Belligerent (Vicara) Read Online Free PDF Page A

his waist, and a pair of heavy duty gloves that Ryan never saw him without.
    “Heard someone wanted a Slipstream,” Ryan said with a smirk.
    Paul glanced over the vehicle for a few moments. “Looks good.” He ran a hand over his bald head and nodded. “Taylor!” he hollered.
    A ten year old girl glanced up from where she had been hidden away in the corner watching the television. “Yeah?” she grumbled slowly making her way over without glancing away from the screen.
    “Mark the Slipstream as one of Ryan's and get started on the tags.”
    “How come we have to work on the holidays?” she whined but grabbed a tablet to add another vehicle to Ryan's list.
    While Taylor was distracted, Ryan took a moment to speak to Paul. “You've been keeping the little ones off the streets, right?” He kept his voice pitched low in case the girl was trying to eavesdrop like she usually did.
    “I've got all the ten year olds hidden safely away until after the collecting season. None of my kids are getting sent to an academy. You know, you should be careful too. There's always room for more Omegas.”
    Ryan knew Paul was right. While ten year olds were typically the ones to be collected due to that being the youngest age someone could be legally sent to one of the academies, it wasn't unheard of for an older Commoner to be taken and used as an Omega Belligerent. The latter was a worse fate, as Omega Belligerents never got a chance to enter Vicara to win a pass for freedom and were sent into the arenas with almost no training.
    Everyone froze when another car pulled into the warehouse. Collective sighs of relief filled the air when a sixteen year old girl climbed out. She took one look at Ryan and frowned as she said, “Stay away from the west side. That's mine.”
    “Don't worry, Izzie. I've got plenty goin’ on my own side of the city.”
    Izzie and Ryan had been competing since their first meeting. Paul had hired Ryan back when he was only eight years old and had taught him how to fix just about anything that could go wrong on a car. By the time Ryan was ten and tall enough to reach the pedals and still see over the hood, Paul had him out driving on obstacle courses. At fourteen, Ryan had a reputation for being one of the best car thieves in the area - and Izzie hated him for it.
    Izzie's frown deepened. “Taylor, hurry and log me, so I can get back to work,” she said.
    “I'm gonna head back out.” Ryan said, but before he left the warehouse he jogged over to Taylor's side. “Here,” he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a tightly wrapped candy apple covered in chocolate and rainbow sprinkles. “From me.” Then he pulled out a betting slip. “And from Alex.”
    Taylor smiled for the first time since his arrival. “Thanks! Tell Alex to come see me sometime this week.”
    Ryan agreed and ran out of the warehouse. He could hear Izzie following behind him. The worst part of a busy day was running back to the car park between each delivery. He dropped off four more deliveries that day. The other three were from parking garages a little closer to the actual viewing center, meaning it was riskier but typically had a higher payout. He had made enough that day for him and Alex to be comfortable until he could find an underground race to compete in, but he knew that if he could grab at least one additional higher end vehicle they could have a little extra money.
    Extra cash meant a chance to relax for a few days.
    Ryan stopped in one last car park. He headed to the top level and was shocked at what he found.
    “Who would be dumb enough to park a Zeus in a Darton car park?” he muttered to himself while stepping closer to the beautiful machine. Deciding not to waste time debating the matter, he quickly set about disabling the car's alarms using equipment he had bought with his last big paycheck. After finishing with the panel and underlying electronics, he was about to climb into the driver's seat when a firm hand