Chasing Ghosts

Zara's grip tightened on the wheel as she surged forward, the roar of engines blending into the night. The Underground Circuit had changed, but the thrill of the race remained the same. The track stretched before her, a maze of sharp turns and unpredictable competition. She was back where she had sworn never to return.

Her car hugged the curve, tires screeching as she outmaneuvered the racer beside her. The city lights blurred into streaks, adrenaline pushing her forward. The past whispered in her ear, but she forced it back. She was here for answers, not nostalgia.

Noor's voice crackled through the earpiece. "Two ahead. The one in the red coupe? That's your real competition."

Zara smirked, shifting gears. "Then let's change that."

The moment stretched as she closed the gap, weaving between cars with practiced precision. The driver in the red coupe noticed her approach and blocked her path, forcing her to slow down. A test. A challenge. Zara didn't hesitate—she faked left, then cut right at the last second, slipping past with inches to spare. The car's engine roared beneath her, the vibrations syncing with her heartbeat. It felt like old times, yet different. Sharper. More urgent.

The track bent into a hairpin turn, and Zara barely avoided the wall, her tires brushing the edge of the barrier. Her pulse spiked, but she pushed on. The crowd was a distant noise in the back of her mind, white noise against the intensity of the race. She wasn't here for them. She wasn't here for the thrill. She was here for the truth.

She gained on the leader, the gap between them narrowing with every calculated move. Her car responded like an extension of herself, gliding through the asphalt with a confidence she had almost forgotten she had. But just as she was about to overtake, the red coupe swerved, blocking her again. Deliberate. He wanted to keep her behind.

The finish line loomed ahead. Zara gritted her teeth and made a split-second decision. She downshifted, allowing a fraction of a second for the car to dip back before gunning forward with renewed force. The move was risky, but it gave her enough of an opening to squeeze past—just not enough to take first.

The crowd roared as she surged ahead, crossing the finish line in second place. Not first. Not yet.

She pulled into the pit, stepping out of her car as the other racers arrived. The victor, a tall man with sharp features and calculating eyes, leaned against his car. He studied her with something between amusement and curiosity.

"You drive like a ghost," he said.

Zara wiped the sweat from her brow. "And you are?"

The man smirked. "Call me Jaxon."

She recognized the name. He was new to the circuit but already making waves. More than that—he had ties to the crash. She had seen his name before, buried in old race records, just enough to raise suspicion.

"Nice race," she said carefully. "But I won't settle for second next time."

Jaxon chuckled. "I'll be waiting."

As he walked away, Kade approached, arms crossed. "He knows something."

Zara nodded. "Yeah. And I'm going to find out what."

That night, she sat on the hood of her car, staring out at the city skyline. Noor and Kade stood beside her, silent but present. The Underground Circuit held secrets, and she was just beginning to uncover them. But one thing was certain—whoever had tried to take her out before had made a mistake.

Because she was back.

And this time, she wasn't leaving until she had the truth.