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CHAPTER 13

Owen William Rhodes

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"Drivers, get in yer cars!" the flag girl called, all but dressed in her underwear. Not that it's a problem, Owen reminded himself.

The Eastern cyng walked over to his car near the yacht. Quicksilver stood waiting, lights from the boat flickering across her polished surface.

"This is dumb," Seane sighed, sliding into the driver's seat while Owen stumbled into the passenger seat.

"I know, but I can't afford the night to end in failure."

"If we lose, we'll be at a disadvantage."

"But if we win, we'll take the lead."

Seane grumbled, starting the engine. He drove to the starting line, parking near the side to leave room. Goldie's car had a low purr as she stopped between Bowmen and him, and the four racers stood ready. Owen with his Aston Martin, Goldie with her Illion, Blake with his Alfa Romeo, and BD with his tacky custom car.

"I don't think winning a race is the same as winning a girl's heart," Seane said, tugging at his fringe.

"The method isn't great, but the reward will be. Besides, it's a guaranteed win with you behind the wheel."

"Not necessarily. And you can't afford another gamble. You already made an ass of yourself. Getting a girl drunk isn't romantic."

"Girls always try to get me drunk when they're interested."

"And how often does that work?"

Owen paused, his fingers tracing the woven nylon of his seat belt.

"Often enough."

"Drivers, are ye ready?" the flag girl asked, handkerchief raised.

Seane revved, others joining in, and everyone sent looks Goldie's way. The girl must have had some screws loose if she thought she could keep up with them. Poor thing was going to embarrass herself. She looked over Owen's way, and he sent a kiss, still feeling the drinks from earlier. The girl scowled.

"She's gorgeous," Seane mumbled.

Owen shot a look at his friend.

"Hey! Goldie's mine."

"Not the girl, the car, you numbskull."

Seane rolled his eyes, and Owen rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah. Well, it's an Illion," he said. "Expensive, but that's all."

"You really know nothing about cars."

"Automatics lack aggression."

"That Illion of hers got paddle shifters," Seane emphasised. "She can manually change gears with an automatic transmission. Not to mention the quad-turbo engine with about one-thousand-four-hundred horsepower. It doesn't have a ten-mil price tag for nothing. Let's hope she doesn't know how to drive that beauty properly."

"Or?" Owen asked.

"Or we've already lost."

He gulped, looking over to where Goldie stared straight ahead, eyes locked on the road. She was just a hot rich girl, he told himself. A hot rich girl whose kiss he could not shake off.

"Get set," the flag girl called teasingly, and Seane revved.

"Go!"

Quicksilver shot out like a bullet, the fastest to pull away. It was Seane's signature move to leave his challengers behind from the start. And yet... A low hum was right next to them. Owen looked over, and Goldie was more than keeping up.

"Seems I'll have to actually try this time," Seane said, a glint in his shadowed eyes. He swiped the hair from his view and shifted quicker, climbing to fifth with two more gears to spare. BD and Bowmen were both behind, not a concern, but not out of the race either.

"Isn't this bad?" Owen asked. "If she can keep up at the set-off..."

"We'd be lapped if this was a straight road, but we've got the town. Manoeuvring turns will separate the lucky from the skilled."

A sharp corner neared ahead, and neither Goldie nor Seane slowed. Owen gripped his seat belt. The girl was going to crash. His driver could do it, but there was no chance Goldie knew how to take a turn at that speed.

To avoid turning at the same time, Seane took a risk, flooring the gas to leave the Illion behind. At the last second, he dropped a gear and e-braked, pulling at the wheel. Tyres cried out at the reckless drift. Owen's knuckles turned white from clinging onto his seat belt, the sheer force pulling at him. Through it all, Seane still managed to keep control, bagging them a guaranteed—

Goldie's Illion suddenly swung past, taking the turn right in front of them without a care for the narrow gap.

"What the heck?" Owen yelled when they both emerged from the turn together. Neck in neck. "She's an expert in driving now?"

"Can we be friends?" Seane sighed, eyes on the girl.

"We're losing!"

"You're losing," he corrected. "I'm having fun."

The driver blinked away that gloss in his eye and watched the road again, going up to sixth gear to stay perfectly parallel with the Illion. Up ahead was traffic. Another test of skill.

"Ten million for that car, huh?" Owen asked, eyes on Goldie. "Her parents must be loaded. Do we know what they do?"

Seane kept his focus, his expression more awake than ever.

"The twins aren't as efficient as the West's hacker," he said. "They say there's nothing about Amber on the web. Getting info will be hard."

