Drive (16 page)

The boy lifted his gaze to Aiden's face and gave him the most pitiful puppy dog stare.

“Please? I have to get the biggest beeramid. I have to! I want to give my girlfriend a season ticket.”

Beeramid? Was the kid serious? He couldn't possibly be old enough for a girlfriend, but what the hell?

“Okay.” Aiden handed the can over after making sure it was drained of every last drop and watched the kid scurry over to a few adults sitting on the ground, right on the edge of the crash zone.

He placed eight cans up in a line, and began stacking seven across the top, forming the base of a pyramid. This was a thing? Pyramids of beer cans? Aiden shook his head and settled in to watch the next jam. Madison had explained some of the game, but it had gone right over his head. Now though, he was getting the picture.

Another jam came and went, and yet a third lineup took the track. The hits the girls were doling out were vicious. A couple had gone tumbling or slammed onto the ground so hard that he was surprised when they popped back up as quickly as they did.

He scanned the crowd, but the only face he didn't like was the detective. No sign of the Eleventh or Dustin's thugs.

“Roni, what did you find out about our friend?” Aiden asked over his shoulder.

She sighed and leaned forward. “You want to talk about that now?”

“I want to know what I'm dealing with.”

“What's to tell? He's a cop, who does coplike shit. There's nothing dirty about him. He's squeaky clean and he doesn't like me. I tried to pick him up at lunch and you'd have thought I was a whore trying to turn a trick the way he laid into me. Then, when I did finally give up, he pulls me over and the way he was talking, I thought he was going to read me my rights.”

“For what?”

“Fuck if I know.”

Well great. That's what they needed. A cop jumping at his shadow and in their way. If Roni couldn't distract him the old-fashioned way, Aiden might have to figure something else out.

“Your girlfriend's back on the track,” Julian said.

Aiden straightened in his chair and glanced at the kid. He had a full beeramid now, set just inside the crash zone. Smaller beeramids were popping up all along the caution tape.

The players lined up and he ignored the beeramids. Helena Destroyer wasn't the pivot this time. She was positioned at the back of the pack, but to him, she still stuck out. It wasn't just because she was hot. It was the way she held herself. The look in her eye. She had a focused mind-set on this game, and nothing else mattered. Other players eyed her, but Madison ignored them. She was unshakable.

The whistle blared and they were off, the jammers a second behind them. The pack moved slower this time. Helena Destroyer swept back and forth, keeping one eye behind her. Her team's jammer closed the distance and slipped through the pack like a fish through water.

The green jammer was slower. She hit the back of the pack as they completed their first circuit of the track. Helena swerved, and he could see her intent, she was going to hit the jammer hard. The green jammer shifted her whole weight and slammed into Helena first, sending her sailing through the air. She tucked and rolled out of the second turn, almost straight at Aiden, and right into the kid's beeramid.

Madison shook her head, no doubt orienting herself, before extracting her skates from the audience and standing. She shook off a can, stepped through the debris, and powered on, building up speed and racing to catch up to her pack.

Aiden blew out a breath.

Fuck, derby was one hell of a sport.

Chapter Sixteen

Madison was spent. Done. Her body ached. Her lungs were exhausted. Even her eyelashes were calling it quits. Thank goodness the bout was over. Except now all she could think about was everything else.

Derby did that for her. Gave her an escape. On the track it didn't matter who she'd been married to, what was going on, or how much money was in her bank account. All anyone cared about was that she hit hard, skated fast, and stayed out of the Cage of Shame. There was more to it, but so long as she did those three, she was doing okay.

She shouldered her bag and glanced around the curtained-off players' area. She wouldn't put it past Matt to flash his badge and sneak back here. Something was up with him. Flirting with her, being at her game, it was weird and she didn't like it. She stepped outside through a set of side doors into the cool night, hoping to avoid him by taking the back way out. A couple of girls sat on the gravel to one side smoking and a few others sipped beer in a small group a couple yards away, but it was quiet. A sort of haven, where they could come down off the post-game high before joining the party. On the other side, the lot was lit up like daytime, but over here it was dark. She picked her way over the gravel, her eyes adjusting to the lower light.

“Madison.”

She started one second and groaned inwardly the next. Feet crunched over gravel, coming closer. So much for sneaking out.

“Hey, Matt. Enjoy the bout?”

“Yeah, that was something else. You're really great out there.” He smiled. At first, that smile had disarmed her. He seemed sweet, but she'd quickly learned it was another tactic of his. “Want me to carry that?” He gestured to her bag.

“No, thanks. I've got it.” Now how did she get rid of him?

“Haven't found any more leads on your bike. Did you want to come by the station and see what we found?”

“No, that's okay. I didn't leave anything in it.”

“Do you need a ride home?”

“Oh, no.”

The pleasant smile faded, and the cop stared back at her, hard and unyielding.

“Is Aiden DeHart giving you a ride?”

