Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1

by D. J. Pierson

  “Yeah, why?” It’s not the first time I’ve told someone no.

  “Because you just pissed off Ava. It’s not like you to screw yourself like that,” he clarifies, pointing over his shoulder.

  “Whatever. I’m done with her anyway.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since now.”

  “What did you need to talk to me about?” He’s confused about what just happened. I thought he would have known.

  “Was that dude’s car still in Kacie’s driveway when you left your house to come here?”

  “Is that what this is about? You’re jealous Kacie is eating dinner with someone?”

  “Jake, just answer my fucking question. Was he there?”

  “I didn’t think to look. You should have given me a head’s up if you wanted me to spy on her.”

  My hand runs through my hair. “I don’t want you to spy on her.”

  “You were hoping I did.” He’s right, but I’m not going to admit that. “What’s going on, Evan?”

  “I don’t know,” I say.

  “I think you do.” I look away. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but you need to get your head out of your ass and in the race. You can’t go into this distracted. We don’t know anything about these new guys and I’m not in the mood to lose, especially on our home turf.” Since I started racing with Jake, we have always worked these races as a team. We watch each other’s backs and almost always finish first and a very close second. Is it cheating? Only if you get caught, I suppose. If Chris knows, he’s never said anything. Prizes go out to first, second, and third place, but winner takes most.

  “We don’t lose,” I assure him.

  Jake releases a sigh of relief, confident I won’t let him down. “I wonder how they found out about us.” He’s referring to the new guys who are pulling in now and getting their starting places from Chris. The only car that stands out in the group is a brand new orange Stingray Corvette.

  “I have no idea and Chris didn’t mention anything about it when I dropped off our entry fees yesterday. Guess, he’s not worried about it.”

  “He’s making money regardless. He won’t worry.”

  “Chris cares. He doesn’t want anything to fuck this up.”

  “True,” he agrees. Jake appears to have something to say. After a short time, possibly considering how to say whatever is on his mind, he starts, “Just so you know, Kacie is done with Nate. She may feel like she has to reconcile with him to some degree. They split unexpectedly and Kacie took off before they could talk again. She doesn’t like to leave things that way. You have nothing to be concerned about, if that’s what you were getting at.” I only nod. “What’s been going on with the two of you?”

  “Nothing, really. We had lunch a few times.”

  “Give her time. If she hasn’t kicked you to the curb yet, she’ll come around when she’s ready,” he adds with a half-smile. “I honestly thought you wouldn’t stand a chance after Jade tried to warn her about you. You’re one lucky son of a bitch.” He pats me on the shoulder and we head toward our cars. “You ready to do this?”

  “Yup.”

  “Let’s roll. There’s a hot girl waiting for me at the finish line.” I’ll be damned. That bastard just stole my line.

  All of the racers are in their cars and ready to go. The sound of engines revving is echoing off of the surrounding buildings. Each one of them is trying to outdo the other. Little do they know, all of their asses are about to be kicked. The anticipation is one of my favorite parts. Adrenaline begins rushing through me as Marco makes his last trek across the starting line.

  The beeping of the Bluetooth in my ear indicates a call is coming through. “Still focused, Pierce?” Jake’s stern voice asks.

  I glance over into the car alongside mine to see my friend staring back at me. “Focused and ready to leave these fucking amateurs in my dust. If they dent my car, I’m going to beat the shit out of someone. Try to keep up,” I mock him.

  “I have no problem with coming in second. Just don’t fuck up because, if you do,” he turns his attention straight ahead, “I’ll be ready to speed by and take your place.”

  A thought runs through my head. “Are you still talking about the race?” I ask as a tall brunette in a mini-skirt takes Marco’s place in the middle of the starting line. In her hand is a red cloth of some sort, which she’ll use to start the race. Chris is now down at the finish line, probably waiting for the all clear from his tech guys. He leaves Marco and a few other guys up here to get it started and to watch out for the flagger, the girl starting the race.

