Chapter Twenty
The next day, Cricket stood outside the garage as Leo, the shop lead, unloaded the brilliant Ferrari.
“Oh, she’s beautiful,” Cricket murmured, watching as the car was carefully lowered. Leo was a professional, never once hitting the car though it sat low enough it should have scrapped on the trailer ramp.
“Did it have to be so pink and sparkly?” Radley grumbled, staring at the car both in awe and annoyance.
She looked up at him with a raised brow. “Have you seen me?”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course, how could I forget?”
The car was indeed pink and sparkly. Though it had already been pink, the mechanic shop had painted her again so there was a metal flake in the color, making her catch the light nearby and send it dancing across the concrete. The body looked mostly the same with a few modifications. There were new panels and places where there were obviously hidden weapons. Most of the modifications would be under the hood, however, where the fae elements and extra mechanics were added.
Leo smiled as he finished unloading the car and came over to drop the keys in her hands. “She’s all yours, Lady Snapdragon. Dani told me to tell you all the requests were added as well as a few more she thought you might like. She was mighty impressed with your dramatic announcement last night.”
Cricket tilted her head. “Danica knows who I am?”
Leo laughed. “After that stunt yesterday, everyone knows who you are. Keep your chin up. You’re going to do great and now, you have to car to make it happen. Good luck!” And then he climbed back up in the truck and drove away, another human with far too much knowledge about the supernatural world. For a moment, Cricket wondered when the council might step in, but King Yophiel would likely protect the mechanic shop. Not only did his woman own it, but the shop was a growing contributor to the Games. They would be safe enough probably.
“Should we start her up?” Radley asked, studying the car. “See how she sounds?”
“We should.” Cricket moved over to the driver side and climbed in. For a moment, she just took in the feeling of sitting inside. The interior had all been redone. Top of the line bucket seats with five-point harness seatbelts, completely digital dash with a few extra readings, a tablet and weapons panel on the passenger side of the dash. Danica’s shop had completely set up the car and prepared it for the race. They’d even gone so far as to add pink stitching in the seats. They’d thought of every single detail.
Cricket dropped the keys in the center console and pressed the automatic start button. Though the car had started as a high-end eight-speed transmission, Cricket had requested it to be changed to a manual eight-speed transmission. It gave her better control over the car when necessary and though the automatic transmission was probably top-of-the-line, she trusted her instincts more than the computer. The sparkling new jeweled shifter sat glittering in the center, begging for her to wrap her fingers around it. The engine was behind them rather than underneath the hood—which left a lot of room for weapons there—so when the car roared to life like the predator it was, the deep rumble made Cricket’s heart skip a beat. She could feel it in her entire body, dancing along her skin and giving her goosebumps.
Radley whooped at the sound. “Listen to her purr!”
“She’s magnificent,” Cricket agreed, leaning her head back against the seat. After a moment, she turned the Ferrari back off and took a deep breath. “We’re going to do this, aren’t we?”
“Hell yeah we are,” Radley agreed. “We’re going to win the Race Games.”
Cricket blew out a puff of air. “But first, we should put the Ferrari away. We still haven’t completed the practice course with the other cars and Danny changed up the track again.”
“How is he managing to do that so quickly? I swear, the man is magic.”
She smiled. “Something like that. I’ve long since stopped questioning how Danny gets the things done that he does. Now come on. Let’s go practice until we get it right.”
* * *
The carthey were practicing in today was a Mustang, strong but with barely a third of the power the Ferrari had. Still, if they could run the course with something weaker, running it in the Ferrari would be a cake walk.
They’d already tried running the course two times prior, running into a speedbump each time. Danny was getting creative with the traps. The last time they’d gone, timing was an important part. Because they’d hesitated going to the left, a wall had blocked their path, preventing any way around it. Race failed. . . again. Sometimes, the traps were tricks, and nothing was there. Cricket was starting to think Danny had a future in designing the tracks for the Games.
“Third time’s a charm,” Cricket mumbled, sitting at the starting line. The Mustang rumbled softly, sitting in neutral. If they couldn’t finish the practice course, there would be no way to win the Games. The problem wasn’t with the cars. Nor was the problem Cricket’s driving or Radley’s navigation. It was their ability to work together, to get away from instincts and trust in each other. As it was, they hesitated each time, fighting those instincts, and it was causing them to lose. If they couldn’t work together to win, there would be no winning at all.
Taking a deep measured breath, Cricket looked over at Radley in the passenger seat. They were both wearing their helmets, both wearing gear. They’d wrecked the cars so many times, it was better to protect themselves. Even if they both healed quicker than a human, it would take energy they didn’t have to spare. The race was a week away. It was time to get serious.
Radley’s eyes met hers. He really had the prettiest eyes. Though they were amber colored right now, when his wolf came out, they turned nearly golden with fire, as if it ran in his veins.
“I trust you,” Cricket said.
“Do you?” he asked, studying her. When she nodded, he smiled. “And I trust you.”
“Are you sure I’m not going to double cross you somehow?” Cricket teased, the corners of her eyes crinkling.
Radley tilted his head, but he didn’t return the smile. “I don’t think you have it in you to betray me, not for anything that wasn’t a big deal.”
“And what do you think I’d betrayal you for?” She was genuinely curious about how well he thought he knew her.
“Someone you care about. If someone you truly cared about was in danger, or a child was, or someone that couldn’t help themselves, you’d betray me if it meant saving them.” Radley smiled. “In those instances, I would agree with you, and so then, it’s no longer a betrayal.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You think you have me all figured out, don’t you?”
His smile widened. “I think I know something, for sure.” He dropped the visor of his helmet. “So, let’s trust each other’s instincts as much as we trust our own and get things done.”
He held out his hand for her to take and she did so without hesitation. They didn’t shake, didn’t make a deal, but something else passed between them. This was it, this acceptance. They could do this. All they had to do was trust each other.
She faced forward again and gripped the steering wheel. They didn’t have a flag here, only a Christmas tree that would indicate when to go in a semblance of a flag. It flashed red, yellow, yellow, green, the timing a thing of beauty. The quicker off the starting line you were, the closer to the finish line you became. She signaled to Danny where he sat in the tiny air conditioned house she’d had put for him, and he gave a thumbs up before pushing the button.
The Christmas tree flashed red.