Chapter 32
Nolan
I continue watching my mirrors, waiting. Ashley has this expression in her eyes, she’s going to ream me a new ass, but I know what I’m doing. When Ashton passed us, I flashed my brights at him three times and tapped my brakes twice. It’s a code we worked out a few years ago when we were working on a case that led us on a car chase. Ashley didn’t notice his brake lights flashing back at me, she was too concerned about Shaun behind us. I hold my speed around fifty miles an hour and Shaun’s right on my ass, trying to blind me with his high beams. I spot the four cars do a sharp U-turn and Ashton’s is in the lead.
“Bingo, mother fucker,” I whisper with a grin on my face.
I punch the gas, forcing the RPM’s up to eight. My speed has increased to over eighty miles an hour and I drop the clutch, shifting into fifth gear. The freeway entrance ramp is approaching fast. Adrenaline is flooding my veins at the thrill of the chase. I love this shit and I never want to give it up. My hands are tight on the steering wheel, trying to stop the shaking of excitement.
“Head North,” Ashley tells me.
I give her a nod, not taking my eyes off the road. My speed rises to a buck twenty as I drop the clutch again and shift into sixth gear. I weave in and out of traffic once we enter the freeway, heading North, further away from L.A.
Shaun is still behind us, but Ashton cut him off when he caught up. I watch in my mirror as Redline and Rush box Shaun in, giving us a chance to get away. Releasing an unsteady breath I didn’t realize I was holding, I shift my attention back to the road in front of me as we speed down the dark freeway.
“Ashley, do me a favor and turn around. Look what’s happening behind us.”
Ashley adjusts herself in the seat and twists around. I hear a gasp escape through her lips and I smile. “Nolan, Redline, and Rush have Shaun boxed in. They’re forcing him to slow down. No, they can’t do that. He’ll run them off the road. He’s a dirty mother fucker racing.”
Ashton pulls up beside us when the road is clear of traffic. He motions for Ashley to roll down her window, but she doesn’t see him. Her attention’s on Redline and Rush behind us, she’s biting her bottom lip with worry.
“Ash, look out your window,” I tell her, calmly.
“What? Why?” She asks me, still looking behind us.
“Ashley. Roll down your fucking window.” Shit, I didn't intend to sound like an ass, but fuck, she needs to listen to me right now. We’re approaching more traffic and running out of time.
The tone is my voice must have finally captured her attention because she swings around. Ashton is leaning out the window, struggling to hand her something and keep his car under control. Her fingers fly to the switch and rolls down her window.
“Ashton, what are you doing?” she questions.
“Just grab it," Ashton shouts through the wind whipping between them.
We’re approaching the cars fast as Ashley unhooks her seatbelt and leans out the window. Her fingertips barely graze the object Ashton has in his hand. I veer to the left and Ashton swerves to the right to avoid hitting the cars in front of us. Ashley is thrown back into the car. A grunt slips through her lips as her shoulder slams against the seat.
“Fuck," she cries through gritted.
We meet up with Ashton again once the traffic clears. I spot Natalia in the back seat rolling her window down. She has whatever it was Ashton was attempting to hand us. I slow down slightly so Ashley’s window is even with Natalia’s.
There are tears in Natalia’s brown eyes as she leans out the window and Ashley does the same. I grip the back of Ashley’s jeans with one hand and keep the other on the steering wheel. Once she has it in her hands securely, I pull her back into the car. We split off again at the last second and Ashley refasten her seatbelt.
She turns the object over and it’s a phone. A lifeline to the rest of my team and her crew. She hits the button on the side and swipes the screen. Ashley shifts around to watch behind us again as she dials a number. I can hear a faint ring on the other end.
“Come on, come on, pick up.” She pleads into the phone. Her fingers are strumming on her thigh. Finally, after four rings a voice fills the other end and Ashley let’s out a sigh of relief.
“Noah? Thank God. Get away from him. He'll ram you off the road.” she’s quiet for a moment while Noah talks on the other end. I can’t understand what he’s saying. “Please, listen to me. He’s a dirty racer and will do whatever he can to get away from you guys.” The line goes silent.
