Nights in the Fast Lane: A Contemporary Romantic Comedy

by Grace Risata

“I don’t have time to argue with you right now. I have to go get ready for a race,” she replied. “Someone issued a challenge that they didn’t think I could dress appropriately. Prepare to eat your words.”

  The three of us got ready in record time. I wore my new dress and shoes with a bit of make-up that added some class to my look. Monica wore a short gray dress that she brought with her. Remarkably, it was totally fitting for the occasion. She added some expensive accessories and she was all set.

  Winter took her challenge to heart and she rose to the occasion. She looked runway-ready and then some. She could have easily been on the catwalk for a Vogue fashion show. The short dress was a beautiful blue in color and contained a multitude of sparkling crystals. The bodice was extremely ornate and eye catching. It was also low-cut and drew your eyes directly to her chest. At least the sleeves were long so she wouldn’t completely freeze her ass off.

  “That color really brings out your eyes, Winter. You look stunning!” I congratulated her.

  Her shoes, make-up, and accessories all complimented the color of her dress.

  “Forget Spider,” I added, “I need a picture of the three of us!”

  We strutted into the living room, to find the men all standing around waiting for us. Mouths dropped, eyes bugged out, and tongues were wagging. We were THAT spectacular.

  “Holy shit,” Dane exclaimed. “Remind me WHY I ever left Oak Valley? I was a complete moron.” He took me in his arms and whispered, “You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. If I lose the race, I will still have won just knowing that you’re by my side.” AWW!

  “You will always be my fantasy man, Dane. Thank you,” I shyly replied.

  “Well, asshole?” Winter asked Spider, “Don’t you have anything to say about what I’m wearing? I expected some snide remark about how I don’t meet up to your strict guidelines.”

  “You would fit in at the most exclusive party in Paris. Absolutely breathtaking,” he replied in awe.

  Winter started to form a clever comeback, until she studied his face and realized he was absolutely serious. She managed to mumble an incoherent “thank you” and looked around uncomfortably.

  Some pictures were taken like it was the high school prom, and then we were ready to go. As we walked out, we recapped our day to Dane and he told us what he’d been up to. Evidently he took his car out for a long test run and she held up nicely.

  “This is a Toyota Supra. My pride and joy. We’ve been through a lot together,” he explained while giving us a tour of his car. He took the time to explain all the modifications he did to the engine and the brakes and various other parts. All I knew is that it was a pretty silver color and it looked fast.

  “Does it have nitrous or whatever they use in the movies?” I asked.

  “Nope, that’s not allowed in the race tonight. As a matter of fact, all cars are inspected prior to the race to make sure they have no illegal alterations.”

  “Do you have everything you need, Dane?” Spider asked his friend. “Cash, race music, and lucky watch?”

  “I’m ready,” he replied.

  Dane showed me his silver Movado watch. “I never race without this. It brings me luck.”

  Dane and Spider took the Toyota, while the rest of us hopped in Ant’s Chevelle. I sat quietly in the backseat while Ant expertly navigated the streets of Chicago at night. It would have been lovely to admire the city lights, had I not been preoccupied worrying about the race. Monica patted my arm and told me to relax. I couldn’t.

  We pulled up to the race complex and I felt my heart start to pound. It seemed like we were the only ones here until Ant turned a corner and the world got a whole lot bigger. There must have been fifty cars parked along a narrow street, each one more expensive than the next. Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches that made Trent’s car look like a pile of junk. When Spider said that this race attracted an elite crowd, he wasn’t kidding.

  “Holy shit, we’ve hit the big time,” Winter declared from the front seat.

  Ant followed Dane for a while, but ultimately veered off into a separate spot that was for the spectators and not the drivers. We parked the car and went in search of Dane and Spider. They were not hard to find. They were surrounded by thuggish mafia types. Ant pushed his way through the crowd and led us to Dane.

  ------------------------------------------------------

  I saw Izzy approaching and felt an overwhelming sense of relief that she was here. I didn’t want her anywhere near this type of crowd, but at least I could keep my eye on her and know she was safe. She was so beautiful tonight. I had half a mind of throwing her in the car, driving somewhere else, and having my way with her. I knew that would have to come later. Unfortunately I had some business to attend to first.

