I didn’t know what to say. I had never had someone pick me over someone else before. I knew that Lee, Vi, and Scar were tight, so it was a big deal for her to choose to watch the race with me. “Thanks.”
She squeezed my hand, and a small smile played on her lips. “Don’t make me regret it.”
********
Chapter 17
Leelee
“So, how long have you and Kurt been dating? The last I knew, he was single.”
I was in Hell. Absolute Hell. I don’t know how the fuck I ended up in a group of track bunnies while Kurt wandered off and talked to Nos.
“We’re not dating.” It was the truth. We were married, not dating.
“Oh, really? Then, why is he staying with you?”
Because we’re married, but I knew I couldn’t say that. “He needs a place to stay, and I’m helping him out until he gets back on his feet.”
“Jesus, Nila, you’re giving her the third degree. Just let the girl breathe.” The one girl who seemed like I could have a conversation with without her saying like fifty times rolled her eyes and leaned against the white car behind us. “I’m Del,” she said as she held her hand out to me. “I’m with Nos.”
I shook her hand and felt a little bit better. While this girl was dressed like all the other track bunnies, I could tell she was different. Although I couldn’t figure out why in the hell she was hanging out with a bunch of track bunnies.
“I better go, it looks like the race is about to start.” The girl who had been grilling me about Kurt pulled down her tank top, revealing the tops of her breasts and pulled up her skirt. “Gotta give ‘em a show.” She winked at me and flounced over to the cars that were lining up. “She’s actually harmless, I swear,” Del said as we watched the girl walk away.
“I’m going to have to take your word for that.”
Del laughed and shook her head “My word is a good promise.” She winked at me, and I again felt like this chick and I could be friends.
“You know what Nos and Kurt are talking about?” I looked over my shoulder and saw Kurt and Nos huddled next to Nos’ car with a bunch of papers spread out on the hood.
“I really don’t know. I’ve been working my ass off at the nursing home the past two weeks. It’s a miracle that I even remember what Nos looks like.”
Well, that didn’t really help me. I was afraid Kurt was falling into things he shouldn’t be doing to get out from under Luke. “They’ve been hanging out a lot lately. From the way Kurt talks, he spends all day with Nos.”
“Yeah, I think they’re working on a car or something. Nos knows that I can only take so much car talk stuff until my eyes glaze over and I fall asleep.”
I nodded, acting like I knew what she was talking about, but in reality, I had no idea what she meant. I loved anything to do with cars. Whether it was a TV show, a drag race, or ripping an engine out of a car. I loved it.
“Not wanting to sound like Nila, but what is going on with Kurt and you?”
“Honestly, Del? I don’t have a fucking clue. There was something there between us a year ago, but now? Now, I am lost.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll find your way. Just try to act interested when he starts talking about cars. That is the best piece of advice I can give to any of these girls that are looking to land a gearhead.”
I threw my head back laughing, unable to act like a track bunny anymore. “I don’t think that will be a problem for me at all. I’m a mechanic at Skid Row Kings. Cars are my thing.”
“No shit?” Del laughed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, now don’t I look like an ass. Telling a mechanic to act like they care about cars.”
“Hey, I assumed you were a track bunny until you told me you were dating Nos. I think we are even.” We both burst out laughing and the awkwardness that had been surrounding us faded.
“What the hell are you two laughing about?” Nos asked as he walked up and wrapped his arms around Del. “You causing problems again, woman?”
“No, just fixing some misunderstandings Leelee and I were having about each other.” Del pressed a kiss to Nos’ cheek and wrapped her arms around him.
“She thought you were a track bunny, didn’t she?” Nos asked me.
“Um, yeah. But in her defense, I thought she was one, too.”
Kurt and Nos both busted out laughing. “Leelee is the furthest thing from a track bunny, babe. She could fine tune and work on each and every car here tonight and not even break a sweat.”
“No shit?” Del asked, sounding amazed.
“Um, yeah. I tend to know a thing or two.”
