I bought myself a Koenigsegg. I was about to take my girlfriend, Jenna, to a car club gala—the perfect place to finally come clean about who I really was—when she snatched the keys from my hand. “Alex,” she said, her voice a little too bright. “A buddy of mine, his crew is doing a cruise through town. Do you think we could borrow your car? Just to make an impression.” I froze. “Jenna, this car was nearly four million dollars. It’s not really something I can just lend out.” Her eyes immediately welled up. “You can’t do this one thing for me? He never asks for anything.” Before I could answer, a guy with electric blue hair strolled into my private garage, nodding at Jenna. “Jenna, baby. This the boyfriend with the lame-ass driving skills you were telling me about?” My fists clenched. “Who let you in here?” He shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. “Jenna, your boyfriend doesn’t even know who I am? I’m Ryder Stone. You know, the champion of this year’s Apex Rally?” His words hit me like a physical blow. Funny, I didn’t remember my three-time championship title being interrupted by this clown. 1 Jenna tossed the keys to Ryder. He didn’t hesitate, sliding into the driver’s seat and firing up the engine with a guttural roar. “Get out.” I grabbed the edge of the scissor door. “This is my car.” He just laughed, ignoring me completely. Jenna’s voice softened, turning pleading. “Alex, I’ve never asked you for anything…” For a split second, I felt a pang of weakness. But then I remembered the old saying: never lend out your car or your girl. My resolve hardened. “No.” I pulled out my phone to call the police, but Jenna snatched it, hiding it behind her back. Her eyes were red as she turned on me. “Do you have to make this so ugly? What’s the big deal if they borrow it for a couple of days?” Ryder, still in my car, sneered and pulled out his own phone. “You wanna play it that way?” He yelled into the receiver, “Boys! Get in here and check out the big shot’s ride!” The garage door slid open, and two guys reeking of stale beer stumbled in. One was bald with a mess of tattoos, the other wore a hideous Hawaiian shirt. They were holding selfie sticks. “Yo, what’s up, livestream!” the bald one shouted into his phone. “Check it out, a multi-million-dollar Koenigsegg! We’re about to show you how the other half lives!” In the chaos, Ryder gunned the engine. “Get out!” I lunged for the door, but the two goons grabbed me, holding me back. Ryder was laughing for his online audience. “Drop a hundred in the tip jar and I’ll get this baby up to one-fifty for you!” “Stop it!” I roared, struggling against their grip. “What’s the rush?” The bald guy shoved his selfie stick in my face. “Say hi to the camera! Let’s show everyone what the owner of a four-million-dollar car looks like when he’s being a little bitch!” The chat feed exploded with a stream of bile: “Damn, he looks like a Ken doll with a stick up his ass. So cheap.” “Look at that loser. Bet he drives it like a grandma.” “Where’d a punk like that get that kind of money? Daddy a crooked politician?” “Nah, he’s definitely some rich cougar’s boy toy.” “Let him go!” Jenna’s voice cut through the noise. A wave of relief washed over me. I thought she was finally coming to her senses. But then she said, “Alex, you should stand there and learn how a real pro drives! When it comes to skill, you’re not even worthy of washing his tires!” I stared at her, the words not computing. This was the woman I had loved for two years? I’d kept my real identity a secret, yes, but my love for her had been the truest thing in my life. How could she say that? Ryder honked the horn victoriously from inside the cockpit. The car screeched forward, and he started doing tight, aggressive donuts in the spacious garage, the smell of burning rubber filling the air. “See that?” The guy in the Hawaiian shirt slapped my back so hard I almost fell over. “That’s a burnout, buddy! Something a putz like you who only knows how to cruise has never experienced.” Jenna was frowning at me from the side. “Alex, why are you making that face? Can’t you just be a good sport about this?” Ryder slammed on the brakes, the car executing a perfect, beautiful drift before stopping inches from us. “How was that, Jenna? Better than your boyfriend, huh?” Jenna actually giggled. “Way better. You’re so much better than him.” Ryder’s laugh was greasy and loud. “Oh yeah? I bet I’m better in other ways, too.” Jenna playfully swatted at the air. “Oh, stop it!” she said, giving him a sultry look that made my stomach turn. A hot rage flooded my veins. “What the hell is going on between you two?” I demanded. 