Racing Dirty, L.A.

by J. Lynn Lombard

  “I’ll get things together and get him out of there.” Rush promises.

  “Thank you. Now time to deal with the drama at home. You ready?”

  “Let’s roll.” he replies.

  Chapter 7

  Ashley-Present

  I arrive at the address Noah gave me in record time, shaking my head, struggling to clear the memories I continue having.

  Nolan’s text is running through my mind as I park my silver Ford Shelby GT 500. I smile to myself every time I think of Nolan. He has penetrated my walls. He didn’t just climb them like a normal person, he blew through them and wormed his way under my skin. I didn’t see him coming and I wouldn’t have been able to stop him even if I tried.

  I climb out of my car and lean against the hood. The quietness surrounds me, and I take it all in before everyone shows up for the race.

  I’m not racing tonight, just observing. Looking for fresh recruits. There's some shit about to go down, I can feel it in my bones. My instincts are always right on when it comes to this stuff. There’s been some talk and whispers of retaliation from the 38th Street Gang and I know who’s at the center of it.

  Shaun Reiser.

  That one name sends shivers down my spine. He’s the reason I’m on their radar. When we broke up, he stayed low and out of sight for a while. Licking his wounds. When he appeared again, he tried to weasel his way back into my life, but Rush and Redline put an end to it immediately. That pissed Shaun off and he became a loose cannon. Now, a few years later, he’s back. Word has it he was locked up for illegal street racing and drugs and became involved with the 38th Street Gang while on the inside. He weaseled his way into their main leader, Ian Duel's, good graces and now they’re out to get me for taking over their territory.

  I know it’s the consequences of being the boss, but I don’t think Shaun's vengeance will come anytime soon, but it's coming, there's no doubt about it. The 38th Street Gang is known for lying low and biding their time, so I will continue to strengthen my crew and be ready for them.

  Summer is almost over, and the nights are becoming a little cooler. I breathe in the chilly night air and relax as other cars pull in and park around me. I cross one leg in front of the other and cross my arms when I spot Noah pull up in his sleek black Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. He parks next to my Shelby and gets out.

  “Hey Krimson,” Noah greets me, giving me a hug.

  Ever since that night I rescued Noah from that group home in San Diego, he always gives me a hug. He saved me more than I rescued him that night and he has no idea. He’s been around for quite a few years, but he still doesn’t know what actually happened to my family.

  None of us do.

  “Hey, Noah. How’s the street looking?” I ask.

  “It’s looking good. Listen, I want to warn you before it’s a surprise. Shaun is out, and he might have caught wind of tonight’s race.”

  “What?” The blood drains from my face and my stomach is rolling. I knew Shaun was out, but I didn’t think he’d have the balls to show up tonight. We might have a leak somewhere.

  “Yeah. I just received word about it and wanted to get here before everyone else. We need to watch your back. Word has it we have a leak somewhere and they want you out.” Noah whispers, echoing my thoughts.

  “I knew this was coming. It’s part of the job, but I won’t go down easily. They can come at me with everything they have, but I’m not leaving. This is my life and my family. No one will take it away from me." Venom's dripping from my tone.

  More cars pull in as Noah and I scan each person who passes, watching for anyone from the 38th Street Gang. I spot a familiar car pull in and park next to me. A smile lights my face when my little Mexican friend and leader of the East Side, Hotflash a.k.a., Natalia Betters, gets out of her car. She's a perfect mix of fire and ice, and her deep brown eyes meet mine. A smile lights up her face when she strides over to Noah and me.

  “What’s up, Chica,” Natalia says in her Spanish accent.

  “Not a whole lot. Just watching and waiting.” I respond.

  Natalia leans up against the hood of my car, next to me. Her curly chestnut brown hair with blonde highlights is all over the place. She’s dressed like me in a tight white tank top, under a black and white flannel. She has on black skinny jeans and black racing boots. It’s our outfits we bought together. We want to make a statement we're not to be fucked with. Her five-foot two frame is tiny compared to mine. Natalia crosses her arms over her chest and the three of us watch the others pull in.

