Behind The Alpha Book 5 Deacon

Chapter 9

(Chapter song ‘Black Betty’ by Spiderbait)
DEACON

‘How’s it looking, Alex?’  I link my informal pit boss.
‘Johnsons made some improvements.  Corbin fixed the roll over from last month which means you have actual competition.  Stuart has a new toy.  A Bronco.’  He links back.
‘Pfft, Bronco.  Whatever.’  I scoff.
“Deacon?  Where are we going?”
I close the link in my mind and glance at her.  “To the race.”  I inform as I drive us through the parking lot to the back.
“What?”  She whips her head to me.
“We're headed to the starting line.”  I grin.  I turn and get directed to the green flag. 
“Excuse me?!  You said we were watching!”
“Yes.  From inside the race.”  I smirk and bounce my brow.
I drive up into the starting area and head to my spot.  Car number 1. 
She tries the door.  “No!”  She turns and points at me.  “You let me out, this instant!”  Her eyes are wide and she’s starting to lose it.
“Relax.  It’s fine.  It’ll be fun.”  I say with a toothy smile.
“Dying in a car wreck isn’t fun, Deacon.”  She glares at me.
I unbuckle my harness.  “I promise, I’m a great driver.”  I pull her harness tighter and she let’s out a little yelp.  “Just in case.”
I stand up through my roof.
“Deacon!” 
I raise my hands in the air.  “YEAH!!”
The crowds screams and hollers at seeing their Alpha. I see drivers behind me raise their hands or stand up in their cars.  They all shout at me as I amp them up.
“You’re going down, Riley!!”
The corner of my lip ticks up as eye the Bronco.
“You’ll be the one on your knees, Stuart!!”  I yell back.
I chuckle as I climb in and buckle up.
“Deacon!  Please!”  Jenny begs. 
I turn to her.  In the corner of my eye, I see the starting flag raise.  I start the engine.  “This will be fun.  I promise.  Just calm down.”  I see the starter prepare.  “Hang on to your glasses.”  I smirk as I wring the steering wheel.
“Deacon Riley, you let me out of this car, now!”
The starter drops the flag.
“TOO LATE!”   I stomp the gas.  My tires grip the stony, dry dirt and we take off.  Clouds trail violently behind us as my truck rears back a bit before settling into the road. 
“DEACON!!” 
I’m laughing like a fool as we make the first turn.  “Whoa!  Hang on!”
She screams as we drift.  A wall of desert sand kicks up on her side as I turn the wheel.  My tires float around the corner and take the turn to the straightaway.  The mogul run. 
“It gets a little bumpy…”  I warn loud. 
I hit the gas and my tires hit the succession of speed bumps. 
“DE-EA-C-O-N!”  She tries as she’s bounced in her seat. 
I fly across the bumps, my tires grab more dirt rock and fire it out behind me.  I look into the rearview mirror and the others are right behind me coming up fast.
“OK!  Jenny this is very important.”  I whip my head to her.  “I need you to navigate.”
“WHAT?  NO!”  She yells.
I glare at her.  “If I lose course, We’ll flip.  You want to flip?” 
“No.”  she looks terrified. 
“Then tell me where to go.”  I eye her. 
Her mouth goes small.  I can almost hear her heart over my engine. 
“OK.  Here we go!”
I make another turn, straighten out and hit the sand.
A wave covers us as my nose dives in.  Just like water, sand splashes in my view raising thick dust clouds. 
“WATCH THE ROAD!  WHERE IS IT?”  I yell as I try to navigate through the dust. 
My trucks hits dune after dune. 
“Right!”  She yells as she tries to cover herself from the onslaught of sand coming into the truck. 
I turn my wheel right as I push us through. 
“NO, OVER!  OVER!”  She motions her hand the left. 
I compensate.  “Shit!”  I see Stuart behind me.
The truck slams and shakes as we crawl fast. I feel my tires slipping as they try to find traction.  Sand is getting into everything.  Jenny’s covered in it and I can’t help but grin.
“LEFT!”  I slam my wheel to the left.
Like a boat in a storm, wave after wave hits us without forgiveness. 
“WHOO!!”  I yell.  “HANG ON!” I stomp the gas to the last dune.  It’s the big one and I crash through it.  Sand covers us as my truck lifts off the ground.  It’s tires spin as I sail through and pop out of the dust like some crazed monster.   I hit the solid track and my wheel goes haywire
Jenny bounces in her seat and I catch something in the insanity.  A giggle.  I glance beside me and she’s smiling.  Fuck, I’m a hero! 
I push my pedal to the max.  Rocks.  I swerve the obstacles and run over those that don’t mean much. 
“Am I good?”  I shout.
She turns to me.  “Yes!”  she yells. 
That’s my little Navi. 
Cactus fields.  A time to pass.  The road opens up and the racers will spread out behind me to get a position before the road goes down to single lane again.
The truck is shaking like an earthquake as we run through the uneven field.  I whip around a patch of tall cacti and straighten out. “Keep an eye on my blind spots.  Make sure no one gets by us.  Look for the road.” 
Her head is turning wildly, doing as I instruct.  She’s so into it.  Damn, girl. 
