Hell on Wheels (Faetal Attraction #1)

Bad Feeling

“Reb seemed upset, and he stopped answering,” I tell Angelo as he walks around the venue with his arm draped over my shoulders. “I don’t like it.”

Damon raises our joined hands to his lips, kissing my knuckles to obscure his reply. “Rebel is a fucking amazing driver, Sparkles. It would take a lot to fuck him up so badly he couldn’t answer you. Likely, he needs to focus.”

Pursing my lips, I nod briefly before turning my gaze into the crowd. I know I can’t show any weakness when we know that Mina and her crew of mean girls are watching, but it’s hard. Striking at Reb is a perfect way to get to me, just like hitting me was an enormous blow for him. My worry over the guys is now quadrupled and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from losing my temper in public.

This is bullshit. The only thing I did to that girl was set some fucking boundaries for treating me like a person.

Nothing about that warranted joining the Sickos and starting this terror campaign. It didn’t rise to the level of needing to gather a bunch of simpering sheep who are so gullible they didn’t fact check her story to help her punish me. My firm refusal to be abused verbally absolutely was not worthy of getting into bed with some big time mafia cronies to ruin my reputation and career. Everything that’s happened since I quit letting Mina walk all over me is the reaction of a deeply troubled woman with enough issues to put a therapist’s kid through Harvard.

Yet here I am having to worry that she’ll cross another cuckoo bird line and physically harm someone I care about. I mean, giving me a beat down wasn’t kosher, either, but if it had satisfied her enough to fuck off forever, I would have dealt with it. But it didn’t, and everywhere I go, there’s more danger lurking around corners because she simply cannot allow me to live my life.

“This is so damn exhausting,” I mumble as I lean into Angelo’s side. “We can’t fight back against Mina and her minions unless we want to become a media spectacle. That would ruin the racing thing for Reb and me, so that’s out of the question. But we also can’t hit her from the background because now I’m in the spotlight with you two over mating. I hate being trapped.”

“We’ll get it sorted, Rogue,” Angelo says, his voice fierce as his hand grips my shoulder. “With all of us on board, we have enough resources to track down the people financing this and make them sorry.”

I arch a brow. “You realize I think this has to reach further than just Merra Stuhll, right? She’s a terror in Bay City and certainly rich enough, but she’s never cared what went on in her races as long as she’s making bank on entry fees and tickets.”

Archie and Javi reappear as D is about to reply, and I can’t help smiling. They’re shoving one another playfully, and my introverted demon stops looking at us to give them both a glare.

“You’ll spill Sparkles’ treats, assholes. Be careful.”

The smile gets brighter and I feel like a complete idiot, but I enjoy seeing Damon assert himself a bit more. I know it’s because he feels like a genuine part of the group now; I can sense it through our bond. I hope he uses it to explore the things I picked up on, but that may take the right moment presenting itself.

Damned if I’m not committed to making that possible.

“Dragonfly, I have your non-alcoholic Maui, and this oaf has the pizza.” Javi holds my drink out and I take a deep drink, then blink at him.

“You had them make it like a bubble tea?”

His smirk is knowing, and I turn bright red. That bond I was just praising works both ways. I’ve never once ordered one of these things in front of them, but he figured it out. “If you can cheat, we can, too.”

“Shit,” Archie says as he gives me the gooey slices. “I should have raked your brain for special toppings. Damnit, Javi.”

I clear my throat, looking at them pointedly. “Gentlemen, you both get credit for grabbing things I like. That’s as far as I’m willing to assess the situation, so knock it off.”

“Sparkles is worried because dipshit went dark in her headphones,” Damon says as he snitches a nacho from Javier. “We told her not to worry because he’s probably just in his head, like always.”

They don’t get that Rebel never kicks me out of his head when he races and he never goes dark on the mic—not with me.

“Maybe,” I say doubtfully. “But if he’s concentrating that intensely, I think someone is pulling bullshit on the track. If that’s true, then what the hell is going to happen when I swap with him?”

The guys stop in place, looking at one another, then the twins say, “You’re not racing.”

Taking a long, slow sip of my drink, I stare at them. When I’m done, I blink and simply shake my head. “Nope.”

“Nope?” Archie frowns as I shrug.

“That’s correct. ‘Nope’ as in no way in hell are you stooges telling me what I will or will not do like a bunch of corporate dictators.” I take a bite of my pizza, making a sound of happiness as the spicy sauce hits my tongue. Once I finish chewing, I notice they’re still looking at me, fish-faced. “Being my mate doesn’t give any of you the right to issue orders; I’m not that kind of gal.”

Angelo groans, using his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “We know that. But you just said some fuckwit might be making a Mario Kart track out of the course. How did you think we’d respond to it? It took years for us all to come together and we’re reluctant to lose you, Princess.”

Ah, geez, now I’m gonna feel all girly.

My expression must betray me because Damon looks delighted, pulling me away from his brother to cup my face in his hands. I tense, worried about being publicly affectionate when there are enemies around, but the look in his eyes calms me. “Sparkles, that show at our father’s party puts you in an odd position. You’re a target—for those who already want to hurt you and the new people who have a grudge. But… it also places you within the Gemini organization. Directly challenging Luca before he can make his move is never a good idea.”

