Racing Dirty, L.A.

by J. Lynn Lombard

  I haven’t talked to or texted with Nolan in a couple of weeks and I think he knows something is wrong. I need to shut him out or he could be in danger too.

  This is so fucked up.

  When I took over this business years ago, things were so different. I had an insight into how I wanted us to change, out of the drugs, guns, and stolen property and go legit, but the other bosses didn’t accept it easily. I want to have a legacy, like my father. Now I’m fighting to survive and keep my place. I can only trust Noah, Hotflash, Redline, Rush, and Quickshift to have my back.

  They have their own issues to deal with in their own territories tonight, so that's why I’m sitting here by myself, in the dead of night hiding in the shadows. The only thing I have with me is my cell phone, a knife tucked in my boot, and my car I’m leaning against. The racers are lined up and I watch as Noah takes bets and maintains a cool facade to my people, reassuring them everything is fine.

  I’m supposed to be staying away from the races without Rush or anyone else, but I just can’t help it. It’s in my blood to see my people, watch them get excited for a great race and see them let loose.

  I think back to the last few months and all the texts and phone calls Nolan and I made to each other. He’s captured something in me and I don’t want to let it go. He’s accepted me for who I am and he’s still here. I’ve not been completely honest with him with what I do out here, but I can’t tell him.

  Not yet.

  Nolan owns his own security firm. A.R. Security after his late grandfather, Andrew Ryan. Nolan told me one night that he took back his mother’s maiden name Ryan when he moved to Michigan. Something not even Xavier knows about. He was involved with some bad shit and changed his last name. He never told me what it was, but he told me when he met Xavier and Izzy, they changed his life and he didn’t want his old life mixed up with his new one. Gone was the old Nolan and here is the new one. He never did elaborate what it was, but I have a feeling it was something that could get him killed if the wrong people found him. Which is why I want to keep him away from my crazy shit. He has his own secrets and so do I. He never told me how he got the scars that cover his beautiful body and the pain that crossed his face when I asked about them; I dropped the subject. He will tell me when he’s ready.

  I'm so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear anyone approach me until it’s too late. A strong hand clamps down on my right shoulder hard and pins me to the hood of my Shelby GT 500. I try to break free of the vice like grip, but it’s useless. I’m forced back and terror flows through my veins. My heart stops for a second when my eyes land on Shaun. His brown eyes are cold and deadly as he holds me down.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I hiss.

  Anger and adrenaline replaces the fear and my fight-or-flight instincts kick in. I wiggle under Shaun’s hand, and he holds me down tighter. I stop struggling, realizing it’s useless to fight him right now.

  “Ashley, Ashley, Ashley,” Shaun whispers in my ear. He pushes his body against mine and I feel like I’m going to be sick. “I’ve been waiting for you to be alone. Where’s your lap dog?” Venom laces Shaun’s voice and there’s something deadly in the way his eyes narrow at me.

  “Fuck off Reiser,” I spit out.

  Before I understand what's happening, he slaps me across the right side of my face making me see stars for a second. That fucking hurt, but I don’t let it show. I can’t let him know. My cheek is burning from his hit, but I shake it off the best I can.

  “Wrong answer bitch. Where. Is. Rush?” Shaun spits out.

  “Why do you want Rush?” I ask, keeping eye contact with him.

  “You don’t need to worry about that. Where. The. Fuck. Is. Rush?”

  Shaun’s grip on my shoulder is painful, but I keep the cry in my throat, not letting it pass through my lips. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me in pain. I glare at him and don’t answer. His fist connects with the side of my face, throwing my head back. The crunch of bones under his knuckles vibrate in my ears. This time I can’t fight the blackness that envelopes me.

  Chapter 10

  Ashley

  I’m jostled awake. My face is on fire from where Shaun punched me. I’m lying in the back of a van as it speeds down a bumpy road. Every pothole we hit, makes me roll back and forth and my aching head hurts even worse. I raise my hand and gently rub the side of my face that stings. I’m going to fucking kill Shaun when I get my hands on him. I steady myself so I’m not rolling around and find my bearings. I check my feet and they’re untied. Whoever threw me in the back of the van must not have thought I’d wake up before they reached wherever we're going. The pain in my head clears as the van comes to a stop. I hear muffled voices from the back, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. Footsteps reach the back and the doors fling open.