2 Jenna rolled her eyes at me like I was an idiot. “I told you, we’re just friends.” “You’re ‘just friends’ with these guys? A woman, with a crew like this? Do you have any concept of boundaries?” Her expression soured. “Are you from the Stone Age? Why are you so damn old-fashioned? You can’t even take a joke. Why can’t you be more like Ryder and his friends?” I was trembling with fury. “Be like them? You want me to be a thief who steals other people’s property?” Ryder heard me. His face hardened. He stomped on the accelerator, and the Koenigsegg shot toward one of the massive concrete support pillars of the garage. He swerved at the last possible second, the carbon fiber body missing the pillar by a whisper. “Ahh!” Jenna screamed, but it was a scream of exhilaration. “Ryder, that was so cool!” The bald guy and his friend whooped and cheered. “Ryder, you’re a legend!” The livestream chat was a waterfall of digital gifts and emojis. Ryder was beaming, pointing at me. “Jenna, what’s the point of being with a coward like this? Let me take you for a real ride.” He leaned over and pushed open the passenger door. And then, the moment that shattered everything. Jenna ran towards the car, her face lit up with pure joy. “Jenna!” I yelled, my voice raw. “If you get in that car with him, we are done!” She paused, her face clouded with annoyance. “Oh, my God, you are unbelievable. I’m just going for a spin with a champion driver. You’d break up with me over that? I’ll be back in a little while. Can you stop being such a baby?” Without another look at me, she slid into the passenger seat. Ryder let out a triumphant laugh, gave me a downward-pointing thumbs-up, and floored it. The car vanished out of the garage in a blur of motion and a scream of engine noise. “Whoa, did you see that, people?” the bald guy said, pointing his camera back at my stunned face. “The owner is just standing there like a statue! His girlfriend just took off with the champ!” The Hawaiian shirt guy nudged me with his elbow. “Hey, man, don’t take it so hard. Jenna and our boy Ryder, they’re a perfect match. You’re just… you know, the opening act.” I ground my teeth, my jaw aching. I was about to reach for my phone—my real phone, from my other pocket—when I saw the screen of the bald guy’s phone. It had switched to Ryder’s point-of-view, clearly being filmed by Jenna. The camera was angled on Ryder’s profile as he expertly shifted gears and weaved through traffic. “This car is insane, folks!” he shouted over the engine noise. “A total waste on that loser owner!” Jenna’s voice, full of adoration, chimed in. “Go faster, Ryder! Faster!” “You got it, baby! Hold on tight!” The two goons watched, mesmerized, occasionally glancing over to mock me. “Hey, Jenna told us you’re working with a real toothpick down there. Is that true?” The bald guy cackled. “Oh, I heard! Just like his driving—limp and boring!” The words were so vile, so degrading. I didn’t know if they were making it up or if Jenna had actually said that about me. Either way, it was unbearable. “Shut up,” I snarled through clenched teeth. “Ooh, defensive, are we?” the Hawaiian shirt guy added. “Why else do you think she’s so close with Ryder? He knows how to perform, if you know what I mean. Hahaha!” On the screen, Ryder was steering with one hand. His other hand… it moved and draped itself around Jenna’s shoulders. She didn’t push him away. Instead, she giggled and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Whoa! We’ve got live-action romance, people!” the bald guy yelled into his phone. Then, Jenna tilted her head up and planted a kiss on Ryder’s cheek. He laughed, turning his head to catch her lips in a deep, sloppy kiss. My brain short-circuited. A girlfriend who would do that? Why was I even hesitating? It was over. What was I waiting for? An engraved invitation to my own public humiliation? 3 There was something naggingly familiar about Ryder’s arrogant face. I knew I’d seen him somewhere before, and it definitely wasn’t on a rally podium. While the two goons were distracted by the livestream, I discreetly pulled up some information on Ryder Stone. And what I found was very, very interesting. I dialed 911. “Hello, my Koenigsegg has been stolen by a man named Ryder Stone. He’s currently driving recklessly through the city, speeding…” Before I could finish, the bald guy rushed me, slapping the phone out of my hand. “Fuck! You little snitch, you actually called the cops?!” “You really don’t know when to quit!” He stomped on my phone, crushing it on the concrete floor. The Hawaiian shirt guy grabbed me in a chokehold and dragged