  I took her aside and whispered in her ear to stay close to Ant. I explained that I had to deal with these guys and I would be joining her in a minute. I turned my attention back to the Italians that were examining my car. I had to explain my modifications for the third time, not like the dumb fucks could understand much of what I was saying anyway. They didn’t know their asses from a hole in the ground when it came to cars. As long as it was fast and shiny, they were impressed. I wanted to start making up car parts, just to see if they would notice. I better not try that shit, I was in enough trouble with them already.

  “So what’s the deal tonight?” Spider asked Gino. Gino was the highest ranking Italian that was here tonight. He was the first guy I went to when I came back to town. Gino could be extremely intimidating, but I got the impression that he was a straight shooter. I didn’t think he’d fuck me over behind my back. With these guys though, you never knew for sure.

  “Here’s the lowdown. Pay attention. You got ten cars racing. There are two Russians with cars, two Italian entrants, three Asians competing, two rich-kid pieces of shit, and one guy whose other job is for Nascar. The winner takes all…which works out to be fifty thousand dollars since the buy-in has been upped to five grand.”

  “What the hell? A little notice would have been appreciated.” I didn’t have anywhere near that kind of money. Where the fuck was I gonna come up with three grand in the next couple minutes?

  “Don’t worry, we got you covered. If you win, you only get twenty grand. The rest goes to your new benefactor,” Gino explained while pointing to another man who was slowly approaching our group.

  This guy was some piece of work. He looked like your typical Italian douchebag covered in expensive clothes, lavish jewelry, and had a lady hanging off each arm. He gave checked out my car and didn’t look too impressed. Spider, Ant, and the girls stepped up behind me. I guess they were trying to make it look like I was important enough to warrant an entourage.

  “Do you know who that is?” Spider asked me, low enough that no one else could hear.

  “No. You’re the one who knows everybody. Who the hell is it?” I replied.

  “All I know is that his name is Sergio, he used to live in New York City but he got into some trouble there, and he had to move to some dink ass town to get away. He works at a brewery making gin now.”

  “How do you KNOW all that?” I asked.

  “I got a call about an hour ago that they upped your buy-in to five grand. Gino asked if you had that kind of cash lying around and I told him no. He offered to set you up with a sponsor and that’s what he told me about the guy.”

  “I’m not happy about some jerk-off making thirty grand off me if I win, but I guess there’s not much I can do about it,” I admitted.

  Sergio came closer to make his presence known. He had a tall, voluptuous blonde on each arm and he gently pried them off. They reluctantly stepped away.

  “Ladies,” he assured them, “There’s plenty of me to go around later. Be patient, my pets.”

  “Thanks for the money,” I mumbled, not wanting to speak to him at all but having no choice. I would rather take the cash from a stranger instead of Spider. If I
lost, this guy could fuck off and I’d never have to talk to him again.

  “You better win or else,” he threatened.

  “Or else WHAT?” I demanded. No one threatened me and got away with it. This is why I hated relying on other people. They always wanted something in return. No one ever gave out a kindness for free. Except my Izzy. I stole a quick glance in her direction. Which was the exact worst thing I could have done.

  “Or else I’ll have to take those three lovely ladies home with me as payback. Although that would be doing THEM more a favor than it would be doing for me…” Sergio added.

  “Do you want me to kick your ass right now, or do you want to wait until after the race is over? You can take your three grand and ---“

  Sergio put his hands up and said, “Easy, man. Damn. I was just messing with you. Why does everyone have to take things so seriously? You’re even worse than the fuckers I’m stuck dealing with back home.”

  Sergio grabbed his dumb blondes and walked away without another word. Italian asshole. That was going to be another bonus of moving to Oak Valley, not having to deal with arrogant pricks.

  “Hey,” Ant offered, “Why don’t you guys go size up the competition and I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the car?”

  “I’ll stay with Ant,” Monica said. “I don’t feel like meeting any new idiots.”

