Chapter Nineteen

“Are you good?” Snapper’s voice asked through the helmet connection.

Drag took a deep breath as he stared out onto the track. “Yeah, as good as I’ll ever be.”

They were minutes away from race start. Already Drag had picked up on a few of the track obstacles, ones that Gina had predicted with accuracy. The woman was a blessing to Frog Lick. Drag’s racer was lined up next to Skeiron. Damn sharp-toothed fool of a driver with a half-visor was grinning at Drag like an idiot.

“Well, watch out. Skeiron and those Gemino klogs are cheating bastards. No doubt they’re packing some sort of trick.”

Drag ignored the Skeiron driver. The Gemino racer with the bright green tail fins, on the other hand, was in front of him. “All you need to do is confirm my opening. I get ahead of these fools and I’m in the clear. We’ve confirmed no one else has mastered the NiteOx.”

“Yeah, Gina double-checked. So far no one can replicate what we did, but Singh is getting close.”

Gina had built an ingenious engine that provided a power boost with a combustible material called NiteOx. She’d even found a way to ignite it outside the main engine manifold so the specs of the racer still followed the Mars Racing Commission guidelines.

The commission… Hell, that brought him back to Bridget, who was somewhere up there in the boxes above the regular stands. Was she watching him or waging battle on her own? He’d been privy to none of the information since she’d departed for Macintosh with Gina and Gaia. The women had promised to serve as protection for Bridget, along with coming up with a plan for how she would expose Moag.

Was she confronting him right now? Had she gathered other leaders like their friends? He had no way of confirming what was happening and they were minutes, maybe seconds from announcing the race start.

“Has Gina come back yet?” Drag asked.

The mechanic had promised to be in the racing pit with Snapper by the time the start flag was waved.

“No, she’s not here, but you agreed to let Bridget take care of herself. Your focus is the race, so stay there.”

“Fine…but let me know when she’s returned. I’m not going to be able to keep going at one-hundred percent if I’m not sure Bridget is okay.”

He couldn’t make out Snapper’s response because the crowd started to roar and the lights signaling the race start had begun the countdown. Drag saw the flag waver on their perch, high above the crowd, suspended over the track. A scary job, and one Drag would never want, but that waver was smiling and the first flag was held up. This was a black flag, a preparation. The holo-screens projected a countdown. They were at the ten solar second mark.

Whatever was going on with Bridget would need to take a backseat for the moment, so Drag could win. He was determined to get in front. From there it would be smooth sailing.

The yellow flag came next—five seconds to go.

Drag readjusted his grip on the wheel. The engine beneath the hood of the racer rumbled, along with all the others on the track in front, beside and behind him. Two seconds left. The waver held up the green flag, gripping the fabric with one hand and the rod with the other.

Then it flew and the scent of burned rubber filled the air along with the screech of tires as each racer peeled out on the track. It was time.

The compression of the accelerator, the revving, the even push on the clutch as Drag shifted through the gears… Mere seconds passed and he was already in gear six. The other racers kept pace with his, though he was starting to see a few of them struggle. For a twenty-lap race, performance was key. If those who were already rattling and rumbling didn’t get things under control, they would fail the obstacle laps.

“There’s a hole between Gemino and Singh. Just rub ‘em,” Snapper’s voice crackled over the helmet radio.

“Any word?”

“Shit, get ahead of those cars.”

Drag did as instructed, bulleting past Skeiron, before maneuvering between Singh and Gemino. Barnabas and Osprerine were the remaining two racers in his way now.

“Tell me more while I wait for the next opening.”

Snapper scoffed. “You’re so sure there’ll be one?”

“Barnabas gets scared every time. You know that from our regional races. If Osprerine rides too close, we’ll get our shot. Now where is Gina?”

He was all tension and strength, coiled and in control, though his stomach was a riot of nerves. Not for the race—he could do this blindfolded with as much as he’d studied Gina’s predictions and her analysis of the other racers and drivers. The woman had left nothing to chance. But not knowing Bridget’s status was killing his soul. He cursed himself for his suggestion they operate separately.

His chest grew tight if he even entertained the hundreds of possibilities. Ratcheting up that anxiety to the speeds of his racer was a damn bad idea. Then he spotted the Osprerine driver moving in close as predicted.

“I think it’s time.”

“Then make the move,” Snapper replied.

