I smiled, waiting for the moment he was going to give me because he underestimated the sheer power of the car I was driving. I let the car drift just a smidge to the right and he took the bait, and swerved to far trying to keep me from getting around him. I floored it and the 420 horsepower engine did its job, propelling us past him before he could correct, and I opened her up as we took the lead. Pure exhilaration filled me as the car inched over 100 mph, the beast of an engine never faltering as we flew to the finish line, the separation between us and the other car growing with every yard.
The finish line was a literal blur as I blew past it before starting to slow down, regret seeping in as we came to a stop. There was nothing quite like pushing a car to its limits especially when it came to a car as powerful as this one.
Dwayne flagged me, motioning for me to follow him through the maze of buildings, until we came to a large metal warehouse. I parked the car, stepping out into the empty space. “Here,” I questioned him warily, scanning the space.
“They do the paint restoration in there,” he answered, pointing to a white stall. “Wouldn’t want to renege on our deal.”
“And here I thought you’d be trying to find a way out of giving me the car.”
He shook his head. “I haven’t seen anyone drive like that since your momma.”
“You knew her?”
“Of course.” He shot me a sardonic glance. “You didn’t think I’d let a newbie drive my car, did you?”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He shrugged. “What was the point?”
“You knew my mom, knew her. Knew she could drive. You saw her drive,” I babbled, pacing in front of the car. “You don’t think that might have meant something to me?”
“I didn’t know why you were here,” he pointed out. “Your momma went through a lot of effort to get out of this town undetected,” he revealed, crossing his arms as he leaned against a steel support beam. “Honestly, I was surprised to see you. Thought you’d come back for what was yours.”
I tilted my head. “You helped her.”
He nodded. “I did.” He exhaled. “She came by one night, almost incoherent, kept saying she had to get out of town. Begged me to help her.” He chuckled half-heartedly. “You have to understand, we weren’t exactly friends. She ran with the Rebels. She didn’t race for me and in fact had cost me money a few times, but no one could deny she could drive.”
“Why’d you help her?”
He shot me a glance. “You don’t think I did it out of the goodness of my heart?”
I snorted. “Try again.”
“She gave me something, something worth a helluva lot more than the little bit I did for her.” He looked behind me. “Of course it came with conditions. I could never sell it or give it away.”
I touched the hood of the car, still hot enough to burn. “The car.”
“The car.” He shook his head regretfully. “Wound up I couldn’t drive the damn thing either."
“What do you mean?”
“Every Tom, Dick and Harry was out looking for it after your momma disappeared,” he burst out. “She disappeared, the car disappeared, and everyone figured she’d taken off in it. I couldn’t do anything with the car without revealing I’d helped her.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “So you didn’t say anything for twenty years?” I shook my head, turning to look at the car. “Until now.” I twisted back toward him. “Why now?”
“I’m not a bad person. I kept her secret.” He straightened and walked toward me. “I didn’t know why she ran.” He rolled his shoulders. “Guess in the long run it didn’t really matter.” He stopped in front of me. “Now I have my own debts to pay.”
Awareness prickled through me. “What did you do?” I whispered.
He sucked in a deep breath, looking away from me. “I left the side door unlocked. Once you’re out, go right, keep going until you hit the road.”
Fear trickled through me, and my heart sped up. “Why are you telling me this,” I pleaded, shaking my head. “Why would you do this?”
His face hardened. “Like I said, I’m not a bad guy, but I have my own people to look after.”
“I won’t forget this,” I warned him, forcing my fear into determination, knowing I would need it to survive.
A curious respect glinted for a brief second in his eyes. “I hope you don’t.”
“Thank you, old friend,” a new voice boomed. “I’ll take it from here.”
Dwayne stared at me for a second longer, his eyes flickering past the car then he turned and walked out.
“Finally,” the Chief crooned, a mad light in his eyes. “I have you.” He gave a breathy chuckle. “Just like I told him I would.”