  Normally I would never leave my car right before a race but I trusted Ant to watch it. I might as well check things out. I guess it never hurts to ‘know your enemy.’

  I grabbed Izzy’s hand and we took a little stroll. Spider and Winter joined us, but they refused to look at each other. That situation was a ticking time bomb.

  We walked past a pair of Russians in matching Nissans, who weren’t shy about giving us the evil eye. I had never seen either of them before.

  “That’s Ivan and Yuri,” Spider explained. They’re ruthless. Watch out for them.”

  I saw some familiar faces up ahead. I leaned over to Izzy and told her, “I’ve raced with most of these guys before, but a few of them are new to me. It’s always easier to go up against opponents you know.”

  She slowly nodded her head and I could tell she was intimidated by the bright lights and big money.

  “Relax,” I told her while squeezing her hand. “They may look important but they don’t drive as well as I do. I’ve GOT this. Trust me.”

  I knew the next group of guys from some races we’d done last year. They liked to trash talk, but they were really pretty decent once you got past that.

  “Hey, if it isn’t DANE the INSANE! Word around town was that you took off because you were too much of a coward to face us! Too bad you’re back. That’s okay, we’ll be happy to teach you a driving lesson!”

  “You’ll be crying when you come in dead last. I’m not too worried,” I replied before shaking hands with my competitors. I looked at Izzy and loudly stated, “These three show-offs are the best that I’ve ever raced against. I’d like you to meet Ghost, Green, and Gage…aka the three Gs.”

  Izzy smiled and waved at the three Asian men. These guys were the best of friends but only saw each other whenever we raced. Ghost was from Singapore while Green and Gage lived right here in Chicago.

  “Good luck, Dane, you’re gonna need it!” Ghost said as I walked away to check out the rest of the field.

  “They’re good people,” I told Izzy. “They race clean.”

  “What about the rest of the drivers?” she asked.

  “I have no idea. Does that guy on the left look at all familiar? He’s a famous Nascar driver that likes to street race on the side. I heard rumors that he has a gambling addiction and he likes to race to pay off his debts. Or he just likes to bet on the street races and make his debts worse. Not sure on that one.”

  “Ok,” she said. “You have two scary Russians, three friendly G men, you, and a Nascar driver. That’s seven. Who are the last three challengers?”

  “See that guy over there with the cowboy boots and crowd of roughnecks?” I asked, pointing to a tall man standing by a Ford Mustang. “He’s from Texas, so we all call him ‘Dallas.’ He’s old money. His dad has oil fields and they like to flaunt their money whenever possible. He’s trying to get the next race held down on his ranch. It covers two thousand acres, so there would be plenty of room. No one wants to do it because there’s no thrill, no danger there.”

  We approached the last car in the line-up and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was Rafael, the second driver for the Italians. He was an arrogant fool who thought he had a lot more skills than he actually did. He needed a map to find his way out of his own damn driveway. This was the best they could come up with? Wow.

  Spider and I started talking to Rafael to be friendly since this guy was the closest I would come to an ally on the road. If either one of us won, the Italians would forgive my debt and all would be well. A little polite conversation wouldn’t hurt.

  I was mid-way through asking him a question about his car, when I heard a loud voice off to my left erupt in profanity.

  “WHAT THE MOTHER FUCK?” Izzy yelled.

  All eyes turned to her, mine included. I could not believe what I saw. She was slack-jawed and pointing to the final car that just arrived. Three clean-cut, preppy men were peeling themselves out of a modified BMW. One of those men happened to be none other than Barrett. As in, Izzy’s least favorite cousin, Barrett. As in, the guy she just started taking off after, presumably to punch in the face. Shit.

  Winter, Spider, and I all followed, hot on her heels. If she caused a scene anything like the one I witnessed when her grandmother did a surprise visit, we were going to attract a lot of attention to ourselves. There goes my plan to fly under the radar.

  “Why is she freaking out?” Spider asked me. “I told you she was deranged!”

  “That’s her cousin, Barrett,” I explained. I let Spider in on a little bit of Izzy’s family history this afternoon so he would understand why she was so upset when he threw money at her like he was Daddy Warbucks and she was Orphan Annie. Spider had to learn that he wasn’t the only one dealing with a past he would rather forget about.

  “No fucking way,” Winter screeched. “How did he find out she was here?”

  “Let’s go show that asshole the door,” Spider growled.

  We scrambled to catch up to Izzy and offer our support. I stepped in front of her and shoved Barrett in the chest. Hard. He staggered backward, thrown off balance, and his two little bodyguards jumped in to help. They took one look at Spider and immediately backed off.

  “I don’t know how you followed her here,” I threatened Barrett, “but you better turn the fuck around and go home before I kick the living shit out of you.”

  “Back the hell up, man. I had no idea Izzy was going anywhere near this,” Barrett explained. “I’m here with Carson. He’s driving in the race.”

  Barrett pointed to a short guy with white pants, brown loafers, and a bow tie. Carson kept swiveling his head from me to Spider, probably wondering who was going to hit him first. He did not look capable of starting a car, let alone driving one.

  “Izzy,” Barrett started, “This new boyfriend of yours has some nerve bringing you to a place like this. Still haven’t gotten that rebellious streak out of your system yet? How proud Grandma would be if she could see who you’re slumming with.”

  Before Izzy could utter a reply, I threw a right hook to Barrett’s jaw. He wasn’t expecting it, yet he rebounded and tried to take a swing at me. I stepped out of the way and grabbed his arm, pinning it behind his back. I swept his leg out from under him, and he was kissing pavement before he knew what hit him.

  I looked up at Izzy and asked her, “What do you want me to do with him?”

  “Kill the fucker!” she screamed. I raised my eyebrows at her. That seemed a bit harsh.

  “Ok,” she relented, “Maybe just run him over with your car a few times?”

  “I was thinking more
along the lines of making them leave the race and go home.”

  “Are you afraid to race me, asshole?” Carson asked. I guess Barrett’s buddy wasn’t as much of a coward as I thought.

  “I’m afraid of nothing,” I replied, getting ready to beat the piss out of him next.

  “Is that so?” asked a heavily accented voice behind me. “Then maybe we can make this a bit more interesting.

  I followed the voice and matched it to one of the Russians.

  “What did you have in mind?” Spider asked, always up for a challenge.

  “You think you can win at all costs?” the Russian asked me. “What if Ivan and I gave you a little handicap. Still think you can beat us?”

  “What Yuri is offering,” Ivan clarified, “is a friendly wager. We’ll give you five thousand dollars EXTRA, above all other winnings, if you can beat us. However, we want to give you a little handicap. Just to make it fun.”

  I started to get nervous. I had a feeling I was not going to like their offer. No problem. I’ll just tell them I’m not interested.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You usually race alone or with that guy, right?” Ivan asked, pointing to Spider.

  “Yeah. What about it?” I wasn’t sure I understood where he was going with this.

  “I’ll give you five grand cash right now if you race with the crazy bitch instead,” Ivan said, this time pointing to Izzy.

  “ABSOLUTELY NOT.”

  “HELL YEAH.”

  Can you guess who gave which answer? I flat out refused, but Izzy was all for it. I grabbed her hand and pulled her aside for a small conference. Spider and Winter joined us.

  “Izzy, have you lost your fucking mind? This is dangerous. We could get killed or arrested. You are NOT, under any circumstances, riding in that car with me.”

  “Let her do it if she wants,” Spider insisted, “It’s five grand, Dane!”

  “Listen to your jackass friend,” Izzy advised. “I have no priors, so if I get arrested then I’ll just say I’m here with my beloved cousin and he forced me to get in the car with you. Maybe they’ll throw Barrett in jail. And if I get killed in a crash, so what? I have two very important people waiting for me in heaven. I’m not afraid of death. I’m more afraid of losing you. If you die, we die together. Go big or go home. Ride or die. Go out in a blaze of glory. Insert your wise old saying here. I’m not backing down from this, Dane.”