Racing Dirty, L.A.

by J. Lynn Lombard

  “Can I get some of that?” I ask, pointing to the coffee pot.

  Rush must have sensed something in my tone or portrayed on my face. He nods his head and pours two cups. He hands me one and takes a sip of his. I take off my suit jacket, roll up my sleeves, and unbutton the top buttons on my dress shirt. I grab a seat at the island and drink some of my coffee before continuing. The bitter sweet taste gives me a shot of energy.

  “This time zone shit is killing me. Anyway, Ashley called me and didn’t say much. Just that she was in trouble and needed me out here as soon as I could. Iverson, my partner at my security business, tracked her phone to a two-story house at Palisades Del Rey." Rush’s face turns pale and he looks like he is going to pass out. “Rush? Are you OK?” I ask him. He nods his head and places his hands on the counter, breathing hard.

  “Are you sure that’s where she was?” Rush asks. His voice is quiet, and it’s concerning me.

  “Positive. When I landed I drove straight there. I spotted a van in front of the house and three men were walking out of it arguing. I went inside after they took off, but Ashley wasn’t there anymore. Why? What’s the deal with that place?”

  Rush ignores me and picks up his phone. He dials someone and waits until they answer. “Change of plans. Meet me at the Hollywood Subway station. I’ll be there in two hours. Maybe less." He hangs up the phone and looks at me. There is grief in his eyes, but it’s gone before I can ask him.

  “Come on. We have to go,” Panic laces his voice.

  “Can I change really quick?” I ask.

  “Yeah, second door on the left.”

  I pick up my bag off the floor and head to his bathroom. Ten minutes later, I’m dressed in dark blue jeans a blue cotton t-shirt that clings to my muscles and my gun is strapped to my side. Rush changed at the same time I did. We leave the house and Rush runs to his car. I follow, hot on his tail and get in the passenger side. He starts the car up and backs up out of the driveway before I even have the door closed.

  He throws the car in first and guns the engine. The tires squeal and the car whines under the rapid shifting of gears as Rush maneuvers in and out of heavy traffic with ease.

  “What did the three men look like?” he asks.

  He dodges cars and semi-trucks, passing them quickly. There are a few close calls as we make our way out of San Diego and head north on the four-oh-five. Traffic is crazy until we get out of the city.

  “Two of them looked like mafia guys. They had on dirty white wife beaters, dirty jeans and had semi-automatic rifles strapped on their chests. They were arguing with another guy. He had brown hair, no weapons on him and looked mean as fuck.” Rush hands grip on the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn white and I think he’s going to rip it right off. “Who is it Rush? You look like you know.”

  “Yeah, it's her asshole ex, Shaun Reiser. I thought I put that dumb fuck in his place a couple of weeks ago, but he must have grown a set to pull this stunt. I’m going to fucking kill him when I get my hands on him.” Rush growls.

  I pull out my phone and see the email Icon that Iverson sent me. Ignoring the email, for now, I dial Iverson’s number. He picks up on the first ring.

  “Ryan, what do you need?” Iverson asks.

  “Do a full background search on a Shaun Reiser. Dig deep Iverson, it’s important.” I tell him and hang up the phone.

  “Who are you?” Rush finally asks.

  “Nolan Ryan. I own A.R. Security." I give him the standard answer. That’s all I ever tell people. I don’t go into detail about my haunted past. I never have.

  “No. I know that, but what I’m asking is, Who. Are. You? I can see it in the way you're constantly scanning your surroundings and your hand is never far away from your side piece. There’s something more that you’re not saying.”

  “Tell me about this Shaun Reiser?” I suggest ignoring Rush’s twenty questions.

  “That mother fucker is going to die." Venom and anger lacing his voice as he continues. “He dated Ashley back years ago. She dumped him when she decided to stay with the family and he didn’t take it well. He’s a narcissist, and he tried controlling her when they dated. Reiser was thrown in prison a few years back and just got out a couple of months ago. He’s been trying to get Ashley thrown from her position and has the 38th Street Gang trying to take a go at her.”

