Chapter 1
Jackson
The girl drops the handkerchief and I hit the gas, desperate not to let Nate Fucking Ryder make a fool of me once again.
I’ve got this.
Dust spits up behind my tires and my car jolts forward, sending me flying backward into my seat as the music drowns out the sound of the chanting crowd who have come to see if their king will finally be defeated.
And that king? Yeah…it’s not me.
Nate sits in his Camaro beside me, both of us increasing to speeds well beyond acceptable for a dirt track, but the fucker is talented. He knows exactly what he’s doing on this track. We’ve each raced it at least a hundred times and know it like the back of our hands, but tonight, this is different.
We’re not racing to win despite what everyone might think. No, this is much bigger than that. Nate and I have been at war for two long fucking years and tonight, this is finally a chance to find our winner. Hell, this shit isn’t even about racing. Winner takes the fucking throne and the war can finally be over. I don’t know how I’ve let this bullshit go on so long, but here we are trying to settle this once and for all.
I put everything out of my mind and focus on the track before me. Nothing else, just me, the road, and beating Nate Ryder.
The first corner approaches and it’s a question of who will go first. The corner is only big enough for one and something tells me Nate will go to the ends of the earth to get around it before I do. Which generally, I’m down for the challenge, but forcing my way around that bend will surely result in needing a new paint job and unlike Nate, I don’t have the spare cash to throw at my car, not like these rich kids from Broken Hill do.
Going against my better judgment, I back off and let Nate take the corner first. I don’t look across at him and I don’t doubt there’s a wicked grin on his face. I just gave him the upper hand and winning it back is not going to be easy, especially against a guy like him. Nate might be a douche, but he knows how to race.
Nate sails around the corner in front of me with the back end of his Camaro spinning out and spitting up rocks and dirt at my windshield, making it nearly impossible to see the track before me. I keep going though. Nothing will dare stop me from winning the lead back.
I fly around the corner behind him, keeping right on his six, only able to see where I’m going from Nate’s taillights. My back tires spin out just as Nate’s had and I do what I can to maintain control of my car. I can’t say I’ve ever done this track so fast before, and I’m not going to lie, it’s certainly a rush, especially with the eyes of every senior and junior from both Haven Falls and Broken Hill in the crowd.
Nate exits the corner, pressing down on the gas and I take off after him. We have a slight straight coming up, though it’s not enough to get around him, but if I push my car hard enough, I could certainly catch him.
I turn my music up, keeping myself in the zone. Nothing will stop me. I will beat Nate Ryder. I won’t dare back down.
I repeat my mantra over and over again, keeping myself focused. I can’t lose. I won’t lose. It’s simply not an option. Besides, I was the one who challenged him to this race. How would I look if I come out second best? In fact, I’m a firm believer that there is no second best. There’s either winning or losing and losing isn’t in my nature.
I keep right up on Nate’s ass, so fast that the dust spitting up from Nate’s car travels right under mine and comes out behind me making a huge cloud that follows us around the track. I spy the next corner approaching and I tighten my hold on my steering wheel. My knuckles turn white.
I need to be careful here. Nate’s a good fucking driver, but driving behind someone at speeds like this isn’t for the faint-hearted. One small touch of his brake could have me slamming right into the back of him. This isn’t just about racing. This is about precision and that unknown has me holding back as we hit the second corner of the track.
Just as he had the first, Nate sails around the corner with ease. His back tires slide around the dirt as he fights to keep control of the corner, but I hardly have a second to admire his skill as my car takes the corner just inches behind him.