Fatal (Portland Street Kings Book 2) (18 page)

My eyelids blink rapidly as I try to process her words, but it’s not long before my body and mind lose the fight. The desperation in her words and also actions cut deep into my chest, sending cracks all through my body.
She’s seeping in again, just like before, there’s no stopping it and I wouldn’t want to.
She’s magnificent and she’s all mine.
 

The easy way would be to walk away from her drug-riddled brother and fucked up family and come with me, with my family. We’d protect her and I’d make sure she’d never want for anything.
 

She’s grown into a stronger woman than I could have ever imagined she would.
 

I’d take her in a heartbeat, if she took the easy road. But damn, her fighting with everything she has to save what little family she has left only causes me to want her more. I crave her loyalty for my own.
 

“Mack?” Lana calls, pulling me out of my daze.

There are no words for how I feel right now, so instead I decide to show Lana. I pull her to me by grasping her shirt and she tumbles into my arms, where I lower my mouth to hers and we kiss. I wind my arms around her back, pulling her flush against my body and push my hands under her shirt, loving the sensation of her warm skin against mine.
 

When we break apart for air, Lana asks breathlessly and with a smile, “I’m forgiven then?”
 

I lean my forehead against hers. “I understand why you want to do this and I’m proud of you.” I let Lana go and look into her eyes. “We both have family we need to take care of. Not being cocky. However, I
am
going to beat you, Dove.” I grin and Lana’s smile gets wider.

“We’ll see about that. I still have some tricks up my sleeve.”
 

I laugh out loud. “Let’s race then.”
 

I’m walking back around my car almost to my driver’s side when Lana calls out, and I look across
Fang’s
red roof to find Lana staring at me intently.
 

“Mack, I will understand if you win, but I’m going to try my best to beat you.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way, Dove.” I grin and jump into my car and buckle up.

My stomach churns and I’m not sure if it’s the normal pre-race jitters, or if it’s the fact that I feel the urge to give Lana the race. Which goes against everything I believe in and have worked toward to get to Death Race.

Seeing me back in the car, Slater runs over to my car window and leans inside.

“I don’t know what’s going between you two, but remember, we’ve got big plans for that money. Lana is included in those plans if you want her to be, she wins both ways today,” Slater states, but he doesn’t get it.

“She wants the money, Slate… for Rex. To get him far away from Louisville. Away from her family, so he can get a fresh start.”

Slater presses his lips together, squints his eyes and looks out over the dirt, sprint track. “I can respect that. She’s doing it for her family, but so are we, and it doesn’t change the fact that you will beat her.” Slater bangs on the roof and says, “You got this.” He backs away, heading for the fence, but his eyes stay on me, examining me. Can he sense how conflicted I feel?

I watch as Lana stares straight ahead with a focused, intent glare. She grips the steering wheel tight with both hands and lowers her chin. I notice she mutters some words to herself before she looks back up to the road.

The cars in front of us take off for their race and Lana and I drive forward slowly. In only a matter of minutes we’ll be taking off too, and only the best racer will win.

Winning will mean taking away Lana’s hope.

I know she’d never hold it against me, but I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I will hold against myself.

A skinny blonde in tiny shorts and a white bikini top steps out in front of Lana and me and says, “Get ready, lights go green in two minutes.”

The woman leaves the track and I rev the engine three times. Fang sounds beautiful. The bar jumps up in RPMs nicely and the rhythm sounds like a dream. My gaze once again finds Lana. My center, all that matters in my world. She’s busily throwing her hair up into a high ponytail and I notice her chest is rising and falling heavily.

This is Lana’s first race and so much rests on the outcome for her.

I wind the passenger side window down. Lana sees me and does the same.

Leaning toward her, I state, “Calm breaths, Dove. I’m with you, all the way to the finish line.” I point to the end of the dirt strip. “You take off the same way as you did from my house this morning and you’re gonna do fine.” I wink and then notice the racing light turn orange.

Ready.

I grip the steering wheel and stare down the long four-hundred-meter racing strip. All of this will be over in only six seconds. Whether I win or lose, the Kings will still be in the top three to go into the Death Race, but if I lose today and if we lose our next two races, we’re out of the top three, no advantage going into such a dangerous game.
 

And worst of all, Slater’s plans will be lost to the wind. He’s told me of his intentions for our family. If we win and if Slater’s ideas come to life, our futures will change drastically. Right now we’re in the lead, the team all the other teams know they need to knock out first, during Death Race, if they want a chance at winning the money. Being in the top three means we get a head-start in the deadly race, one we
need
.

Yellow Light. Set.

I shift gears to first and my breathing quickens.
 

I wrap my hand around the handbrake and continue accelerating
Fang
. My body tenses and the vibration of the engine flows through me like an adrenaline rush you can’t get anywhere else. There’s no feeling that compares to this.
 

Breathing in the petrol fumes and soaking up the strength of my muscle car. It’s as if I’m a man becoming a superhero. Strong, immortal—the possibilities endless.

Slater got into racing to feed and house our family. It’s how we all started, and Slater still sees it that way, but not me. Now it’s a passion I could never give up. Once your heart races to the point of exploding and your breathing quickens, all that’s left is freedom. The car, the dirt road and me. Nothing but a long stretch of nothingness.
 

Peace.
 

Stillness on the inside.
 

When memories of my childhood come to the forefront, it’s not an easy task to lock them back away. Racing definitely helps. Along with the garage, my family and Lana, they give me purpose, something to focus on. And usually, I find I don’t think or have nightmares about my past for months at a time. I live for today, tomorrow and the future. The past is the past. Gone. Slowly I’m replacing each torturous memory with a better one.
 

