♕Harley Anderson♕

It's a lot to take in- the fact that I have to race again while Danté is fighting illegally, I'm part of a gang and my life is always at risk of being taken from me due to gang rivalry. I'm no longer living in Oregon and going to college. My brother is basically the partner in crime for a gang leader and thats why he left me- for a gang. It's too much for me to absorb and I feel overwhelmed.

Isaac gave me the keys to a Ferrari to practice in and now that we're at what seems like an abandoned racetrack, I can't help but wonder if this is where I'll meet my untimely demise.

I've missed racing more than anything over the couple of months but I think it was something I was to come to terms with doing on my own and not through the means of being forced by a gang. But I suppose I don't have a say in the matter so I can only hope that I can get my head back in the game. However, Danté has tried to get me behind the wheel for a long time now and not even he could help me when he was the one who taught me everything to begin with which leads me to doubt Isaac's ability to get me to race. Perhaps his methods of encouragement will be more... bloody.

"Whose car is this?" I ask him when I look down at the keys.

"We have a selection for the racers to choose from. The other racers don't really dig Ferraris... they're more Bugatti and Lamborghini types so this one is perfect for you to practice in. Besides," he shrugs a broad shoulder, "you look like the type of girl to like a hot, red Ferrari."

I almost laugh in his face at his assumption of me because it's so wrong. Sure, the car is beautiful and I'd love to cruise in it but my first choice will always be American Muscles. Mustangs to be more specific.

"Now let's get down to it. You need to be racing by next week." Isaac explains, tapping the top of the car. My eyes widen.

"Next week?"

Only a week to get my shit together is not nearly long enough.

Isaac eyes me warily. "If you're not bringing anything to the table for the gang, you're just a liability. And Jack does nothing but eliminate those. So yes, you need to get your head in the game and race because the longer you do nothing, the more you put yourself at risk. And me. Because I pay a price for your lack of cooperation in the gang as well."

I don't know what to say to that so I simply press my lips into a firm line and climb into the car. The interior is black and seems almost brand new if it was not for the slight scent of smoke  that lingered in the air.

"You should tell your racers to quit smoking in the car." I quip and Isaac sends me a warning glare. He can't be much older than me- maybe by two or three years- and yet he still seems so much older, mature. Growing up in this kind of life makes you ripen faster, I suppose.

I put the key in the ignition and the car rumbles to life and the sound is almost comforting to my ears.

"Race." Isaac says and I let out a shaky breath, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Do you know why I can't?" I ask him and he glances me in a bored tone. "Because I crashed into a tree the last time I ever did. Put myself in a coma for nearly two weeks and broke my arm. Do you know how terrifying it is to do something that almost cost me my life the first time?"

I'm not trying to be open and honest with him and I'm definitely not trying to be vulnerable but I need him to be aware that I'm petrified of this and I have every reason to be. I just hope that telling him will make him go easier on me.

"My father died from racing, Harley. I know exactly what it means to be terrified from it. But you don't have much of a choice at this point so push all that fear aside and step on it." Isaac responds, voice flat and I sigh before doing as he says.

When I practiced with Danté in the beginning, we started off on straight roads before we headed onto ones with curves and bends that required more control from the car. But with Isaac that's where we start- on a road with numerous bends. It takes every ounce of control in me not to have an anxiety attack right here, right now.

"If I kill us, don't blame me." I grit out as I hit a hundred miles. Isaac doesn't respond. I sit at the edge of the seat, my back rigid as I twist and turn the car. At one point, I lose control completely and I don't even bother to try and regain it, I give in to the idea that death has come to claim me but it's Isaac that clamps his hands onto the wheel and prevents the car from spinning any longer. When the car comes to a standstill, I'm breathing heavily but Isaac seems to be fuming. I look over at him to see his eyes focused on me, anger swiveling around in them.

"You're going to have to try a lot harder than that, Harley."

****

When the other racers begun arriving at the track to practice, Isaac tells me to take a break. I take a seat on a bench behind the fence and watch as a guy with long , black hair sleeked into a bun, zooms around the track in a bright yellow Lambo. More racers seem to arrive and I notice a girl with blue hair that's shaved on one side and tattoos on her face talking to two other men- one seemingly Arabic and the other black like Isaac. But it's when a girl approaches me that I find my guard going up.