She opened and closed her mouth, one second from telling Matt to fuck off, but that wouldn't be very smart.

“I'm sorry, is something wrong?” she asked.

Matt took a step toward her, until they were almost touching. She wanted to back up, to put space between them, but he'd probably follow her.

“I know more than you do about this guy. Madison, he's not good news. Please, let me protect you.”

“Protect me?” She suppressed the urge to laugh. The last time he'd tried to protect her, her car became a bonfire.

“Aiden is dangerous.”

“I know that. Do you think I'm stupid? Everyone in my life is either dangerous or in danger because of me. You've made that abundantly clear.”

Matt stared at her for several moments. She couldn't see his expression in the shadows, and she was glad she couldn't. “I don't want to see you hurt.”

Was the flirting fake? Did Detective Smith have some sort of a thing for her? It couldn't be real. Sure, he was a good guy, upstanding, probably with the savings account and 401(k) she so wanted her future significant others to have. But he wasn't for her.

“I'm a tough cookie.”

“Even cookies crumble.”

“You're cute.”

A tall figure with wide shoulders came around the corner and she sucked in a deep breath.

The sight of him turned her insides to goo. The thrill of his nearness set her off, but she knew it couldn't last. Still, being with Aiden made more sense than returning Matt's awkward flirtation. Besides, he made her feel safe, which was something Detective Smith had never managed.

Aiden strode toward them and without asking her, took her sweaty bag of gear and shouldered it.

“You did good, babe.” He leaned down and buzzed her cheek with a peck. Quick, harmless, and very public.

Heat rushed to her face and her stomach seemed to be trying to twist itself into a pretzel. Her reaction was silly and Aiden's caveman claim didn't mean anything.

“Ready to go?” Aiden asked.

“Yeah.”

“Nice to see you again, man.” Aiden shook Matt's hand before urging her forward with a palm against her lower back.

“Lily brought some boxes for me,” she said, pitching her voice low. They rounded the corner into the well-lit parking lot. It was beginning to clear as people headed for the after-party, which would undoubtedly be crazy.

“Do you know where she's parked?”

“Yeah, right there, the blue Prius.” She pointed at a little car a couple spaces away. The doors were all open and a couple of girls were clustered around while heavy rock music blared.

“I'm over in the grass lot. How about I go get the car and drive it over here. Cool?”

“Perfect. I can take my bag.”

“I've got it.” He turned, heading toward the overflow parking lot, leaving her at odds for a moment.

She strolled to Lily's car, trying to ignore the curious gazes of her friends.

“Need a ride home?” Lily asked.

“No, Aiden's taking me.” Madison and Lily had talked about this, but it was clear her friend was still less than enthusiastic about the arrangement.

Lily turned toward another girl, dismissing Madison. Lily would have to get over it or tell her she wasn't okay with Aiden. If it came down to that before her deal with Aiden was done, well, she didn't know what she'd do. Madison hadn't told her about the deal with Aiden or what Dustin wanted from her, and it was probably for the best. She wanted her friend to be safe.

“Hey.” Madison edged closer to Sindercella.

“What's up her cooch?” She nodded toward Lily.

“She doesn't exactly like Aiden.”

“Doesn't like him? What's not to like? He's hot, polite, and flirted with
Sobo.
”

Madison grinned. Aiden had held his own pretty well. “Yeah, well, she doesn't know him. No big deal.”

“It's the best friend thing. He's competition for your time.”

It hurt to admit that now, but it was the truth.

“Hey, do you know what ever happened to Alison Plunderland?” Madison asked.

“Ally? Damn, what makes you ask about her?”

“I saw that guy she used to date the other day at Stoke's.”

Sindercella leaned closer and whispered, “She moved. That guy was bad news. Last I heard she's in Atlanta on their alternate roster. I bet she gets on a team within the month, and Lord knows their travel team could use her. They were not good this last season.” Sindercella sighed and shook her head.

Madison nodded. That was good to hear, for Alison. Not so good for her. What if Raibel caught her next?

“Damn, that's a sweet ride.” Sindercella leaned back, peering around Madison.

She felt the rumble of the car before she heard it. Aiden's Chevelle was really a thing of beauty. He parked it just behind Lily's Prius and popped the trunk.

“Enjoy that one, okay?” Sindercella winked and gave her a quick squeeze. “Don't forget to ice your knee.”

Lily unlocked her trunk without another word spoken and Madison grabbed the first box she could.

The white boxes didn't appear any different than the others they'd looked at, but she had a good feeling about these. The drive had to be here.

They loaded eight boxes into the back of Aiden's car.

The hair on Madison's neck rose. She glanced around, and found a red sports car parked at the curb, driver's window rolled down and Raibel Canales staring at them.

“A-Aiden.”

“I know.” He closed the trunk and pushed her toward the passenger side. “Get in.”

