Chapter 59
Raven
Vince stared at us both for a beat, then let out a low whistle. "Well, isn't this touching? Little sister backing big brother. Real Hallmark moment we're having here."
The twins exchanged glances, clearly expecting more resistance, but Vince surprised everyone by raising his hands in surrender.
"You know what? Fine. I respect passion, and if you've been dreaming about this since you were a punk teenager—" he nodded at Cole, "—then who am I to stand in the way of destiny? Besides, I've seen how you handle yourself under pressure. That counts for something." He turned to Cole, extending his hand. "You win, Cole. Or should I say... Captain?"
I watched Cole's face transform, that mixture of embarrassment and pure, unfiltered excitement washing over him. The corners of my lips twitched upward. It was strange, this feeling of satisfaction from making someone else happy. Not a sensation I was used to in my previous life.
Cole glanced my way, his voice dropping to an almost whisper. "You sure you don't want to be captain?"
I reached over, ruffling his hair like I'd seen in countless family movies. "Please. Don't think I don't know this has been your dream since forever—building a team, becoming captain, making a name for yourself." I tilted my head, enjoying his slightly flustered reaction. "Besides, I prefer to be the power behind the throne."
Cole nodded, his posture straightening with newfound authority. "Alright then. Since we've got our team assembled, tradition says we need to challenge another crew. Make our first statement."
Vince pulled out his phone, swiping through screens until he found what looked like a national racing team ranking board. The twins—Dex and Rex—peered over his shoulder, pointing at something at the bottom of the list.
"The Gearheads are ranked dead last," one of them said with a snicker. "They're based out of San Diego. We could start with them?"
Cole studied the rankings, his face twisting with conflict. "Starting with the bottom-ranked team? I don't know... wouldn't that look bad for our reputation? Like we're afraid to take on real competition?"
Vince tucked his phone away with a sigh. "Look, I get the pride thing, but we have to be realistic about finances. My bankroll is solid, but I can't compete with the top ten teams. Those guys have sponsors throwing eight figures at them. We need to be strategic, build our way up."
Cole nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We build our rep one victory at a time. Still feels like playing it safe, though."
As Cole reached for his phone, presumably to send a challenge message, I let out a deliberate sigh.
"Wouldn't the Velocity Kings be more... interesting?"
The parking lot went silent. Five pairs of eyes locked onto me like I'd just suggested we drive off a cliff for fun.
"Did you say the Velocity Kings?" Marco whispered, his voice cracking. "From Long Beach?"
"The fucking number one ranked team in the country?" Rex added.
"Their cars are custom-built by manufacturers that don't even sell to the public," Hector chimed in, breaking his previous silence.
I shrugged, examining my nails with studied indifference. "Number one is exactly what makes it interesting. If we're forming a racing team just to exist and deliberately start at the bottom..." I looked up, letting my eyes grow cold, the way they used to before I eliminated a target. "Where's the challenge? Where's the soul? We might as well disband today."
Cole's mouth hung open. "But, Raven, you can't just—"
"Can't just what? Aim high?" I cut him off, enjoying the way they all stared at me like I was suggesting we invade a small country. Actually, I'd done that once. It was easier than this conversation.
Vince ran his fingers through his red hair, sighing. "Look, Raven, I get that you're... special. And your driving skills are probably insane. But racing teams compete on multiple fronts—maintenance, pit strategy, vehicle dynamics. Most importantly, we need a car that can physically compete. They're running multi-million dollar machines with horsepower figures that—"
"Cars?" I interrupted, memories of my collection from my previous life flashing through my mind—the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut I'd used to outrun Interpol in Monaco, the custom Bugatti Chiron Super Sport I'd driven through the streets of Dubai after assassinating that arms dealer. "I'll find something that'll make their toys look like Hot Wheels."
The silence that followed was deafening. One of the mechanics muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "She's lost her mind" and "We should just disband now."
Cole stared at the ground, fingers tapping against his thigh in that nervous rhythm I'd come to recognize. Then suddenly, he looked up, a fire in his eyes I hadn't seen before.
"Fuck it," he declared. "Our first race is a life-or-death battle? Fine. Raven, if you say we can do this, then the Martinez Racing Team is all in."
He started typing on his phone, presumably composing the challenge message.
The others began to protest, but Vince held up his hand, silencing them. He lit another cigarette, the flame briefly illuminating his face in the darkening parking lot.
"Interesting," he said, exhaling smoke through his nostrils. "Sure, why not? Worst case, I lose all my investment money." He focused his gaze on me, curiosity replacing his earlier skepticism. "But I have to say, the odds are so stacked against us that we're basically setting ourselves up for public humiliation."
He took another long drag, then flicked ash onto the pavement. "Still, I respect the audacity. I'll help you find the best car money can buy—within my limits, of course. Maybe we can lease something competitive enough to not get completely embarrassed."
I smiled—the kind of smile that had made arms dealers and mafia bosses take involuntary steps backward. I thought about the Ferrari FXX K that was still registered under one of my shell companies, and the prototype Aston Martin Valkyrie that my contact at MI6 owed me after I saved his life in Budapest.
"Thanks for the offer, Vince. But what I have in mind isn't exactly in any showroom you'd have access to."