Chapter 44 Chapter 44
Angelina’s POV
"Wait, that's not—"
Wyatt and his crew went from aggressive posturing to stuttering out barely coherent responses.
"Alright, enough."
Justin, who'd been silent until now, finally spoke up.
I lifted my eyes to look at him. He turned his head first, snapping at his teammates to stop the argument. Then he faced us.
"Save it for the track." Justin's voice was calm but firm. "But fair warning—Howlers doesn't lose."
Though he said little, his words carried more arrogance than Wyatt's entire tirade. I watched him quietly, completely unmoved. I'd heard this kind of bravado far too many times before.
With that, Justin waved his hand and led his crew away. "Let's go!"
Leo watched them leave and muttered, "Whatever. You guys are going down."
Jax was fuming. "Nobody better hold me back. Those assholes are going down hard."
Blake clapped Jax on the shoulder, then turned to me. "Hey, you good?"
What could possibly be wrong with me? I hadn't even made a move before they'd all rushed to my defense. Honestly, I wasn't used to being protected like this, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't touch me. I wasn't sentimental, but I wasn't completely heartless either.
I paused. "...Thanks, guys."
"Yo, no need to thank us. We're a team, right?" Jax waved me off. "Besides, you're like... our ace. Our secret weapon! So stop acting all shy and own it."
He said "secret weapon" with way too much enthusiasm, like he'd just coined something genius. I had to bite back a smile at how ridiculous it sounded.
"Dude, no." Leo shook his head. "Secret weapon? That's cringe. We're not calling her that."
Maybe it was because Jax had just backed me up against Wyatt's crew, but the tension between him and Leo had completely evaporated. They were actually... getting along now.
"What? It's cool!" Jax argued. "She's fast, she's badass, she—okay fine, what would you call her then?"
"I don't know, but definitely not that. You suck at nicknames, man. Just accept it."
Listening to them go back and forth, I felt myself relax a little. This... this wasn't so bad.
We arrived at the spectator stands. Multiple jumbotron screens were positioned around the main grandstand. The massive display board lit up with bold white text against a black background:
WILDPATH CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 4
QUALIFYING ROUND
BADLANDS CIRCUIT
APEX RACING vs. HOWLERS RACING
RACE START: 20:59
Less than eleven minutes until the first heat.
I found an excuse to separate from Leo and the others, slipping away to the most secluded corner I could find. It was time to get my real equipment.
Up ahead, a sleek Lamborghini Veneno sat parked under a streetlight on the side road.
No one around.
This car had been air-freighted to the area by Kingfisher. The person who'd driven it to the agreed location had already left.
I easily opened the door and slid into the Lamborghini Veneno.
The familiar texture of the steering wheel under my fingers brought back that rush—the feeling of racing at breakneck speed, death be damned. It was like nothing had changed, like I'd never been reborn. The sensation made my blood sing.
I closed the door and adjusted the roof to convertible mode.
My Lamborghini Veneno supercar had a V12, 6.5L naturally aspirated engine, zero to sixty in under three seconds, with horsepower reaching 750.
Using this against Justin's crew was honestly overkill.
I fired up the engine and slammed my foot on the accelerator.
The stunning supercar shot forward like lightning!
I drove my beloved Veneno, but instead of heading toward the track, I spun the wheel and headed down the mountain road.
It had been too long since I'd driven it on country roads. Even with the race about to start, I needed to take it for a spin first. This was my ritual, my way of showing respect for the race ahead.
As I drove, I reviewed the race rules in my mind. This racing team showdown would be one-on-one format. Coincidentally, Apex Racing had six members, and so did Howlers Racing.
Next, each of Apex's six members would face off against one member of Howlers—one-on-one battles. Six races total.
To put it simply: if the first race was me versus Justin, then the next would be Leo versus Wyatt... Each person would race exactly one opponent from the other team. Six races in all.
The final result would depend on which team won the most races out of six.
After all, this was a team battle between racing crews. Even if one person was incredibly skilled, it wouldn't matter. The entire team had to be strong to claim victory.
Leo’s POV
Last night brought a light drizzle that left the entire track wet and slick. But a little rain wouldn't affect the race.
My teammates and I had already arrived near the track, standing beside five cars—the vehicles we'd use in today's competition. We were waiting for the race to begin.
"Leo, where's your sister? Race is starting."
Jax spoke up, though his gaze was fixed on the massive screen in the distance.
I followed his line of sight to the screen. The last line displayed a countdown—
'Pre-race countdown: 01:11.'
Just over a minute left.
I was getting anxious, but I trusted Aria wouldn't let me down. I bit my lip, keeping my voice steady. "She won't be late. Just wait. She'll be here."
A laugh cut through the air.
My heart sank—I knew that laugh all too well. It was Wyatt. So damn annoying.
I turned my head and, sure enough, saw all six members of the Howlers walking toward us. Wyatt was laughing the hardest:
"Where's your girl? She ditch you? Too pussy to race?" He grinned. "What, we scare her off?"
I clenched my fists tight, forcing myself to stay calm. Before a race, the last thing a driver needs is to get emotional. I couldn't fall for his trap. My teammates and I exchanged glances, all of us choosing to ignore Wyatt's deliberate provocation.
When we didn't bite, Wyatt lost interest. He glanced at our cars, then turned to Justin.
"These shitboxes? Justin's Maserati's gonna destroy them."
I laughed to myself. Sure, a Lamborghini Veneno had shown up earlier and completely outclassed Justin's car, but that supercar didn't belong to our Apex racing team. It was some unknown bigshot's ride—naturally, it wouldn't be brought out for racing.
Justin smirked. "Yup."
The countdown on the big screen had reached 00:09.
The numbers kept ticking down.
Six, five, four...
My heart jumped into my throat. Aria, where the hell are you?
Three seconds left. No way she'd make it.
Then I heard it—that deep, throaty roar of a supercar engine.
I spun around. A Lamborghini Veneno was tearing up the road toward us, eating up the distance fast.
It whipped into a drift right in front of us, tail sliding out, then snapped to a stop. Perfectly placed.
My heart was pounding.
The door opened. The driver in the left seat took off her sunglasses, revealing an exquisite, beautiful face.
When I recognized that face, Justin, Wyatt, Jax, and everyone else present sucked in a sharp breath.
Because that girl was none other than—
Aria!
My sister!