I try keep up momentum to keep my position as the roar of engines behind me closes in.  To my left, four trucks have entered my view in a line. 
“They’re coming!”  She yells.
“No shit!”  I yell back.  “Hang on!”  I turn my wheel sharply and veer off.  I know a shortcut. 
I point out the window.  “Look for a road in those rocks.”  There’s a small cliff of mountain rock just on the right of the field. 
She adjusts her glasses ad scans them.  She points aggressively.  “There!  Right there!”
“Thank you.”  I say playfully and turn my wheel sharp again. 
The others aren’t following because it’s not on the course, but there’s nothing in the rules about using other routes in the pass area.  So I’m going for it. 
I enter the cliff pass through.  It’s sandy, but not too bad.  Just really bumpy.  My trucks engine echoes loud off the stone walls and the light has died down a bit.  I flip a switch and my flood lights come on.  The tanned rocks loom above us as I turn my way through the pass. 
Jenny’s hair has fallen out of her bun and she looks disheveled, but so goddamn hot!
“The end!”  She says with a grin.
“Yep.  I see it!”  I smile. 
As we breach the rocks, I turn my wheel to the right.  The course is just up ahead.  So is Stuart, Johnson and Corbin.
“Fuck!  Hold on.”  I grit and run myself parallel with the road.  My tires are bouncing, individually, across the rough ground as I try to form a plan.  Then I see it.  I reach over and retighten Jenny’s belt.  “This will be nuts.  Sit tight.” 
Her eyes bug out and she hangs onto her seat.
I hit the gas and we’re pushed back into our seats.  I aim for a large dune on the side of the course.
“HANG ON!!”  I growl loud and my truck hits the dune.  Sand explodes and my truck is launched.  Jenny screams as I sail through the air to hopefully land on the course. 
The dust clears as I bust out of the cloud.  I get a glimpse of Stuart and my truck hits the ground so hard that shoves us forward with humph sounds from each of us.  My tires catch and I fight to straighten out.
Jenny is panting hard.  “Oh my God!! “  She tries to fix herself.
“I know.”  I heave a breath with a smile.  My heart’s racing and I look in the rearview.  Stuart is behind me.  “So cool.”  Our eyes lock for a moment and we both smile. 
The leg of uneven moguls went almost unnoticed and the finish was just up ahead.  I turn the last turn, and my truck takes the straightaway.  We cross the checkered archway and my truck takes a little jump in the end.  I hear my pack going insane as I slam the brakes and slide the truck to a stop. 
“WHOO!  YEAH!!”  I quickly unbuckle my belt then lean over and unbuckle Jenny. 
I jump out and jump a fist into the air.  “YEAH!” 
I was half expecting to be smacked profusely, maybe even punched out, but I wasn’t expecting what I got.
I turn and Jenny is running to me.  She leaps into my arms with a full on belly laugh.  Her legs wrap around me and she hugs my neck tight.
Holy shit! I’m a fucking God!  I laugh with her as I hold her sand covered hair with an arm under her ass.  She pulls back and the next thing I know, her tongue is commanding entrance on my lips.  My eyes widen then I melt.  She’s holding my cheeks and her soft tongue dances with mine as I carry her.  Her electric kiss swims through me.  The semi I was sporting, twitches in my shorts. 
She pulls back with a grin.  “Thank you.” 
I chuckle as I look into her eyes.  “You’re welcome.”
I set her down.  “So, you hand fun.”
She tries to fix herself.  “No.  It was reckless and irresponsible.”  She eyes me.
“That’s what I thought you’d say.”  I thread my fingers into her hair and kiss her again. 
I wanted close.  I didn’t think it would be this close. 
She’s right into my kiss when we’re interrupted by my pack and a bunch of reporters shouting questions.
“Deacon.”  She squeaks as I see her face turn red and she tries to hide herself from the barrage of attention.  I clue in that she’s not ready for this.  I grab her head and hold it to my chest.
I put up a hand.  “Everyone!  Everyone….”  They quiet down.  “I know you have a ton of questions, but right now, I want to celebrate my win in private, ok.  Um…Have fun.  You have three days to beat my time.  Maybe.”  I smirk and escort Jenny to my truck.  I buckle her in and lean close.  “Let’s get you home.”  I say quietly. 
She nods as her eyes flick to the people behind me.
I close the door and I’m swarmed as I walk around the truck.  People are taking pictures of Jenny as I start the truck, blare the horn to part the waves, drive through the race exit and head back to the store. 
I have learned one thing.  Inside the shy girl, is someone who loves excitement.  Which is great.  I love that, but there was a little twinge in me when we were accosted by the press.  A feeling that I had to protect my little shy girl from them instead of shoving her in their faces.  I never thought I’d say this, but I’m starting to like her meek, quiet personality.  It’s totally opposite of mine. I may have to think on this a little more if I want more than a single kiss.