  “The 38th Street gang? What the hell am I getting myself into?” I ask aloud.

  “She didn’t tell you anything about us?” Rush asks. He sounds a little offended.

  “Not a word. Just said she has business to take care of and that’s pretty much it.” I answer annoyed.

  “That sounds like Ashley. She is always trying to protect those she cares about or loves from her world. She tried doing that with Izzy, but Izzy kept harassing her until Ashley gave in. She has been silent the last couple of weeks towards me. Only talking about business not telling me Shaun has been after her again.” he states.

  “Izzy says ‘Hi.’ She told me to tell you that if I see you. She’d kick my ass if I forgot." I frown thinking about what Rush said about Ashley. “Ashley’s been completely silent with me. This morning was the first time I've talked to her in two weeks. We usually talk or text every day. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t think it was this." He has a look in his eyes I can't read and nods his head.

  “Ashley must really care about you then. When things get rough, she shuts everyone out trying to keep them safe. That puts her in danger more than she realizes.”

  “Tell me about Palisades Del Rey. When I mentioned it, your face went pale. I have the info in my email, but I’d rather hear it from you.” More pieces of the puzzle are clicking into place. Rush takes a deep breath before answering me. We’re traveling up the freeway quickly and the ocean and palm trees are speeding by me in a blur. Rush’s hands grip the steering wheel tighter.

  “Palisades Del Rey is an abandoned community. When we were teenagers, our parents used to go there all the time to race. It was a place we could get into and not have the cops bother us. When Ashley was fourteen, there was a bad accident up there. Her dad was racing down the loop when he lost control. Ashley’s mom was standing next to her little brother when it happened. Ashley was next to me in the back of the crowd. No one knew what was going on until we heard screams and then metal crunching. It was the worst sound I’ve ever heard in my life. Ashley ran through the crowd and by the time she reached the accident, her dad was dead. His car blew up throwing Ashley back and knocking her out. Her mom and little brother were hit with debris from her dad’s car during the explosion and died soon after. She blamed herself for their accident and hid from the racing world for a couple of years. She met Shaun, and we reconnected during a race a couple of months after they got together. That’s when things began to spin out of control. He became more violent towards her. After a year of putting up with his shit, she finally broke it off with him. It was messy and crazy for a little while."

  I lean back in my seat and close my eyes. Thinking about everything Rush just told me, my heart breaks more for Ashley. She had to deal with losing her parents at a young age, a crazy ex and who knows what else. I need to know more about what she’s involved in.

  “Thank you, Rush. That means a lot for you to trust me. I have secrets of my own that I can’t share, but I know what she’s going through. What else is she involved in?”

  “We have our street racing and some business she inherited from her father. When he died, the family wanted her to step up and take his place, but she was only fourteen. She went into foster care and was raised for three years by two great people. After Shaun got his panties in a twist, he outed her to them about racing and they kicked her out. She lived in one of my apartments in L.A. Then Ashley met Izzy and before we knew it Izzy was living with her and became a part of our family. They stayed there for a year until they went off to college. They moved into the dorms together and things were going great until two months ago. After she came back fr
om Michigan. That’s when Shaun got out of prison and started rallying people against her. He blames her for getting locked up. She had nothing to do with it. He happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “I knew they used to live in an apartment until college, but I didn’t know it was yours. I never met Ashley until she came to Michigan for Izzy’s big race and shit hit the fan. Izzy talked about Ashley a lot, but I had no idea they illegally raced. I’ve always done dirt racing. I want to try it sometime.” I answer.

  “Well, there’s a race next weekend. If you’re still here I’ll hook you up, but you need a better car than the one you showed up in." Rush tells me. I roll my eyes.

  “It’s a rental,” I grumble under my breath.

  “Whatever, but that car won’t cut it.” Rush laughs.

  The tension is slowly melting away as we speed down the freeway towards Los Angeles, the City of Angels. We’re both silent, trying to get our thoughts together. Rush’s car is a beautiful piece of equipment. The sleek black interior is comfortable as I lean my head back against the headrest. My eyes grow heavy as the sound of the engine purring puts me to sleep.