  “Oh good, you’re awake.” Shaun’s voice fills the air.

  “What the fuck do you want?” I snarl at him.

  “You’ll see. Now get the fuck out.” He demands.

  I cautiously get out of the back of the van. The knife still strapped inside of my right boot, gives me hope. He must not have checked me for weapons and I shudder at the thought of him touching me while I was unconscious.

  I look around, but it’s so dark I can’t see anything past the back of the van. Dark, thick, angry clouds cover the moon. The only sound is my boots hitting dirt as I stand up. There are no horns honking or engines revving from the busy L.A. traffic. I notice two other guys behind Shaun with semi-automatic rifles pointing at me.

  “Now come quietly and you won’t get hurt.” Shaun demands.

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “There’s someone who wants to meet with you and I suggest you don’t keep him waiting,” Shaun answers in a clipped tone.

  One guy approaches and nudges me with the barrel of his gun. Shaun turns his back and brings out a flashlight. He points the beam down on the dirt as we walk. The other man is walking next to Shaun with his gun pointed down at the ground, like I’m not a threat anymore. The crunching of boots and heavy breathing fills my ears. My heart is beating hard in my chest.

  After walking for several minutes, we come to an entrance of some sort and I must figure out a way to escape. There is no way I’m going in there. I hesitate to keep going and Shaun doesn’t notice. He continues to walk into the darkness and I can’t see him or the beam of his flashlight anymore. The guy walking behind me relaxes as we approach it and I stop. Standing in front of the entrance, deciding now is my chance to escape.

  I lean over with my hands on my head, gripping it like it hurts and reach for the knife tucked in my boot. I take it out before thug one even realizes what’s happening. I maneuver around him and bring the knife up to his throat, pressing into his jugular to prove I’m not messing around. The blade sinks into his skin a little and a satisfied smile graces my lips.

  “Don’t say a word and you live.” I whisper in his ear.

  He nods his head cautiously, so the knife doesn't plunge deeper into his throat and drops his gun. He could easily overpower me, but he doesn’t. I kick the gun away from him and release the knife from his throat. Shoving him hard in the opposite direction of his gun, I turn and run as fast as I can into the darkness, away from Shaun and his goons.

  I can hear Shaun shouting at me from a distance, but I ignore him. I have no idea where I am or where I’m going as I stumble and fall. Dirt and pebbles dig into my hands and knees but pick myself up and keep moving. I pick up speed as I run as fast as I can. My heart is beating in my chest and I wrap my bleeding hand around the stitch in my side.

  Why isn’t Shaun following me anymore?

  I don’t have time to think about that as I come up to a seven-foot-tall chain link fence. I climb up and over the top and my flannel snags on the metal spokes poking out. I throw myself over the other side of the fence, ripping my flannel in the process and land hard in the dirt, hitting my head again. Pain radiates through my bo
dy, but I pick myself up and keep running. I come to a dirt road with shapes of houses on the other side. I breathe a sigh of relief until I see headlights in the distance. Scared it might be Shaun coming for me, I run across the road and hide behind a bush in the shadows.

  The headlights slow down as the van Shaun had me in moves towards me. A beam of a flashlight comes from the windows as they slowly search the area, looking for me. Their voices drift towards me as they draw closer.

  “Fuck." Shaun screams. “Where the fuck did she go? Why did you let her run?” Shaun screams again. Anger and rage in his voice.

  “She had a knife to my fucking throat. What the fuck was I supposed to do?” One guy asks.

  I watch from behind the small shrub as they stop right in front of me, still arguing. I squat down very still, not moving a muscle as the beam of a flashlight heads in my direction.

  “How about you fucking disarm her, Benson. She weighs about one hundred and thirty pounds soaking wet. You could have easily overpowered her." Shaun yells back. He's pissed.

