Chapter Twelve
“Wouldn’t it be smarter to see which of us is a better driver?” Radley asked, his arms crossed over his chest. He was scowling again, his eyes on the canary yellow Mercedes they were using to practice with until the Ferrari arrived. “Maybe you’re the better navigator.”
Cricket paused on her way to climb into the driver seat, her brow raised at him. “You’re right. If you’re a better driver than me, it’s best you drive.” She stepped back. “Come on then. Get in the driver seat.”
Radley hesitated as if he hadn’t expected her to agree before begrudgingly moving over to the door. She stepped back further to allow him in before climbing into the passenger side and looking over at him. He still hadn’t started the car.
“Are we going?” she asked, her expression mocking.
Radley leaned over and looked at the dash, at the buttons, before looking where a key would go on a normal car. He felt around like he was searching for a keyhole despite not having a key.
Grinning, Cricket said, “start car,” out loud and the Mercedes rumbled to life. “There you go, wolf.”
Radley growled. “Fucking fancy cars. Just because I didn’t know how to do that doesn’t mean I’m not a good driver.”
“Never said it did. Show us what you’ve got since you so clearly can drive.” Cricket gestured to the track. “It’s rigged with a few traps here and there, but nothing as intense as the Games. I could only work a little magic in the time given and Danny did the best he could.”
“Where are the traps?”
“That’s not what we’re testing. If you can’t react to the surprises, then you’re useless as a driver.”
Growling under his breath like a child, Radley dropped the car into gear with the shifter knob and gunned it forward. Almost immediately, he ran over a pothole that threw them toward a trap trigger. Without warning, a pole came swinging in from the right and clipped the rear fender of the Mercedes.
“This is my baby,” she snarled. “Drive better.”
He swerved around a speedbump and snarled back in frustration, his sounding far more savage than any noise she made.
The wall sprung up in front of them without warning and Radley slammed on his brakes, stopping just in time to avoid slamming into it. The nose was barely an inch away as Cricket sat bracing herself against the dash.
“Get out,” she whispered, deadly quiet.
For once, Radley didn’t argue. He unstrapped the seatbelt and threw the car door open. She didn’t even bother climbing out. With her wings glamoured away, she simply climbed over the console and took her seat, fastening the seatbelt over her chest. The Ferrari would have racing harnesses, but her Mercedes was mostly meant for driving the streets, not for the track. Radley quietly got into the passenger side and did the same.
Throwing the car in reverse, Cricket backed away from the wall before dropping it back in gear and going around the wall. Gunning it, she traveled around the track far smoother than Radley had, avoiding the few traps she’d been able to order rigged. Later, Danny would add more but this was the best she could do on such a short notice. Her reaction times were far better and when she reached the middle, she slowed and threw it back in park before turning in her seat the glare at the wolf beside her.
“You’re the better driver,” he grumbled so softly, she almost didn’t hear him.
“I’m what?”
“You’re the better driver,” he repeated louder, angry that he had to admit that.
“You dented my baby.” Cricket took a deep breath. “Now that we’ve established who has what job, let’s work on being a team. This car doesn’t have weapons but, in the Ferrari, you’ll have a panel of buttons on the dash in front of you. Rather than use an external tablet, it’ll be rigged with one for you as well, however, for now, you’ll navigate with this tablet.” She passed it over to him. “You have to tell me where we’re going, what place we’re in, how far until a trip trap, everything possible. We’ll get the real map an hour before the course. You’ll give proper directions.”
“Don’t speak to me like a child,” he growled.
“Then don’t act like one,” she spit back, climbing from the car and going to the back where the rear was smashed in. It would take a hefty check to repair it when it likely damaged the entire rear end.
“I’m not,” Radley growled as he got out. “How was I supposed to know you could drive like that?”
“By listening to me, you asshole!” she spit, storming toward him. “You have to trust me!”
“It goes both ways, sugar plum.”
Cricket froze, her face twisting in anger. “Say that again,” she warned, her wings flaring out behind her and snapping closed. The tiny metal pieces on her wings made the sound more frightening than it should have been.
Radley leaned forward, his eyes narrowing, unafraid. “Sugar plum.”
The knife came out of nowhere. One minute, Cricket was debating murdering him and the next there was a literal knife in her hand. All the frustration with the wolf he’d given her the past couple of days came out. All the anger over her father and what he was trying to force her to do filled her. Radley was no longer just the wolf insulting her. He was every bad thing that was trying to clip her wings and she wanted to hurt him.
Radley just barely avoided the knife as she swung it, his claws coming out as he ducked and rolled, snapping back up with the agility wolves were known for. “What the fuck is your problem, fairy?”
“I’m going to disembowel you,” she threatened, lunging forward again.
This time, Radley captured her wrists in his, holding the knife back just barely, his strength rivaling her own. “Stop it,” he grunted, pushing back but neither of them moved, equally matched. “Have some class.”
“I’ll show you class,” she spit. Her wings flared wide and fairy dust glittered in the air before sprinkling over Radley, his pupils immediately blowing wide the moment he inhaled it.
Radley stumbled back with a growl, immediately reaching down to adjust himself in his pants, bringing a smug smile to her face.
“What’s the matter, big bad wolf? Fae got your tongue?” Her eyes dipped down. “Or something else?”