Turk and Shawn flank Sung and me like soldiers in a firing line.
Deacon turns his baseball cap around backward. It’s like watching Clark Kent change into Superman … if Superman was a bloodthirsty lunatic. He pounds on his chest. “Who’s up first? ’Cause I haven’t sent anybody to the hospital in a long-ass time.”
Lex gasps, and Cruz rushes toward Deacon like she’s trying to prevent a bomb from detonating.
“Eight seconds.” Marco sounds too calm—the kind of calm that comes from not caring what happens to you. “Seven. Six.”
Why is he doing this?
“I don’t need your help, Marco. Just leave.”
Cruz wedges herself between Deacon and his targets.
“Five.” Marco keeps counting.
“Shit.” Turk crushes his beer can and chucks it against the ground. “Turn her loose, Sung.”
“Four.”
The grip on my arm releases, and Sung backs away, holding up his hands so Marco will see that he isn’t touching me.
Is it over?
Deacon flips his baseball cap back around and points at Shawn. “You and me … we’ll dance another time.”
“Enough.” Cruz shoves Deacon’s chest with both hands, but he doesn’t budge.
“I love it when you crack the whip.” He swings his arms around her petite frame and traps her in a bear hug.
I want to get farther away from Sung and his asshole friends, but my legs feel like rubber. Lex stumbles toward me like she read my mind.
“Rich Boy still owes me money,” Turk tells Marco. “You know how this works. You lose, you pay. No one walks away without paying.”
Marco’s eyes meet mine for a second, then his gaze drifts down to my arm. His hands curl into fists. “Quarter mile. You pick the driver.”
Deacon cocks his head to the side.
Marco gestures at the row of cars lined up near the racing strip. “Anyone from your crew. When I win, you let the rich boy go back to the Heights with his friends.”
All eyes are on Turk. “And if you lose?”
The corner of Marco’s mouth turns up for the first time. “I won’t lose.”
CHAPTER 10
QUARTER MILE
Turk studies Marco for a minute before responding. “If you win, Rich Boy pays me the five hundred he lost on the race and he walks. But if you lose, I take your cut of whatever you make off your next race.”
His cut? Who takes the rest of the money?
Marco stiffens.
“You in or out?” Turk asks.
“In.”
“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood tonight,” Turk says. “I made some money when Cruz smoked that Accord in the last race.”
The Honda and the yellow Nissan … Cruz was driving the Nissan.
“You’re up, Sung.” Turk gestures at the street. “Smoke his ass.”
“I’ve got this. He can’t beat me in that piece-of-shit Fastback.” Sung taps his fist against Turk’s and heads for a silver car with a spoiler.
Marco stops walking when he notices Turk isn’t behind him. “You coming to watch your boy lose or what?”
“Why are you getting in the middle of this shit, Leone?” Turk asks.
Good question. Since I never asked for his help.
Marco looks right at me, and my stomach does a somersault even though I’m angry.
“Is this some kind of macho pissing contest?” Lex whispers, sounding like herself again.
Shawn laughs. “Leone’s doing a Royal.”
My cheeks burn.
Turk leers in our direction, then grins at Marco. “I feel you, bro. She’s a hot piece of ass. I wouldn’t mind getting in those jeans.”
“That’s never happening,” I shoot back.
The muscles in Marco’s arms tense, and he lowers his voice, stepping closer to Turk. “If you even look at her while I’m driving, you’ll be in a wheelchair tomorrow. Do we understand each other?”
My heart jumps, but I ignore it. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”
Marco heads for the cars. He slows down as he passes me, dipping his head close to my ear. “I’m trying to protect you.”
“Maybe I don’t need protecting.”
He jerks his head up and stares directly into my eyes. “Just don’t move until I get back.” The intensity of his gaze sends pinpricks up my arms, and I swallow hard, watching him walk away.
“Holy shit,” Lex whispers.
Deacon and Cruz stick close to Marco as he slides behind the wheel of his Mustang. It’s the car from the race that started right after Lex and I arrived tonight.
Marco drives to the line, where Sung is waiting.
“Keep your eye on them,” Turk tells Shawn.
“What the hell just happened?” Abel whispers.
“I have no idea.” It’s true.
“Then why did Marco Leone threaten to disable a guy if he looked at you?” Lex put a hand on her hip, the first Lex-like thing she’s done since we got here.
“Maybe he has an issue with these guys and he wanted to pick a fight?” The possibility makes me sick … and angry. “But he’s not using me as an excuse to do it.”
Lex watches me. “I think it’s more than that.”
“There’s no more. I work with his younger sister in the after-school program. He probably doesn’t want her to lose her tutor.”
More like I don’t want to lose mine.