Chapter 24.
Raven
It takes around two hours to drive to the old airbase outside of town that now serves as the dirt track. If I were going alone, I could probably make the drive in just under and hour. Instead, I ride at a sensible speed in line with my brother and friends.
The area itself is down a dirt track, far from the highway and any nearby towns, which is perfect for what it now serves as. Cars line the end of the track, just outside a gated area manned by a few guys that look like body builders. A queue of people line up to pay the entry fee, but I drive past them and around the parked cars, AJ behind me.
Behind the gates is also a huge building, now pretty run down with boarded up doors and smashed windows. We drive around the back to the other side, where a new queue lines up, this time bikes and cars served for racing.
This line moves pretty fast, and when it's my turn to pull up to the new set of body building guys, I flick my visor up so they see some of my face.
"Mitchell." One of the guys nods, then glances behind me to see AJ through his windscreen. "Both Mitchell's, we're in for a treat."
"Glad to be of service." I say loudly so he can hear me.
He nods to his colleagues, indicating to allow us through. I nod at him and flick my visor back down, revving as I speed through the gate. I follow the dirt track down past the building, and towards the number of cars and even larger crowd of people further out in the field.
The entire space stretches for miles, a large portion of it a tar runway.
I pull up in a vacant space and turn off my engine, my brother pulling up beside me and doing the same, getting out of his car. I leave my helmet on the passenger seat of AJ's car before he locks it, and I zip my keys into my jacket pocket.
Connor and the others have to park out front with the other bystanders and make this journey on foot. The only cars and bikes allowed through the back gates are those who are racing, and though it isn't on my agenda tonight, they know it's still a possibility.
The setting sun peeking out just over the horizon casts an orange glow over the vast area, giving us visibility of the cheering crowd and in the distance, two cars are speeding over the dirt, clouds of dust following in their wake.
AJ and I silently make our way through the hyped up crowd, some teens I recognise either from here or school, others are up to twenty years older than us, still looking for a kick. There's a van parked near the starting line—in the midst of the crowd—and there's where we head towards.
Harley and his crew occupy the van as their headquarters for registering drivers and pairing races, and the other side is for placing bets. It also serves as a quick get-away if the cops show up unexpectedly. Which has happened in the past.
What most people don't know, is that a few of the older guys here are actually cops—not undercover, just looking for a quick way to make cash. Bent cops will do just about anything these days.
"Harley." AJ calls as we near, gaining the burley riders attention.
Harley was his nickname, due to the Harley Davidson bike he owns. That, and he probably doesn't want anyone here to know his actual name.
"Junior!" Harley grins underneath his bushy moustache, a lit cigarette hanging between his teeth.
AJ's body is tense as we stop in front of Harley and his crew. Harley's moods depend on his cash flow—if it's a good night with a few thrilling races then he's usually amenable to work with, but if he's bored, he's tight with paying the drivers what they're due. He's known for even suggesting another race that night, usually against someone you have beef with previously. Those ones never end well, especially with how easily AJ gets riled up.
Harley tells AJ he'll be up within the next hour, but doesn't say who he's racing against in case anyone goes to tamper with the cars.
"Raven." Harley turns his gaze to me, an excited glint in his eyes as he takes a long drag from his cigarette and plucks it out of his mouth with two fingers. "Shall I put 'ya down, doll? We got a few good riders out here tonight."
"Maybe later." I tell him, aware of AJ's eyes on me. "I'll check out the competition."
The heartbeat that passes whilst waiting for Harley's response is nauseating. If he wanted to, he could easily force me to race.
Eventually, Harley waves a hand at us in dismissal. "Then get out of here, you're holding up the customers."
AJ and I turn and move away from the van, back through the jumping crowd, both of us seeming to breathe a little easier. Standing just at the back of the crowd are our friends, waiting for us where they always do.
"How'd it go?" Rissa asks, glancing between us, some of her pink braids resting over the front of her shoulder.
"Fine." AJ replies as he folds his arms across his chest. "I'm up in an hour."
"Alright then." Connor nods, popping open a can of beer Alex carried from the car in a tote bag. "Let's see who else is here."
We make our way back into the crowd once again, finding a vacant space on the edge to stand near the track, watching the current race and also glancing around, seeing if we can spot anyone we know that could potentially be AJ's opponent tonight.
"Fuck." Jonah hisses.
"What?" I turn to him.
"Reed is here." He nods his head to the other side of the crowd, and we all turn to look. "With practically everyone he knows."
True enough, and group of seniors from the other high school at our town stand in a large group. There's a mix of guys and girls, and we know every single one of them. Not necessarily by name, but they're regulars both here and at Solomon's, a few of them have even crashed a few of our parties just to cause a scene.
"Everyone who licks his ass more like." Connor says.