“Stop being modest, Lee. You’re one of the best mechanics in town. Hell, probably the whole state.” I turned to look at Kurt because I couldn’t believe he actually said that. He had said it to me in private before, but I never thought he would actually admit it in public.
“Good, you can help figure out what the hell is wrong with my car. Nos said he doesn’t have time to look at it.”
“What? Woman, I can look at your car,” Nos said as he pulled away from Del. “You’re making me look like I don’t take care of my woman.”
“Oh, you take care of your woman, it’s your woman’s car that you tend to neglect.” Del turned on her heel to storm off, but Nos pulled her back into his arms and buried his face in her neck. She tried fighting him off for about ten seconds before she surrendered and relaxed into him.
Kurt leaned against the front of the Charger that was next to us and pulled me next to him. “Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. Just going over some stuff with Nos.”
“Am I ever going to hear the stuff you and Nos keep going over?”
“Maybe someday, Lee.”
“I hope whatever it is; it’s not trouble.”
Kurt shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Well, he tried to cross his arms as best as he could with a broken arm. “You had me for a second there, Lee. I thought you got me, but then you go ahead and think that I’m fucking stupid.”
Huh? Where in the hell did he get that from? I was just worried he was so desperate to get out from Luke that he would do anything.
“Yo, race is starting,” Nos called.
Kurt pushed off the car and hobbled over to the side of the road where everyone was waiting for the start.
“Kurt,” I called as I followed him. “I didn’t mean it the way it came out. I jus—”
“Lee, just stop. I hear you loud and fucking clear.” Kurt turned away from me and focused on the cars that were lining up next to us. “You just helped me to remember why the hell I was done with this place.”
I didn’t know what to say to make things better. I didn’t want Kurt to be done, but I also didn’t want him to do something stupid and get in trouble. There were lots of ways to make quick money on the streets, and I just hoped Kurt didn’t get caught up in them.
I focused on the cars while I tried to figure out what to say. Mitch had the far lane with three other cars slowly pulling up to their spots. I only recognized one other car that Mitch was racing against. “Who is in the Supra?”
“Fucking AZ. Fucker somehow managed to scrape up enough money to get back in the running,” Kurt growled.
AZ was racing? Oh hell. I was surprised AZ hadn’t tucked his tail between his legs and disappeared after the last race when Kurt and Mitch both beat him.
I glanced over to where we had left Scar and Violet and saw Luke glaring at AZ. Ever since AZ had smashed into the back of Luke, wrecking both of their cars, AZ had been on all the Jensen brothers’ shit list. It seemed that wherever AZ was, trouble followed.
“It looks like Luke is about to bust that big ole’ vein in his neck.”
“Can’t really fucking blame him,” Kurt mumbled.
“Is AZ still with Ginny?”
Kurt shrugged and nodded further down the road. Ginny was standing in the middle of a group of track bunnies, but her eyes were focused on Luke and Violet.
“Ginny is with whoever she can use. She’s still got her sights set on Luke, but she’s a dumb bitch if she thinks she’s any competition for Vi.”
“Damn straight,” I murmured. I never understood people who felt the need to wreck a perfectly good relationship because they thought they were better.
One of the girls who were surrounding Ginny broke away from the group and sauntered in front of the cars. She pulled a handkerchief out of her bra, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Ho,” I mumbled under my breath. It was a miracle I didn’t titty punch some of these chicks.
“There’s only one lap,” Nos said as he stood next to Kurt. Del was tucked under his arm, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy at how well they seemed to get along.
“It’s only going to take one lap. I’ll be surprised if any of these guys make it to the finish line with no damage on their cars.” Kurt shifted his weight, and I saw him grimace.
“You okay?” I asked. Kurt had a walking cast on his leg, but the doctor had recommended he use the crutch as often as possible just to help to take the stress off his ankle.
“I’m fine,” he grunted. “You gonna eat those tacos in your hand?” he asked as he looked at me out of the side of his eye.
