Chapters (58)
Instead of taking Route 15 all the way back to her house, I took a turn and wound through narrow backroads, keeping my eyes out for any lurking cops. I kept driving until the asphalt ended. The road ahead of me went winding through farmland, fields of corn on one side and overgrown trees on the other.
Jess glanced over at me. “Why did you stop?”
I tightened my grip on the shifter. I knew this road like the back of my hand. I probably could have driven it with my eyes closed. But she didn’t know that. “Just giving you a chance to prepare yourself,” I said.
Her eyes widened, darting between me and the road ahead. “Wait, prepare myself for what —”
I slammed into gear and punched on the gas pedal. She sucked in a breath as the car surged forward, backfires popping off like gunshots as my tires caught traction and dug into the earth. We launched over the first bump in the road, dust kicking up behind us in a cloud.
She was grateful for that harness now — she was clinging to it for dear life.
28
28
Jessica
Vincent was hurtling down narrow curving roads, tires skidding in the dirt, flying over bumps and dips without a care. I could have sworn the car flew over one particularly large bump, and all four tires left the ground as the engine buzzed like an overgrown honeybee. I had one hand in a death grip on the grab handle above the door and the other locked around his thigh.
But it was clear he knew what he was doing. With one glance, I saw the joy on his face, the excitement and concentration. Every turn was tight, the variations in the rutted road requiring him to constantly adjust his speed. Every dip gave me the brief sensation of flying, my stomach rising and falling with the road.
It was like being on a roller coaster. I shrieked as he sped through a tight curve, and the back end of the car slid around the turn before we launched forward again. I giggled, then laughed, unable to stop myself from smiling.
“Holy shit, this is fun!” I screamed as we flew over a bump again, sailing past a herd of cows that fled in surprise.
“Welcome to rally racing, Jess!” He raised his voice over the engine, laughing along with me. “Scared?”
“No!” My heart was racing, my limbs were tingling, high on adrenaline. “This is amazing!”
We came out of a long stretch of trees to find open fields on either side. There were more cows grazing in the distance, and on the opposite side of the road was an old barn, its dark wooden roof leaning slightly to one side. Vincent slowed and turned, pulling into the unfenced field and driving toward the barn.