Kurt had made it to the car where Mitch and Luke were trying to pry the door open. It didn’t look like AZ was moving inside and there was a crowd gathering around the wreck.
“They need to get him out of there before the car blows.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed nine-one-one. I figured other people had already called the police, but it wouldn’t hurt for me to call too. Maybe it would make them get here faster.
I rattled off where we were and what had happened to the dispatcher, and she told me the police and ambulance were in route. She asked me if I wanted to stay on the line until they got here but I told her I was fine.
Smoke billowed out of the engine and Mitch ran back to his car and yelled to Scarlett, Violet, and me to get back because the car was about to catch on fire.
We stepped back on the curb and huddled together, watching everyone run around. Mitch grabbed his fire extinguisher out of his car and ran back to AZ’s car. Luke managed to pry open the passenger side door, and Kurt disappeared into the car. “What the hell is he doing?” I demanded. I stepped off the curb to go yank Kurt out of the car, but both Violet and Scarlett grabbed my arms and wouldn’t let me move. “Let me go. He’s in the car.”
“Lee, stop. There isn’t anything you can do. Luke and Mitch are right there with him.” Violet wrapped her arms around me, anchoring me.
“He’s hurt, Vi. He shouldn’t be over there.” The man was insane. He had just been in a car accident just like this a few weeks ago, and now he was playing hero trying to save AZ.
Flames started shooting out of the hood, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the car exploded. I closed my eyes and tried to quiet the scream that was begging to rip from my mouth.
“They’ve got him. Kurt got him out.” Scarlett grabbed my arm and shook me. “He’s okay, Lee.”
I opened my eyes to see Luke and Mitch carrying AZ to the other side of the street where they laid him down on the sidewalk. Kurt limped behind them; his head hung low. “Is he okay?” I asked. It seemed like he was limping worse than he normally did and he was holding his broken arm to his chest.
“I’m sure he’s fine, Lee. Don’t worry.”
“Let’s go ov—” The car exploded, cutting off Scarlett’s words and deafening my ears. Shrapnel flew, landing all over and the car was engulfed in flames. Luke and Mitch fell to the ground with AZ in their arms while Kurt kneeled and covered his head with his arms.
I heard sirens in the distance and knew the ambulance was only blocks away. “I need to go over there.” Scarlett and Violet tried to hold onto me, but there was no way they were going to keep me away from Kurt.
“Are you insane?” I ranted at him as I stood in front of him.
“What are you talking about?” he asked. His voice was raspy, and he coughed hard, almost hacking up a lung.
“Why the hell did you come over here? Luke and Mitch could have helped him.”
Kurt shook his head and tried to stand up. “I wasn’t going to stand by and watch someone burn up in their car.”
“There are hundreds of people here who would have helped him, Kurt. Why in the hell did you think that you need to be the one to rush in and save him? You scared me half to death. That car could have blown up at any time.”
“You think you could save your lecture for later, Lee?” Luke asked as he leaned over AZ. He pressed his ear to AZ’s mouth, trying to hear if he was breathing.
Kurt smirked at me but grimaced as he tried to stand up. I put an arm around him and helped him off the ground. “You’ve given me a heart attack twice in the last month, Kurt. You think you’re done for a while?”
“I’ll try,” he mumbled.
The ambulance showed up, pushing us all out of the way and the paramedics started working on AZ.
“You think he’ll be okay?” I asked, as they loaded him up the stretcher. AZ’s face was covered in blood; his arms were cut all over, and he had yet to regain consciousness.
“I don’t know, his car looks about the same as mine and I made it.”
I looked at AZ’s car that was now just a rolling ball of flames and a shudder rocked my body. I had never thought about what Kurt’s car had looked like and thankfully, I didn’t have to see it. “That’s what your car looked like?”
“Yeah.”
The fire department rolled up and started to put water on the car, trying to put the blaze out.
“Everyone seems to have scattered, but from what I gather, you three helped to get him out of the car?” Kurt and I looked to our right and saw a police officer standing next to Luke and Mitch.
“Yeah. We managed to get him out of the car before it exploded,” Luke said.
“You wanna tell me how it is his car became a ball of fire?”
Kurt, Mitch, and Luke looked from one to another, and they all shrugged. “Not sure,” Mitch replied. “We were just driving by, saw the taco truck and decided to stop. The next thing you know, this car came flying around the corner.”
“You really mean to tell me that you all are here for tacos?”
Luke shrugged. “You ever have one of Pedro’s tacos? Things are legendary.”
“That so?” the cop asked.
“Yeah. Thankfully, we were around or that guy, whoever he is, probably would have died,” Kurt added.
The cop closed the small notebook he was holding and shook his head. “Should have known,” he mumbled, as he walked away.
“You think he bought it?” I asked.
“No,” Mitch said as he brushed off his jeans. “But there isn’t much he can do. Everyone he ends up talking to is going to say the same thing. They have no idea what happened and they were just passing through.”
“We all better get out of here. There isn’t anything else we can do.” Luke looked around and saw Violet and Scarlett still standing on the sidewalk. “You okay to get to your car?” Luke asked Kurt.
