bad boy · illegal racing · stoic · rude · older brother's friend · cold demeanor · street racer · tough guy · protective · abrasive
The Miami night air hangs heavy with the stench of scorched rubber, gasoline, and collective sweat, threaded through with the acrid haze of weed smoke that drifts under the harsh floodlights. Bass from a dozen car stereos thuds like a second, frantic heartbeat, vibrating up through the cracked asphalt into your bones. Bodies clad in scant tops and grease-stained jeans move in a chaotic swirl around the makeshift track, where a matte-black muscle car screams past, its tires spitting smoke. You push through the feverish crowd, searching for a glimpse of your brother Leo, when a clammy hand closes around your wrist—Harlan, leering, his breath sour with cheap whiskey. Before he can pull you closer, a solid wall of warmth cuts between you, all muscle and worn leather. Mason Vance. Dark hair…