Chapter 5

The heavy bass of the metal music vibrated through the soles of Allison's boots.

The abandoned quarry was lit up like a warzone. Blinding halogen spotlights cut through the thick clouds of exhaust fumes and dust. Hundreds of people screamed and shoved against the chain-link fences, desperate for a view of the track.

Allison rode her black motorcycle through the crowd. She hit the brakes hard, throwing the bike into a vicious tailwhip. The rear tire screamed against the dirt, stopping perfectly on the starting line.

High above the track, standing in the shadows of a rusted crane, Graham held a pair of military-grade binoculars to his eyes. He locked the lenses onto the girl in the black helmet.

Down on the track, Nash Corrigan pushed his way through the crowd. He was a massive wall of muscle, chewing on a lit cigar. His crew flanked him, glaring at Allison.

Nash stopped inches from her front tire. He blew a cloud of toxic smoke right at her visor.

"You got a death wish, little girl?" Nash laughed, his voice booming over the engine noise. "A hick trying to take on the Azure Syndicate? You're gonna die on this dirt."

Allison didn't take off her helmet. She kept her hands on the handlebars. She slowly lifted her left hand and flipped him the middle finger.

The crowd went wild.

Nash's face turned purple with rage. He reached into his leather vest and slammed a piece of paper onto her fuel tank.

"Two million dollars," Nash roared. "And a turf bet. Whoever loses, their crew is banned from this track for three years."

Allison looked down at the check. Her heart rate remained perfectly steady. She needed that money. She gave a single, sharp nod.

Nash sneered and stomped over to his car-a heavily modified supercar rigged with a massive nitrous oxide system. The engine revved, sounding like a screaming demon.

Allison's bike looked like a toy next to it.

A girl in a torn tank top walked to the center of the track. She raised a red flag high above her head. She held it for three agonizing seconds.

She dropped the flag.

Nash's supercar exploded off the line. The tires dug into the dirt, launching the heavy vehicle forward like a missile. He was fifty yards ahead in the blink of an eye.

Allison didn't move. She waited half a second. Then, she smoothly rolled the throttle. The bike launched forward, but she wasn't pushing it. She was trailing behind.

Up in the shadows, Pierce gripped the railing. "She choked. She's terrified."

Graham didn't blink. He adjusted the focus on the binoculars. "She's not choking. She's testing the grip of the dirt. She's reading the track."

They hit the halfway mark. The track narrowed violently, leading into the 'Reaper's Scythe'-a brutal hairpin turn with a solid rock wall on the inside and a sheer cliff drop on the outside.

Nash slammed his brakes, cutting hard into the inside lane to block her path. He left her no room to pass.

Allison didn't brake.

She twisted the throttle until it locked. The motorcycle let out a high-pitched, terrifying shriek.

The crowd screamed. People covered their eyes. She was going too fast. She was going to fly off the cliff.

Allison threw her body weight entirely to the right. The motorcycle dropped horizontally, the footpegs sparking violently against the asphalt. She was inches from the ground, riding the absolute edge of the tire's grip.

She swept to the outside lane, right on the edge of the cliff. Her rear exhaust pipe scraped against the metal guardrail. A massive shower of orange sparks exploded into the night sky, illuminating her black helmet.

Nash looked in his rearview mirror. He saw the sparks. He saw the bike practically defying gravity. Panic seized his chest. He jerked the steering wheel, his car fishtailing wildly as he lost his nerve.

Allison shot past him like a shadow.

She crossed the finish line three seconds ahead of him. The digital timer on the overhead screen flashed a new track record.

The quarry went dead silent. Then, the crowd erupted into a deafening roar.

Up on the crane, Graham dropped the binoculars. His breathing stopped. His hands gripped the metal railing so hard his knuckles turned white.

That leaning angle. That suicidal outer-lane overtake. He had seen it before. Four years ago, on an F1 circuit in Monaco.

It was 'S'. The legend. The ghost he had been hunting for years.

Down on the track, Allison kicked her kickstand down. She ripped off her helmet, her dark hair falling over her shoulders. She walked straight over to Nash, who was slumped against his steering wheel, pale and shaking.

She reached through his open window and snatched the two-million-dollar check from his dashboard.

"This track is mine now. The Azure Syndicate is done here," she said coldly.

She walked back to her bike, shoved the check into her jacket, and rode off into the darkness.

Graham stared at the empty track. His chest heaved. He twisted his pinky ring, a dark, predatory fire burning in his eyes.

"I found you," he whispered.