Page 87 of When Sinners Hate
“Fighting talk. Abel, you gonna let your wife speak to me like that?” He smirks, as he draws Abel into the banter.
“She can talk to you any way she likes, Brother.”
I whip my head to look at Abel and see the grin on his face.
“Come on then, Lexi. You get to drive this baby. Show me what you got.” He lobs the keys over the car, and I grab them in both hands. It was a superb car to drive back in San Diego, and having a track to play on, without the inconvenience of traffic or other cars, will be fun.
I slip into the driver’s seat and start the engine, wagging my eyebrows at Knox through the window before I gingerly drive towards the entrance to the track. I keep my revs low to start with, but I know what this has under the hood. And as the wheels hit the tarmac, I shift, put my foot down, and enjoy the jolt of power pushing me back into my seat.
The speed climbs, and my smile is beaming. The track begins to bank at the far end, and I cruise around the incline before pushing the car even harder. My body wakes up as the adrenaline and excitement race around my system, giving me the guts to push again and see how far she can go.
The first lap is just a warm-up, and now that I have a feel for her, I focus on what the car can really do to show Knox and the rest of them what they’ll have to do to beat me. The speed is insane, as the wheels grip the road, and I’m having far too much fun. I even giggle to myself as I turn out of the final bank on the last lap.
Heart rate slowing a little, I coast the car back along to the exit and park up next to the Challenger. Dante and Mariana are here now, too, and Shaw is parked up talking to Abel.
“Well, if I didn’t like the Camaro before, I do now,” Knox calls to me, as I open the car door.
“She’s got all the moves.” I hum to myself, sliding my fingers over the hood. “So, how does this work?” I look over at the Cortez siblings and their cars, waiting for clarification as I cross my arms. “An all-in race, or are we going head-to-head?”
“You know you’ll lose in a head-to-head.” Dante’s confidence is loud and clear, and with his Mustang, it’s not ill-placed.
“Well, let's put money on that,” Abel says, stepping in.
The rest of the siblings all join in at this point, and there’s a riot of drawn breaths, oohs and laughs.
“You fucking bet I will,” Dante says.
“I’m not betting against Abel,” Shaw mumbles as he lights a cigarette.
Knox looks between Mariana and me. “How about the girls race?"
Mariana shoves her brother, and he stumbles to the side. “Sexist much. What’s wrong, Knox? Scared I’ll beat ya ass?”
“I’ll race you, Knox,” I cut in. "Mariana, you’re welcome, too. Let’s show him how girls can drive.”
“Um, and what car are you driving Lexi? Because last I checked, you took my Camaro for a spin.”
“She’ll drive mine,” Abel answers.
“That’s a hell of a race, Abel.” Shaw offers, and I wonder if he’s a little intimidated amongst all of the horsepower on display. He shouldn't be considering his attitude at the party. And that Charger of his is close to what the Challenger’s putting out and could certainly give it a decent race if driven well.
“I know. You joining?” Abel asks.
“I’ll wait for the next one.”
“You’ll be racing me, Shaw. Might have better odds against your sister,” Dante stirs.
“The more, the merrier, Dante.” Mariana encourages him, but he just scoffs.
“Are we racing then? Half mile, laps, what’s the deal?” I ask, looking between everyone.
Dante claps his hands together, and Knox and Mariana seem to be eyeing each other up. “Three laps. First past the line wins.”
“Sounds fair.”
“Don’t break her, Lexi.” Abel says, tossing me the warning as I climb into the car and make sure I’m comfortable.
I look up at him as he joins me by the side of the car. “Not helpful, husband. Don’t you want me to win?”