She plopped into the seat, the last of her energy leaving her, and buckled in. Aiden slipped a Bluetooth headset over his ear as he started the engine.

“Hey. Eleventh is here. You guys still around?” he asked someone that wasn't her. “Great. He's probably got some friends around here somewhere, so be careful.”

“What's going on?” she asked.

“Nothing.” Yet he reached under his seat and took out the same gun he'd toted around the night before. He tucked it under his thigh.

“Then why the gun?”

“Just in case.”

“I don't like this.” Racing was one thing, being followed by someone she knew wasn't afraid to hurt people was another.

* * *

Aiden hated the fear in Madison's eyes. It didn't belong there, and he had no idea how to fix it.

Canales was escalating things, and while he might tell Madison to not worry about it, his concerns were very real. Bashing the bike was one step closer to hurting actual people, and according to Madison, that had already taken place. This was his fault for underestimating the Eleventh, and Canales in particular.

Aiden needed to take Canales off the streets. He hadn't had a moment to get CJ up to speed and on the same page about bringing in the DEA yet, but when he could make that call—it was happening. There were already too many threats to Madison's life without the Eleventh involved.

“What are we doing?” Madison's voice had risen and she gripped the edges of her seat.

“Waiting.”

“For what? Raibel to come over here?”

“No.”

He loved the Chevelle, but it didn't have the modifications to beat Canales's Lancer. The little car didn't have a piece of stock still on it. It was a badass racing machine.

A high-pitched whine split through the night.

“That's what we're waiting for.”

A sleek, black GT-R zipped down the street, barely missing people. Its tires squealed as the brakes were applied and it skidded to a stop directly in front of Canales's car. Nose to nose.

Julian had the windows rolled down. Even from this distance, Aiden could see the gruesome smile Julian gave Canales. Aiden needed to come up with a plan fast, or Julian would
take care of it
. Canales might deserve it, but the last thing Julian needed was another drop of blood on his hands.

“Hold on.”

Aiden gunned the engine and shifted. The Chevelle shot forward, cutting through the parking lot, headed away from Canales. They jumped the curb and he cut the wheel the same moment he stomped on the accelerator. In the rearview mirror, Canales shifted into reverse. A blue blur shot past Aiden going the opposite direction. The blue Lancer turned ninety degrees in a hand-break turn.

“Roni?” Madison craned her neck to peer back at the quickly fading cars.

“Just giving us a little cover.”

“But won't he go after them, too?”

“Probably, but for some reason, he's fixed on me.” Which was what he didn't need right now.

He took turns too fast, passed cars by swerving into oncoming traffic and all the while, the one thing he could hear was Madison's panting breath.

Lights lit up his back window. Three—no, four cars turned onto the feeder road maybe a quarter mile behind him. It wasn't much of a lead, but it was something to work with.

This late, the highway wasn't busy, but there were still too many people on the road for his tastes. Especially with Canales and whoever this other driver was.

He shifted into a higher gear and let everything else go. The Chevelle's engine rumbled as they flew forward, passing big rigs, SUVs, and other cars. Though the Chevelle could perform at higher speeds, he was limited to how fast he could push it with this many innocent people around.

The other cars were closing the gap.

Julian and Roni's cars zipped back and forth in front of the other two, slowing them down, but there was only so much they could do. Canales was a man on a mission.

The fourth car he recognized. The silver Scion racer from the trip up to Boca. A careful kid. Aiden pitied him. This was no place for a kid, and yet, he'd made his choice. The red Lancer crept up on Aiden's right, while Julian pulled up dangerously close behind Aiden.

“Don't do it, Jul,” Aiden muttered. He eased off the gas and Canales drew up next to them.

His window was down, creating drag, no doubt. He would glance at the road, glare at Aiden, check his mirrors, and repeat. Behind them, Julian and Roni had the silver Scion boxed in against an eighteen-wheeler.

This was too dangerous. Far too many people around.

Aiden eased off the accelerator a bit more. Canales kept pace with him.

What if the man had a gun? Of course he would. Aiden had escalated it by pointing one at Canales. There could be a gun aimed at Madison right now. He was on her side.

Aiden felt the press of his gun under his thigh. If he needed to, he'd use it. To protect her. They continued to keep pace for two miles. Enough distance and time that Aiden was starting to feel on edge. What was Canales planning?

He kept one eye on the red Lancer, and one on the road ahead of him. Which left them blind to the rear.

A flash of headlights in the rearview mirror was all the warning Aiden had that something bad was about to happen. The car lurched forward and the steering wheel was nearly ripped from Aiden's grip.

“Oh my God,” Madison screamed.

“Fuck.” He held on tighter and accelerated, putting distance between him and the silver Scion that had just fucking bumped them.

Julian's black GT-R swerved toward the Scion. The silver car jerked away and Aiden's view was cut off by a big rig.

The Chevelle vibrated on a new note that set Aiden's teeth on edge. They needed off this crazy ride. Now.