Ten fucking hands shoot high into the sky, and I laugh as I shake my head, feeling like the joke of the century. “Thanks for nothing,” I tell them, recognizing each of their faces, every last one of them knowing we were together at the time. “Hope you ladies covered the stump before you humped because that is a lot of shared DNA right there. On second thought, I hope you all get chlamydia.”
And with that, a chorus of applause sounds through the room right before someone cranks the music back up. Erica disconnects my phone from the big TV, and I jump down as Colby glares at me. “Lose my number, asshole. I’m done with you,” I tell him. “And for the record. You never made me come once. I faked it just to get you to hurry the fuck up and get off me. You wouldn’t know how to satisfy a woman even with a step-by-step instruction manual. Grow the fuck up, dude. You peaked in high school and from here on out, you’ll be nothing but a has been.” I give him a dazzling smile. “Always a pleasure.”
Not a second later, Erica’s arm slides through mine, determined to get the fuck out of here and enjoy the rest of our night.
Chapter 18
BRIELLE
“What the hell are you talking about?” I say, my eyes searching from left to right along the darkened road, not being able to see a damn thing. “I don’t see it.”
“Just keep going,” Ilaria says, yelling over the insane noise behind her. “There’s a shitload of bushland and then the dirt road just sneaks up on you. Don’t go too fast or you’ll fly straight past it. You can’t miss it.”
Oh God. I can only imagine where this bitch is trying to lead me. I just dropped Erica off at one of the girls’ houses, knowing she’ll be more than taken care of after insisting I was done for the night, and before even turning my car back on, Ilaria was on the phone demanding my presence, not taking no for an answer. “Where the hell are you leading me?”
“Uh, uh, uh,” she says, laughter in her tone. “I’m not ruining this surprise … Well, maybe surprise is the wrong word for it, but it’s damn hot and you’re going to be sorry if you pass up on it. So, hurry up and get your sweet ass here before you miss it.”
“Miss it? Miss what?” I question, unable to even work out a hint of where she’s taking me. “If I get to this place and find out that you’ve led me into a serial killer’s lair, I’m going to kill you myself.”
Ilaria laughs. “I swear, girl. It’s safe—well, actually, knowing you, you’ll probably think this is some kind of serial killer lair, but I swear, you’re going to have the best time.”
“Oh,” I cut her off, hitting the brake as I find the small opening in the bushland and roll toward a narrow dirt road that looks like the one place I don’t want to be. “I think I found it, but are you sure about this? Where the hell does this lead?”
“Oh my God,” she laughs. “Quit being a whiny baby and get your ass down that dirt road. Trust me, you won’t regret it.”
Turning the wheel, my tires hit the dirt road, and I let out a shaky breath. If it weren’t so late and the sun was actually shining down on this road, it probably wouldn’t seem so fucked up, but when I’m driving alone and have no idea where I’m going, my mind can’t help but lead me straight to the worst possible scenario. I’m driving toward my death, that’s the only way I see things right now, but I power on, determined not to bitch out. “I’m already regretting it.”
I can practically hear her rolling her eyes. “Keep going for a few miles and then you’ll hit this hill, and once you’ve cleared that, you’ll be able to see.”
“See what?”
“I’ll start walking up now and meet you by the other cars and then we can go down together?”
“Go down where, Ilaria?” I rush out. “Holy shit, is this some fucked-up rich people initiation bullshit? Are you going to strip me naked, steal my shoes, and make me find my way home with a blindfold on and my hands tied behind my back?”
“Fucking hell,” Ilaria laughs. “Who hurt you?”
Her words don’t do much to ease the ridiculous images flying through my mind, but I do my best to keep calm. I haven’t known her long, but I think I know her well enough to be certain she wouldn’t lead me astray. She asks me about the party, and I give her the full rundown of exposing Colby’s toxic behavior, and by the time I’m finished, my car is hitting the top of the hill and peering over into the vast property below.
“What in the ever-loving fuck is this?” I gasp, pausing at the top of the hill to take in the massive racetrack below. It’s fucking huge with big flood lights shining down on the track. Expensive cars fly around the curves with ease, looking as though they’ve done it a million times before, spitting dust up from beneath their tires.
Crowds of people hover by the sides, screaming and backing their favorite driver, and I can’t wait to get down there. I’ve never seen anything like it. I mean, sure, there was the occasional illegal street racing in Hope Falls, but nothing like this. “This is insane.”
“What did I tell you?” Ilaria laughs, the big floodlights of the parking lot highlighting her soft brunette waves as she makes her way toward me.
I ease my car down the hill and into the parking lot, hating the thought of her walking around here by herself. I’ve heard way too many stories about young girls walking around dodgy areas by themselves and it never ends well.
With so many people already here, it takes a minute to find a parking space, and by the time I’m cutting the engine, Ilaria is right there, tearing my door open and practically yanking me out of my car. “Come on,” she says, the excitement in her tone intoxicating. “I don’t want you to miss it.”
Trusting her word, I let her pull me along while pressing the small button on my key fob to lock my car. We take off through the rows of cars, and with each step, the excitement drums rapidly through my veins. “Who would have known that rich kids knew how to have fun?” I say, discreetly checking the rows of cars to make sure there’s no sleek black motorcycles hidden within them.
“Oh, you’ve got no idea,” she tells me.
The roar of the loud engines is deafening, and I have to yell over them, but I love it. I can almost feel the loud rumbles vibrating through my chest.
A black Camaro whips around the final corner of the track, spitting dirt all over the crowd as they wait anxiously for the winner. They all scream louder, and I find myself pulling Ilaria along faster, my eyes wide with anticipation. I never thought I’d be into something like this, but my eyes are glued to the car racing around the track, the danger and adrenaline spiking high within me. There’s no way in hell I’d ever race, but fuck, I’d more than happily stand by the sidelines and soak in the adrenaline.
A white car races after the Camaro, but the Camaro has this in the bag, and not a second later, it flies over the finish line and the crowd goes insane. An unbelievable amount of money changes hands and I gape, horrified by the kind of cash these kids are getting around with. Hell, maybe they just bring more when they’re coming to things like this.