Chapter 1

1.

Jace Sterling was taken by his worst enemy. I went alone to trade myself for him.

After they'd had their fun, they dumped me down a hillside. From a roadside bar, I heard howls of laughter.

"Oh my God, she fell for it again! This is too good!"

Through a crack in the window, I saw my boyfriend and his so-called enemy. Arms draped over each other. No trace of a feud.

"Ninety-seven times. Three more and we hit an even hundred. Then we stop."

"She had it coming. She refused to testify for Tessa. Just watched her get expelled. Her whole future, destroyed. Tessa is Jace's baby sister. Anyone who hurts her, Jace makes them wish they were dead. That's why he faked the whole relationship. Too bad. No more games now."

I bit down on my lip. I refused to let myself sob.

So my desperate, all-in love was just their entertainment.

***

The hand I'd raised to push the door froze in mid-air.

Voices still drifted out. Taunting. Mixed with recordings of my own screams.

"Look at her now. Not a single patch of good skin left except her face. All those expensive creams she slathered on every day. Worthless. We still messed her up."

"Good thing Jace said to keep her face. He didn't want to throw up looking at her. Otherwise that would be gone too."

"Hey, you think if she found out this 'worst enemy' is actually Jace's real cousin, she'd lose her mind? What if next time we try something even wilder, like―"

"Enough."

A cold voice cut them off. I heard a lighter click.

"Don't do anything too disgusting. She's still my girlfriend, at least on paper. Did any of you think about how I'd feel?"

"Alright, alright, my bad, Jace. Relax. We'll keep it tame."

No groveling apology. Just lazy laughter and a few half-hearted agreements.

I bit my lip until I tasted blood.

Before they spotted me, I dragged myself toward the road.

Everyone who saw me looked horrified. A little girl screamed.

The California sun beat down. Vicious. I used to love this kind of heat.

I remembered feeling it on the track for the first time. Right before I met him.

Now that sunlight hit every bruise like a spotlight. It hurt.

Jace and I met on an afternoon exactly like this.

I was an intern for the racing team. Logging telemetry data.

A black Ford Mustang stopped in front of me. The door opened. A tall man pulled off his helmet. He glanced at my name tag and grinned.

"New here?"

I nodded. Nervous.

"Yeah."

He tucked his helmet under his arm. His eyes flicked to the water bottle in my hand.

"I'm dying of thirst. Can I have a sip?"

I blinked. Nodded without thinking.

He thanked me. Handed me his helmet. Unscrewed the cap and drank.

I watched a bead of water slide down his throat.

Something twisted in my stomach. I suddenly found my clipboard fascinating. Stared at it. Didn't dare look up.

The helmet was gone from my arms. He smiled and thanked me again.

Someone called him from across the track. He turned to leave. Then looked back.

"What's your name?"

"Ryan."

His grin widened.

"Cool name."

He walked away fast. I heard my own heart pounding.

Back then, I thought it was sweet. I had no idea I'd already walked into a trap custom-built for me.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

When I opened my eyes again, the racetrack was gone. Nothing but an endless stretch of highway.

Three days without food or water. My already unsteady heart finally gave out.

I clutched my chest. Stumbled. Fell. My vision went dark.

Before I blacked out completely, a sharp voice cut through, moving closer.