Owen cussed. The West's information advantage was going to cost him. What kind of girl, besides his sister, had no social media?

Goldie looked over, and Owen grinned when they locked eyes, sending a wink. As if practised, both girls handed him the bird. He laughed out loud.

"She's something," Seane said, getting close to a smile.

"Sure is," Owen grinned.

They hit light traffic, BD and Bowmen close behind. Seane weaved past cars with near supernatural precision, tangling himself into a dance with the equally capable Illion. All four racers earned honks to last a lifetime. They were parallel again with Goldie when they neared the end of the traffic, but two trucks ahead blocked a quick exit. Bad luck. They would be back to square one at this rate.

Owen glanced over, and this time, Goldie was the one to send a wink. She pulled at the wheel and jumped into upstream traffic.

"She's insane!" Seane exclaimed.

But sure enough, the girl dodged the incoming cars with ease before emerging from traffic first.

She took the lead. Goldie took the lead!

BD came speeding and followed the same route she took, Bowmen right behind.

"Shit," Seane said before heading upstream as well. Cars honked and stopped like crazy, but they were out of there in a blink.

Seane would not be behind for much longer. Already, the best driver in Tygerwel was catching up, ready to take the lead and—

Nightlights gleamed across an emerging pistol.

BD's co-driver stuck his arm out of the rolled-down window, pointing that gun right at the Illion.

Owen's heart dropped at the bang.

"NO!" he yelled and, without thinking, leaned over to yank the wheel. Quicksilver jerked and Seane cussed before slowing down. The Illion ahead swerved and lost control, sliding off the road and plunging into grass. BD and Bowmen kept on while Quicksilver came to a stop at the edge.

"Owen, we have to keep going!" Seane yelled.

"She was shot at!"

"She's fine! They got her tyre."

Owen saw it. He saw the tyre getting targeted, and Goldie managed to prevent the car from rolling. They were perfectly still. Safe. Even so, he wanted to jump out and run over.

"Owen, we'll lose at this rate!" Seane pressed, trying to pry his cyng's fingers from the steering wheel.

What was he doing? They needed to finish the race.

"I'll text the twins," Owen said, painfully removing his grip.

Seane sped off, leaving the Illion behind. Racing dirty was expected, but if BD shot at him or Bowmen, he would have paid for it with his life. Cheating Goldie was a lot safer than cheating a cyng.

"I'm... That likely cost us," Owen mumbled. No matter how good Seane was, catching up would be tough.

"It's okay," he sighed. "I didn't know you cared so much."

"I don't," Owen said. "I just... She reminds me of Pee Wee."

Seane watched his cyng for a moment before returning to the race. He got back to sixth gear. They flew past unbothered cops and finally caught up to BD. The asshole had a sly grin as they passed him. After another drift at the halfway point, they jumped onto the main road leading back. Bowmen was ahead, but Seane was already hitting three hundred kilometres per hour. Three ten. Twenty.

Owen's heart was stuck in his throat. At the last turn, they nearly caught up to the Alfa Romeo. The bay was in view, and the docks up ahead. There was no chance they could make it in time.

Seane switched to seventh gear with a cuss.

Slowly, so painfully slowly they inched closer. Owen held his breath when they made it back beside the Alfa Romeo.

"We can do it," he said.

"No," Seane admitted.

Bowmen waved goodbye before shifting gears. He had one left! The car shot ahead at the last second and crossed the line first.

"No!" Owen cried. "We were so close!"

With the crowd around and limited road, the two cars skidded to a stop across from each other. If he did not force Seane to stop for Goldie... But what the heck? Bowmen did not even hesitate after she got shot. Cold-blooded rat.

Owen jumped out of the car, slamming the door as Bowmen did the same. He took a step towards the cyng, fists itching, but...

"Let go! I can walk on my own!"

Owen turned his head to Goldie's voice, to where the crowd was gathered. There, everyone congratulated BD on his win.

When did that guy get here?

The Eastern cyng walked over, and Goldie was already getting thrown into a van. He had to stop this. But if BD really won...

Spotting the twins, he walked over.

"What happened?" he asked, sober now.

"We went to get Amber like you asked, but someone else picked her up," Ryan said, hands stuffed into his coat pockets.

"And when we got back here, BD already won," Bryan added.

The van drove off, and BD walked over, getting back in his car. He sent Owen a look that made him want to take a shower.

"My cyng wants to meet the lil' lady," he said. "I'll let you know if there's anything left after the Devil of the North has his way."

Owen's legs nearly buckled.

Even Bowmen winning would have been better than this. 

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