Pit: The A**hole Club Series by Saffire Blue (summer books txt) 📕

runner has the sponsor who picked me by the shoulder, and they seem to be in a heated conversation.

“What do you think that’s about?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I don’t think them picking you had anything to do with driving. Something tells me they were told to pick you. The hesitation was all for show,” Pit says angrily.

“Yeah, if this goes south it’s bound to get out that I’m involved,” I say.

Pit looks around. “What am I missing?” he mutters.

“I don’t know, but I have a race to win.”

I climb in my car and buckle up. When the engine comes to life, I smile. I built that baby for shit like this. There’s no one in this race with a smoother transmission than mine.

My team of engineers and I built this car to complement itself. Every part was chosen for peak performance and not manufacturing price. I rev the engine and get ready to get into place.

Pit stops me, placing a hand on the roof of the car and gets my attention. I turn to him and he ducks into the driver’s window and grasps my face to kiss the shit out of me.

“Be smart. Drive safe,” he says as he breaks the kiss.

“I’ve got it. This is the easy part.” I wink at him and rev the engine again.

He shakes his head at me, places a kiss on my nose, and backs away. I get focused and shut everything out. I will win this race.

Once lined up with the other cars, I say the prayer I always say before driving in a race. Peace settles in and I see nothing but the course ahead of me. The chick in the orange booty shorts drops the flag and we’re off.

The first corner comes up and I load the car into the corner and hit the throttle hard. I sail right into that bitch. This is why I’m not worried about the others in this race. I’ve mastered this.

Unlike others, I consider my smaller hands an advantage. Working on cars is my workout. I have the strength to whip this car just the way I need to.

“That sounds nasty,” I sing and smile as the sound of someone wiping out somewhere behind me reaches my ears.

I sail into my next drift and come out smoothly. My heart is racing. This space really is too tight for this if you don’t know what you’re doing, like the guy who’s in the lead in front of me.

His car doesn’t come out of the next drift right. He fishtails, he must be fighting for control. I see it happening and only have a split second to come out of my drift and maneuver around him before we both eat the wall.

I clinch my butt cheeks so hard as my car glides past his by mere centimeters. I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until I straighten my car and keep going.

“Woo,” I cheer. “Get it, Ven.”

I load the next turn and hit the throttle super hard to glide this one. It’s the widest turn yet. I sail through it, come out of the drift and floor it for the course that leads to the finish line.

My adrenaline is pumping. I’ll admit I haven’t had a thrill this high in a long time. My excitement fades as three cars come up in my rearview. I guess I’m not the only one that made it through the drifting.

I shift and push forward. My gut twists. Something’s not right.

The three cars behind me speed up and two cross in front of each other. I can’t focus on them as the difficult part of this challenge is ahead. We have to cut through a packed city walk.

It’s in the center of Vander, right next to the university. We’re headed for the city center where the fountain is. Cars aren’t meant to drive through there and only do during parades and exhibitions.

All I hear in my head is Pit’s voice. Drive safe.

However, when the scene around me unfolds and what’s about to happen flashes before my eyes. I know I’m going to do anything but. My heart jumps into my throat.

“No!”

Pit

This is the part I hate. When we do these street races, we have to watch from cams provided by the race club’s drones and dash cams. Each team has a drone that follows their driver.

My heart has been in my throat as we’ve been following Skittles. This race is dangerous for a number of reasons. If the drifting in that tight ass garage wasn’t enough to make my heart give out, this street race is going to do the job.

We’re headed to the finish line in Rome’s SUV as we watch Skittles head for the city walk. The tension in this car could smother a giant.

“I hate this,” Ox says. “This course feels like a setup.”

“It is. The cams in that area alone are a problem. It’s why I told you to drive,” Rome says from the back seat. “I’m going to black out those cameras.”

“Why though? Why expose us if we’re going to do the drop in the end? This could incriminate every single team and blow back in Marquis’ face.”

“I’ve been asking the same question,” Rome says. “What doesn’t make sense is that they’ve looped every feed on the course except for the city walk.”

“Which means, they’re looking for that footage to use. Dude, how are they doing all of this in Vander?” I hiss.

“That’s the thing. They’re pinging from LA. Their hackers aren’t local. Dude, why is this race in Vander City anyway?”

“Is it me. Does anyone remember the last time they saw Marquis?” I say as the thought pops up in my mind.

“Damn, not since before the races started to change. The bald guy appeared, and everyone took his word that Marquis sent him,” Ox says.

“Rome—”

“I’m multitasking. I’ll have an answer for you as soon as I knock this last cam out,” he says.

I don’t have a good feeling about this.