chapter439

Connor was just about to pull out his phone and call Chris again, but Lydia stopped him. "He's probably training right now. Let's not mess with his focus."

Getting distracted during practice was the last thing any racer needed, especially here at Rush Bay, where the track was even more brutal than the real thing. It was better to leave Chris alone.

"Alright, let's go, this really isn't a place for you two," Lucas said, waving them off.

Honestly, Lydia and Connor didn't look like racers at all. They seemed more like tourists, maybe even a couple just out to enjoy the view. The scenery at Rush Bay really was something else, which made Lucas even more determined not to let them in. If anything happened to them, he'd be the one in trouble, and he wasn't about to risk it.

"So only racers can get in?" Lydia asked.

Yeah, if you don't have a racing license, I can't let you in. I'm just trying to keep you safe," Lucas said.

He looked at Lydia, thinking she couldn't be more than eighteen. She was pretty, almost too pretty to be hanging around a dangerous place like this. Why bring her boyfriend here for a date when there were so many other options?

Lydia just pulled out her phone, tapped a few times, and held the screen up for Lucas to see.

Lucas barely glanced at it at first, but then his eyes went wide. He stared, jaw dropping.

"I have a license, Lydia said, tucking her phone away. She grabbed Connor's hand and walked right through the gate.

Lucas just stood there in shock. He pinched his cheek, then patted it, half whispering to himself, "Mom, I think I just saw the super racer NO1."

Connor couldn't help glancing at Lydia with curiosity, his mind clearly turning over new questions.

Lydia caught the look and shrugged. "Like I said, I'm a professional racer too."

Connor had pretty much figured that out back at Wind Gorge. He just hadn't known how good she really was.

"So, how high's your rank?" he asked.

Lydia's lips curled into a sly smile. "Pretty high."

Connor's smile grew even wider. He'd known it all along. No matter what she did, she was always the best.

They were heading further in when

suddenly a loud, cocky burst of laughter rang out, Ha! What a bunch of losers!"

"Chris, maybe you're not total tr"Your whole country's trash!"

"With your skills, there's no way you're winning tomorrow!"

A group of racers were heckling them.

"What's that look? Are you angry?"

"Tough luck. Deal with it. No one's here to back you up!"

"Exactly! Neil was easy to bully, but we're not."

"Yeah, Neil embarrassed us. We're taking our pride back this time."

"How come you didn't bring that biker girl with you today?"

"Probably because she can only handle a motorcycle, not a real race car. Hilarious!"

"You losers still have the nerve to show up to compete?"

Chris' hands clenched tight, veins

stand "He's just a l you run your mouths t

You're all leveld

He's B-level. He's the weakest. That's not our problem.

"If you're scared to lose, don't show up. Get someone else."

"Your team's gotten so bad you can't even find another A-level driver?"

"You should just quit now. There's no way you're beating us."

The racers just got louder, already acting like tomorrow's trophy was theirs.

Lydia stepped forward, a cold,

confident smile on her face. Her

voice cut through the noise, cool and

fearless. "Even with a B-level driver,

we'll take your down tomorrow Easy." O