The first thing I notice about her is that she's gorgeous. With thick, wavy black hair and a deep olive skin tone that compliments her legs, I can't help but envy her a little. Her body is curvy with her having all the right bumps in all the right places. However, it's her features that really stand out. Unlike many of the other members I've met, her face is not arranged in a permanent scowl or etched with hatred every minute. In fact, there's something sweet and friendly about her features. Maybe it's the fact that her chocolate eyes are an almond shape which brings out the round face she has that has a cute little pointy nose and thick, arched eyebrows. Or maybe it's the fact that she smiles at me- genuinely- her thin lips turning up into a smile that shows off her teeth.

"You must be Harley." She says and I immediately notice her Spanish accent which reminds me of Danté's very subtle one.

I nod carefully, thankful that she's wearing the gang's signature jacket or else I would have thought she came from the other gang. Beneath her jacket she wears a short cropped black shirt and a pair of shorts that seem a bit too tiny for my comfort. On her feet is a pair of boots with green laces in them. There's no tattoos present- from what I can see- and she doesn't have any strange piercings except for a belly-ring.

She takes a seat beside me, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"I'm Katalina. Lina for short." She finally introduces herself with a smile and I give her a forced one, still unnerved by her friendliness. She seems to notice that because she looks away in amusement. "Guess you're a little shocked that not all the girls in the gang are putas huh?"

I almost choke on her words but she manages to get a smile out of me. "Well considering I haven't received a smile from anyone except you, yeah."

She nods at that. "Yeah, we're not the most welcoming bunch. But if you're gonna race with us, you gotta be a part of us. And, truth be told, I don't get on with much of the other girls so I was hoping that- maybe- if I was nice to you, I could change that." Katalina- or rather Lina- says. I narrow my eyes at her. How can a girl who seems so sweet and genuine be part of a gang?

"I'm not looking for friends here." I reply bluntly and she laughs, throwing her head back before looking at me.

"Blunt... I like it. Liars piss me off." She then sobers up a little. "But you're going to want someone you can rely on in the gang Harley. Trust me. Things get rough around here and the only way to make it through is with people by your side."

I don't respond to her after that and instead return my attention back to the track where two of the racers seem to be going head-to-head and when one cuts the other off, I ask: "What's the races here like?"

"Usually they're pretty dirty. The track doesn't really have rules on how to race so if they ram you off the road, that's your problem."

Great. Fantastic.

"But if they do that then they're answerable to Jack and the gang takes care of them." I glance at her. "Even if the gang hates you, the minute you're a part of them they're liable to protect you. We have to protect each other, otherwise who else is gonna do it?"

My eyebrows knit together. "So you race for the gang?"

Lina nods. "Yep. My brother is a computer genius so he mainly does that for the gang but he's also a fighter. He alternates between the two."

"He's a fighter?"

Lina nods. That means that Danté will probably meet him and if he's anything like his sister, maybe Danté will find someone who is at least bearable in the gang, too.

"Yo! Lina!" I hear Isaac shout and Lina stands up, dusting her backside off.

"I'll catch you later, Harley." She says and I smile before she walks off.

****

It seems that I get back to the gang before Danté and so I'm forced into waiting for him. I decide that waiting in the front bar is better than waiting in the common room that's made up completely of the members. This bar is emptier and I slide onto one of the stools, scrolling through my phone while I wait. A picture of Audrey smiling with Caleb after a football game appears on my feed and I smile at the image of them, feeling my heart tug.

I miss Audrey.

My phone vibrates then and I see it's a message from Danté letting me know he'll be here soon which relieves me by a long shot.

The sound of laughter catches my attention and I look over to see a girl with long, curly brown hair and a fringe walk through, her hand subconsciously playing with her septum piercing while her doe eyes look around. However, the all too familiar character sitting next to her catches my attention and I gulp just as her eyes make contact with mine. I see the malicious intent behind them immediately and I look away to avoid the gaze of her friend, deciding that waiting outside is even better. However, before I can do that, he's already in front me with a Cheshire Cat smile perched on his face.

