7
“Tighten it.” I point with the wrench in my greasy hands and lean against the bumper with my back as Murphy utilizes his stupidly long limbs to get the bolt I showed him.
Cress wanders around in a line, pacing back and forth, chewing wildly on her fourth piece of gum while Rafe and Riggs write down everything she can remember about the sedan at the hospital.
“You think we can pull this off?” I whisper to Murphy, and he turns his head to look up at me.
The dark swirls of his hair shake from the movement and his horned glasses slide down on his nose.
He uses the back of his wrist to fix them and chews on the inside of his lip. “Not very convincing, Murph.”
“You asked.” He shrugs and swallows. “Logically… no. The numbers aren’t on our side, they both know it, you know it. Racing will help, but we have no idea what these guys want. Not really. Sure we get them half a million, by some miracle, but who’s to say that’s the end of it.”
“Everything is a trap.” I confirm what he’s thinking and he nods. “So we be extra smart. You’re good at that.” I nudge him.
“Just be safe tonight, alright?” He pauses what he’s doing on the Skyline and stares at me for a little longer.
“Did you load the extra tank?” I ask, instead of promising anything.
“Yeah, but we need to change your tires before tomorrow. You’re such a fucking girl.” He scowls.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I pinch his arm.
“Means you run them bald, drifting behind Riggs’s back, and you aren’t slick.” Murphy smirks knowingly and I just shake my head.
“Keep your mouth shut,” I hiss at him, and he pretends to zip it.
“Is it ready?” Riggs asks, wandering toward us. His hulking frame eclipses mine as I turn to look at the insides.
“Yeah.” I nod. “It’s going to be fast. But we need it to be.”
“Good. I’ll race,” Riggs says, and Murphy shoots up so fast he slams his head against the hood of the Skyline with a loud thump.
“What?” He massages his fingers into his scalp.
“No.” I argue immediately, barely able to wrap my head around what he just said.
“If anyone is going to go out there and risk their life, it’s not going to be you, Birdie.” Riggs stares me down, and if I were the boys, it might work, but the glare of authority just riles me up more.
“I’m better than you,” I remind him coldly. “Much better.”
“It’s not about that.” Riggs doesn’t deny it because we all know it’s true. He’s just flexing some overprotective muscle in his subconscious.
“It’s exactly about that. If we don’t win tonight, they aren’t going to let us back. This isn’t your scene anymore Riggs. It’s not about respect and old rules, it’s about being the best. Do you know how hard it was to get this invite?” I snap.
“Not hard at all,” Murphy huffs under his breath. He’s not wrong, he managed to find a few underground conversations about it and within ten minutes I’d received a text. But that’s beside the point and I elbow him hard enough for him to grunt.
“She’s right,” Rafe backs me up. “You gotta let her race.”
“What good is her being the youngest if you all team up on me?” Riggs groans and narrows his eyes at Rafe.
“Bird has more flair and we need the distraction,” he says.
“You hear that?” I whisper to Murphy. “I’m a distraction,” I say with pride.
“For what?” Cress asks quietly.
“I found the car,” Murphy swallows tightly and she pauses her pacing in the background. Her eyes wander to the sound of his voice. “It’s locked up tight though.”
“How tight?” Riggs shifts on his feet and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Police impound.” Murphy winces.
Riggs just laughs, but the sound dies when he realizes that Murphy is serious.
“There’s no way,” he sighs.
“We need to get into the car before them,” Rafe stresses. “If it’s impounded it means it was either picked up by the cops or dumped illegally which means—”
“They left it in a hurry.” Cress interrupts and he nods.
“We need those radios busy, which is why we need Birdie behind the wheel,” Rafe pushes, and the vein in Riggs’ neck pulses with untold stress.
When he turns to look at me I’ve got a huge smile on my face but it’s full of violence, “I’m not usually inclined to agree with a man, but…” I give him a languid shrug and cock my head to the side.
“Man, she sounds beautiful.” Murphy leans back in the bucket seat and smiles at his laptop as he types away. During the race he’s going to help with the cameras around the impound lot and keep an eye on Rafe and Riggs to keep them out of trouble.
“That’s the sound of a woman well taken care of.
” The purr of a Skyline is priceless, hard work to maintain, but absolutely worth the looks when I let her out of the garage.
I’m especially proud of the black shine and the red accents.
The shredded aesthetic of the cherry red dipped back bumper and the black hubcaps was a personal endeavor.
Painted it entirely on my own. She was the first car I ever touched.
I whip it through a line of luxury cars parked on the cement, too scared to get dust on their wheels. Pussies. Heads turn as the tires curl up into the gravel and create a dust cloud that drenches the line in sand and dirt.
“Bird,” Murphy sighs.
“We need them paying attention.” I smile at him.
“Yeah, not pissed off,” he responds, the sound of a few angry idiots rumbles and I push down on the gas pedal just enough to drown them out before letting the back corner of the Skyline whip around and take us down the line to where Riggs and Rafe are parked.
“It’s the same thing, Murph,” I giggle.
“The race is supposed to be the distraction.” Riggs looks me over as I climb from the driver's seat. “Not you.”
“Wow, Birdie! You look incredible. That will keep everyone busy long enough for me and Rafe to break into a police lot.” I mock him and do a spin.
The mesh tights fit snugly up and over my skin, giving show to every single inch of tattooed thigh and calf, paired perfectly with an even tighter leather skirt, a black bikini top and a red Monroe garage shirt that’s been hacked apart so the hem sits across the top of my chest, only covering my shoulders.
“I wanted to match,” I say, leaning against my car.
He stares at me like I’m going to be the death of him, and it’s my favorite expression he has. When he finally blinks it’s only because Rafe comes up beside him swinging the keys to his motorcycle completely unaware of the argument happening silently between us.
“You ready?” he asks.
“I’m excited,” I correct him. “Are you ready?”
“We just came to make sure you were,” Riggs answers.
“You’re annoying.” I scowl. “Where’s Cress?” I look around for her.
“Work,” Rafe answers. “Dropped her off myself.”
“Good,” I nod, everything about not having her in our sight is making me nauseous but I can’t show him that, if I did, he’d call the whole thing off instantly. She’s safe at the hospital, I tell myself, it’s the best place for her.
If she gets hurt… I can hear Koa in my head, his grip on my morals and responsibilities still so loud in my ears. She won’t get hurt. I promise.
“I can shut it down for five minutes tops. Flickers of inactivity,” Murphy says. “It won’t take them long to notice that something is up with their system. Be, like, super fast.”
“Wow, sage words of advice, Murph.” Rafe pushes his fingers through his hair and smiles at a few girls that wander by him.
“Focus,” Riggs warns. “You can come back and chase tail after we check out this car.”
“Promise?” Rafe says, not taking his hungry eyes off them.
“Promise.” Riggs grabs Rafe by the collar and gives a head nod to us before shoving him toward the deep green Mustang that he drives everywhere.