I held them out to him and shrugged. “I grabbed them for you.” He took them and ate one in two bites. “Did you even taste that?”
“Yeah, mostly,” he mumbled around a mouthful.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and grab the empty wrapper from him.
“Alright, brother. Time to place your bets. Who do you think is going to win?” Nos asked.
“Mitch. He’s cautious enough that he won’t crash like these other fuckers. When 5th crosses over Johnson, I bet at least two cars spin out and crash. None of these guys know what they are getting into.” Kurt sounded confident in Mitch even though he was pissed off at him.
I had driven 5th plenty of times before going the speed limit, and even I could realize it was one of the most dangerous courses that had been raced.
“You don’t think AZ has it in him?” Nos laughed.
“He’s too desperate.” Kurt again shifted his feet, and I could tell that he was in pain.
I leaned over, my shoulder brushing against him. “Did you take a pill before we left?”
“No. I fucking hate how they make me feel. It’s like I’m walking around in a God damn fog. I’ll deal with the pain.”
“Did you at least take some Tylenol?” I understood what he was saying, but I didn’t think his leg was healed enough to be walking on it the way he was.
“Lee, I got this. Don’t worry about me.”
I stepped back and rolled my eyes. “If you can handle, then stop looking like you’re about to pass out.”
“Here we go,” Nos called.
I shifted my attention back to the cars on the line and crossed my arms over my chest. If Kurt wanted to be a moron with a stick up his ass, that was fine. I would be here ready to pick him off the pavement when he passed out.
The track bunny who was standing in front of the cars raised her arms over her head, dropped the handkerchief, and each car took off from the line with Mitch in the lead.
Nos pulled a walkie-talkie out of his pocket and held it up to him mouth. “They just took off, Mouse. They’re headed your way.”
“Who is he talking to?” I asked.
“He’s got guys all on the track that report back to him letting him know who's in the lead and if there have been any crashes.”
“Oh, well that’s pretty handy. Does he do that for every race?”
“Only the really dangerous ones.”
“You don’t think Mitch is going to crash, do you?”
“You never know what’s going to happen out there, Lee. You could drive clean and safe, but then you have the guy next to you who doesn’t give a fuck and drives like an asshole.”
“AZ,” I whispered. When AZ was out there, no one was safe. “Why do they let him race if they know how he drives?”
“It’s not like we have a panel of judges and shit, Lee. If he’s got the cash to race, then he’s in. Every race you have to put in five hundred. The winner of that race gets half of the cash and then the other half goes into the pot for the final race of the season.”
“So, the winner tonight gets one thousand? Holy hell. Now, I know I’ll never be able to race. I don’t think I could put in five hundred and not know if I’ll get that money back.”
“It’s all part of racing, Lee. You have to put in big if you want to win big. Just like life. You get back what you put in.”
“Damn brother, that shit is deep. That your new motto for the shop?”
“Shop?” I asked.
“It’s nothing, Lee. I’ve just been helping Nos out at his Uncle’s shop.”
Nos shook his head and started to talk, but Kurt shut him down right away. Kurt was working at a different body shop? Why the hell would he be doing that? Working for Luke’s competition would not be a good way to mend fences with his brothers. “Kurt, do you rea—”
“No.” Kurt shook his head. “I’m not talking about it, Lee. I need out; you know that. I’m making moves to do that. When it all comes together, then I’ll talk about it. But now? No.” Kurt shut me down and turned to talk to Nos.
Del looked over at me, and I shrugged. I had no idea what to say or do. I stood next to Kurt, feeling like I was completely left out of everything and that I didn’t matter. But I didn’t have a right to feel that way because I had chosen over a year ago to step away from Kurt. A lot of good that had done me. Now, I just felt hurt and left out.
“They’ve all cleared the fourth section. AZ has a lot of damage to his car, but he’s in the lead.” Nos’ radio went off with crackling and static. “Mitch is in second with Blade and Tiny right behind.”
