Logan and Mario talked briefly about what was going on over on the East Coast street racing scene, and Logan couldn’t help but wonder whether a move to the East might be a solution for him once the race was over.
‘But what about Stella?’ Mario said, running his hand over his closely cropped black hair. ‘She would miss you. From what you’ve told me, she’s a keeper.’
‘I think she might have run out of patience with me,’ Logan said. ‘And if she has, I wouldn’t blame her either. Fuck. I’ve screwed it up again. Maybe I should never have gone to her place after the crash…’
Mario put his arm around Logan and the pair of them briefly embraced.
Logan appreciated Mario being there for him in a non-judgmental way. A big part of the scene was how close and friendly everyone was. That was also part of the reason as towhy Cole was such an unwelcome presence – the truth was that the community would never have let Cole worm his way inside had they seen what a low-down, dishonest kind of guy he was.
But all thoughts of Jackson, Mario, Stella, and Cole had to be put out of Logan’s mind. It was time to race. With the crowd of enthusiastic and pumped-up onlookers raring for the action to begin, Logan made his way inside the car and slowly pulled up to the start line.
Before proceedings could get under way, Logan heard a rapping at his window. Turning, Logan saw that it was Cole – and he was indicating for Logan to lower the window.
‘Remember, don’t do anything crazy,’ Cole said, leaning in to whisper. ‘Lose, or I’ll make you and your girlfriend’s lives a living hell. Got it?’
Logan nodded solemnly and shut the window.
The sight of Cole walking away with a horrible smirk on his face was enough to push Logan to the edge and then beyond. Logan gripped the wheel of the car and revved his engine.
The race was moments away from beginning.
Logan looked across to the rival driver and nodded in respect.
The rival racer returned the compliment and nodded back at Logan.
The race countdown was about to start. It was a classic drag race. Full throttle in a straight line to one point, then turn, then back again. Winner takes all.
A cute young lady stepped out in front of the two cars wearing a tight t-shirt and a pair of cute pale blue shorts. The girl actually reminded Logan of Stella, and in the final seconds before the race countdown, Logan found himself as unsure as he had ever been.
What would Stella tell me to do?
She’s smart. She always has the answers.
But maybe I need to figure this one out for myself…
Logan revved the engine, put the car into gear, and held it just at biting point. He knew that Cole would only accept him losing the race, anything else would mean trouble. But on the other hand, Logan knew that he could never forgive himself unless he was true to himself.
THREE!
TWO!
ONE!
GO!
As Logan pulled away, he felt his mind go into the Zen state that it always did when he raced. Everything suddenly felt calm and clear. For many, racing at this speed would have induced an almighty panic, but for Logan it was different.
At the halfway stage, Logan’s rival was winning. Everything was going to Cole’s plan. All Logan had to do was keep a safe distance and all would be right. But Logan had never deliberately lost a race before, and he wasn’t about to go changing that now.
Using all his knowhow, Logan dragged himself back into the race and won a tight finish, right on the line. Logan felt elated. But as he clambered out of the car to shake his opponent’s hand, he was interrupted by a livid Cole…
‘You stupid sonofabitch! Your life is over!’ Cole screeched, his face red with rage and fury. ‘Do you have any idea how much money you’ve cost me?’
Logan shrugged. He simply didn’t care. Logan knew that if he was ever going to truly change and learn how to fight his demons, then he simply could not contemplate intentionally losing the race.
Cole continued to rant about losing his money by betting against Logan. And speaking of money…
‘This might come in handy,’ Eddie said, showing Logan his phone screen as he deposited a six-figure sum into Logan’s bank account. ‘I bet big on you winning. Don’t worry, I took a little cut myself too!’