“Noah? Noah? What the hell is going on?” Ashley looks at the phone and see’s the line went dead. “Fuck, turn around, something happened.” She’s on the verge of tears. “Turn the fuck around Nolan, now."
“Dial Ashton, tell them what’s going on.”
I rattle off Ashton’s number as I whip into the first U-Turn we come to. Ashley dials the number and tells them what we’re doing. The tires squeal in protest as I turn the steering wheel, making a hard left. I drift around the corner, down shifting and pulling the emergency brake. I take the turn a little too wide and sideswipe the guardrail. I hear a groan from Ashley as she’s shoved into her seat. I get the car under control and race back down the freeway. Ashton and the other car follow. I’m uncertain who’s driving it. It could be Ramirez. We all sail down the freeway at top speed. Ashley keeps glancing over to the opposite side of the road when I spot smoke billowing up in the air. I slow down and before I can reach a complete stop at the accident in the median, Ashley already has her seatbelt off and out the door.
The familiar gray Nissan GT-R is suspended on its driver’s side, the tires are still moving, and smoke is coming from under the hood. I throw the car in first, turn it off, and get out quickly. I spot two people inside the car, both are unconscious. Ashton is running next to me as we race towards the wreckage. Ashley is already there, trying to bust the windshield with her good elbow. She’s screaming something I can’t quite understand.
Once Ashton and I approach the car, I can smell gasoline big time. I take in our situation in a blink of an eye and immediately realize I have to get these guys out of the car before it blows up. Ashton and I work fast, climbing up the side of the car and ripping the passenger side door open. Between both of our strengths, we have it open and I’m leaning into the car on my bare stomach in no time. I brace Noah’s head with my hands, his blood coating my fingers. Ashton climbs inside, braces Noah’s body with his own and cuts his seatbelt off. He carefully lifts him up towards me. Ashley is right next to me, helping me pick him up out of the car. Ramirez, Harris, and Marks are waiting down below, and we hand Noah off to them. They take him away from the scene towards our waiting cars. Hotflash is waiting up there and immediately begins accessing his injuries. She gives us a quick nod of her head and I breathe a sigh of relief.
Rush is a little more difficult to get out. His body mass is a lot heavier than Noah’s. I climb into the car with Ashton. It’s a tight fit for all three of us, but we have to get him out. The loose wiring is sparking and if it becomes close enough to the NOS I know Rush has under the seat, we’re all dead. I start kicking the windshield out with my boot as hard as I can. Ashton follows suit and after a few moments, it finally gives away. Ashley is right there in the middle, not letting my guys help. She shoves Harris hard when he tries to move her.
“Fuck you, Harris. I’m not moving and if you touch me again, I’ll rip your fucking balls off and feed them to you." she sneers at him.
Harris throws his hands up at her and Ashton cocks an eyebrow at me. I shrug my shoulders and we get back to work getting Rush out. Once we have his body supported, Ashton cuts his seatbelt off. Rush lets out a grunt as we carry him through the windshield into Ashley, Marks, Ramirez and Harris’ waiting arms. They move him quickly up next to Noah and gently set him on the ground.
Ashton climbs out of the car first and I immediately follow. I can hear sirens in the distance, heading our way. We run back up to the cars.
“The cops are on their way. Do you want to wait for an ambulance for these two or take off?” I ask Ashley.
“Get them loaded up in the cars and meet at my house. I don’t want the cops involved.” She states.
The boss running in her veins is taking over as she barks out orders. I can understand why people listen when she gives commands. There’s no denying she has what it takes to be a leader. Rush is more coherent and sitting up as we load Noah up in the back of the Mustang we stole. Ashley climbs into the back seat and we set Noah’s head in her lap. She’s brushing away the hair that spilled onto his face. He’s still unconscious as I climb into the driver’s seat. Natalia helps Rush into the passenger seat. She shuts the door and gets into the passenger seat of Ashton’s car. Harris takes the backseat. Ramirez and Marks climb into the other car and we all drive away. Once we’re about two hundred feet from the accident, a giant boom rattles the ground. Rush’s car explodes into a massive fireball.
“Fuck, I loved that car.” Rush whispers, staring straight ahead at the traffic in front of us. The rest of the car ride is silent as we watch our speed and make it to Ashley's beach house.