“I don’t know, homie. Your brother might not pull this one out.” Nos shook his head. “AZ drives dirty, but that might be the edge he needs to win this race.”
And that right there was the problem with street racing. There were no rules. “How many sections are there?” I asked, hoping Mitch would still be able to pass AZ.
“Seven. Five and six are the toughest. This race is still anyone's.” Kurt turned to look at me, his eyes traveling over me. “AZ still has time to fuck it up.”
“Doesn’t he always?”
“So far, he hasn’t proved me wrong. He doesn’t drive smart.”
“They’re headed into the 6th section.”
Knowing what was going on during the race was great, but it was also driving me crazy. Typically, we would see the cars take off and then five or ten minutes later, we’d watch them cross the finish line.
“Hey, you know how Mitch is doing?” Luke had made his way over to us and was standing next to Nos.
“Second place, right behind AZ,” Nos rattled off. “AZ is driving fierce, but Mouse said the race is anybody's still.”
“He’s gonna fucking kill someone,” Luke growled.
“Holy fuck!” Mouse crackled over the walkie-talkie. “They just entered the 6th section. AZ just slammed into Blade, forcing him into the old flower shop. Fucking glass everywhere.”
“Oh my God,” I gasped. What in the hell was going on? AZ was completely out of control.
“Blade is getting out of the car. He’s okay, but he is out of the race.”
Really? Who in the hell cared if he was out of the race. Thank God he was all right. “Something has to be done about that asshole.” I turned to face Kurt and crossed my arms over my chest.
He held his hands up and shook his head. “Don’t look at me, babe. There isn’t a damn thing I can do sitting on the sidelines.”
“If you were racing, you could stomp his ass into the ground. Lord knows you can drive this course better than he can.”
Kurt shrugged but didn’t argue. Kurt was damn good, and he knew it.
“They’re headed into the final section. Mitch is in the lead with AZ right
behind him banging into his bumper.”
“Keep me posted, Mick,” Nos said.
“How long is the last section?” I asked.
“They are just down the road. There are three curves, the last one being a one hundred and eighty-degree turn that slingshots them over the finish line,” Luke explained.
We all turned to look down the road and waited. We could hear screeching tires and engines revving but no sign of any of the cars yet.
“Final turn. Mitch is ahead by two car lengths, with AZ gaining on him. He’s headed into the turn way too fucking fast if he’s not caref—” The walkie talkie cutoff, and then there was pure static pouring out of the device.
“What happened? What was he trying to say?” I asked frantically.
Screeching tires cut through the air, and the crowd gasped as we watched Mitch safely make it around the last corner. His ass end swung out dangerously, but he managed to keep the car under control and cross the finish line first but not before AZ’s car went airborne, launching inches away from Mitch’s before it flipped over at least a dozen times.
The car crumpled like a tin can as it smashed into the concrete.
“Holy fuck!” Luke yelled as the car finally came to a stop on the sidewalk where a crowd of people had just been standing.
Smoke rolled out from underneath the hood, and you couldn’t even tell what kind of car it was anymore. “We need to get him out,” Kurt called as he started hobbling to the wreck.
“Stay here,” Luke ordered as he ran past Kurt to the car. Mitch’s car slid to a screeching stop, and he killed the engine and jumped out of the car to follow Luke.
“Kurt, just stay here,” I pleaded. I grabbed his arm, trying to stop him from going to the accident but he shrugged me off and quickly limped over to the car.
“Oh my God!” Violet called as she and Scarlett ran over to me. “He didn’t land on anyone in the crowd, did he?” she asked nervously.
“No. Not that I saw. Everyone moved out of the way.” Time had stood still when AZ’s car had started to roll, and I had watched everyone scatter like ants.
“What the hell is Kurt doing? He’s not well enough to be helping. He’s going to hurt himself again,” Scarlett said, her voice laced with concern.
BangShift: Skid Row Kings Series, Book #3 Page 11