  Before we know it, the parking lot is packed, and music is blaring from someone’s speakers. The bass of the speakers rumbles through my body. Girls are dressed in tight dresses, dancing and letting loose, late into the night. The guys are watching them and finding the one they want to take home. Like every race I go to, it’s the same and the scene in front of me always takes my breath away.

  All these people are here to have a good time and earn extra money on the side. Official bets are passed through Noah, no exceptions. Anyone who disobeys my direct order will find themselves not being able to walk for a week. I'm very diligent about this. It’s how we stay safe and off the cop’s radar. That and Noah’s directions to other races keep the heat off us and my people can be carefree to enjoy the race.

  No one approaches us as we continue to observe every car and driver that comes in. There are eyes that keep on skirting over in our direction, wondering what we're doing, but no one dares to approach us. I watch as another familiar car pulls into the mix and Rush gets out. His powerful build and sheer confidence have women drooling over him and men wish they were him. The women who are daring enough to approach him do, looking to catch his attention. Rush wraps his tattooed arm around a skinny blonde whose boobs are spilling out of the top of her tight red dress. She flashes a smile at him and drapes her body around his, sending a warning to the others that Rush is hers for the night.

  Rush approaches us with the skinny blonde wrapped around him and I raise an eyebrow.

  “We need to talk and not with mixed company,” I say ignoring the blonde.

  Rush whispers something to Blondie and she throws me a deadly glare. He shakes his head and I smirk at her as he unwraps himself from her claws. She has no authority over me and I’d snap her in half before she even knew what hit her.

  “Walk away Blondie and you won’t get hurt.” I snap, glaring right back and crossing my arms over my chest again. She is pissing me off and that’s the last thing she wants to do.

  Rush and Noah are just standing back watching the scene unfold. They know not to get involved when I'm pissed. Rush had warned her to walk away and she thought she could take me on, trying to piss all over him.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” Blondie snarls at me.

  “Bitch, I suggest you leave now if you know what’s best for your health.” My tone is low and deadly. I see Natalia tense next to me from the corner of my eye, giving Blondie the same deadly glare. She’s about to lose her Mexican shit on her.

  “Hotflash, rein it in,” I command Natalia, not taking my eyes off Blondie. Her eyes become wide and she stares at the both of us. Yeah, she realizes she pissed in the wrong territory. “Now get lost before I let my Latina friend lose her shit on you.” I scowl at Blondie.

  "I didn’t know." her voice trembles in fear.

  “It doesn’t matter. When Rush tells you to scram, you get the fuck away. You don’t piss on my territory and expect to walk away in one piece. I’m feeling generous tonight so make a choice, walk away or meet my fists." I push off my car and tower over her. She shrinks back at my approach and walks backward, her high heels making her stumble. She swings her head towards Rush, pleading for help, and he shrugs his shoulders.

  “I told you to walk away, but you didn’t want to listen. Not much I can do when you get on Krimson’s radar.” Rush says coolly.

  “I’m...I’m sorry.” Blondie stutters, swinging her blue eyes toward me. “I’ll go."
She glances back to Rush, unsure of herself. “Find me later?”

  He barks out a laugh. “Nope. Not a chance. I would have if you walked away like I suggested. You don’t fuck with my family. Now get, we have business to attend too." He says dismissively.

  I’ve watched him act this way to other women, but only when something is bothering him. He usually loves women and embraces the attention they show him. Something is up, and I need to find out what it is. Blondie turns and walks away quickly, rejoining her friends that are standing in the crowd. She shoots a glare my way, must be finding her balls when she feels she's safe in the crowd. I smirk at her and raise my eyebrows. She quickly darts her eyes in the other direction and stalks away.

  Something feels off with her. I need to keep my eyes open tonight. I don’t question my instincts on these types of things. I did that once and it ended up with me in jail overnight. I was set up by someone who I thought I could trust. A shudder passes through my body at the memory of being in a six by nine cell, struggling to sleep on a hard cot with other women watching me from the next cell, waiting to take me out. That was a long night. One I never want to repeat.

