Racing Hearts (Hollows Garage Book 3)
Racing Hearts: Chapter 39

I didn’t know exactly what it was, but every time someone threatened Jax, it made my blood boil in a way that I’d never experienced. It seemed absurd to threaten someone who never did anything wrong. Who loved the people around him, and would obviously do anything for them.

“Put that away,” I said, stepping between them.

“When he gets in the car, I will.”

“No, do it now.”

“Carly, relax. Take a breath,” Jax whispered behind me.

The only way I could explain it was pure, blinding outrage. I charged forward, punching him in the face and crying out when my hand ricocheted with pain. He yelled out, pulling the gun up, but I hit it down.

His hand must have squeezed the trigger, and the explosion of the gun made me fall back. I squeezed my eyes shut, but I could hear Jax yell and the ground shake as engines started. Out of pure luck, I hadn’t been hit, but Tristan had been.

When I finally pried my eyes open, Tristan was yelling out, his foot covered in more blood than his arm had been in earlier.

I looked back at Jax. His eyes were wide, and he looked at me. Before he had a chance to step forward, someone slammed into him, driving their shoulder into his stomach.

All of Slaughter’s friends were here now, and for a moment, it was blinding chaos. I looked back for Jax, but Slaughter yanked me away.

“Deal’s off. Back to our original plan. Only Carly goes now,” he yelled, laughing as he went.

Tristan limped to the car as Slaughter threw me into the side of a car.

“Get in,” he yelled, pushing my head down and forcing me in. My sister, Chloe, sat in the driver’s seat and my stomach dropped further.

“Chloe? What are you doing here?” The door slammed shut, but I could hear yelling.

I looked out, seeing Jax. His eyes were locked on our car as he punched someone. Part of me hoped that he would save me, the other hoped that he would go home, forget all of this happened, keeping him and the crew safe from more of this.

I didn’t seem to have a choice though, because Slaughter had that covered.

“Slash all the tires. We don’t need them interrupting us. Then go to your posted places. We are getting this done and solving all of our problems today.”

Chloe took off, speeding down the road like a pro. “I didn’t know you could drive like this?”

“What the fuck, Carly?” she screamed. “Did you just shoot my husband?”

“Husband? You got married?”

“Yeah, we did, and you shot him. That’s after you let your stupid dog attack him.”

“He technically shot himself,” I said, trying not to laugh. I suddenly wished Jax was here, because I knew he would replace it funny. “And wait, why are you here? Are you helping them with this?”

“Helping? These guys can barely tie their own shoes. I’m running this one.”

I stepped back with horror. “You…You’re working with them now? You set this up?”

“Obviously.”

“And you’re okay with this? You want to do this?” I couldn’t believe it. Chloe had always stayed far enough away from all of this that I never would have believed she wanted to be involved.

She shrugged. “Yeah, I like it. I like being in charge and handling things. I like the money it brings, too. We bought a new house, and that’s why we got married in the first place. Slaughter said I could take over a few things if we did.”

“Why would you do this to me? Why wouldn’t you help me and make them leave me alone?”

“Because I don’t want to get in trouble either, and we need these cars. Slaughter set up the deal with a partner, and he’s breathing down our throat. Some rich guy that needs to get richer. Now, we have to be at the manufacturer lot in twenty minutes to get all the cars out. I can’t let my emotions get in the middle of that. I know you’re a bitch and you would turn us over to the cops in a heartbeat if you could.”

My eyebrows shot up. For all the times I had let my sister walk all over me, I was still surprised that she was saying this right now.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I didn’t think I could take it now. I already knew it was Jax. He was probably freaking out, and I hoped that Ash was doing what I asked. I told that if things didn’t go our way, like this, then she would call the sheriff. I would take whatever blame I needed to if it kept everyone alive and in one piece.

But as much as I was at odds with my sister, I didn’t wish this for her.

“Please don’t do this, Chloe. Pull over. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“I won’t. With you joining us, we have the insurance for you not to call, and we have you back to finish up the VIN plates and titles. No one needs to get into any trouble now. Slaughter has been worried for weeks that you would go to the police, but you never did. I knew you wouldn’t. You’re a coward, always hiding in your room, and putting your head down. I knew we just needed to get you back, and then you would help.”

“Chloe, pull the car over. End this now because it’s only going to get worse. I’m not a coward. Maybe I was, but it doesn’t seem that way anymore.”

Her face flushed with anger and she looked at me. “Why? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything yet, but you messed with my friends and they aren’t going to go down without a fight. Please, stop now and stay out of this.”

“Carly,” she screamed, yanking the car to the side of the road and pulling to a stop. “What did you do?”

She reached over, and I already knew what she was doing. Chloe was a hair puller and when she was mad, she would rip the hair from my head. I swung up, punching her in the side of the face before she could get a handful. She screamed again, but I was already pushing the door open, falling out as Slaughter’s car rounded the corner, his friends not far behind.

Another car came around them, a black 1968 Charger that seemed to keep coming to my rescue. He hit the side of the road, going around Slaughter and his friend, and didn’t stop as he pushed to the front, the brakes locking up and skidding to a stop next to us.

Jax was out in seconds, pulling me off the ground and wrapping his arms around me.

“Carly,” he said, squeezing me tighter.

“I’m okay. She got a little of my hair, though.”

He gave a harsh laugh, kissing my head and keeping me hard against him. I looked over as the rest of the crew came out of the Charger like a clown car. One after another, and I couldn’t imagine how uncomfortable it had been. A laugh escaped me, but fear took hold as Slaughter’s voice came closer.

“You bitch. You know this isn’t done,” he said. “Chloe! Get her, we have to go!”

“It actually is, Slaughter. And for you, I think it’s over for good now.”

I saw the lights, the sirens silent as sheriff cars pulling around, blocking every single one of Slaughter and his friends’ cars in. Unless they could somehow navigate the woods, there was no getting out now.

The cops descended, grabbing all of them as Jax held me.

“Carly, what did you do?” Jax said, his arms somehow tightening.

Ash stepped up next to us, Fox holding onto her. “She told me to call the sheriff if things went bad, and I did. He did say Carly would be going to jail with them until I made it clear that she was the one calling him, and not involved. He agreed to work with us on keeping her record clean if we helped him finally get Slaughter locked up for good. He’s cost them a lot with all the calls on these stolen cars.”

“I didn’t know Ash knew the sheriff so well. I’ve been scared for weeks that I was going to be spending the next ten years in prison if I said anything,” I said, smiling even though I felt like crying. “Now, we have to hope I can prove that I wasn’t as involved. But either way, it’s okay. I don’t want to run anymore, and this was the price for staying. Do you think the worst of it is done now?” I asked, watching them grab Slaughter’s friends, handcuffing them one-by-one.

“I sure fucking hope so. I just got into another fight and need one of those damn baths. Maybe some of that witch salve for this, too,” he said, holding up his arm that had a cut across it.

I reached up to kiss him, seeing the dried blood at his nose, but before I could get to his lips, hands pulled me away, ripping my arms back behind me. Before I could fight back, I felt the cool metal of handcuffs clamp around my wrist.