Page 319 of Fatality

I wrap a hand around her neck, yank her forward and kiss her again, deep enough to steal another breath before catching her lower lip between my teeth hard enough to sting before soothing it with my tongue.

When I step back, I can't stop smiling.

“Don't miss me too much, baby girl,” I call as I walk back toward my Charger. “I fully intend to make sure you can't walk after I win as a trophy.”

She blushes furiously before flipping me off. That only makes me laugh harder.

Fuck.

She's got me at her feet.

I slide back into my seat, buckle in, catch her eye through the window and wink.

A drone hovers above the starting line, its holographic display flickering the countdown.

Five.

The roar of dozens of engines crashes together with the growl of my Charger.

My knuckles turn white around the steering wheel and gear lever.

Three.

Two.

I feather the throttle just to show off, I fucking love the sound of my Charger.

My adrenal booster flares to life making my veins visible under my tattoos.

One.

The light flashes green.

I slam the gear home and the rear tires spun violently, throwing smoke across the grid before finding grip.

The car lunged forward, the engine exploding into a deafening roar that drowned out everything else.

My right-hand snap through the gears with practice precision while my left holds the wheel steady, making only the smallest corrections as the nose of the car surges ahead.

Around me, the grid erupts.

Bikes shoot forward like bullets, slipping through the smallest gaps, while heavily modified cars fight for every lane.

Exhaust flames burst from oversized pipes, tires scream against the asphalt, and mirrors filled with flashing headlights as competitors fight to avoid being boxed in.

Two cars trade paint before the first corner, another bounces off the barrier in a shower of sparks, yet nobody lifts.

My augmented eyes devour every detail, the gaps, the cars, the obstacles.

Nothing escapes them.

I thread through the opening gaps before they disappear, reading the chaos as it unfolds.

A Static Rebel tries to force me wide, but I snap the wheel, bury the throttle, and surge past before he can close the door.

In my mirrors, the rest of Crimson Velocity follows in formation, our scarlet machines cutting through the pack like a single wave, leaving behind smoke, sparks, and the deafening roar of engines.

“In fifty feet, first obstacle!” Ren shouts.