  “Reiser, calm the fuck down. We'll find her.” the second guy replies, trying to settle him down.

  “I can’t calm down. If I show up without her, they will fuck me and you up. I told them I’d bring her to them, Carl. Now keep looking. She couldn’t have gone far."

  The van starts moving again, slowly creeping by. I remain in the shadows and crawl backwards, between two houses, where the beams of their flashlights don’t reach, being careful to not create a sound.

  Shaun’s voice drifts away and I can’t hear their conversation anymore. When all I can see is their taillights in the distance, I stop crawling and pull my phone out of my back pocket. My battery is almost dead, so I need to make a choice. I can either call someone or use GPS and figure out where I’m at. If I’m quick, I can do both.

  I pull up the GPS app, still watching the area in case they circle back. It finally shows me where I’m at and my heart sinks while I watch the little blue icon flash at me. Crashing hard on the ground, scraping my knees, my limbs turned to jelly, and can’t hold me up anymore.

  They took me to the Palisades Del Rey. The place where my family was taken from me all those years ago and all I could do was watch. Where my life changed.

  My phone flashes at me again and the screen goes black. I shake my head struggling to get the images of them dying out of my mind. The screaming I thought I had locked up tight in the back of my mind comes roaring back with a vengeance. I cover my ears and rock back and forth trying to force them away.

  After what seemed like hours but was only a matter of minutes I lock the screaming away. I stand up on shaky legs and look around. The glow of the moon is bursting through the fading clouds, beams of silver light shining down on me. I can see a little better as I slowly walk deeper into the deserted community, careful to avoid the streets. I can’t go back towards the main road and take a chance at running into Shaun and his goons again or whoever wanted to meet me. There's a big house at the end of a cul-de-sac with a five-foot chain link fence surrounding the backyard. Sneaking over to the house, I calm my rapid breathing and climb over the fence. I walk up the back porch and try the doorknob. Locked. Just my fucking luck. Now what am I going to do?

  A loud whining engine booms over my head, making me jump. I look up to the sky and spot bright lights heading in my direction and the rumble of the airplane as it descends vibrates the ground, rattling my teeth. Using the landing airplane as a noise cover, I kick the door in and slip inside the house. Dust and dirt assault my nose as I’m plunged into darkness. I can't see what room I'm in, so I carefully shuffle my way to a wall and follow it deeper into the house. My mind is racing as the dark shadows taunt me. My heart is beating hard against my chest and my breathing is erratic as I finally make my way to a staircase.

  When I reach the top, I slowly open the first door and slip inside. There's a vast bay window directly in front of me and the silver light from the moon shining through it casts an eerie glow across the room. There's a twin bed next to the window and nothing else in here beside dirt and grime. I peek out the window from the side and exhale a sigh of relief. No trace of Shaun or his goons around this area. There are tail lights further out of the community towards the entrance.

  Still watching out the window, I take out my phone from my back pocket. The battery is at five percent but should be enough to make a call and tell someone my location, then wait for them to find me.

  With my mind made up on who I want to call, I click on my contacts, scroll to Nolan’s name and hit send. The phone rings on the other end two times before it goes to voicemail. I hang up and dial his office number. He’s always told me if he doesn’t answer his cell he’s usually in the office. The line rings as my phone vibrates in my ear signaling the battery is almost dead. After the third ring, a deep male voice comes across the line. After spending time with Christian and Mia I’d recognize Christian's brother, Ashton’s voice anywhere.

  “A.R. Security, how may I help you?” I wince as his sharp voice booms into the silent room.

  “Ashton, It’s Ashley. Is Nolan there?” I whisper-shout.

  “Ashley?” He sounds shocked and confused.

  “Yeah, it’s me, I need to speak with Nolan quickly. My phone is going to die, and I need help.”

  “OK hang on a second,” Ashton tells me.

  It feels like forever before I hear a click on the other end and Nolan’s voice fills my head.

