The Peer and the Puppet (When Rivals Play, #1) (54)

“Why is Turner shitfaced?” Vaughn was seething.

“We told him to quit,” Kim answered with a shrug, “but he kept saying he was fine. I guess the drinks snuck up on him.”

Vaughn didn’t respond, so the three blind idiots, too stupid to know better, visibly relaxed. I knew he would wait until they were each sober to dole out punishment, so I turned to Turner. “What do you want?”

“You. Back on the team.”

Before I could turn them down for the fifteenth time, Cooper rushed to add, “And we’ve got a way to convince you.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Vaughn questioned with mild interest.

“Barnes,” Kim answered. “We want Ever to race him.”

“He’s our new running back, and he’s fast!” Cooper gloated. “Could even be faster than you one day.”

I looked to Vaughn for confirmation, but he simply shrugged.

“So what? He beats me and…” By now, we’ve drawn a considerable crowd, including Four, who appeared way too invested for my liking.

A curious Four was a dangerous thing.

“If Barnes wins,” Kim dictated, “you have to come back to the team.”

Vaughn sucked his teeth. “If Barnes beats Ever, we won’t need him back on the team, jackass.”

“Oh.”

The crowd roared at my former teammates’ expense.

“Who’s got the fastest run time?” Everyone turned to the person who voiced the question.

Of course, it had to be her.

There was a pause, and I couldn’t help but notice Kim staring Four down with unmasked hatred.

I wanted to pluck his eyes from his head and feed them to him.

Cooper was the one to finally answer. “McNamara. By two hundred milliseconds.”

She smiled and chuckled at some secret joke. “Well, boys, you could do this one of two ways.” She made eye contact with each of us, even Kim, and only when she was assured that she had our attention did she continue. “If Barnes beats Ever’s run time, he gets to keep his spot on the team.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Cooper questioned.

“Then Ever will still hold his title, and the Knights get their fastest runner.”

“What’s the second option?” The nervous voice that rose above the rippling of the crowd sounded like it belonged to Barnes, but I was too busy picturing my hands around Four’s pretty throat to verify.

“Ever has to beat his own time. If he doesn’t, he’s still the fastest runner and will rejoin the team. If he succeeds…he does whatever the hell he wants.” Discreetly, she rolled her eyes, and I might have been the only one to hear her unspoken as usual.

The guys, including my treacherous best friend, didn’t waste time huddling to discuss their options. If they were smart, they knew which option to pick. Shaving more than a couple hundred milliseconds at a moment’s notice would seem improbable even if you’ve kept up your training. But shaving even ten milliseconds when you haven’t…impossible.

I couldn’t tear my eyes from Four while she was doing her best to avoid meeting mine. Her leg began to bounce impatiently as we all waited for my former teammates to make a fucking decision. I could have simply walked away and refused to compete, but this was no longer about the team. This had become yet another battle between Four and me.

My puppet was tugging at her strings again.

From my peripheral, I saw Jamie push through the crowd and join the huddle even though he wasn’t on the team. Vaughn ignored him, and no one else dared to say shit. The sound of Jamie’s snort finally drew my attention away from Four. I watched Vaughn shake his head and then his lips moved.

The guys started to argue, and then Jamie loudly said, “You should listen to him, Einsteins. He’s captain for a reason.”

They argued for a few seconds more and then appeared to make a decision. Based on Jamie’s smug expression and Vaughn’s exasperation, I already knew what they’d decided.

Cooper was the one to deliver the judgment. “We choose Ever.”

I turned my head in time to catch the small smile on Four’s face.

“To Brynwood!” Turner roared and they all cheered.

“No.” A hush fell over the crowd as everyone’s attention turned to me. Mine solely belonged to Four who still wore a satisfied smirk. “To the tracks.” Confusion was painted on her face as I knew it would be on each face in the crowd except for Vaughn and Cooper who had been there the last time I pulled such a stupid stunt.

“You can’t be serious,” Cooper objected. “You were just lucky the last time! Not to mention there were cameras. You almost went to juvie.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Four’s eyebrows kiss her hairline.

“We’ll do it in a blind spot. All I’ll need is forty yards.”

“And some Windex and a Squeegee for when we have to scrape your demented ass off the Red Line,” Jamie voiced with a scowl. Four eased closer and tugged on his arm, redirecting his focus. I watched as he bent so she could whisper something in his ear. I knew what she must have asked judging by the way her lips parted and her skin paled when he answered her.

Her reaction was exactly the one I had hoped for. Maybe next time she’d think twice before opening her pretty mouth to challenge me. I couldn’t pretend to be pissed though. Already, my senses were heightened, and the world no longer seemed so gray. I felt lighter on my feet.