“F-fuck!” I threw my car into first gear to brace myself before jamming my foot on the gas, my back wheels kicking up smoke as I swerved my back end. The bikes around me scattered wildly, and I jerked into third to speed up. Taking my foot off the gas, I skid to a stop right as the guy on the dirt bike slid in front of me to rev his engine threateningly.
Gripping the clutch in my trembling hand, I prepared myself for another go before switching gears. My heart hammered in my throat, and panic replaced the blood in my veins as it all rushed to my head. Throwing myself into reverse, I jammed both my feet down to swivel backward, and the guy on the dirt bike disappeared in a plume of smoke from my front wheels.
I hoped he moved as I jerked into first and gassed it, and bikers scrambled to get out of my way as I crashed through the smoke. Circling me dangerously close, bodies and bikes alike weaved in and out of my field of vision as anger mingled with the menagerie of other emotions battering my chest. This goes so far beyond disliking each other! What the Hell!
Shivering as goosebumps blanketed my arms and across my chest, it’s as if I’d gone into some weird autopilot. I don’t remember what I did, but I surely remembered the sound of my car jostling with a terrible clatter. I couldn’t stop my horrified shriek even if I tried, and my gaze whipped to the side to find my entire driver’s side mirror gone. Shock rattled my brain, and I jammed the gas to the floor to slam into two bikers that were circling my front a little too close. My car instantly ate the dirt bike, and a terrible, pained cry pierced the air.
Suddenly, everything went still as my car rolled over the entire dirt bike from front wheel to back. I flung the gear into drive, and another scream echoed as my back wheel flattened the dirt bike. Swinging on burning rubber into the driveway, I barely managed not to hit the shiny, pristine bikes already sitting there.
Jerking the emergency brake, I parked and turned off my car to exhale a shuddering breath. Sniffling harshly, I held my head in my trembling, wet hands as I took heaving, massive gasps. Glass shattering invaded my fragile peace, and I twisted to find a fucking rock sitting in my back seat. Alarm bells rang in my ear, and I unbuckled to grab the painting and climb out of my car.
My vehicle was covered in scratches and dents, and I fumbled for my cell phone before powerful arms wrapped around me. Bruiser threw me at his friend, and the world spun when I stumbled back onto my butt. The engines revving cut out, and everything stilled as Bruiser stood over me. His shoulders shook with rage, fists tightly clenched, and I clutched my painting to my chest as anticipation charged the air with electricity.
The only noise was the man pinned under the ruined dirt bike, his leg crushed and useless as he tried to pull himself out. Blood squirted onto the road, and I tensed when soft hands landed on my shoulders. A woman knelt next to me and smiled grimly, but I couldn’t focus on her when an engine roared in my direction.
Chapter Eighteen
Bruiser
Red seeped into my vision, fury gorging my muscles and writhing under my skin as a dozen and a half Hellraisers gunned for me. Breathing fire, my heart squeezed painfully before a movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. The stillness in the air shattered like Nicole’s back window, and I charged for the bike closest to me.
Adrenaline surged through me, searing my veins as I shoved my body into the bike, and the guy went flying. These motorcycles were light and not well-maintained, I knew, and I grabbed the frame to fling the bike down the street. Several people got off their bikes and just tossed them down, and that only made me angrier. Who treats a motorcycle like that?
Someone that has no fucking respect for the beauty of the ride, that’s who.
I whirled around just as Rook came barreling through, shoving the guy closest to me to the ground. A fist connected with my side, and I whipped around on my heel to smash my elbow into some nameless guy’s face. He dropped like a wet sack of potatoes, and I resisted the urge to stomp on him when another guy jumped on my back.
“B-Bruiser!” Throwing the guy off me, the hairs on the back of my neck bristled at the shrill cry, but I ignored it to focus on the dogpile I was about to be the base of. Rook climbed off the bloodied face on the road, and he and I stood back to back as a dozen bodies closed in on us. Grabbing his arm, I felt my cousin tense against me before he sniffled harshly and held his breath.
“Here we go—” Just as I spoke, three guys rushed at me from my side, and I ducked before Rook swung his leg up and over. His heel connected with a face, but there was no time as I sprung up to grab the second guy by the throat and slam him down onto the asphalt. Sidestepping Rook as he twisted to shove his foot between the third guy’s legs, I could almost hear his balls hitting his brain, like a strongman stand at the fair.
Grabbing Rook by the shirt, I pulled him around again to barely dodge a fist, and I jammed my own into the guy’s mouth. Everything happened too fast, all movements and thoughts a blur, as my cousin slid under my legs to kick