Some would say I need to see a shrink and talk all that shit out, but that’s not me, never will be. I’m not something to fix. I’ll deal with the brutal and vile memories
one
step at a time, in my
own
way. It also helps that I know the fucker is dead and that he died at my hands.
 

Those who say revenge never helps have obviously never tried it before.

And yeah, a lot of people would pity me for my start in life, but I think about my brothers, my sister, and Lana. I consider my
now
self, to be very lucky.
 

Peering over to Lana, my chest squeezes painfully. She’s freaking out. Her hands seem to be slipping off the steering wheel and she’s trying to dry them on her shirt. She’s also blowing out enough breaths to start her own tornado.

She wants this.
Desperately.

Glancing at my brothers, I spot Della with them.
My family who are depending on me to win.
Fuck.

Green. Go!
 

I drop the handbrake and floor the accelerator, my tires spin as I quickly change up through the gears to third, and then like always the thrill begins. I’m pushed back into my seat while dirt flicks up and all around my car.

I’ve crossed the starting line in no time at all. I peer into my rearview mirror looking for Lana, but I don’t see her. My heart pounds against my chest.
Is she okay?

I glimpse over my left shoulder and fuck me, she’s right by me. Our bumpers moving back and forward, both of us fighting to be in front of the other.

“Wahoo! Fuck yeah, baby,” I shout out. However, Lana doesn’t look over or give any indication she heard me. She’s staring straight ahead, arms straight out on the steering wheel and her eyes focused intently on the finish line.
 

We must change our gears straight into fourth and then into fifth at the same time because we both take off and neither of us gains any ground on the other.
 

Suddenly Lana shoots straight past me and my smile dies instantly.
 

Too soon baby. Too soon.
 

I press the red NOS button on my steering wheel. I’m pushed back into my seat as I shoot past Lana easily.
 

The finish is coming up, the race is mine.
 

Lana pushes her second hit of NOS, she’ll make it to me and then I’ll take the win with my second push.
 

I glance over my shoulder as Lana comes up alongside me
and passes by, her car, half a length in front of me.
 

My finger hovers over the NOS button. Fuck, my heart is beating a hundred miles an hour.
Press it, Mack. Win the damn race.
My thumb lowers, but suddenly as if a rope around my heart suddenly tightens, I pull back.

The finish line appears. I’m over the line.
I lost.

Chapter Fourteen

Lana

I can’t believe I actually won.
How the heck did I win?
Who cares, I won. I’m giddy. My walk isn’t just a normal stride. I’m bouncing.
 

Mack just dropped me off out the front of the hospital and I’m on my way up to tell Rex the good news. Mack’s driving back to the house for a few hours before he comes back to pick me up, later tonight.
 

I’m not sure how I expected him to act if I won. Heck, I never thought I had a chance against him. However, he’s actually happy for me and it’s not pretend because I can tell when that man lies, he presses his lips together and looks away. Solid giveaway. Slater also seemed pleased that I won. He hugged and congratulated me.

Entering Rex’s room I find Corey, Kodi, and Reed sitting around my brothers bed.
 

They jump up when they see me and Corey asks, “Did you win?”
 

I called Corey from hospital phone when I knew that I wanted to race. He was apprehensive at first, but I explained why and he couldn’t argue with me any longer. Corey called Mickey and set it all up, the car and me racing in Rex’s place, even though Corey was the one meant to race today. That bit of information we didn’t fill Mickey in on. Anyhow, Corey said Mickey was excited about the idea.
 

“Come on, what happened?” Reed begs.

My mouth widens into a grin and I squeal, “I won.”
 

***

Mackson

Stepping into my house after dropping Lana off at the hospital, all I want to do is head up for a shower, but I know I have to go and sort out shit with Slater first.
 

 
He knows I didn’t use my second NOS. He’s pissed and I understand why, but he’s going to have to get over it. I did what I did and there’s no changing it now.
 

I wouldn’t change it even if I had the chance.
 

The pure joy on her face when she jumped out of the car.
Her smile.
The hope she exuded was suffocating and hard to ignore even for my family, who congratulated her excitedly, even Slater.

Which I’m grateful for, because for the first time in my life I knew that if Slater or any of my brothers treated Lana as an enemy or disrespected her for winning that race, I would have harmed one of them.

The shock hit me hard as it came out of nowhere. I’ve never felt the compulsion to protect anyone over my family before. Yet Lana has it, and now she owns me.
 

Slater didn’t give me one look, not even a single glance. He left almost straight away. The rest of my family following him closely.
 

Walking straight through the house toward the back screen door, I pass Pacer on the sofa and Dell and Kelso in the kitchen getting dinner ready. No one says a word. They know where I’m going and what’s about to go down.
 

At no time has Slater ever been the brother to be disappointed in us. Never raised his voice or fist to us. He’s the father figure of our family, but he’ll never admit it. He already carries around a heavy weight on his shoulders for us even though we’re safe, healthy and strong. Adding a title he deserves would only seem to burden him further, especially if anything were to happen to any of us.
 

I accept our past and can move forward without it weighing me down, but that’s where each of my brothers differ, we all carry our scars in a different way. Slater moves on by making Piper, me, and my brothers and sister, his top priority. I’m not sure when he’ll stop and look around and notice what we have or keep fighting his whole life for us to have better, to have more.
 

I reach the garage glass door and slide it open. I’m hit with a cool breeze from the blaring air-conditioner.
 

Slater is leaning on
Chevy’s
bonnet sipping a beer.
 

“Slate,” I start, my voice rough, ready for a battle, but he cuts me off before I can go on.

“Don’t,” He grits out, still looking away from me toward the tool wall. “I get it.” He pushes off
Chevy
and turns to look at me, pointing his finger in my direction, the same hand holding his beer, he continues, “I know why you did it. I don’t fucking like it, but I understand it.”