  “What’s the scoop?” Rush asks.

  “Shaun.” That’s all I need to say.

  Rush’s hands clench and unclench into fists, the vein in his forehead is throbbing from the anger radiating from him.

  “He’s out and looking for blood,” Noah comments.

  “What the fuck," Rush roars. “I thought he would've learned his lesson.”

  “Obviously not, Papi,” Hotflash answers.

  “We won't let that asshole ruin our night,” I demand. “We’re here to recruit and race. Possibly get some too." I turn toward Rush. “I need you to see who’s got potential and loyalty when the race starts." Pointing to Noah next, "Noah, I need you to take the bets like normal and see who’s saying what." I twist my body toward Hotflash. "I need you to kick some ass in this race. Redline is helping Quickshift in dealing with Tres-Seis issues tonight so he won’t be here. They’re still giving him a tough time with the territory, but he thinks he can get them to come around to our side. This thing with 38th Street Gang is bringing heat down on us, so we need to keep our enemies close and stay diligent. If anything, or anyone looks out of place, you find me. I’m going to keep an eye out for Shaun and put that mother fucker in his place for the last time.”

  “Don’t do it alone, Hermana,” Hotflash says to me in half Spanish, half English.

  “I’ll be fine. He hasn’t ever laid a hand on me. I’m not worried about him.”

  “You should be, Nina,” Hotflash concerned voice gives me shivers. “He’s loco and I don’t trust him. He’s been locked up for tres-anos. Three years. Who knows what he’s turned into. Don’t go alone. Take Rush or Noah with you.”

  “She’s right,” Noah intervenes. “Don’t approach him alone. Take back up with you. Rush would be better.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I answer, exasperated. It’s the same argument I have with these guys. I can handle my own. I don’t need a babysitter.

  “Dios Mios. My God, Krimson. Use Rush. If anything happens to you, we'd be lost. You preach about familial watching out for each other. So, use us and have us watch your back. He’s a dirty mother fucker.” Hotflash growls, throwing her hands up in the air.

  “Ok, Ok. Rush stay with me. We'll recruit together and confront Shaun if he shows up.” I answer, giving in. There’s no way I'll win an argument with Hotflash when she starts spewing Spanish at me. I can’t understand her half the time, so I have no way to argue with her.

  “Gracias,” Hotflash says.

  I pull my phone out of my back pocket and check the time. It’s after one a.m. and we need to have the racers lined up. My phone chimes with a text and Nolan’s name floats across the screen. I'm thrilled he's texting me but frown at the same time. He should be sleeping right now. It’s after four a.m. out there. I click on the message and read what he says, a grin appearing on my face.

  Nolan: Hey beautiful. Couldn’t sleep, thinking about your legs wrapped around me. Can’t wait to see you soon.

  XO-Nolan

  I type out a quick response.

  Me: Hey, sexy. Soon, very soon.

  XO-Ashley

  I hit send and put my phone back in my pocket. Hotflash is looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Rush is smirking. He knows all about Nolan. Noah has a confused look on his face.

  “What?” This stupid smile won’t leave my face.

  “Who is hombre?” Hotflash asks.

  “No one,” I answer quickly. Rush barks out a laugh and Noah’s still puzzled.

  “If you mean Nolan Ryan is no one, then I’m the fucking king of England,” Rush jokes.

  “Que, Nolan?” Hotflash asks.

  “Nolan is the guy she hooked up with when she went to visit Izzy. He’s got under her skin. I don’t think I’ve seen her look like that ever.” Rush deadpans.

  “Oh. The hot one from Michigan?” Hotflash asks.

  “Why don’t I know about this?” Noah asks, pouting.

  “Noah, Hotflash, we have work to do. I’ll explain later,” I command. This fucking smile still won’t leave my face.

  “You better Chica or I’ll go loco on your ass,” Hotflash says. A string of some Spanish leaves her lips and I shake my head. We force our way through the crowd and Rush’s deep voice booms over the noise.

  “All right. Listen up. We have a race to get on." The music stops, and everyone becomes quiet waiting for directions. I take it as my cue to talk.

