice trailed off as I sped away.
Madoc tipped his head back, busting up with laughter, while Jax snorted close to my ear.
People outside cheered, howling and laughing. I glanced in my rearview mirror to see Tate, inching through the stoplight, following my lead, and then taking off when she realized it was safe.
I shifted into fourth and then fifth—the hot summer sun was nothing compared to the lava raging under my skin.
God, I fucking loved her.
Even being on the track—which I loved—wasn’t as good as the high I felt when she was near me.
“Jared,” Jax warned. “Slow down.”
I looked ahead, a smile teasing my jaw.
“Jared,” he said again, his voice harder.
I ignored him, shifting my eyes from left to right, looking for danger as I approached the next stoplight.