Kurt brushed him off and nodded. “I’m good,” he said as he limped off in the direction of the car.
“Is this really how it’s going to be, Kurt?” Luke called after him.
Kurt raised his hand in the air but didn’t turn around. “It is what it is,” he yelled back.
“Jesus. You think he’s ever going to pull that stick out of his ass and start acting like our brother again?” Mitch asked as he ran his hand over his head.
“You just need to give him time,” I said as I watched Kurt disappear into the crowd.
“I don’t need to fucking do anything, Lee. We haven’t done anything but try to help him, and now he’s treating us like the fucking plague,” Luke bit off.
He was right, but then I also understood what Kurt was feeling. “You need to cut him some slack, Luke.”
Luke shook his head and stormed off. Storming off was one of the Jensen boys’ signature moves.
“Things getting any better?” Mitch asked.
“I thought they were. I was surprised he came tonight, but then I found out he just came so he could talk to Nos about whatever the hell he’s been doing during the day.” I ran my hand through my hair and realized how wrong I was about things getting better with Kurt. I swear to God; the man was bipolar.
“What’s he been doing with Nos?”
“Not a clue. He said he'd tell me what it is when he’s got everything in place. What that means, I have no clue.”
“You don’t think he’s getting into something he shouldn’t be, do you?” Mitch asked, his voice laced with concern.
“Honestly, Mitch. I know Kurt is smarter than that. I just wish he would let me in on what he’s doing. Nos picks him up before I even leave for work, and then he’s home right before I get home.”
“See what you can find out, Lee. I know it seems like Luke is a huge dick, which he is, but the reason he is acting that way is because he’s worried as hell about Kurt.”
I ran my fingers through my hair. “I know. Just try to keep him off Kurt’s back like I asked. Hopefully, he lets me know what he�
��s been working on.” I pulled my keys out of my pocket and turned to look at Mitch. “Kurt’s smart, and you guys don’t give him enough credit.”
“I think there are things we all need to change, even Luke and I.” Mitch walked over to Scarlett and tossed his arm over her shoulder.
Well, this was a different twist to how I had seen the night ending. Kurt was pissed off again, and AZ was carted off in an ambulance.
“Never a dull moment,” I mumbled to myself.
I picked my way through the crowd, dodging what was left of the group who were standing around gawking at AZ’s car.
“You should really lock your car,” Kurt said as I slid into the driver's seat.
“Eh, if they need it that bad, they can take it. A nineteen eighty-seven Caprice isn’t exactly on the list of most stolen cars.” I shoved my key in the ignition and shifted the car into reverse. I slowly inched my way back, careful not to peg any of the people still milling around and pulled out onto the road.
“You know that is something I have never understood about you. You know your way around a car like no one I have ever seen before, but you drive the biggest piece of shit I have ever seen.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t talk so bad about this piece of shit while you’re in it. It might decide to break down and then we’ll both be shit out of luck.”
“Hell, you could pick up an older Supra for a couple grand and fix it up better than this thing.”
“That would be nice if I had an extra couple grand just lying around, Kurt. Some of us don’t have pockets lined with fifties and hundreds.”
Kurt scoffed and shook his head. “Then I guess it’s a good thing you married someone who has pockets like that.”
“If you’re offering to buy me a new car, Kurt, the answer is no. This car is fine. I don’t race, and I don’t need some flashy car. I build other people flashy cars.” I turned onto the road to my apartment and stopped at the red light. “I’m still hungry. I didn’t get to eat any of the tacos.”
“Head home, and we can order a pizza. I need to take a fucking pill.” Kurt rubbed his shoulder and winced.
“Told ya that you shouldn’t have climbed into that car after AZ.”
Kurt leaned his head back against the headrest, and I glanced over at him. “So, how old were you when you realized you knew everything?”
I scoffed, ready to yell at him when a smile spread across his face, and I knew he was joking. “I think I was six. You know. Once you have the potty training and being able to feed yourself, you basically have life figured out.”
“If only that were the truth,” he said with a laugh. “I’m almost thirty and don’t have my life figured out.”
“I think you have it more figured out than you think.”
“I’m getting there. Each day I get a little bit closer to where I want to be.”
“And where is it you want to be?” I asked, as I pulled into the driveway.
“I want to be where everything I have is mine and no one else's. I’m not afraid of hard work and getting dirty, Lee. I just feel like everything I’ve had has been handed to me, and I'm done with that shit. Luke built that garage from the ground up, and it’s his no matter how many times he says it’s all of ours. I want it all to myself.”
“That seems kind of crazy to go from the top of the pile all the way to the bottom.”
Kurt turned his head to look at me as I turned the car off and pulled the keys out of the ignition.
“It’s not crazy. It’s what I want.”
“And what happens when you get everything you want?”
Kurt reached over and cupped my face in his hand. “There’s one thing I don’t think I’ll ever get.”
The warmth of his hand spread across my cheek and left me speechless. Kurt slipped out of the car before I could form a coherent sentence and slammed the door behind him.
I brushed my hand against my cheek where he had touched me. “What in the hell just happened?”
********
Chapter 18
Kurt
“Can you hand me that wrench?”