Alex averts her gaze from them and moves to stand on the other side of Rissa, who puts a comforting arm around her waist. They murmur quietly to one another, but I shift my attention to my brother who stares intensely at Reed.
AJ suddenly moves, walking back towards where the cars are parked, his face impassive as he scans the area. I adjust my position and follow his line of sight, then curse.
"What?" Rissa asks me.
I nod over to the parked cars, specifically the grey BMW. "Reed's car is here. This side of the fence."
"You think..." Alex starts, looking between us all. "You think AJ's gonna race against Reed? No way," she shakes her head, "not after what happened last time. Harley wouldn't do that."
"He would." Connor nods, just jaw set.
"They're two of the best drivers here, they'll rake in bets." Jonah adds.
AJ comes back over to us, his eyes ablaze with fury as he stands beside Connor and folds his arms across his chest again, glaring at Reed's direction.
If Harley really has set up AJ and Reed to race tonight, it's not going to end well. The last time they raced, it almost ended in a full on fight between both groups because of Reed's accusation of AJ cheating.
Both of them were banned from racing for a month after that, they weren't even allowed to come and watch any other races either.
"Your winner!" A man's deep voice booms at to the roaring crowd, standing beside the two drivers and indicating to the one on his left. The one on the right storms off, his girlfriend staggering to keep up with him in her heels and mini skirt.
Harley starts calling out the next racers as the cars leave the track, and I perk up, wanting to see which bikes would be racing now. Harley always goes in order of cars, bikes, then back to cars—to keep things interesting and appease all his customers.
"He's back and better than ever folks!" The loud voiced man calls, a wide grin on his face. "Jackson Daaaaaaaale!"
The chatter amongst my friends halts when they hear his name, and I feel all of their eyes shift to me as Jax pulls up on his bike to the makeshift start and finish line, taking off his helmet and throwing his fist up in the air with a cheer.
Almost everyone except my friends and I cheer and whistle for Jax. The crowd loves him, they always have.
"What the fuck is he doing here?" AJ grounds out, his death glare now set on Jax instead of Reed.
"Rem," Alex's soft hand touches my arm. "You okay?"
"Yeah." I say in a whisper. I manage to tear my eyes away from Jax and give her, and the others, what I hope is a reassuring nod. "Yeah, I'm good."
"What the hell is he doing here?" Connor all but shouts. "Didn't he piss off to California?"
"His Grams is sick." I say blandly. "He's back to help his sister take care of her."
"How do you know?" AJ frowns at me, and I feel...stupid.
I hadn't told anyone that Jax came to see me at school earlier in the week. I actually wanted to forget it even happened, otherwise I would just fall for his 'caring about me' act all over again.
"He came to see me at school on Monday." I explain with a casual shrug, not looking at any of them. "I told him to fuck off."
"He came to talk to you?" AJ all but shouts at me. "Why wouldn't you say something? Why the fuck did you go to talk to him in the first place?"
"Don't yell at me." I seethe, narrowing my eyes at him. "I went to see what he wanted, not bang him in the parking lot."
Jonah scoffs lightly and says under his breath as he brings his beer bottle up to his lips, "Yeah, cause you wouldn't do that."
I turn my glare on him and he holds his hands up apologetically.
"He could've done anything to you—" Connor starts.
"He wouldn't hurt me." I reply.
Hold on, was I now...defending Jax?
"Remy's right. He may be an egotistical prick, but he wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything. Besides, we all know she can hand his ass to him any day." Rissa steps in, but she cuts me a look that tells me we will definitely be discussing this later.
"They're starting." Alex quickly says, making us all turn back to the tracks to see both Jax and his opponent ready on their bikes, engines rumbling.
The large man stands between the two, counting down from three, and then they're off. My head swivels to watch them speed past us. The crowd roars and they watch both bikes barrel down the dirt path, small clouds of dust and stones following after them into the distance. The pair of bikers turn the first corner, Jax's knee practically touching the floor to allow him a better angle and speed.
"I forgot how good he actually is." Jonah comments.
I stand silent as I watch Jax, in the lead of course, speed down the straight path and towards the next turn, his opponent not too far behind him.
His opponent falters once as they eventually approach the last turn, sharper than all the others and usually catching drivers off guard. How you approach this turn could alter your position, but Jax—like AJ—knows it like the back of his hand, and hangs his body low, driving around the turn like a pro, and speeds towards the finish.
Shouts, whistles and general noise fills my ears as Jax slows to a stop, cuts the engine of his bike and stands, taking off his helmet and grinning at the crowd who cheer for him.
"Smug bastard." Connor says.
Harley comes over and lifts his arm into the air, declaring him the winner. Jax sweeps his gaze across the praising crowd, eventually falling onto me. His hair falls onto his face, but I see his eyes blaze with an emotion I don't want to decipher as he stares at me, grinning from ear to ear.