Your navigator
1342 Words
TESSA
I perched on the edge of the bed, my head dropping to my palms. Kyle Maxwell saw my picture in red, lace lingerie. He saw it.
A notification chime echoed through the silence. {Kyle: Are you trying to seduce me, Tessa Vance?}
My heart dropped.
{Tessa: Delete the picture. I didn't mean to send it to you. It was for someone else.}
He didn't reply back.
I waited, staring at the clock on the wall. Still, no response from his side.
{Tessa: Did you delete it?}
He didn't read my text.
Unable to wait another second, I hit the call button. My fingers trembled so badly that it took me two tries just to press the screen correctly.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
I paced across my room, clutching the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. A dozen disastrous scenarios flashed through my mind.
Had he opened it?
Of course he had.
Had he zoomed in?
Oh God.
The call finally connected.
[Kyle] I blurted out before he could say a word.
He was silent.
[Kyle Maxwell, don't you dare say anything. Just delete the picture.]
After a long pause, a voice reached my ears. [Tessa, it's me, Raven. Kyle's busy. He's in the middle of a race right now.]
[Race? The Downhill Road?]
[Yeah. The race’s about to start. Gotta go. I'll inform Kyle that you called. Bye.]
As the call ended, I quickly changed into a short white dress, a comfortable one, and rushed out of my house.
I had to meet Kyle and delete the picture from his phone before he starts blackmailing me. I ran straight to the Downhill Road. The very place where Kyle once saved me from Snake.
As soon as I arrived, my gaze swept across the massive crowd. People shouted, cheered, and chanted the names of their favorite bikers while the roar of engines vibrated in every direction.
As I looked around, a group caught my attention. I didn’t recognize any of them.
They stood apart from the others, carrying themselves with the same confidence and intensity as the Reapers, but there was something hostile about them.
Judging by the way they watched the Reapers from across the crowd, they weren't friends.
I hurried across the street and made my way toward the Reapers, trying to catch my breath after running through the crowd.
“Where’s Kyle?” I asked, my voice coming out breathless and urgent.
The Reapers immediately turned toward me, their expressions shifting the moment they saw how desperate I looked.
“Tessa? Why are you here?”
“Let's not discuss it now.” My gaze dropped to the phone in Raven's hands. “You have his phone, right?”
He looked at the phone for a second before meeting my gaze. “This one's mind. Kyle took his phone back.”
My chest tightened. “You didn't see anything, right?” I whispered, leaning closer into him.
He slightly tilted his head. “And what exactly should I've seen, Tessa?”
The Reapers exchanged amused glances, a few knowing smirks appearing almost instantly. “Are you hiding something from us?” Zen asked, raising a brow.
“That's between Kyle and me.”
“Ooooo…” They chanted together as if I just said something entertaining.
Suddenly, the host stepped onto the center of the road, instantly commanding everyone's attention. His voice boomed through the speakers, carrying across the crowd and reaching every corner of the track.
Within seconds, the noise of the spectators faded as all eyes turned toward him.
“Before the race begins,” the host announced, his voice loud through the speakers, “it’s time to introduce the navigators for each team.”
The crowd erupted with excitement.
He raised a hand for silence before continuing.
“And remember the most important rule of tonight’s race… No phones, no GPS, and absolutely no navigation devices. The only guide a rider can rely on is the female partner seated behind him.”
“What's the cash prize?” Someone from the crowd shouted.
“80,000 dollars.” The host answered.
A fresh wave of cheers rolled through the crowd as the bikers stepped forward.
That’s when I saw him.
Those striking blue eyes found mine across the crowd, and for a moment, everything else seemed to fade into the background.
Dressed entirely in black, a leather jacket hugging his broad shoulders, dark jeans, gloves, and boots, he looked like a storm given human form. Dangerous. Untouchable. Impossible to ignore.
Even from a distance, the intensity of his gaze threatened to swallow me whole.
He didn't look away. Instead, his eyes traveled over me slowly, taking me in from head to toe before returning to my face.
The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, as though he'd caught me staring and intended to make me pay for it.
A rush of heat climbed up my neck.
Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he slowly lifted his gloved hand to his mouth.
Without breaking eye contact, he tugged at the edge of the leather with his teeth, adjusting the fit with a confidence that made my pulse skip.
His gaze never wavered.
Then, with maddening calm, he lowered his hand and tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk ghosting across his lips.
“Navigators, step forward!” The host announced, loud and clear.
Several girls emerged from different corners, weaving through the sea of spectators. Some wore skirts, others shorts, and a few had chosen fitted dresses. One by one, they made their way to the riders they would be guiding and took their places beside them.
Soon, nearly every biker had a navigator standing at his side.
My eyes were fixed on Kyle.
He stood beneath the lights, tall and composed in black leather, hands tucked into his pockets.
But unlike the others, his side remained empty.
No girl stepped forward. No one claimed the spot beside him. And somehow, that empty space drew my attention more than anyone else on the track.
“It seems Kyle forgot to bring his navigator… Or maybe he's no longer popular.” One of the bikers taunted, and the others laughed.
“At least… I don't beg girls to be my navigators.” Kyle smiled, snatching off the words from that biker's mouth.
“Where's Lily?” The Reapers behind me were panicking. She was supposed to be Kyle's navigator tonight.
The Reapers kept calling her, texting her, yet she was out of reach.
After a long struggle to reach her, she finally answered. [Where the hell are you?] Sky spat, losing his temper.
He looked at the Reapers and abruptly disconnected the call. “Lily fell from the stairs. She's in the hospital.”
“Kyle,” the host spoke again. “Without a navigator, you can't participate in tonight's race. Rules are rules.”
The other bikers seem too happy.
“For the first time, Kyle Maxwell wouldn't be able to participate in a race. That's new.”
Whispers stirred around him.
“Kyle, withdraw from the race. We can't wait anymore.” Another biker forced him.
“I’m allowed to pick someone from the crowd, aren’t I?” Kyle asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked toward the host.
Everyone went silent.
“Ahm… Sure!”
The host turned to the crowd. “Any girl confident in navigation, please step forward.”
Nobody came forward.
The biker on Kyle's left chuckled. “You're having bad luck tonight. Just leave.”
“It seems no one's confident.” The host sighed. “Unfortunately, you're disqualified.”
Kyle didn't argue.
He simply peeled off his glove... When I stepped forward, the sound of my heels reverberating through the air. Our eyes locked, curiosity glinting in his gaze.
Within seconds, I became the center of everyone's attention. The limelight.
“Kyle Maxwell..." I paused midway. "Will you accept me as your navigator?” I asked, shutting off the taunts clinging to his back.
- Writer
