Chapter 22: CHAPTER 9: THE DEVIL WALKS FREE
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1. Aftermath of Fire and Steel
The wreckage still burned.
The flames cast eerie shadows against the prison walls, illuminating the twisted, charred remains of Ghost's car.
Jaxon sat in his Charger, gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. His heart pounded like a war drum in his chest, adrenaline still surging through his veins.
"Did you get him?" Vera's voice crackled through the earpiece again.
Jaxon exhaled, his gaze fixed on the inferno.
"Maybe."
Silence.
Then Lucas spoke.
"That's not good enough, Jax."
Jaxon knew it.
No body.
No proof.
And a man like Ghost?
Didn't die easy.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Security drones hovered overhead, scanning the remains of the battlefield. The race was over, but the war had just begun.
Then—
A notification flashed across Jaxon's windshield.
WINNER: DRIVER 88
Jaxon let out a slow breath.
He had won.
For now.
But at what cost?
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2. The Warden's Offer
Back at the prison complex, the winners were escorted through a separate gate, away from the bloodied remains of the losers.
Jaxon didn't look back.
He knew the ones who didn't cross the finish line wouldn't be walking out again.
Two guards led him into a high-security chamber deep within the prison.
A steel door slid open—
And there, waiting inside, was Warden Calloway.
A sharp-dressed man with cold, calculating eyes.
A predator in a suit.
"Driver 88." Calloway smiled thinly. "Quite a performance out there. We lost some good men tonight. But you?"
He chuckled.
"You just keep surviving."
Jaxon said nothing.
Calloway leaned forward, steepling his fingers.
"I have an offer for you, Carter."
Jaxon frowned.
"I'm not interested."
Calloway smirked.
"Oh, you haven't even heard it yet."
A guard slid a holographic tablet onto the table.
On the screen—
A map.
The next race track.
And something else.
A VIP list.
Jaxon's blood ran cold.
The names weren't prisoners.
They were spectators.
Billionaires. Military officials. Politicians.
And at the top of the list—
Senator Briggs.
The man responsible for Jaxon's imprisonment.
Jaxon's jaw clenched.
"You want me to race again," he muttered.
Calloway's smirk widened.
"Not just race."
He tapped the screen.
"This time, I want you to kill someone."
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3. A Name Worth Killing For
Jaxon stared at the name.
Briggs.
The man who framed him.
The man who sent him here.
A man who, even in his darkest moments, Jaxon never thought he'd get close enough to touch.
Now?
Calloway was handing him the chance on a silver platter.
"Do this for me," the warden continued, "and I might just see to it that you walk free."
Freedom.
Jaxon hadn't dared to dream about it in a long time.
Not after spending years behind these walls.
Not after watching men get slaughtered for sport.
But this?
This was a trap.
A leash.
He'd seen others take the bait before—
And none of them ever left this place alive.
He met Calloway's gaze.
"And if I refuse?"
The warden's smirk didn't falter.
"Then you'll keep racing."
He leaned back in his chair.
"Until you don't."
Jaxon gritted his teeth.
He had no choice.
For now.
But if Calloway thought he could control him—
He was dead wrong.
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4. The Whisper of Betrayal
Later that night, back in his cell, Jaxon lay awake.
The prison never slept.
Fights broke out in the distance.
Guards patrolled the halls with shock batons.
And in the shadows—
Someone watched him.
Jaxon rolled out of bed in an instant, grabbing the shank he kept under his mattress.
"Easy there, champ."
A voice.
Low. Calm.
Familiar.
A man stepped into the dim light.
Lucas.
Jaxon relaxed slightly, but his grip on the weapon didn't loosen.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he muttered.
Lucas smirked.
"I came to warn you."
Jaxon frowned.
"About what?"
Lucas stepped closer.
"The warden's deal? It's a setup. He's never gonna let you go."
Jaxon wasn't surprised.
"Figured as much."
Lucas's smirk faded.
"No, you don't get it. Calloway doesn't just want you to kill Briggs. He wants you dead before you ever get the chance."
Jaxon's muscles tensed.
"Why?"
Lucas exhaled.
"Because you're getting too good."
He met Jaxon's eyes.
"And the only way out of here?"
His voice was grim.
"Is in a body bag."
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5. A Plan for War
Jaxon sat in silence.
If what Lucas said was true—
Then this wasn't just a game anymore.
It never was.
But now?
Now it was personal.
He clenched his fists.
"Then I guess it's time to change the rules."
Lucas arched a brow.
"What are you thinking?"
Jaxon's eyes were cold.
"I'm not playing Calloway's game."
"I'm gonna burn it to the ground."
Lucas exhaled.
"That's a hell of a statement, Jax."
Jaxon smirked.
"Yeah?"
His knuckles cracked.
"Wait till you see what I do next."
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6. The Race Before the Storm
The next race was in two days.
But this time?
Jaxon wouldn't be racing to win.
He'd be racing to escape.
To expose Calloway.
To take down Briggs.
And to make sure Ghost never came back.
Because Jaxon knew one thing for sure.
Ghost was still alive.
And when the next race started?
One of them wouldn't cross the finish line.
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TO BE CONTINUED…
Jaxon Carter has a target on his back.
The warden wants him dead.
The race is rigged.
And Ghost?
Is still watching.
But Jaxon isn't going down without a fight.
Because this time—
He's not just racing to survive.
He's racing for revenge.
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