me backward while the bald one quickly called Ryder. Less than five minutes later, the Koenigsegg screeched back into the garage. Ryder leaped out, storming toward me, and drove his fist straight into my gut. “You want to die, you piece of shit?” Jenna walked up to me then. She didn’t check if I was okay. She didn’t show a flicker of concern. Instead, she slapped me hard across the face. “Alex! You coward! It was a small thing, did you really have to blow it up like this?” I clutched my stomach, the pain a white-hot nova. I looked at the woman I once loved, her face now twisted into an ugly, unfamiliar mask. Ryder spat on the floor and grabbed a fistful of my hair. “Looks like we have to teach you a lesson you won’t forget. Tie him up!” I struggled, but it was two against one. “Ryder, what do we do now?” the bald guy asked. Before Ryder could answer, the doorbell to the main house rang. A flicker of hope ignited in me. I tried to make a sound. Ryder’s face changed, and he shot me a venomous look. “Jenna, you go talk to them.” He then nodded to the Hawaiian shirt guy. “You go with her. Make it look convincing.” I could hear a police officer’s voice through the door. “We received a report about a stolen vehicle?” The Hawaiian shirt guy’s voice, suddenly friendly and calm, answered. “Oh, that was me, officer! Total misunderstanding! My friend just took the car out without asking, and I kind of freaked out and called you guys. He just brought it back. Everything’s fine now.” Jenna immediately backed him up. “My boyfriend just has a bit of a temper!” The police saw the car, parked and undamaged. They took some notes and left. The second the door closed, their true natures returned. They dragged me out from behind a stack of storage bins and threw me to the ground. Ryder kicked me hard in the stomach, and my vision swam with black spots. Jenna stood a few feet away, arms crossed, watching with cold indifference. “Hey, tough guy,” the Hawaiian shirt guy sneered, squatting down to pat my cheek. “Not so tough now, are you? Did you learn your lesson?” 4 They had gagged me, so I couldn’t scream the curses I was thinking, but I made sure my eyes conveyed all the hatred I felt. “Ooh, still defiant?” the bald one grinned. “Boys, I think he needs a little something extra to help him cool off.” Ryder grinned cruelly and started to unbuckle his pants. “I've been holding it in. Thought I'd give you a taste of some golden champagne, cool you off!” A hot, foul stream rained down on me, soaking my hair and shirt. The humiliation was so absolute, so suffocating, I nearly passed out. “Hahaha!” The two goons roared with laughter. Jenna actually let out a snort of amusement. “Ryder is a rally champion. It’s an honor for him to even drive your car. You really don’t know what’s good for you.” Ryder zipped up his pants and kicked me again. “Can’t handle that? Oh, the fun is just getting started.” He motioned to his friends. “Go to town on him. Don’t hit the face, but make sure he remembers this. Teach him some respect.” A storm of fists and feet descended on my back, my stomach, my ribs. I curled into a ball, each blow punctuated by their vile taunts and crazed laughter. “Think you’re hot shit with your fancy car?” “Useless coward!” And through it all, Jenna never said a word to stop them. When they finally got tired, they stopped. Ryder nudged me with his shoe. “Kid, let this be a lesson. We’re taking the car. If you dare call the cops again, it’ll be a lot worse than a beating and a golden shower. Got it?” The Hawaiian shirt guy asked, “Ryder, what about him?” Ryder stretched, satisfied. “Just leave him tied up. Keep him out of trouble.” Jenna added, “Yeah, that way we can have some fun for a couple of days without him bothering us.” Ryder wrapped his arm around Jenna’s waist. “Let’s go, baby. I know a place where we can have a real good time.” Just as they were about to leave, there was a sharp, authoritative knock at the door. The laughter died instantly. Ryder’s face soured. “Don’t tell me the cops came back.” His friends looked nervous, exchanging glances. “Quick! Shove him back there!” They scrambled to drag me back into the corner, behind the storage bins. Just before they stuffed the gag back in my mouth, I yelled at Ryder, “Your good times are over!” My words made him pause, then his face contorted with rage. He rushed over and kicked me viciously one last time. “You son of a bitch! You dare curse me? I’ll deal with you later!” The moment the door opened, the smile on Ryder’s face froze. He stood there as if he’d been turned to stone.
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