Royally Chosen Christmas (Royal Sons MC #7) - Elle Boon Page 0,36
over as the flag fell to the ground, shifting smoothly from one gear to the next. Her Mazda bumped ahead of Louis’s Lykan. She glanced over at him, seeing the hate he didn’t bother to mask as he stared back at her. Fuck, she had no doubt he wouldn’t be allowing her to walk away without making her pay.
They both slid around the corner, his car overtaking her own. He used his NOS early, which sent a shiver of fear down her spine. Why he’d do so already was crazy, unless he had a plan. Whatever it was, she wasn’t playing. Up ahead, the course was to turn left. She saw four cars coming up on her fast, the other drivers making headway. Talena made a calculated decision, downshifting, letting the others pass her as Louis turned left, she turned right, heading away from the race. Hollywood had told her when something didn’t feel right, if you felt a tingle racing down your spine telling you something wasn’t right, then listen. “I’m listening,” she muttered, heading away from the races and the two thousand five hundred she’d ponied up.
“God, I’m such a spoiled little bitch.” She slapped her hand on the steering wheel as she thought of all who’d have killed for the money she’d put up to race, yet there she was, leaving it without a second thought.
Chapter Five
TALENA BLINKED HARD several times, unwilling to cry. There was no crying in racing, dammit. The garage where she kept her car was a good fifteen minutes from the downtown racing scene, enough time for her to clear her head and figure out what the fuck she was going to do next. Clubbing didn’t appeal but going home and moping didn’t either. She wished she was better friends with the ladies back at the compound, then she’d have a reason to go back and hang out there. “Nope, I just do like I always do and hit up one of the hot spots. There’s always people there who want to party with me.” Having a black Amex solidified that.
She wished she had her purse on her, but that was another rule she’d made when she’d began racing. Never taking more than she could hold in her back pocket. Fucking thieves were rampant among the crowds, and they didn’t look anything like you’d think. She’d been robbed and hadn’t even known it until hours later, the pickpocket sliding into her bag, taking her wallet and ghosting without her being aware. The next time, she’d thought she was being more cautious, wearing a cross body, but nope, they were able to get in and out of it as well. She still wasn’t sure how, so now she didn’t carry anything except her ID and a little cash wrapped around it. For her entry fee she always paid it via a cash app.
The exit for the garage was coming up when she noticed a vehicle was behind her. She decided to skip the exit since the offramp wasn’t well lit and neither was the neighborhood. Checking her fuel gauge, a grimace twisted her mouth. Fucking-A. It was just her luck she’d probably run out of gas, and the asshole trailing her was probably some Michael Myers like stalker. Of course, knowing her luck, he probably wasn’t the slow-walker type killer.
“Let’s see if you can keep up,” she said as she pushed the clutch in and shifted gears. Although the freeway had cars in every lane, she maneuvered in and around them, bobbing and weaving. The big vehicle behind her tried to keep up, but as she’d suspected, whoever it was hadn’t counted on her car being so fast. The next exit was coming up swiftly, with four lanes that she’d need to cross to get to it. Talena said a prayer, eased off the gas slightly, and what followed was probably the most insane driving she’d ever done. The sound of horns blaring filled the night air, and more than likely drivers calling her every name in the book, but she made the exit by the skin of her teeth. The huge white SUV flew past her. Its tinted windows didn’t allow her to see who was in it, but she assured herself if they were bad guys, they wouldn’t be driving white since the bad ones in movies drove black.
“Oh sure, good analogy.” She gave a shaky laugh, her hands not quite as steady as she’d have liked when she made her way