The one good thing about the outing to visit the school was that afterward, my mother took me to get a new car. I’d had my license for a year, and it broke my heart to have to leave my pickup in Canada, so I had taken all my savings, and with the help of my mother, I was going to get a secondhand car to drive around town. William insisted he would happily buy me a brand-new one, but I had to put my foot down. One thing was him buying my mother stuff or paying for my school and clothes, but the car—that was a different story. I was also thinking of finding a job to cover my expenses. I didn’t like the idea of that man paying for all my stuff like I was a twelve-year-old. I was old enough and capable enough to find a job and take care of myself.
My mother didn’t oppose my decision. She approved of me working. I’d done it since I was fifteen, and I liked not having to beg for money anytime I needed it. She helped me apply for a job waitressing at a well-known spot twenty minutes from our home by car. It was called Bar 48 and served food and drinks; obviously I wasn’t allowed to serve liquor, but they would let me wait on guests. I’d done that before, and I was pretty good at it. I’d start the following week on the night shift.
It didn’t take us long to find a car. I didn’t care much about the details as long as it ran. We chose a vintage Beetle in decent condition. I didn’t know much about cars even though I was good at driving them, but it was cute, and I loved the red paint job. I paid and signed and felt truly free when I could drive myself home.
It was funny parking that little thing between Will’s Mercedes and Nick’s SUV. It was kind of a metaphor for how I fit into the family. I got out in a good mood at the very moment when Nick emerged from the house spinning the keys to his Range Rover on one finger. He took off his sunglasses to look at my new acquisition.
His face was both amused and horrified. I squared off, ready to listen to his comments.
“Please tell me you haven’t brought that car here,” he said, walking over and shaking his head as he looked condescendingly from me to the Beetle and back.
I wasn’t going to let him mess up my good mood, so I bit my tongue and kept the insults to myself.
“It’s my car, I like it, and I’d appreciate you not looking at it like that,” I said, trying to restrain my nerves at seeing him for the first time since we’d made out on the couch.
He looked baffled. Without even asking, he went to the back and opened the trunk to look at the engine.
“What are you doing?” I asked, walking up beside him. I reached up to shut the trunk, but he grabbed it and held it up, ignoring my vain attempts to overcome his strength.
“Did you have it checked out?” he said, manipulating different internal parts I wouldn’t even know the names of. “This hunk of junk will leave you stranded in the middle of the road. It’s dangerous to even look at. I can’t believe your mom let you buy it.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I got stuck in the middle of the road, thanks to you. So don’t worry, I’ll work it out,” I said, peeling off one of his fingers. When he finally gave in, I slammed the trunk shut.
“If you’d had your phone on you like a normal person, you wouldn’t have had to get in the car with some weirdo. Anyway, isn’t it time for you to get over it?” He was hissing at me, but I thought I saw a little regret in his eyes.
“You threw me out without checking whether my phone had any juice,” I said. “Anyway, who cares? Just forget you know me.” I hoped he would finally walk off.
He looked at me as if he could hardly stand me. Great, welcome to the club, I thought.
When I turned to walk away, he grabbed my arm and pulled me till I was face-to-face with him.
His brain must have been in conflict, as if he didn’t know what to do or say. Only after a few seconds, when I’d already yielded to his deep-blue eyes and my heart was throbbing, did he speak.
“I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” he said, knitting his brows, as if not even he could believe what he was saying.
I stalled and then finally responded, “No need.”
Was Nicholas Leister actually being nice to me? Wake yourself up—this can’t be happening.
How could having that boy close do this to me? Where was that hatred I’d felt for him just a few moments ago? Why was it that the only thing I now felt was a dark, irrepressible desire to kiss him and let him wrap me in his arms as he had that night at the party, when he was too drunk to realize what he was doing?
The hand he’d grabbed now moved toward him almost imperceptibly. We were close enough that something could happen. My God…those lips! Just thinking about him holding me and his tongue stroking mine…
Just as I thought we’d kiss, the sound of a horn made me jump out of my skin. Nicholas, calm, turned to see who it was, while I struggled to catch my breath.
“Hey, Noah,” Jenna said from the passenger window of Lion’s car. He waved to us in turn. “Nick, you don’t care if I invite Noah, do you?” she asked. Nick’s hands were on his head in a gesture of something—it was impossible to tell whether it was frustration, anger, or disgust.
He looked at me for what felt like ages before finally asking, “You feel up to it?”
I don’t know why, but I responded automatically.
“Hell yeah. Where to?”
Nick gave Lion a mysterious look.
“I don’t know if she can handle it,” Lion said, laughing as he peeked out the window.
Nick smiled irresistibly. “This could be fun.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, we were getting out of Lion’s car near what looked like an abandoned industrial bay. There were tons of people milling around and cars with their trunks open playing music at full blast. It reminded me of the day of the races, but the ambience was different. Nick’s and Lion’s friends came over and said some very loud hellos. Jenna threw an arm over my shoulders. She was in a tight black dress that left her shoulders and part of her back exposed. Her hair fell over her face in waves and looked spectacular. I felt like a slob in the jeans and shirt I’d put on for the high school interview, but there was nothing I could do about it now.
“You’ll enjoy seeing my man in action,” Jenna said with a smile, eyes glowing. “And Nick, too.” She pulled me through the group of guys talking to Nick and Lion, and when we were inside the circle, I could hear what they were talking about.
“Ronnie’s not here, and no one in his gang is, either,” one of the guys I’d seen during the races said. Nicholas was leaning against his car with a cigarette in his hand, and when Ronnie’s name came up, he looked over at me. Not with rancor this time, but with apparent disappointment at not being able to teach his worst enemy another lesson. From my point of view, Nick was out of his mind if he wanted to get into it with a guy with a gun, but knowing my new stepbrother as I did, I wasn’t surprised to learn he was up for it.
“Greg and A.J. are there, and the stakes are high,” Lion said. Nick grinned, walked away from the car, tossed his cigarette to the ground, and clapped him on the back.
“What are we waiting for then?”
The crowd around us shouted in jubilation. I had no idea what was going on, but I thought I could sense where this was headed, and I didn’t like it one bit.
Everyone walked off toward the warehouse, the doors of which were open. Inside it was crowded, and the music and noise were deafening. Did these people ever do anything on a small scale? Like get a coffee or go to the movies? Immediately I knew the answer was no: Nicholas wasn’t the type to date a girl, invite her out for a romantic meal. Nicholas was all about danger, and he liked being surrounded by people who were the same way. But if that was so, what the hell was I doing with him?