  “Just don’t forget it, Evan. Oh, and watch out for this dude in the yellow piece of shit to my right,” he advises me. “That son of a bitch just looks crazy.” The street lights suddenly come on, brightening the road ahead. “It’s show time,” Jake says. Our phones stay connected so we can communicate during the race.

  The flagger raises the hand holding the flag. Her eyes are watching Marco, waiting for him to give the signal. While most of these guys are taking in every inch of this girl’s long body, I keep my sight on her hand. She must see what she needs to because her attention twists to us. Moments later, her arm drops, sending seven cars down the three-and-a-half mile stretch. This winding road is only four lanes wide and is a little narrow for seven cars, but that’s Chris’ call. Not mine. It doesn’t matter to me. My Volkswagen immediately jumps out in front of the pack and keeps on going. Feeling how she flies down the road makes it completely worth every damn penny I’ve spent on her.

  “Holy shit!” Jake shouts through the earpiece. “No one is even coming close to you. You have to build me one of those!”

  “Just make sure you stay in second or I’m not splitting the money with you,” I tell him, checking to see where he is in my rearview mirror. He’s not that far behind me with someone on either side of him. “Watch both flanks, Quinn.”

  “I’m good,” he swears. “Just finish this. I don’t want these punks to get a dime of our money.”

  Before I know it, my car is rounding the last bend. Both sides of the street are filled with crazy, screaming people all the way to the end. Danny, looking proud, comes into view just before I cross the finish line. I can’t help but laugh at my mechanic. I slow down, but don’t stop. Just in case the police have been called, no one hangs around, but I never leave without Jake.

  “Jake, you’re still behind me, right?” I ask, just as his reflection once again appears in the mirror.

  “I’m here,” he announces, speeding for the finish line. There isn’t anyone close to him, so he easily takes second place.

  “I’ll meet you at the bar,” I tell him when his car is beside mine. “I’m going to take this back to my uncle’s house and get the truck.”

  “See ya in a few.” The call ends. He pulls out in front of me to make a right out of the industrial park and I make a left. I scroll down to Meg’s name on my phone and send a text letting her know it’s over. At least she’ll be able to relax now.

  The parking lot at Sandy’s is packed for a Thursday night. This bar doesn’t get much traffic during the week. Speaking from a manager’s point of view, I sure hope Chris warned her we’d be coming here. That way, she’d be prepared with extra staff. There are a few spots open in the rear of the building, so I back my truck into one of them and go inside. As soon as I walk through the door, the cheers of congratulations start. Any other night, I usually eat this shit up, but what I really want to do right now is collect my money and get the fuck out of here. Slowly, I make my way through the crowd. People stop me at almost every table, asking questions about the Scirocco.

  Finding Chris is no problem. He’s always at the table closest to the bar. When I finally get there, Sandy sees me coming and jumps up. She throws her arms around me and kisses my cheek. “Long time, no see. I’m going to make sure your burger gets made the way you like it.”

  “You’re the best!” I guess I’m staying long enough to eat.
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  “I know. It’s your friend that forgets.” She tilts her head in Chris’ direction, then goes back toward the kitchen.

  Chris is smirking when my ass hits the chair. “Guess it has been a while since you’ve seen her,” I say.

  “Apparently. She’ll get over it when I get her alone. This is yours,” he says, handing over an overstuffed envelope. “The most you’ve ever made in a single race. I’m thinking maybe we take the summer off. Let the tourists do their thing and we’ll pick back up in the fall.”

  “Fine by me.” A waitress drops off a beer. “Thanks,” I say without looking up. She walks away.

  “Thanks?” Chris says. “What the fuck was that?”

  “What?”

  “That girl was hot and you didn’t even peek. I saw you and Ava earlier, too. Something happen?”

  “The last time I saw her was after the last race. I have no plans to see her again.” There is one girl I’d really like to see right now, though.

  “Interesting,” Chris comments as Sandy brings my food over.

  “What’s interesting?” she questions.