  Chapter 15

  Nolan

  There's a hand on my shoulder, gently shaking me. My eyes fly open and my hand instinctively moves to my side piece. The demon I fight with everyday awakens and I let out a low growl.

  “Whoa. It’s me, Rush. We’re here." Rush states, holding his hands up.

  Clearing the fog from my brain I remove my hand from my side piece. Everything from the last handful of hours comes back in my mind at full chaos. I turn to Rush and he’s staring at me like I’ve lost my mind.

  “Sorry. Instincts. I don’t like to be caught off guard, jet lag must have set in. I never sleep around other people.” I apologize, tamping down the demon. He nods his head in understanding.

  Looking around at our surroundings I see tall skyscrapers in front of us. The sidewalks are full of people going about their business without a care in the world. There’s an old sign that reads ‘Hollywood Subway Station’ with graffiti tagged all over it. The street we’re parked in front of is busy with cars all traveling in one direction.

  “What are we doing here?” I ask.

  He gets out of the car not answering me, and I follow. The hot, dry air hits me when I step out. The California weather is going to take some time to get used to. My shirt sticks to my body as we stand in front of Rush’s car. He’s pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. Irritation is rolling off him in waves.

  “Rush,” I say getting his attention. “What are we doing here? I need to get to Ashley.”

  “The rest are supposed to be here but they’re not. Come on, let’s go. I’m not waiting for them anymore." He answers in a clipped tone.

  Before I can ask who the others are, he’s walking quickly across the street towards the subway station sign. I follow behind him, horns blaring at me, but I don’t give a shit. Rush scans the area before removing a board across a dark stairwell. He ducks inside, and I follow him. He turns back around and puts the board back up without saying a word. Darkness ingulfs me as we make our way down the concrete stairs deeper under the bustling city. When we reach the bottom of the wide steps, fluorescent lights greet me lighting up a huge underground city. There are old signs hanging up on the dirty walls directing people up and out of the subway. The place is old and abandoned. No homeless people lying around, not a soul in sight. It reminds me of the New York City subway stations. Haunting memories try to invade my mind, but I force them back.

  Rush turns towards me a slight smile on his face. “We stumbled upon this area one day after Ashley came back on the scene. C’mon we need to go deeper in the tunnels.”

  We walk up to a huge platform and Rush jumps down. I follow and notice the tracks are gone. There's garbage and dirt everywhere. We walk deeper into the tunnel. Water is trickling off the concrete walls, and the air is wet with moisture. There are small lights on the top of the walls making it easier to see, but the shadows they create keeps me on high alert. My hand is resting on my side piece as we go further and further, deep down the tunnel.

  “Here it is,” Rush says after ten minutes of walking in silence.

  He’s standing in front of a non-discrete door and turns the handle. It doesn’t open when he tries. He pulls out his keys from his jeans pocket and unlocks the door. I enter before him and look around the small room. It’s an old maintenance room turned into a safe haven of some sort. My eyes land on Ashley’s sleeping form curled up on a small cot, her back is to me and a blanket is pulled up to her neck. All the feelings I’ve had for her the past few months come rushing back and it takes my breath away.

  Looking at her sleeping form seals it for me. She’s the one I’ve been waiting for and I will do what I can to protect her from everything. Ashley looks so small lying there and I quickly cross the room towards her. I kneel on the side of the cot and gently shake her. I want to wrap my arms around her and shield her from the horrors she’s faced, but I don’t want to freak her out either.

  “Ashley,” I whisper. “Ashley, wake up. I’m here.”

  Her breathing becomes rigid and her body stiffens. She stretches her long legs out on the cot and turns towards me, hiding a part of her face. She opens her big brown eyes and tears are threatening to spill.

  “Nolan, you’re here,” Ashley says, gently cupping the side of my face. I close my eyes from her contact and enjoy it for a second.

  “Yes, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere,” I whisper, opening my eyes.