“So you’re saying because your parents want to kill me, other people will have to wait in line?”

“Sort of,” Angelo pipes up. “Anyone not elite enough to challenge his word will have to back off. Maybe that’s why they’re fucking with Reb.”

The thought makes me growl softly, which all of them seem to dig, but I’m serious. I hold back my most dangerous weapons because the Council says I have to. That doesn’t mean I won’t use them if I need to when my men are in danger. “There’s a benefit to believing my Fae side comes from someone in the Court of Reaping.”

Archie tugs me away from Damon, his enormous frame enveloping me as he squeezes me tight. “Wheels, I think I speak for all of us when I say your viciousness is hot as shit.”

“Truth,” Angelo adds with a smirk. “But even so, you know you can’t flash the death glitter if you can’t justify it. Everyone will be after you if that gets out.”

I frown as I wiggle out of my lion’s grasp, looking at them as his words process. “You’re right.”

“Of course he is, Sparkles, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“D, my Fae dust being lethal is my most guarded secret . It’s the one I’ve been tasked with keeping to prevent a bunch of bullshit, right?” He nods, his brow furrowed as he waits. “So why isn’t that the first thing that bitch is crowing about far and wide? She knows; she was my best friend.”

The gravity of that revelation settles over us like a stone blanket. No one has an answer—it’s not like Mina gives a shit about the Society or getting me disciplined as a Guardian. Outing that fact might put me under even more scrutiny, including legal issues, because of how I handled my ass beating in the alley.

So why has she ignored it entirely?

“Princess, I think you’re on to something. Your ex-bestie is keeping mum about something that could destroy your career. If everyone knew what you can and have done, you’d skyrocket into notoriety. Some people might praise you, but more would jump on the ‘she’s evil’ bandwagon.”

“Exactly,” I say as I nod at Angelo. “She could use it to fuck me over with the team and with my other position. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Is she keeping it like an ace in her sleeve?” Archie asks. He scratches his chin, and I know he’s considering it like he would play out a game before taking the ice.

“Maybe. But this is big enough to blow a hole in my boat now .” Damon looks troubled, and I tilt my head at him. “Tell me what you’re thinking, little demon.”

His cheeks flush and he shrugs. “Mina could keep this under her hat to use later, but the longer she waits, the less likely people will respond the way she wants them to. She’s proven to be reckless and completely unhinged when it comes to self-preservation. It doesn’t seem like her style to strategize. She’s kind of a moron—sorry, Sparkles. It has to be said.”

My head falls back as I laugh, the sound coming from the depth of my gut. It’s not like I didn’t know Mina was… not on the same level as me intellectually… but I’ve never been able to say it. She was my friend, and it didn’t matter if she was a couple of steps behind me when it came to that. Maybe more like a couple of miles, but either way, it didn’t make a difference. But now…

At least Damon said it first because even though she had me beaten to within an inch of my life and has done nothing but try to harm me, I still feel bad even thinking it.

“Wheels, it’s okay to admit she had faults. We all saw them, but we kept our big yaps shut because you were happy. If you think you’re the only person who saw those flaws, ask Rebel what he really thought about her. He’s been sitting on a gold mine of snarky shit, all to keep the peace with you.” Archie gives me a blindingly bright grin and my shoulders drop as the tension eases out of me.

“You, too?” I squint as I look at Javier and Angelo.

“Princess, that woman isn’t worth the TP you wipe with after a shit.” I blink and the demon chuckles, his eyes dancing with evil mirth. “She treated you like her personal whipping boy and sponged every ounce of talent and skill you had to further herself with her ‘fans.’ Half her bullshit fame is because she made cuts of practices, games, and trick skates you designed or called the plays for. She took all the credit, did none of the work, and focused every bit of the promo on her .”

Biting my lower lip for a minute, I think about that. Mina was always scheming to get views or attention; I didn’t care about followers or views. I took part when she wanted me to and I sure as hell made certain the team looked good if she was going to feature them. But I don’t think I really paid attention to what she did with it afterward because I thought, like me, she was trying to bring in fresh blood for the team.

Son of a bitch, that skank used me to build her base and tossed me out when I wouldn’t stay under her skate.

“Having a revelation, Dragonfly?” Javi asks quietly. His dark eyes are full of empathy as I nod. “It hurts when someone you cared about and respected wasn’t who you thought they were.”

“Fuck, yes, it does.”

Damon joins me in Archie’s embrace, wrapping his arms around me and the lion so he can be close. His lips press against my ear as I struggle to stay unaffected in this place where I cannot allow them to see me crack. “You’ve been trying to justify what happened, despite knowing you did nothing wrong. I think you just realized that not only were you innocent of wrongdoing, but you also were a victim of her self-centered bullshit. It’s okay for that to make you emotional.”

My jaw tightens as I shove all the hurt, raw emotions into my feet like I’ve done with Graciella for my entire life. I suck in a slow breath, then let it out carefully before I pull back from the two men to gaze at my mates.

“I’m going to destroy that crazy bitch if it’s the last thing I do,” I whisper to them. “But for now, we need to get to the checkered flag zone and wait for Reb. I have a race to run.”

And I’m going to smoke the shit out of everyone in it, just to prove to myself that Mina doesn’t control me anymore.