  “Evan not noticing your hot waitress who brought him over a beer, and then saying he’s done with Ava.”

  “What’s wrong with my waitress?” She mocks offense.

  “She’s not the girl I’m thinking about right now,” I say, then take a bite of the cheeseburger.

  “That explains it.” Sandy smiles.

  “What a little bitch,” Chris remarks, making Sandy laugh.

  “Leave him alone. Evan made you a lot of money tonight,” she reminds him and pulls a chair up right next to Chris. His arm goes around her.

  “You’re right.” He kisses her head. “You’re still a little bitch,” he whispers to me.

  Jake, Danny, and a couple other guys come over to sit with us. Everyone is still talking about my new car and how well it did tonight. It’s not like the competition was anything worth talking about. Chris tells us how the three new guys are all connected with some racing circuit south of here and they just wanted to check out how we run shit. We sit there discussing the race for the next hour. The brunette who was feeling Jake up earlier in the parking lot has made herself comfortable in his lap. If he would just take her home already, I’d be able to leave, too. Sitting here bullshitting with these guys isn’t cutting it tonight. This is not the way I feel like spending my only night off.

  Jake stands up and I’m thinking he’s finally going to make some excuse to leave. Instead, he says to the girl, “I’ll be back. Wait right here.” He sets her down on the chair, then disappears into the crowd. He’s just going to take a leak. Damn it!

  Out of nowhere, Ava suddenly appears and slams an almost empty bottle of beer down on the table in front of me. When did she get here? She leans over so her face is level with mine. She tries to whisper, but it comes out loud enough for everyone to hear. “Only because I’m drunk and horny as hell am I going to forget how rude you were to me earlier and let you take me home.” The guys are laughing and offering to help her out. I should let them, but she’s my ticket out of here.

  I stand up, forcing her to stand with me, and she stumbles backwards. A smug smile spreads across her face as if she knew all along I’d do exactly what she wanted. Without saying a word, I grab her arm and lead her out of the bar. Hooting and hollering follows us the whole way. For a split second, I think about how Jake is going to catch wind of this. I’ll shoot him a text later before he has a chance to talk to Kacie. He’ll be busy the rest of the night, anyway. Ava is giggling all the way to my truck, making it really hard to resist the urge to leave her ass on the curb.

  Ava climbs up into the truck on her own and looks at me. “Where’s the new car?”

  “Not here,” I answer.

  She shrugs her shoulders. “We could have christened it.” I push the door closed on her and try to keep my mouth closed. She needs to shut the fuck up or she’s going to find herself stranded somewhere between here and her place.

  The whole ride to her apartment, she talks about what she wants me to do to her. Maybe I should have brought the Scirocco. It would have made this trip a hell of a lot shorter. I pull up to the walkway that leads to her door.

  “What are you doing?” she asks. “You can’t park here.”

  “I’m not parking,” I say, glaring out of the front windshield.

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m not staying. Now, get out.”

  “You’re a fucking asshole! I hate you! We’re so done, Evan. Do you hear me?!” She keeps shouting as she fumbles to get her seatbelt off and jumps out of the truck. “I don’t ever want to see you again!” she screams, then slams the door closed. At least she didn’t leave it open.

  Chapter Twelve

  Evan

  For a while, I drive around with no particular destination in mind. Somehow, I end up pulling into Kacie’s driveway with no idea how I got here. Relief rushes through me because her convertible is the only other car here. I’m happy that Nate, or whatever the fuck his name is, isn’t spending the night. It’s after midnight. I have no business being here. My head is telling me to go home, but something else makes me get out and walk up to the door. All of the windows are dark. She’s probably sleeping. What if she gets pissed because my dumbass wakes her up? I decide to ring the doorbell. If she doesn’t answer in a few minutes, I’ll leave and come back tomorrow.

  After a deep breath and checking the time on my phone again, I press the doorbell, then step back. An eternity passes. There isn’t any sound from inside to indicate someone is home. Disappointment fills me as my feet take me back down the steps. As I reach the last one, I hear the sound of the locks being undone and the door opening.

