A forced marriage with the mafioso

into," I say as I

y both say at

guy thinks he can

you?" a startle

no, but knowing him, he wa

you tell him

a race." I look around for Claire, but s

ust went somewhere wi

nd I have,

st race of the night; all racers must be at the sta

hanged around here,

s of the cars roar at the starting line, resonating with a power I could almost feel in my bones. I

s in the air as four fearless drivers prepare to compete. And, as is tradition in these races, a young woman stan

ar with unleashed ferocity, as if the cars themselves were eagerly yearning to start and unleash

rd, reaching speeds that challenge visual perception. Excitement grips me as I follow the swift flashes of metal and color s

, they returned, the winner being th

amazing job," I say, watc

r than you," J

y crap, I completely retract that!" I exclaim

especially because he'd be competing for one of the most cov

regory comments. "But you're still the best b

and look curious

re you

against Maxwell, we'll be

I extend

Gregory

t want to be your ma

y lost since the moment G

t race, so I whistle loudly and in a specific way that only

up, go

to join

es. "It's 2,000, you know there are 4

surprise. "That's 32,000

iness goes, you implemented

who's part

ster. You know them, the

l be a piec

mproved a lot, especially Maxwell. You sa

than me, so he'l

he air. "We'll start in 20 minutes; you n

, I'll b

to my brothers, but before I

going to

es

id you weren

s something I haven't done in a

, you'

for a long time, but I came here to enjoy the

falls

that's wha

ou. You used to get excited when I raced,

ty, and I've seen cars flying off. I don't want anything bad to happen to

ug her. "Thank you for caring abou

a long time, and I just wa

ce, and the rest of the nig

e," Claire separates and

intertwining my pinkie with hers. "I

o some friends, t

ka

thers, who were still cuddling with thos

the race, so you

I'll come back for yo

take me far away, right where

e we doi

r Maxwell will

nd

nd we want your comeback

nd

e him by puncturin

'm going to do this, I'll do

nother bet,"

not going

es, I'll give you a hundred th

want me to win,

hat the Maxells are our

to remember all the thin

r. Josh pulls out of his pocket one of the relics of my family. A Swiss knif

no one nearby. I plunge the knife into all fou

did something wr

" Josh reassures me. "You better go and get

ashed. I walk towards my car, which is a few steps away from where we were. Adrenaline takes

car tires wasn't the best decision, that my actions shouldn't be governed by revenge. Yet, there's a more visceral echo i

, pinning me against the car. I quickly turn and can

ter," he says thro

" I push him away. "Touch me a

ughs, ful

itch, Jesse Carter. You

thing as low and sneaky a

Jordan approaches me and puts his hand around my neck, tightening it. "They

I struggle to speak as hi

l use your car and rev the engine so har

y foot connects with Jordan's stomach, causing him

ustion. Adrenaline flowed through my veins, but at the same time, a kind of relief washe

my actions might seem disproportionate, to me, th

red. "I didn't do

very reliable source," h

sound of police cars app

et into my car, and Jo

y: cars maneuvering abruptly, people running in diff

re of confusion. However, amidst that chaos, a calm knowledge took hold of me. I knew every escap

uick decisions, skillfully maneuvering my vehicle, avoiding obstacles, and attempts at blocking by the patrols. It wa

thanks to my knowledge of the terrain and my driving skills, I managed to escape unharmed from that c

ly hours of the morning are the best for driving and thinking

iece of land. Just when he was digging to build his house, he found a large oil well, making him

tive. Thanks to his great find, he could launder all the illicit

efense classes because our family has many enemies

er's lands, but the man's wells were not as prolific as ours. However, on the streets, the man was known to be the m

and not only that, our families were ne

car in front of the door, step out, and walk straight to my r

ecide to take a relaxing shower, a kind of ritual to rid myself of all the grime, not just the phys

me during the day. Each drop that falls seems to take away a bit of stress, tension, and accumulated w

ting the water do its work while allowing my mind to relax, releasing the accumulated pressure. It's

the shower with a renewed feeling, put on my robe,

n't over

my room, standing

r. "My parents are home, and I

eave while I go to my

y hand. "You owe

I let go of his grip. "And I

stand that I'm the best racer. Y

si

" I lightly slap his cheek. "I c

ns as red as a to

pay fo

rm again and pull

thousand in another way."

half-open, revealing a portion of

n the whole room. "Even if you were the l

't even flinch at my blow; I can see my hand impr

rection, and standing next to my mother is my father with a fu

this i

7 security, and they didn't shoot you because

thing she shouldn't ha

u the right to come to our house,

ay for the dama

look, which I quickly

Now, if you'll allow me

us look as he walks away f

at's why we sent you to France, so you'd stay away from

m not up fo

world, Jesse, or your f

e. I try to forget everything that happened a few m

row so I won't have to deal with another lecture from my father,