  “Everyone knows the drill.” I continue, looking into the crowd, making eye contact with everyone. “I need the four racers here, so we can make our bets. When you decide who you want to bet on, give your money to Noah. He’ll keep track of it. We have the road cleared and the cops sniffing around another race. Let’s do this."

  The crowd explodes with cheers as two of the three drivers join Hotflash. One of them is skinny with blond hair and a surfer tan. The second guy that joins us has muscles and dark hair. The third finally makes his way from the crowd and it’s Shaun.

  Holy shit.

  Time stands still as Shaun’s brown eyes look me over. Everyone fades away and it’s just the two of us at a standoff. I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. Rush stands behind me, tension radiating off his body.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Rush’s deep voice is low and deadly.

  “I’m racing. What the fuck does it look like?” Shaun glares back.

  He’s built up a lot of muscle on his once skinny frame from being locked up. I shudder in disgust when his brown eyes find mine again.

  “I can still race, right babe?” Shaun turns toward me.

  I square my shoulders and notice everyone is seeing this exchange. “Don’t call me babe. I was never your babe. You were a mistake when I was young and dumb and that won’t happen ever again. You stay in line and remember your place and you can race. If I find out you’re racing dirty, you will wish Bubba got his hands on you while you were locked up." Venom seeps from my tone and I narrow my eyes at Shaun.

  “Fine. I need cash anyways.” Shaun spits out. His eyes narrow on Rush standing behind me.

  “Is there something you want to say?” I ask Shaun.

  “Nah, I’m good. I see he’s still your lap dog though.”

  “Fuck off Reiser. She’s family and family sticks together.” Rush growls.

  “Nah, been there done that. Tell me Rush,” Shaun prompts. He narrows his eyes at Rush, then looks me up and down. “Is she still a wildcat in bed? I didn’t peg you for someone’s sloppy seconds.”

  “Dios Mio. Someone beat this pendejo or move so I can do it." Hotflash screams, earning her nickname. She has a quick temper and will unleash hell on you in a hot minute.

  “Hotflash. No." I demand, blocking her path. “This is what he wants. He wants us fighting so we fuck up. Get your head together." I shift my head slightly to scowl at Shaun. “Last chance, Reiser. R
emember your fucking place.”

  “You’re not fucking worth it anyways. Just watch your back, Ashley.” Shaun spits out.

  He turns and walks away from the crowd. I watch as he gets into his car and just before he leaves, he shifts his head toward me and points his fingers in my direction, acting like it’s a gun. I ignore him as he drives off and turn to face the rest of the crowd.

  “Well, since we just lost a racer, do we want another or just these three?” I ask. They respond by chanting my name repeatedly. I glance at Rush and he nods his head, saying that it’s safe.

  “Alright, alright. I’m in. Let’s place those bets." I concede.

  Chapter 8

  Nolan-Present

  It’s after four a.m. and I can’t sleep anymore. I reread Ashley’s text while I sit on my living room couch in the dark. There’s something nagging me in the back of my mind and I don’t know what it is. Ashley wants me to come out to L.A. and show me her world. She’s the first woman who has left me speechless and looking like an ass.

  My mind keeps drifting back to the night we spent together a couple of weeks ago. I thought if we had one night, it would get her out of my system.

  I was so wrong.

  I don’t even notice any other women anymore. Trust me a lot of them have tried to get my attention, especially at the track, but my mind is set on one particular woman with long lean legs, sun-kissed skin, blonde hair, and perky tits. The way she came unraveled in my hands, letting me worship her like I’m the only man who made her feel that way.

  My cock grows hard again, and I curse Ashley under my breath. She’s cast a spell over me and I can’t break free. Needing to hear her, I dial her number. It rings a few times before her voice comes across the line.

  “Hey, sexy,” Ashley says when she answers. There's an easy tone in her voice. I can hear other voices in the background.

  “Hey beautiful. What are you up to?” I ask, holding my breath to hear if she says anything.

  “Not much, just heading out with a few friends,” Ashley answers.