  “Evan?” The sound of Kacie’s voice instantly has my heart pounding. “Are you okay?” The light fixture above the door gives off just enough brightness for me to make out her soft, beautiful features. Her hair is pulled up. She’s wearing a tank top and pajama shorts. She still looks fucking amazing.

  “Um…hey. I’m sorry to wake you. I was driving through the neighborhood. Figured I’d stop by. I would have called first,” I say, holding up my phone, “but realized I didn’t have your number.”

  It sounds like she’s giggling. “That’s a really pathetic way to ask a girl for her number.”

  I smile. “I know but, in my defense, I’ve never done this before.”

  Kacie holds out her hand. “Give me your phone.” I walk back up the steps, holding it out. She takes it from me, taps on the screen a few times, and hands it back. “Now you have it.”

  “Did you give me your real number or a fake one?”

  She giggles again. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.” She takes a step back into the house. “Are you coming in, or did you really drive all the way out here to get a number that you could have just asked Jake for?” Why the hell didn’t I do that?!

  “Are you sure? Were you sleeping?”

  “No. I was reading.”

  “But I didn’t bring a milkshake,” I say.

  She laughs. “That’s okay. I have something better.”

  I follow her inside and she leads me through the dark house and into the kitchen. When she flips on the light, the first thing I see is a vase of roses. Son of a bitch! “I didn’t take you as the kind of girl who would like roses,” I let slip out.

  Kacie tries to hold in a smile. “I’m not, actually.”

  “How did your date go, anyway?” I’m watching her grab plates from one cabinet and two glasses from another.

  “Dinner,” she corrects me, “was fine.” Kacie puts the dishes on the counter next to the cake and motions for me to sit down on a stool. She walks over to the refrigerator, pulls out a carton of milk, and stops at the drawer to get forks and a knife. “How was work?” She looks up at the clock, then back to me. “Did you leave early?”

  “Yeah. Jake and I had something we needed to do. Meg is closing tonight,” I say, gathering that Jake
didn’t tell her about the race. Jade knows. Why haven’t they told her?

  “Oh. That’s nice you were able to get some time off.” She sits down next to me and pulls the glass cover off of the cake. It hasn’t been cut.

  “Your friend wasn’t brave enough to try something you made?” I wonder.

  “Not exactly,” she responds. It doesn’t seem like she’s going to explain.

  “What happened?” Kacie cuts the first piece of cake and I hold up a plate for her to put it on. We repeat the process for the second piece. She’s avoiding my question, which makes me even more curious to find out the answer. “Kacie?”

  “He didn’t eat it because I didn’t offer it to him,” she says, unwillingly.

  “Were you afraid you’d have to take him to the emergency room?” I tease. She rolls her eyes.

  “No,” she sighs. “I just didn’t want Nate to have any of the cake I made with you. Sounds stupid, I know, but that’s what happened.” She doesn’t look up. I watch as she stabs the cake with her fork and puts it in her mouth.

  “It’s not stupid,” I say, copying her actions. “This is actually really good.”

  Kacie peeks over at me and grins. “It was my assistant. I really have no business being in the kitchen.”

  “You aren’t all that bad. You would have been fine if I wasn’t here.”

  “We’ll see if you really believe that. The next time I attempt to make something on my own, you’ll be the first person to try it.”

  “No problem.”

  “Really?” she asks.

  “Sure. I have a pretty strong stomach.” I shrug my shoulders and shove another bite in my mouth.

  She laughs. “You’re such a jerk!”

  I wink at her. “Do you have plans this weekend?” I throw out. Why is it so hard to just ask her out?

  She responds, not even wondering why I asked, “Tomorrow night, Jade and some of our friends are coming over for a girls’ night. Saturday, we plan on laying by the pool all day. I’m not sure about Saturday night yet. That depends on how Jade’s date with Kyle went tonight.”