Free Web NovelChapter 108: Underground Race
Immediately, I moved away from Princess, who also looked confused as she smoothed out her clothes. My heart was still hammering against my ribs, and I could feel the heat of the kiss lingering on my lips.
"I was looking for the restroom..." I said, my voice sounding a little too breathy even to my own ears.
"Inside her mouth," Katie said. She didn’t look convinced at all, her arms crossed as she looked between us with that sharp, judgmental gaze.
"Yo, wow, you’ve really changed. You two should get a room and get it done..." Dave said. He let out a loud, bark-like laugh and punched my shoulder playfully, giving me a quick wink.
"Hahaha..." I laughed it off, trying to play it cool, but Princess stood up from the barstool. I could see the shift in her posture immediately. She looked genuinely offended by the way he was hitting me, her eyes narrowing as she stepped into his space.
She gave him a light push back, just enough to make him stumble a half step.
"What do you think you’re doing to her?" she demanded. Her voice had that low, dangerous edge that usually meant someone was about to have a very bad night.
"Oh, the bitch looks tough. I like it, hahaha..." Dave said, totally missing the warning signs. He tried to give Princess one of his signature playful shoulder punches, but she was faster than I’d ever seen her. She snatched his wrist out of the air before he could even make contact.
"Who are you calling bitch..." she said.
She leaned in, giving him a sharp, predatory look. I think her eyes actually glowed for a split second in the strobing club lights because Dave’s playful vibe died instantly. It was like someone had flipped a switch. The grin vanished from his face, replaced with a look of pure, unadulterated fear.
I didn’t wait for things to escalate. I quickly grabbed Princess by the arm and pulled her away toward a darker corner of the club so I could talk to her privately.
"Hey, they are my friends from Redwood. You don’t have to be all intimidating..." I muttered, keeping my voice low.
"Intimidating? He was hitting you repeatedly and you expected me to stand still while he did it?" Princess said. She was still fuming, her chest heaving slightly as she stared back toward where Dave was standing.
"That’s how he is all the time. We’re used to it. Again, he’s my friend, we’ve been friends for years now. So please don’t do that dominant shit... don’t do the thing you did with Yuki..." I said, trying to get her to see reason.
"I’m just trying to look after you. You’re not supposed to be in here in the first place... and drinking..."
"I wasn’t drinking, it spilled on me. I know how to look after myself. Just stay quiet and do what you came here for..." I said. I didn’t give her a chance to argue. I left her standing in the corner and walked back over to Dave and Katie, who both looked like they’d seen a ghost.
"Yo, Dave, sorry about that. How’s your hand?" I asked.
"It’ll heal. Damn, she’s an Alpha. Never knew you were into Alphas... thought your type was..." Dave said, trailing off as he rubbed his wrist. He looked genuinely rattled.
"She’s not my type. It was just a coincidence. Let’s talk about something else..." I said. I steered them away from the bar, moving to another spot in the club where the music was a bit louder and the lights were more frantic.
I spent the next hour being careful. I avoided every single drink that was offered to me, saying no each time someone tried to press a cup into my hand. I just stood back and watched as Dave and Katie danced, smiling at each other and getting absolutely wasted, just like they used to back in the old times.
I eventually found a quiet enough moment to ask them about Guru. They both got a little quiet then. They said they hadn’t seen him for at least a month. Apparently, he wasn’t taking it well, the fact that my brother had just up and left him without a word. Hearing that made my heart ache. I wished more than anything that I could just call him and tell him we were doing great, but I knew I couldn’t. I can’t go behind my brother’s back, not after everything.
Suddenly, without any warning, the music cut out. The heavy bass that had been vibrating through the floor just stopped. Everything went quiet, the hundreds of people in the room going still like they were all waiting for the same thing.
Malo appeared beside me out of nowhere. He spotted me and asked who I was with, so I introduced him to Dave and Katie.
All Malo did was stare at them. I don’t know if it was jealousy or just his usual coldness, but he didn’t even crack a smile. Even when Dave offered him a friendly handshake, Malo just stood there with his arms folded across his chest and said he was germ-phobic. It was awkward as hell.
Then the entire place went pitch black. A single, bright spotlight snapped on, shining down on a guy standing on a small platform holding a mic. He had wild, punky hair that stood up in every direction.
"Welcome to the Bulldogs Zone! You’ve all been waiting for this night all week, it’s finally here... let the race begin!"
The crowd erupted. Everyone started cheering and screaming at the top of their lungs. Then, right in the center of the dance floor, the tiles began to shift and slide away, revealing a wide staircase that led down to an industrial looking elevator.
We followed the crowd, descending deep underground.
When the elevator doors opened, it looked like a whole new world. We were in a massive, sprawling tunnel that looked like a subterranean road. It was surrounded by metal barriers and hundreds of people watching as bikers lined up to race toward a finishing point far in the distance. Huge screens hung from the ceiling, showing every movement of the racers in high definition.
Dave was right there beside me, jumping up and down and cheering, while all around us people were frantically placing bets on who would win.
This was completely unexpected... but it was amazing. I couldn’t believe there was an entire underground tunnel system like this beneath Oakland. freēwēbnovel.com
I turned to look at Malo, who still looked absolutely stunned by the scale of the operation.
"The Bulldogs didn’t just get Leo’s club approval, they got the advanced level..." he muttered, his voice barely audible over the roar of the crowd.
"What do you mean?" I asked, leaning in.
"Remember that night I told you about getting a promotion? When I said advanced, this is it. That night, Princess was supposed to host this as an exam... but then you got pregnant and wanted an abortion. She abandoned her exam, failed, and Leo got angry. He gave us another chance, but then we missed a Friday, and now he’s given the contract to some random stranger..." Malo said. He was staring at the punk-haired guy who was laughing and clearly enjoying his new position of power.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. So the free drugs weren’t actually what made Leo so rich, it was these underground races. The drugs were just a tool, something to boost the racers’ systems and get the crowd hyped enough to bet their money. He does this every single night, but Fridays were clearly reserved for the teenagers. freewebnoveℓ.com
My eyes immediately started searching the crowd for Princess.
She wasn’t here.
I looked at the people coming off the elevator and the ones lining the tracks, but her face was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t made it underground with the rest of us.
I have to find her.
