“You’ve got this,” Manson said, his voice low as he leaned against the open window. “Remember what he really wants out of this. He’ll be looking for an excuse to fight.”

“So don’t lose my temper,” I said, nodding slowly. “One of my strongest qualities.”

I could see Jess from here, sitting on the guardrail near the bridge. She was looking at me, at us. Her eyes were wide, the smoke from Alex’s tires curling around her feet. Why the hell was she out here, getting involved in something like this? She needed someone to protect her from all this petty shit, from the snakes among her own friends.

I was a fool to even let that thought cross my mind.

“Don’t let her distract you,” Manson said. I didn’t have to give him an explanation for my sudden frustration. He already knew. “Keep your eyes on the road.”

“Why did she even come?” I muttered.

Was it Alex? Had she come here to watch him? He was her type, but goddamn it, she was too good for him. The thought pissed me off and my fingers tightened on the wheel.

Focus. That was all I needed to do. Block out the bullshit and see only that long stretch of black asphalt in front of me. I released a heavy breath, rolling the tension out of my shoulders. I imagined the G-force pulling me back in my seat, the engine roaring, the smell of smoke. God, it was better than any high. Nothing could come close, except…

I glanced at her again. Just one look.

She was looking back.

“Ah, fucking hell.” Manson’s voice snapped my attention back. He was glaring off to the side, a grimace on his face. “Your devoted fangirl is here.”

“My fucking what?” I hitched myself up in my seat, looking back. A woman with long dark hair was making a beeline for us. I should have expected it, considering she had a habit of showing up to street races. Vincent and Jason were making over-exaggerated motions of disgust and sudden death from the side of the road as Veronica strutted up to the car.

“Good luck in the race, Lucas,” she said. “I’ll be starting you boys off today.” It figured she would be the flagger. It gave her an excuse to stay close. Her tits were pushed up so far they were nearly bursting out of her shirt, not that I was complaining. I liked tits. I didn’t think there was fuckall wrong with showing tits.

I just didn’t like who these tits belonged to.

“Give him space, Veronica,” Manson said. I thought he was going to physically recoil when she pouted and brushed her hand against his neck.

“Aw, don’t be jealous, Manson.” She was tracing the line of the snake tattooed around his neck, her long nails leaving a pink trail on his pale skin. “I can stand on the sidelines with you until Lucas gets back.”

“Don’t wait for me,” I said. She didn’t like me, she didn’t like any of us. But that hadn’t stopped her from trying to convince me to fuck her.