25.

As night approached, Jaxon made his way towards the destination Vince had given him.

He was still driving his Mustang, with the only preparation he had done was changing the number plate of the car which Sam had provided for him.

The streets were rather empty for the first few miles but the closer he got to the destination, the louder the streets started getting.

Jaxon slowly drove through the busy crowd, filled to the brim with not-so-honest-looking people, expensive race cars, and hot girls. The rowdy atmosphere was something, Jaxon had never seen before.

The neon lights of the city illuminated the scene, casting a surreal glow over the bustling streets. Music thumped from nearby cars, mixing with the revving of engines and the excited chatter of the crowd. Jaxon couldn't help but feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through him as he navigated through the sea of people and cars.

As he neared the designated meeting spot, the energy became even more palpable. Flashy sports cars lined the streets, their sleek designs drawing envious glances from onlookers. The scent of burning rubber hung in the air, a testament to the intense races that were about to take place.

Jaxon glanced around, his eyes scanning the crowd for familiar faces. Vince had promised to be here, along with the rest of Dom's crew. But in a crowd this size, finding them wouldn't be easy.

But just then he heard a honk nearby turning to look, Vince was waving at him along with the rest of his crew. Maneuvering his car towards them, he parked right next to them and he greeted Vince with a dab.

"Stop looking around like a country bumpkin," Leon snorted leaving the crew with girls by his side, "Idiot!"

"I'll talk to him..." Vince said standing up, his injuries although looked better he was still stumbling.

"No, it's all good. It's the truth anyway, I've never seen stuff like this before," Jaxon stopped Vince, "You all good now?"

 "Yeah, I'm good. Just a few bumps and bruises, nothing I can't handle," Vince nodded, flexing his muscles, "If only I could meet those guys now!"

Jaxon fake laughed at his antics looking around to find Mia, who was standing off to the side, noticing her he wondered if he should make his move but decided against it when he heard Vince.

Vince called over to Dominic, "Hey! Dom... this is the kid, I tell you he's a natural behind the wheels!"

Dominic turned around with a sleazy smile as he sent off the two blonde girls he was talking to, "That's what you say... that's your car?"

"You can say that," Jaxon replied as Domininc signaled Jesse to open the hood of his car, 

"Let's see what you got..." Jesse fiddled around his car looking through his tools, inspecting the engine with a keen eye. Jaxon leaned against his car, trying to appear nonchalant.

"1970 Mustang, near mint condition... well kept but no upgrades." Jesse announced looking back at him, "Not bad, but against any of the other cars here that are filled to the brim with extensions, you might find yourself lacking in speed and performance."

Jaxon shrugged casually. "I like to keep it classic."

"Certainly a classic," Dominic added with an approving nod, "But the kid's clearly never raced in his life."

"How does the saying go? There are no bad cars just bad drivers..." The crowd hollered as Jaxon smiled confidently, 

"You've got guts, but there's no way you're coming close on this race, so I'll leave you be on good faith," Dominic replied, "Come back once you get something more fitting,"

"What if he uses my car?" Vince added as he turned towards Dom, "I'll bet the money instead of him as well."

"You sure?" Dom turned to him as Vince nodded,

"I started this, and I owe the kid a favor so why not?" Vince said with determination, "Let's see what the kid's got!"

"Fine! But I am still taking the money from you." Dominic said with a shrug as he walked away towards the two other men discussing the race, "One race, two G buy in... winner takes all-"

"Are you sure about this?" Jaxon asked Vince who nonchalantly handed him his keys, "If you lose, you lose... no one's ever beating Dom anyway, I just want you to prove your skills."

"Why's that?" Jaxon asked in confusion,

Vince looked around making sure no one was in earshot as he whispered, "I want you on the crew, someone like you, with your skills I can rest assured knowing that you have our back!"

"You mean-" Jaxon's eyes opened wide as he nearly yelled out but Vince hurriedly shut his mouth, nodding in confirmation.

"Yeah, I mean exactly that," Vince replied in a hushed tone, "But first, you gotta show us what you're made of out there on the track. Don't let me down, kid."

Jaxon hurriedly nodded like an excited child who was just promised a brand new console, "Don't worry, I'll do my best."

"Good, let me show you the way around my car..."

Jaxon was learning the way around Vince's car, when a sudden commotion interrupted their chat, as he looked away noticing a young man he had no records of chatting Dom and the rest of the racers up.

"-Respect... for some people that's more important."

'What a load of hor-'

"What a load of horse shit!" 

Jaxon looked at Vince who somehow read his thoughts but his attention completely on the young mystery man, "You've got a beef with him or something?"

Vince snorted, "This asshole showed out of nowhere, first the diner and now he even made his way back here. Jaxon, that's crazy suspicious right?"

"I guess... or maybe likes Dom or something... hey! could be that I've seen a lot of different people." Jaxon said, "What makes you think he's suspicious?"

"I don't know, call it a gut feeling but when I see a guy that appears out of nowhere trying to act all friendly, with our work, I can't help but wonder if he's a cop or something... but with what happened yesterday, I am not sure if he's a cop or the guy who captured me."

Jaxon nearly choked as he tried extremely hard to maintain his composure, "You mean the guy with the hat and shit? Are you sure?"

"The day I got into a fight with him was the day I got captured... che! I might be wrong but I still know that this guy is untrustworthy."

"I see..." Jaxon nodded his eyes measuring the man from head to toe, analyzing his posture, and his speech, "He's certainly trying to get close to the man,"

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing," Jaxon shook his head, "So is that all?"

"Yeah! Just remember to not use the NOS until the very end and make sure you don't destroy my car." Vince nodded getting out of the car as Dom signaled them that the race was starting.

Jaxon nodded, driving the car to the starting line as Dom introduced him to the rest of the racers who laughed at the rookie, only one person, in particular, wasn't laughing as both Jaxon and the man stared at one another until he got into his car, which was right next to him.

Jaxon turned straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel with determination, "Let's see how good my one intermediate skill fairs!"

As the race began, Jaxon felt the adrenaline surge through his veins, his heart pounding with anticipation. The roar of engines filled the air as the cars revved up, ready to tear through the streets of the city.

Behind the wheel of Vince's 1999 Nissan Maxima, Jaxon exuded confidence, his hands steady on the steering wheel. He glanced around at the competition, his eyes lingering on the mystery man beside him.

There was something about the way he carried himself that piqued Jaxon's curiosity, but he pushed the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand.