Downshift (Skid Row Kings #1)

by Winter Travers

  “Jesus, Princess. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s OK,” I said, wiping the tears from my cheeks that always came. “I should really be over it by now, but it still feels like I just lost them when I tell the story.”

  Luke sat up and grabbed my hand. “Come lay with me, Princess.”

  I pulled my hand away and moved the food that was still surrounding me and stuck it back into the bags. “We really didn’t make a dent in this food, did we?” I laughed, trying to avoid laying down with him. I always seemed to cry around him, and it made me feel so weak.

  “Forget the food.” He shoved it aside and pulled me into his arms. “Don’t cry, Princess.” He brushed the hair out of my face and cupped my cheek.

  “I seem to always cry in front of you,” I whispered. His calloused thumb stroked my cheek, wiping away the falling tears.

  “At least, this time, I wasn’t the one to make you cry.”

  “Last night wasn’t really you either. Ginny has a way with words that always seem to hurt.” He wrapped his other arm around my waist and held me to his chest. I was kneeling in between his legs, my hands pressed against his chest.

  “I’m sorry for the way she talked to you. I’ve always known she was a bitch. Lord knows why the hell I agreed to go out with her.” He shook his head and looked embarrassed.

  “You were like everyone else, blinded by her Barbie looks.”

  “Well, I found out real quick that I’m not into Barbie. Why does she hate you so much, Princess?”

  “I honestly have no idea. It all started in freshman year. The first day of school was the beginning of four years of hell.”

  “She acted like that for four years?” he asked, shocked. Yes, Ginny Marco made me her physical and verbal punching bag for four years.

  “Yeah. I remember one time I was talking to Tim Collins. We were assigned as lab partners in chemistry and were just talking by my locker one day about a project coming up. Ginny managed to sneak up behind me and pour a huge bucket of grease from the deep fryer from the kitchen over my head.” I still get a queasy stomach anytime I smell fries cooking. It took me showering three times to get the greasy, fried food smell out of my hair. My mom had just thrown away my clothes, saying they were a lost cause.

  “You’re shitting me! How the hell did she get away with that?”

  “She got detention for a week.”

  “She should have gotten fucking expelled.” Luke looked pissed off, and it made me a tiny bit happy that he was so outraged over it. I shrugged my shoulders, agreeing with him, but I couldn’t go back and change it. Ginny tormented me, and she managed to get away with it.

  “Yeah, but it’s over. Now it’s my turn to ask a question.” Luke laughed, rolling his eyes. Before I could even open my mouth, his phone was ringing.

  He pulled his phone out and shook his head. “I got to take this, Princess, it’s Frankie.” He swiped left and put the phone to his ear.

  I started grabbing all the food, putting it back in the bags and shook my head at all the leftovers.

  “Frankie, calm down. I thought you wanted to spend the night with Bev?” I looked at Luke. The tone of his voice on edge and he sat forward. “What do you mean you don’t know where she went?”

  Oh no. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t good. I finished shoving everything in the bags and stood. Luke jumped up, grabbing the blanket off the ground and handing it to me. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes, Frankie. Just wait for me.” He shoved the phone into his pocket and grabbed the bags.

  “Is everything OK?”

  “I’m not really sure.” He walked over to the car, popping the trunk and threw all the bags in. I tossed the blanket on top, and he slammed it shut. “Frankie went to our Aunt’s house tonight, and she was supposed to spend the night with her, but fucking Bev left over two hours ago, and Frankie can’t get in touch with her.”

  “Really? Where would she have gone?” He opened the passenger door, and I slid in.

  Luke jogged around the front of the car and hopped in, starting the car and backed up. “Lord knows where the hell Bev went. This is the God damn reason she didn’t get custody of Frankie. She fucking disappears for hours or even days at a time, and no one knows where the hell she goes.”

  “Your aunt was trying to take Frankie away from you?”

  “She still is. She thinks just because she is older than me by a few years that makes her the better person to take care of Frankie. The woman is a damn psycho half the time.” Luke shifted the car into drive, and we cruised down the hill.

  “Why do you let Frankie go over there?” Shit. That sounded like I was questioning his parenting. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. “Forget I asked that.” I blurted, not wanting to piss off Luke. He had enough shit to deal with right now without me asking dumb questions.

  “It’s OK, Princess. I would ask the same question.” I couldn’t help but notice how even though he was concerned about his sister, he still drove calm, cool, and collected. He really was a talented driver. “I tried to stop Frankie from going over there, but she always insisted on going, saying she was fine there. The first few times she went over there I went with her. Everything was fine, and I’ve slowly been letting her go over there more and more. This is what I get for trusting her.” Luke sighed and ran his hand over his head.

  “It’s not your fault, Luke. As far as you know, nothing has happened to Frankie. That’s all that matters right now. She’s fourteen, she can be alone for a little bit.”

  “I’m not worried she’s alone, Violet. I’m worried about where she is left alone.” We reached the main road, and Luke cranked the wheel, skidded onto the road and slammed the gears as we rocketed down the road. It was just past ten o’clock and the traffic on the road had died down.

  “Where does your aunt live?” I grabbed my seatbelt, pulling it over me and clicked it into place.

  “You know how they call me and my brothers the Skid Row Kings, Princess?”

  “Yeah. Cause you made it out.”

  “Well, my aunt never made it out.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh, Princess. Now you see why I’m a bit worried about Frankie. If anything happens to her, I’ll kill Bev.”

  We drove in silence the rest of the way. Luke, I’m sure, worrying his head off about Frankie, and me not knowing what else to say. All I could do was clasp my hands in my lap and pray that Frankie was OK.

  We pulled up in front of a side-by-side duplex that had seen better days. It was made of dingy brick, the windows barred and the outside light flickering. There was a group of men standing outside of the duplex, and I was even more worried. “Which one is it?” I asked, climbing out of the car.

  “The left.” Luke walked around the front of the car and put his arm around my shoulders, tucking me into him. Thankfully the group of men were gathered in front of the right side, and I breathed a little sigh of relief.

  All the men turned to watch us walk up the sidewalk, their eyes intently watching and I huddled closer to Luke. I had never been on this side of town before. “You’re OK, Princess,” Luke whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

  I looked up at him, his eyes watching the men. I could tell he was concerned, too, but he wasn’t going to let me know that.

  He raised his hand and knocked on the door. We heard chains being pulled and locks releasing and then Frankie whipped the door open. “Thank God, she still hasn’t come back yet.”

  “Grab your shit and let’s get the hell out of here,” Luke ordered, not wanting small talk.

  Frankie grabbed her coat that was hanging by the door and put it over her arm while she picked up her book bag. “I’m ready. I’ve been watching for you.” She pulled the door shut behind her and ran to the car.

  “Um, don’t you think you should leave a note or something for your aunt? I’m sure she’s going to wonder where Frankie went when she decides to come home.”

  Luke grabbe
d my hand and tugged me down the sidewalk. “No. Bev doesn’t deserve to know where Frankie went. She should have kept her ass home.”

  I struggled to keep up with Luke, his strides long and eating up the sidewalk. He opened the passenger door, and I slid in, Luke closing the door.

  “Thank God you came and picked me up,” Frankie said.

  Luke slid in the other side and started the car. “Where did she say she was going?” he asked as he pulled away from the curb and turned the car around.

  “She didn’t.”

  “Fucking typical.” Luke shook his head.

  “How can she leave without telling you? Are you sure she’s OK?” I didn’t know their aunt, but it seemed rather strange to just up and leave.

  “She’s probably in some bar getting drunk. She got a phone call and said she was going to smoke a cigarette outside. She never came back in.”

  Luke slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “I was fucking right about her, Frankie. I knew I shouldn’t let you go there, but I fucking did.”

  I, again, felt like I was part of a moment that shouldn’t involve me. This wasn’t Luke’s fault, but he was obviously taking the blame for it.

  “It’s not your fault, Luke. If Bev would just grow up, this wouldn’t be a problem.” I think Frankie even felt bad for Luke. Sometimes things happened even when you have the best of intentions.

  “You can’t go there anymore, Frankie. I just can’t let you.”

  “That’s fine. I don’t want to anyway.” I heard Frankie’s book bag open and turned around to see her pull out her Kindle. I had to laugh because that was something I would do, too.

  “She pulled her fucking book out, didn’t she?” Luke fumed.

  “Yup. She’s definitely a girl after my own heart.” Luke turned to look at me, a smirk on his lips.

  “I bet you regret not bringing yours to the track tonight.”

  I grabbed my purse off the floor and pulled my Nook out. “I’m a Nook girl,” I laughed. “So, I obviously wasn’t bored at the track tonight. If I were, you would have seen me pull this out.” I shoved it back in my purse and set it on the floor.

  “You’re not going to be like Frankie and read now?” He asked.

  “Naw, I’ve got pretty good company right now.” I reached across the console and rested my hand on his thigh. Don’t ask me what had gotten into me, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.

  Luke grabbed my hand and held it to his lips, kissing the back of my hand. “I can’t complain about the company either. Best I’ve had in ages.” He winked at me and rested our hands on his leg.

  I stared out the windshield, a goofy smile on my face, and couldn’t help but think this was shaping up to be one hell of a night. Ginny, MIA Aunt and all.

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  Luke

  “I’ll walk you to your door.” I hopped out and jogged around the front of the car. I managed to open her door just as she was pushing it open.

  “Thanks.” She blushed as I held my hand out and she grabbed it.

  “I’ll be right back, Frankie.” She nodded her head, not looking up from her book. I closed the door and shook my head. Typical Frankie. As soon as her nose was in a book the world ceased to exist.

  “You don’t have to walk me to the door,” Violet protested as I tugged her towards the door.

  “It’s no problem, Princess. Key?” I asked, holding my hand out.

  She dug in her purse and handed me the key. “Hey, how did you manage to get in before?”

  I looked over my shoulder at her as I stuck the key in the handle. “Some nice old guy let me in. He asked where I was headed and when I told him he talked for ten minutes about how nice and helpful you were.”

  “Mr. Bennet. I should have known,” she laughed, shaking her head.

  “He told me you’re the only person who lives here under the age of fifty.” I turned the knob and opened the door for her.

  “He’s right. I somehow ended up in a building that mostly older people live in. It works for me, though. I like the quiet.” She walked past me, and I grabbed her hand as I walked in behind her.

  “I never took you as a hand-holder,” she laughed as I laced my fingers with hers.

  “Eh, normally I’m not.” She looked at me like I was crazy and we headed up the stairs. I normally wasn’t into holding hands and all that bullshit. I was much more a wham bam, thank you mam’ kind of guy. Violet made me want to slow down and actually get to know her.

  We stood outside her door, both of us not knowing what to say. “Um, thank you for taking me to see you race.”

  I reached up, brushing the hair out of her face and smiled. “You’re welcome, Princess. It was nice having you there.” I cupped her cheek, brushing my thumb over her cheek and realized I didn’t want to leave. Normally I’d ask to come in, but with Frankie in the car, that wasn’t a possibility. “You got plans tomorrow night?” If I couldn’t see her more tonight, I’d just make plans to see her tomorrow.

  “Um, not that I know of.” She leaned into my hand, craving my touch as much as I craved her.

  “I’ll be over after you get off work. I’ll bring dinner and a movie.”

  “OK,” she said, nodding her head.

  I leaned in, unable to resist her. My lips brushed hers, teasing myself with a taste of what I wanted. I dropped my hand and pulled away from her. All I could do right now was one kiss before I pushed her against the wall and took what I really wanted.

  She took the keys out of my hand and opened her door, pushing it open. She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Luke,” she whispered, shutting the door behind her.

  I stared at her door, wishing it was tomorrow night. Seven pm couldn’t come fast enough.

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  Chapter 13

  Violet

  It was 6:57 and butterflies had taken over my stomach. Frankie had texted me when she got out of school, saying she wasn’t going to be in today because of the rain, and I had been bored since. I had gotten used to her coming in and helping the last four hours of work go by faster.

  Today, the one day I was praying for seven o’clock she hadn’t come in. By five I had been about to crawl out of my skin, I was so anxious. After filing books away and cleaning the tops of the bookshelf, the end of the day had finally rolled around. Thank God.

  As I locked up the front door, the heavens opened up, and a torrential downpour rained down as I sprinted to my car. It was amazing that in the fifteen seconds it had taken me to get to my car I was drenched. I was going to look like a drowned rat when Luke came over. I guess it would be like the first time we had met.

  I jumped into the car, closing the door shut behind me and threw my purse on the seat. I stuck my key in the ignition, and then nothing. The car didn’t start, the radio didn’t turn on, nothing.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” I chanted. What the hell was I supposed to do? Luke was going to be at my house any second, and I wasn’t going to be there.

  I grabbed my phone, ready to call him when I realized I didn’t have his phone number. Shit again. I scrolled down to Frankie’s name and pulled up a text message.

  Frankie! I was in a bit of a panic. Typing her name was the only thing that came to mind. I waited five minutes before she finally replied.

  Hey! Aren’t you on a date with Luke? Well, there went me thinking that she didn’t know about Luke and me.

  I should be. I’m stuck in the parking lot at work. My car won’t start. Can you tell Luke where I am? I felt like such an idiot not having Luke’s number.

  I had waited for another five minutes before my phone went off, but this time, it was a number I didn’t know. I’ll be there in five minutes. I stared at the number, confused at first but then realized it must be Luke.

  Thank you. I’m sorry. I texted back, but he never responded.

  Five minutes later his headlights flashed across the parking lot, and he pulled up next
to me.

  He jumped out of his truck, keeping his door open and pulled open mine, “Hop in my truck. I’ll see what’s wrong,” he held his hand out to me, getting drenched by the downpour.

  I put my hand in his and jumped into the driver’s side of his truck, and he closed the door.

  He got into my car, and I couldn’t really tell what he was doing because I was fogging up the window. After doing Lord knows what in my car, he got out and popped the hood. He bent over, pulling this and that, all the while getting more soaked by the rain.

  He slammed the hood shut then hit the lock and the driver’s door and closed it. “Scoot over, Princess,” he said, opening the door of the truck. I scrambled over to the middle, unable to move anymore because of two bags sitting on the seat.

  “Holy shit it’s wet out there.” He ran his hand over his head and flicked the water onto the floor.

  “I’m really sorry you had to come and save me again.” I moved as close to the bags as I could and turned to look at Luke.

  “I was worried when you didn't pull up to your apartment right away. I probably should have given you my phone number last night.” He reached in the back, grabbing a shop towel and wiped his face and arms. “I think your battery cables are shot. It was hard to get a good look with the rain pounding me. I locked it up, and I’ll text Mitch letting him know to come and pick it up.” He grabbed his phone off the dash and sent a message.

  “You don’t have to fix it. I feel horrible you have to fix it again.” It felt like Luke was always rescuing me and I was just a damsel in distress.

  “Fixing your car is not an issue, Princess. You need to get rid of that piece of shit and get a new one. Car shopping is one of my favorite things.” He winked at me and tossed the wet towel in the back and set his phone in the cup holder.