  “Ryan here,” Nolan says in a clipped formal tone. Relief floods my veins and tears fill my eyes as I listen to his rich, strong voice. “Look, I don’t have time for this bullshit. Either speak now or I’m hanging up,” Nolan barks into the phone. I try to compose myself, taking a deep breath.

  “Nolan,” I say in a small, quiet voice. Afraid if I talk any louder, someone might hear me.

  “Ashley? What’s wrong?” The compassion in his voice is my undoing. I take another deep breath trying to keep myself in check.

  “I’m in L.A. and someone is after me please help me,” I whisper into the phone.

  “I’m on my way. Stay put and stay safe." I can hear him moving around on the other end.

  “Ok, please hurry. I’m really scared,” I respond quietly.

  My phone vibrates in my ear and the line goes silent. My battery just died. Relieved that Nolan is on his way I put my useless phone in my back pocket and peek out the window again. The taillights that were there earlier and gone and the abandoned community is deadly silent. The only sounds to be heard are the jet engines of the planes every few minutes and my heart beating in my chest. Fatigue takes ahold of me and I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.

  Chapter 11

  Nolan

  I yank my suit jacket off the back of my chair and run from my office, my heart thumping hard in my chest. I almost slam into Iverson making his way down the hallway towards me at the same speed. I bend just in time and swivel my body around him.

  “Whoa. Slow down Ryan,” Iverson says.

  If I wasn’t in a hurry, it would have been comical trying to see two large men avoid a collision in the narrow hallway.

  “Can’t. Need to get to the airport A.S.A.P. Ashley’s in trouble." I yell over my shoulder.

  “Hang on," Iverson shouts. Something in his tone makes me stop immediately and spin around. He approaches me with a piece of paper in his hands.

  “What’s this?” I ask, taking the paper.

  “Ashley's location. I traced the call after I put her through to you. She’s at the Palisades Del Rey. An abandoned community next to LAX. I pin pointed her to a two-story house at the end of a cul-de-sac before her phone shut off. The address is on there too.”

  “Thanks, Ashton.”

  “Do you need me to go with you?” he asks.

  “No, stay here and dig up everything you can find on Ashley. Whatever is going on, it might have something to do with her past. She’s been too quiet lately and normally we talk every day.” I take off dow
n the hallway toward the elevator. Pushing the button over and over, I drag my hands down my face, anxious to get out of here. I turn back toward Ashton.

  “Ashton, keep this between the two of us and I’ll call with updates.”

  “You got it. Oh, and Nolan?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Stay safe. I don’t like the idea of you being out there alone.”

  “I will and if I need you, I’ll call.”

  The elevator dings and the doors whoosh open. I step inside and push the button to the lobby. After what seems like forever, I’m finally in my car driving to the airport in the middle of a snowstorm at breakneck speed.

  Parking my car in the long-term parking lot, I snatch my go bag from the trunk and run through the slush and into the terminal. Two security guards escort me through a private exit and to my jet that is fueled and ready to go.

  Thanking my grandpa Ryan up in heaven for believing in me, I buckle my seatbelt and the jet lifts off a few minutes later. A stewardess dressed in a short, blue dress uniform approaches me. Her attire is so tight her tits are practically falling out and if she breaths wrong the buttons down the front might explode. Her skirt is short enough that if she bends over her panties would show and she’s looking me up and down like I’m a midnight snack. Once upon a time, I would have joined her in the mile-high club but since Ashley, no woman can hold my attention.

  “What?” I bark out looking away in disgust. She shrinks back a little, not appearing so bold now.

  “Did you want a drink or any assistance in anything, Mr. Ryan?” The stewardess asks, licking her lips. I turn back to meet her eyes as she plumps her huge chest.

  “No. What I want is you to use professionalism while working on my jet. I’m not interested in anything you have to offer. Now go.”

  Yeah, yeah call me a dick but I don’t care. I don’t get what is with people. You get money and they think they can try to seduce or use you. The stewardess makes her way to the back of the plane, probably crying, but I really don’t give a fuck. When the jet is in the air, I pull out my phone and send Xavier a text.