Drag moved into position. It was seconds before Barnabas pulled away, leaving enough space for Drag to squeeze his racer through and take the lead spot. Now, he’d wait for Snapper’s confirmation to ignite the NiteOx and make the lead impossible for anyone to retake.

“Can I talk to her now?”

Snapper sighed. “Yeah, but be prepared. Those drivers behind you are steamed and they are right on your ass. We’re not triggering NiteOx until lap four and you’re just coming into the first turn of lap two.”

“Yes, mother. Now let me talk to Gina.”

There was a bit of static over the helmet comms. Then he could hear her voice. “I’m here Drag. You’re doing great, by the way.”

“Appreciate the kind words, but you know why you’re talking to me. Give me an update.”

Gina sighed and Drag didn’t like the sound of her exhale at all. “Bridget is fine, a little nervous. Just like a driver before the start of a race.”

“And the plan?”

“It’s in motion. Though that Moag…he’s one to be wary of. We were at Macintosh and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had something up his sleeve. He agreed to leave you alone as long as Bridget married him, but that wedding is set for tonight. If she somehow doesn’t sway the commission or he convinces them that our evidence is fake… I’m not sure if she’ll be able to get rid of him. There are a lot of variables.”

He’d entered lap three as Gina finished. One more lap and the NiteOx would be triggered. After that he’d be locked into the rest of the race, not to mention the obstacles would make pit stops impossible. Drivers had five laps to determine if they needed adjustments—the remaining fifteen were dedicated to performing sometimes near-impossible feats.

“You can’t tell me you don’t have a percentage of success already generated.”

“I don’t feel like sharing those numbers. You need to focus. We’re half a lap away from triggering the engine booster. There’s no time to be distracted.”

“Then tell me she’ll be okay.” Drag kept his eyes trained on turn three. When he glanced between his rearview, the Gemino driver was trying to maneuver to overtake him. Not happening today, you idiot.

He pressed on the accelerator and sped up a tiny bit, pushing the racer to its max speed capabilities without the NiteOx.

“I’m not going to tell falsehoods and you know that. Just be advised that no matter what happens today, we did try and Bridget knows the risks she’s undertaking.”

Gina’s response did nothing to quell the rising right in his chest and stomach. No way could he lose her. Moag wasn’t a fool—he didn’t get to the position he was in without suspecting anyone could betray him. Should Drag just let her risk it all alone? He’d told her he needed to put his allegiance with his gang and chosen them over her. But is that right?

Snapper told him the previous night to work for the future he wanted. That future was one with Bridget in it, no substitutions. He refused to continue on in a world without her present and by his side.

But getting that future would mean stopping now, not finishing the race and running the risk of Full Throttle going without a sponsor. Could he sacrifice the people he’d promised to represent for the woman he loved?

“We’re coming out of turn four. It’s time.”

No, if Moag did have a plan to keep her under his thumb, if she was forced to be with him and leave Mars… I’ll never make it. Full Throttle would survive with or without this win. They’d already proven to be more resilient than any other gang on Mars next to those who were unaffiliated. They would suffer no penalties. Those from Full Throttle in attendance would be screaming for his head, almost all of them. He started to decelerate and pull toward the pit lane.

Snapper’s voice boomed in his ear. “What the fuck are you doing, Drag? We agreed the flash before the clash. Crinkle before the dinkle. Don’t let your cock drive you away from your commitments.”

“It’s not my dick doing the talking here. It’s my heart. I love her, Snapper. More than I care about my future in Full Throttle or the gang itself. May whatever deity ruling over these planets strike me down if that’s wrong, but I can’t risk losing her. Gina can’t tell me a percentage or predict what will happen and that scares the shit out of me.”

“They are all pulling ahead. It would take the NiteOx and a miracle just to retake the lead. Drag, don’t do this.”

He pulled into the pit lane, and let the other racers zoom past him. They did and there were roars of frustration and excitement coming as Skeiron and Gemino battled for lead position. The Full Throttle pit wasn’t far now. He’d pull in and head toward Bridget. His whole body shook as he slowed the racer, part from this urgent need to be out of this confined space and the rest a mess of guilt because he’d gone against his own word.

“I have to, Snapper. If I can choose to be a hero for Frog Lick or one for Bridget…” He took a deep breath then slowly exhaled, keeping his gaze on the stopping point ahead of him. “Then I’d rather be a hero for her. I can’t lose her again, not this time.”