"My, my, my... look who we have here." His all too familiar voice says and I grunt.

"Ryan." I respond.

Emery got really sick of Ryan constantly stirring up trouble at the tracks and harassing me so he wasn't allowed to race anymore and he eventually just stopped showing up which was more than fine by me. But now he's here- joining a gang and I'm not even surprised. He was a dick from the start. However, it does make me nervous because he's never being scared of hurting me.

"What?" The girl he was sitting with says in an unlikable pitched voice before reaching out and twirling a strand of my hair around her finger. "You know this thing?"

I swat her hand away with a scowl, moving further away from them so that I press myself against the table. Ryan's grey eyes gleam in amusement.

"You can say we've had a few... conversations." He responds and I roll my eyes before the girl looks at me in disgust.

"I don't know why. It's not like she's anything special."

The girl's attempt to offend me doesn't succeed but it does get under my skin.

"After all these months, you still haven't grown up?" I ask Ryan incredulously. "You still get a kick out of pissing me off."

He laughs. "What can I say? It's entertaining."

"Yeah, because you're an ass and have nothing better to do."

Just like always, he sobers up pretty quickly and drops his amused persona, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"This isn't the track anymore sweet cheeks. This is a gang and, at this point, you're below me so you better watch that pretty little mouth of yours."

"Or what?" I find the words tumbling out.

"Or I'll-"

"Hey!" A voice interrupts us and I see Percy coming over, immediately forcing Ryan to take a step back. She eyes the both of us suspiciously. "Back off Ryan."

He holds his hands up in mock surrender. "I wasn't doing anything."

"Sure, and The Kings are the better of us two." She replies sarcastically. "If you don't like Harley, too bad. She's important to this gang."

The girl smirks. "Getting close with a member huh, Persephone?"

Percy steps closer to the girl and I see her visibly swallow, eyes widening slightly.

"Watch it Charlotte. I'll snap your neck without a second thought. We can replace you easily."

The girl- Charlotte- scowls before walking off and Ryan follows her after giving me a wink. Before I can say anything to Percy she cuts me off: "Stay away from those two." And then she's off. I'm still watching her disappear when Danté enters, his hair wet as if he just had a shower. I don't hesitate to take him in a hug, breathing in the freshness from his shampoo.

He definitely had a shower.

He kisses my forehead before we walk out and over to the car. When we're in, he finally turns to me and his eyes scan my appearance as if looking to see whether I'm hurt or not.

"How was your day?"

I tell him everything- from training with Isaac who is nowhere near as amazing as him, to what he told me about his dad, to the Ferrari that I am to use. I tell him about Katalina and how friendly she was and then how I saw Ryan and him and that girl decided to get a rise out of me. When I mention Ryan, Danté immediately swears under his breath and I know he has a burning hatred for the guy. They've had it out a couple times because of Ryan never leaving me alone. After telling him Percy got them to leave, I ask him about his day which sounds much more strenuous.

He is training with Xavier- an intimidating man, apparently, and he tells me about how he had to work out today. When he is not fighting- which he will be by the end of the week- he is supposed to be increasing his stamina and strength. But it's when he mentions something about fighting dirty that makes me panic. What if he gets stabbed in a fight? Or loses an eye? I can only imagine that the fighters have no mercy and if Danté doesn't act the same, he's already dead.

"Are you worried?" I ask. If he isn't, I'd like to think I shouldn't be either. Danté shrugs.

"I can't say yet. I don't know what I'm involved in. For now, all I can do is try and get into shape and hope it works out."

I nod and he starts the car.

"But first we're heading to a tattoo parlour."

"What? You want another tattoo?" I ask him curiously and he shakes his head.

"I have to fight shirtless which means that the tattoo I got for the cartel will be on display."

My mind immediately understands what he's saying- he needs to cover it because there's no doubt in my mind that Jack has heard of the cartel. However, I remember asking Danté once why he never removed it and he told me it was because it's a part of who he is. Is he ready to let that part go?

"Are you okay with getting rid of it?"

He only shrugs in response.

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