Broken Hill Havoc (Broken Hill High Series 5)

“Relax,” I tell him. “He’s known I’ve been here for a while now. If he was going to do something, don’t you think he would have tried already?”

“No,” he grunts. “He knows we’re on edge. He’ll wait until we think it’s blown over and then he’ll come at you.”

“I don’t think he has the brains for that.”

“Trust me,” Nate says. “While he’s the biggest fucking moron either of us has ever met, he knows he can’t get at you. He’s tried over and over again and failed every time. To him, this is his last shot and he’s going to be smart about it.”

“I think you’re overthinking this.”

“I’d rather overthink it than not think about it at all.”

“Good point.”

Nate lets out a heavy sigh as he watches me. “Just… play it safe ok?” he begs. “I’ll keep dropping you off as much as possible, but if I can’t be there, find Jackson and make him walk you to class. Don’t be on your own. Have lunch away from campus. Study at home, not in the library.”

I cut him off before he can keep going. “If I do all that would it make you feel better about it?”

“No,” he says. “I’m not going to feel better until the fucker has been sent packing. I don’t want him anywhere near you, and this is where you want to be so it’s up to him to leave.”

“Couldn’t I just get a restraining order?”

“You could,” he says. “But do you honestly think a bastard like Josh is going to respect that?”

“No,” I sigh.

“So, we have a plan?” he questions.

“Yeah, but I’m not going to last being a hermit for too long.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he tells me. “I’ll sort it out. Have I ever let you down before?”

I raise my eyebrows and smirk. “Well… there was that one time you broke up with me, and that time you shattered me after taking my virginity, and then, of course, the time when-”

“Alright,” he rushes in. “You don’t need to list all the times I’ve fucked up. And for the record, I didn’t know you were a virgin.”

I shrug my shoulders and smile innocently. “I’m just trying to keep you well informed.”

“Trust me, I’m well informed of everything I’ve ever done to hurt you. I don’t need the reminder. I already feel like shit about it.”

“Well then,” I smile, leaning across the table and kissing him. “Think of all the lovey-dovey, gooey shit you could do to make it up to me.”

“Fuck me,” he groans. “This is going to be a long ass night.”

I can’t help but laugh. “You bet it is.”

Nate rolls his eyes and wisely changes the topic. “You want to hear something I heard today?”

I shake my head and look at him in mock horror. “You’re not indulging in childish gossip, are you?”

“Hell yeah, this shit is juicy.”

“Fine, tell me,” I laugh.

“Nah, I don’t think I will now.”

“Nate,” I yell.

He laughs and I melt at the smile that brightens his dark features. “After the races were raided last week, it’s officially been closed down. Out of business for good.”

“What?” I gasp, wide-eyed, unable to believe him. “Are you serious?”

“Yep,” he says, proudly. “It’s illegal. You know that, right?”

“Well, yeah, but… wait. Why do you seem so happy about it?”

He grins and pauses as though he’s trying to build some kind of suspense, but all it does is annoy me. I want an answer and the more he holds it back from me, the more I want to throat punch him. “Well, Maxen and I were talking and he’s planning on starting a new one on his property.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I grunt. “He’ll get caught.”

“How?” Nate questions. “I mean, yeah, it’s a risk, but his parents hardly ever go there and when they do, they only stay in the main house, never out the back on the actual property.”

“I thought his parents lived there.”

“No,” Nate explains. “They live around the corner from my parents. The property is more of a place for Maxen to fuck around. They bought it when Max got into dirt bikes as a kid and wanted to avoid him riding on the road. We used to do such stupid shit on that property.”

“I can imagine, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“I know,” he tells me. “Max knows the risks and he’s still keen to go ahead with it. Who knows? It could be a pretty awesome track. He has the money to make something good of it.”

“Aaron’s wasn’t?” I question.

“It was alright. It served its purpose, but it could have been better.”

“And Maxen’s going to make it better?”

“Much better.”

I roll my eyes as a vision of Maxen being carted off in handcuffs rolls through my mind. I mean, at least it would give the guy something to do. He didn’t want to do the whole college thing and he still hasn’t sorted out what to do with his life. He’s been helping Nate at the shop when he needs it but Max needs something to give himself to. Maybe this would be that.