“Which one?” Nos asked.
I shook my head and walked over to the tool box. “You know for being such a good driver; you don’t know shit about cars.”
Nos shrugged and leaned against the workbench. “The way I figure, you open this shop again, and I’ll be your number one customer.”
“You know, I had an idea.” I headed back over to the GTO and dropped the radiator in. “You know my plan of what I want to do when I have the ink dried on the paperwork, but I know we are going to need someone to run the office and all of the paperwork.”
“Yeah, you will definitely need that. You don’t seem to be the type of guy to sit behind a desk.”
“What about you coming to work for us and taking care of the front end.”
“You just said I don’t know dick about cars. Why in the hell would you want me to work for you?” Nos folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. “You’re fucking crazy, brah.”
I shrugged and mulled over the idea in my head. The more I thought about it, the better it sounded. “I’m not crazy. I believe that this is a fucking brilliant idea. I don’t want to have to interview people and end up hiring some douche I can’t stand.”
“I really shouldn’t be surprised about this. I mean, you are building up the shop and then giving it away.”
“I’m not fucking giving it away.”
“Could have fooled me. I’m pretty sure if your name isn’t on the building, then it doesn’t belong to you.”
I tightened up the bolts on the radiator and slammed the hood shut. “That’s just a fucking detail. So, are you in or what?” I asked.
“When are you planning on opening up?”
“I figure I’ll need to wait at least until I’m able to drive. I go to the doctor in two weeks and should hopefully have everything taken off. I’d say the beginning of September.”
Nos shook his head. “I’m giving you a tentative yes. You know I’ve got to talk to Del about this.”
“Ah, another one who bows to the power of the pussy.” I threw my dirty rag at him and slammed the hood shut on the GTO. “That’s all I plan on doing today. Ready to drive my ass home?”
“You mean to the pussy that you bow down to?”
“That’s fucking different.” I flipped off the lights in the shop, and we headed into the front office.
“You wanna tell me how the hell it’s different? I see you bending over backward for this chick and from what I can tell, you ain’t getting nothing out of it. At least with Del, she warms my bed every night.”
“How about you don’t worry about Lee and I, alright?” I fell into Nos’ car and slammed the door shut. Damn asshole had been giving me grief for the past two weeks since the race about Leelee and I was about done with it.
Something had changed that night. Leelee was running scared again and was barely talking to me. She would come home from work every night, make dinner, hang out with Jay, and then she would spend the rest of her night in her room.
Jay had come home a few days after the race and I was surprised at how well he took me being there. Leelee had warned me Jay might have a problem with me staying in the house but so far, he hadn’t said or done anything to say he was pissed off.
“You coming to the race this week?”
“Nah. AZ’s crash two weeks ago was enough for me. I think Lee might be going tonight with Vi and Scar, though.”
“Yeah, that was some crazy shit. Heard he just got out of the hospital and is going to be laid up even longer than you were.”
“Hell, I’m still fucking laid up.” I held up my broken arm and wished like hell I could get the fucking cast off. “Two more weeks of this bullshit and then I’ll be behind the wheel again.”
“You gonna get back to racing right away?” Nos turned down the street to Leelee’s house, and I leaned my head against the headrest.
“I don’t k
now, brah. I kind of feel like racing may just be something I do when the mood hits. I’ve been working on the GTO for weeks, and I’ve really come to realize that I love working on cars. Even more than racing.”
“No shit?” Nos glanced over at me, and I could tell he was shocked as hell. I had been too when I sat down and thought about it.
“Yeah. I think I finally figured out what my next move is.”
“The garage?”
“Yeah, definitely the garage. Although, the garage all hinges on one person.”
“Lee?”
“Yeah.” It had finally come down to this.
I wanted Leelee, and I wasn’t going to let her go again. I had a plan for my future, and Leelee was the center of it.
I wanted Leelee.
********
Leelee
“School starts Monday. You have everything you need?” I pulled the meatloaf out of the oven and set it on the stove.
“I think so. Junior year, you basically need pens and paper.” Jay plopped down at the kitchen table and kicked his feet out. “I’ll check everything before bed.”
“Don’t you think that is something you should do sooner?”
“I've only been back for a little over a week, Lily.”
I turned around and leaned against the counter. “You do know you are the only one who calls me Lily, right?”
“That’s because I’m the only one who knows that’s your name.”
“And you are the reason you are the only one who knows. I swear, you couldn’t say Lily until you were ten and by that time, everyone thought my name was Leelee.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed the loaf of Italian bread off the counter. “So, keep that Lily business to yourself.”
“Hey, I did you a favor. You are more of a Leelee than a Lily any day.” Jay grabbed a soda out of the fridge and popped the top. “You going to the race tonight? I had heard about the accident before I got back. You know the guy?”
I sliced into the loaf of bread and set it on the sheet pan. “Knew of him. He was kind of an ass. Grab the butter out of the fridge.” I finished cutting the bread and grabbed a butter knife. “And no, I don’t plan on going to the race. Violet was begging me to go at work today, but I really don’t feel up to it.”
BangShift: Skid Row Kings Series, Book #3 Page 12