At Jordan’s words, Hunter drew up to his full height and spit on the pavement between the two camps. If this fight was about me, Hunter was squarely on Jordan’s side.
“He can take you away from me, Jordan, that would hurt me the most.”
“She whining? I always hated to hear her whine.” Caleb smirked.
I held fast to Jordan’s shirt as he launched forward, held so tight I could feel my fingernails start to break against the tension in the cotton. Aiden’s hand shot out too, to block Jordan’s forward motion.
“Careful, big guy, you hit me here, unprovoked like that, in front of all these witnesses? Won’t be good for you. Especially since the last time you did that you killed a guy right after.”
Oh, how I wanted to let Jordan go, let him pummel Caleb purple. But, I couldn’t.
“I let him go, it’s on and your buddy has to forfeit the race. They both do,” Aiden spat and gestured to Eric Marshall who just sat there with a Cheshire Cat-like grin.
“Like that matters to me.” Caleb tried to laugh, but he started looking nervous. Eric Marshall was backing down now, putting distance between his crew and Caleb. A guy like that wouldn’t forfeit a race, lose face in front of all the fans, because of a guy he barely knew.
Still, the tension was palpable and thus a crowd began to grow around us.
“Trust me, bro, I’d love to see you smash his face in, but that’s what this guy wants. That’s why he’s here,” Aiden reasoned with Jordan.
Caleb laughed, hatefully. “Nah, I’m just here to reconnect with an old friend. She ran off without saying goodbye.”
My brother wasn’t an idiot. He was on to something. He hadn’t mentioned the forfeit for Marshall’s benefit.
“Yo, Slater.” Hunter cocked his head to the side. “I ain’t racing.”
“Not yet,” Aiden hissed through his teeth at both Hunter and Jordan. He could hold back one Goliath, but two was too much even for my wild-eyed big brother.
There was something about Aiden, always had been, something that people tended to listen to. It drove me crazy as a kid because he was always the one getting his way. At this moment, however, I was thankful for that part of him.
Jordan took a step back and jabbed a finger at Caleb. “You won’t walk out of here without going through me. Count on it.”
Caleb grinned broadly, as if he was untouchable. “Sounds like a date.”
“That guy has no idea who he’s messing with,” Breanna growled and stormed off with us.
Everyone had something similar to say, everyone except Jordan. He didn’t say a word, which terrified me. I’d stopped panicking about Caleb, about all the things he’d done to me. None of them mattered, not when I had something or someone worth living for, worth loving, worth losing. Jordan was all of those things to me.
He was my everything.
****
“I’m going to fuck him up,” Jordan growled before we were halfway across the pits. “No—” This time he laughed. It was an eerie sound, hollow and without emotion. “I’m going to choke that little bitch out, all the way out.”
“I’m down.” Aiden stayed in step with him as I struggled to keep up, practically running with my much shorter stride. “After you drag Eric Marshall’s no-prep- professional ass.”
“A no-prep-professional?” Breanna snorted. “If that’s what he calls himself, then he’s too scared of the street and not good enough to hang with the big dogs.”
“He can’t hang with us here either, too bad we didn’t bring your ’Vette we could have beat his ass twice.” Vic shoved my brother in the shoulder. Though he had a smile on his face, I could see the seriousness in his eyes. Vic’s loyalty meant he didn’t have to know why we hated the guy, just that we did.
This wasn’t about the race or pride, it was about something else. How much more could our little family handle? I stopped in my tracks. A horrible, gut- clenching thought sank into me. Each time, each place, it had been my fault.
The world spun around me. I barely saw Jordan stop and jog back to me.
“Easy, baby.” He pulled me against his chest. “It’ll be okay. I’ll take care of him. I promise you that.” “No.” My voice was muffled against his chest. “I
need—” My words were stolen as my throat tightened. I couldn’t lose anyone else, especially not Jordan.
“You need what?” Beneath the bill of his cap, his eyes darkened with concern.
I needed to breathe, to collect my thoughts, to do something. Anything. “I need you.” I fought the tremors that still threatened. “I need to talk to you…alone.”
He nodded once and pulled me behind him to the rig. I climbed in the truck with the pressure of every eye around us on me. The pressure of everyone’s attention was like lead weights that forced my head down. He climbed in behind me, the throb of the music and engines dulled to a roar as he shut the door.
“Don’t go near him again,” I pleaded.
Jordan, affronted, shook his head. “Have you lost your mind, Raelynn? He hurt you. I can’t let that stand. I walked away, once, because of this race and what it means to everyone. But, I’m not done with him, not by a long shot.”
It was who he was, down to the core of him. They all liked to fight, even Jordan. Like with racing, it was the rush of adrenaline they chased. This went deeper than that. Jordan had built who he was on protecting the innocent, protecting those he loved. He hadn’t been able to protect me then, he hadn’t been able to protect Devin.
I knew him well enough to know that Jordan could make up for it now. He would make up for it now.
I’d lose him when he did. I’d lose him because he wouldn’t stop with choking Caleb. I could see it in the veins that throbbed visibly at Jordan’s temples, and the whites of his knuckles as he held tight to the steering wheel. I was afraid he’d kill the monster of my nightmares.