Page 56 of Revv

“I won’t.”

Reign swings onto his bike beside me and drops his visor. “Let’s kick some ass,”

“For sure.” We bump knuckles, then I pull my gloves on and swing onto the bike.

The second the engine settles beneath me, the rest of the paddock disappears.

We roll toward the grid.

Floodlights glare against the track. The late afternoon air is cooler now, but the asphalt is still holding heat from the day. Crew members clear out after the warmers come off, and the whole grid tightens as everyone settles in.

I look toward the barrier and spot the girls with the crew. Bexley is talking to Lena. Cece stands beside them, arms folded, trying to look like she doesn’t care but even from here I can tell she’s watching.

Good.

The marshal steps away.

Red lights come on one by one, and my hand tightens around the throttle.

When they go dark, I launch hard.

Reign gets the better start, but I stay on him into turn one, holding my line while Ajax tries to force his way through behind me. The pack bunches up fast, bikes stacked so tight that one stupid move could take out half the grid.

Reign leads us through the opening section, smooth as ever, while I sit close enough to watch every shift of his weight and every twitch of his rear tire.

“Ajax is right on you,” Echo says through the comms.

“I know.”

“Then stop leaving the door open.”

“I’m not.”

Ajax shows a wheel on the inside anyway.

Reign’s laugh crackles through my earpiece. “Looks open from up here.”

“Worry about yourself, dickhead.”

Echo is a few places back, boxed in behind another rider, and Andre cuts in before the shit-talking can keep going.

“Keep it clean. Revel, protect the braking zone. Reign, hold your pace.”

By lap five, the field starts stretching out. Reign and I pull a small gap through the technical section, but Ajax refuses to fuck off. He’s strongest at the end of the straight, and every lap he gets a little closer under braking.

Echo catches it too. “He’s setting you up for the inside again.”

“Let him.”

“Don’t get cute.”

“I’m always cute.”

“Revel,” Andre warns.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve got it.”

Lap seven, Ajax dives inside.