  She’s still looking at me, keeping the right side of her face away, like I’m a dream and she doesn’t want to wake up. Her small hands caress my stubbled cheek gently and a shiver passes through my body.

  Ashley sits up on the cot and the blanket drops revealing a black tank top and yoga pants. My dick grows hard at the sight of her and I plead silently with it to go back down. Now is not the time. I sit on the cot next to her and take her hand in mine.

  “Tell us what happened,” I say.

  She looks up from the floor and her eyes meet Rush’s. His jaw is tense, and he’s visibly shaking from head to toe. He's clenching and unclenching his fists and rage is vibrating from his body. I raise an eyebrow at Rush, but he doesn’t take his black eyes off Ashley’s face. Ashley ducks her head back down and tears are in her eyes.

  “Rush, what the fuck?” I growl at him.

  He ignores me keeping his eyes on Ashley. Anger is fueling my veins from the way he’s looking at her. He said they were family, but that’s not the look someone gives family.

  “Did he do that to you?” Rush barks out.

  Confusion fills my mind with his question. I look Ashley over. She’s keeping her left side to me and picks her head up, looking Rush in the eye.

  “Yes." That’s all Ashley says. Rush punches the wall and stalks out of the room. I can hear him pacing back and forth outside the door mumbling to himself. Still not understanding what set him off, Ashley turns her body toward me and I see a deep purple bruise on the right side of her face. It starts at the base of her ear, reaching the corner of her mouth and spreads up her cheek. Her right eye is swollen.

  Anger and rage sweep through my veins as I study the bruise. Now I realize why Rush is so pissed. I clench and unclench my jaw trying to rein in the demon that's pounding against my chest, wanting to come out and play. Ashley rests her hand on my jawline, calming me down slightly.

  “It probably looks worse than it feels,” she speaks quietly.

  All I can do is nod my head, my brain can’t form words yet. I'm also thinking of ways to make this fucker, Shaun, pay. After a few moments of silence, Ashley breaks the tension radiating through me.

  “Nolan, I’m glad you’re here with me.” She snuggles into my side and breathes a sigh of relief.

  Her head is leaning against my chest and the smell of strawberries wraps around me. My heart is beating rapidly against my rib cage. I put my arm around h
er pulling her closer. My head clears of the different forms of torture I crave to inflict upon this guy as I feel her body against mine. Ashley moves her head up, so she’s looking at me in the eyes. She slightly parts her lips, licking them, and my eyes drop to the motion. The demon quiets down as the rest of the world is shut out, and it’s just the two of us. I lean in so there is just a breath between our lips. I close the distance between us and kiss her passionately. Ashley parts her lips and allows me entrance. I plunge my tongue into her mouth, her flavor explodes on my taste buds making me crave more and she lets out a whimper in the back of her throat. I gently grasp the back of her head and deepen the kiss. We break apart after a few moments, both of us breathing hard and Ashley rests her forehead against mine.

  “Thank you,” she says.

  “I’m glad you called me. I’ve been going out of my mind with worry over the last two weeks.” I confess.

  “I’m sorry. Things were spiraling out of control for a hot minute. I thought it was best if we didn’t talk. There are things you don’t know, and I needed to keep you safe.” Ashley whispers.

  “Ashley, you've got to trust me. I can handle whatever is going on. It’s what I do.”

  Rush comes back into the small room. His broad frame takes up the doorway as he leans against it. He crosses his tattoo-covered arms over his chest and kicks one leg over the other. He still looks pissed, but the rage I’m familiar with has settled down some.

  “Ashley,” Rush says. “The others should be at the house, c’mon we need to get them up to speed on what’s going on and come up with a plan.”

  He pushes off the door frame and leaves the room again. Ashley slips a pair of shoes on and gently rises. Her whole body is stiff as she turns toward me.

  “Come on, I want you to meet the rest of my family,” she announces with a grin.

  Ashley holds her hand out and I stand up taking it. She offers me another soft smile and leans into me. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and help her walk out of the small room.