Chapter 34
Ashley
A few hours later, we’re all gathered in my living room. Nolan and Ashton are in an intense argument in my kitchen. Rush and Hotflash are huddled together in the dining room, sitting at the table. Hotflash keeps glancing over at Ashton every few seconds, but my focus is on Noah right now. He’s curled up on the couch, all cleaned up, staring out into the night. His body is bundled in a blanket and he shivers every few moments. He looks so fragile and young sitting there. I sit next to him and rub my hands on his back. He lends me a sad smile and continues to stare out the window.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask him.
Noah hesitates for a moment then starts to speak. “How do you manage this? How can you get back behind the wheel of a car, knowing your life could end at any moment?” he asks.
I consider my explanation for a moment before answering, remembering the first time I wrecked my car. It wasn’t a pretty outcome and I was hospitalized for a few days, recovering from my burns. “It’s not about getting behind the wheel of a car or in a car, Noah. It’s about facing life head on and saying, fuck you. You’re not dragging me down. I’m going to keep on fighting and continue doing the things I love and you’re not stopping me.”
“But how? I don’t think I’m strong enough,” he whispers.
“Noah,” I look him directly in the eyes. His green ones staring back at me, with hope. “You are strong enough. Look at everything you’ve been through. The group home, the abuse, not knowing who your parents are. The family you have now, surrounding you with love. All of us want the best for you and if you never wish to get back into a car, we will support you. If you want out, we will support you. All of us, Rush, Hotflash, Redline, Quickshift, we all want what you choose. What is it you want to accomplish?”
“I don’t know. I know I don’t want to be afraid anymore. I want to be strong, be a leader, like you.” Noah replies thoughtfully.
“I don’t want you afraid anymore either.” Stiffing a sob, I continue, “I want you to stand up for yourself. I want you to show the world how smart you are, I want you to make a difference.”
I can tell the minute my words sink in. His face changes, his body becomes more relaxed. The shivers stop and there’s a gleam in his green eyes that was missing before.
Noah stands up from the couch and walks over to Rush and Hotflash sitting at the dining room table. I wait as he pulls Hotflash in for a hug. His tall, lanky frame towers over her. She hugs him back and gives me a wink. After Noah lets go of Hotflash, he turns to Rush. I’m standing behind him with a smile on my face, tears swelling in my eyes. Rush’s eyes appear cautious like he’s ready and prepared for the worst.
“Thank you, Rush,” Noah voice is strong and confident.
“For what? It’s my fault you were hurt.” Rush’s comments are barely above a whisper and his eyes drop to the ground.
“No, Rush it’s not your fault. It’s Shaun’s. I’m ready to fight for our family. I’m ready to meet this issue head-on.” Rush’s sad eyes snap to Noah’s, his jaw drops. “I want to be stronger, a leader. I want to bring down that asshole and I need your help. I want to learn to race.”
“Are you sure?” Rush asks. His black eyes are uncertain.
“Yes. I’m more than sure. Ashley’s right. I need to stand up for myself. I want to show the world how strong I am. I want to make a difference.”
He’s ready, he’s finally ready. I dry the tears that have rolled down my cheeks. This moment I will cherish forever. Noah, the young boy who Rush and I rescued from that awful group home, is finally growing up. He’s finally realizing he’s worth it. He turns towards me, his green eyes full of determination. “Let’s get on with it. Why are we still standing around?” Noah says. No one knows what to reply. They’re still in shock at his sudden revelation.
Suddenly a ping from Ashton’s laptop breaks the silence in the room. Nolan and Ashton come racing into the living room and almost trip over each other, trying to get to it.
“We’ve got a location,” Ashton shouts.
“A location for what?” Hotflash asks.
Oh shit, I never told them I had GPS on all their cars. I open my mouth to speak, but Nolan beats me to it. He throws me a wink, informing me he’ll cover for me. My secret is safe for now.
“Redlines car. I called in a favor and had every traffic cam on alert. Did you know L.A. is full of traffic cams? It took forever for his car to be located, but we found it. Come on let’s go.”
Nolan grabs a gun off the kitchen counter and holsters it on his hip. Ashton and the rest of Nolan’s team do the same. Once they’re locked and loaded we all leave the confinements and safety of my house.
“What happened to the car we stole?” I ask when we walk to my driveway. The car is nowhere in sight.
“Harris and Marks took care of it. They wiped down the inside of our fingerprints or fibers and returned it to the owner.” Nolan says.
“Wait.” I tug on Nolan’s arm. He turns towards me and I have a devious grin plastered on my face.
“What?” He asks raising an eyebrow.
“We’re not going to fit in those two cars. Come on.” I answer, dragging him to my garage.
I open the side door and flip a switch. The garage becomes submerged in bright fluorescent lights and sitting under the lights, shining beautifully, is a black nineteen sixty-eight Dodge Charger. My baby, my pride and joy.
“Wow." That’s all the words Nolan can express. He says it repeatedly when he pops the hood. “Holy shit. Do you realize what this is?” he asks.
Everyone’s trying to fit inside the garage, so I hit the button to raise the overhead door. The rising sun reflects off everyone standing there in awe, giving them a soft, red glow.
“You have it finished?” Rush asks me.
“Yes. I have it all done.” I answer, a smile on my face.
“Do you understand how rare this car is?” Nolan asks. I saunter over to him and close his jaw with my finger.
“Yes, Nolan. I know. I rebuilt her from the ground up. It has a 425-horsepower engine with a 5,000 RPM, six-speed on the floor. There were just over four hundred of these cars sold and I got my hands on one. It has a sure grip rear axle, fifteen-inch Goodyear Speedway wide tires and so much torque, it will blow the doors off anyone trying to race me.” I state with confidence.
Honestly, this car scares the hell out of me, but the thrill and rush of the power under my hands and feet makes me excited. I can’t stand still. Nolan grabs my waist and pulls me flush against him.
“That’s so hot,” he whispers in my ear, his hardness rubbing against my stomach.
“Dios Mios. We don’t have time for that.” Hotflash says, throwing her hands up in the air.
“She’s right, come on,” I say against Nolan’s lips.
I walk to the driver’s side and open the door. Nolan comes around to the passenger side and slides into the leather bucket seat. Everyone else gets in the two other cars. Before I get into the car, Noah stops me.
“Can I ride with you?” he asks. There’s a hint of excitement in his deep green eyes.
“Of course,” I answer, sliding the seat forward. Noah ducks in and settles in the back seat.
“Wow,” Nolan says again as he runs his hands across the sleek dash. He has a shit eating grin on his face. “Wait until Xavier sees this car. He’s going to bust a nut.” My hands freeze on the ignition. A realization of dread hits my stomach.
“Where are Izzy and Xavier?” I ask.
“Fuck. I knew I was forgetting something.” The smile drains from Nolan’s face. “When Ashton found my phone, he said Xavier sent me a text. With everything going on I forgot to check it.”
Nolan pulls his phone out of his pocket and opens his text messages. There’s one from Xavier. It was sent about eight hours ago. I quickly think back to that time. That was after we were rammed off the side of the road.
“He says, ‘Nolan, I’m sorry, but we had to leave. I can’t put Izzy in danger. I hope you understand and this doesn’t affect our friendship. Tell Ashley I wish her the best, but Izzy’s safety is my first concern.’” Nolan’s eyes have a hint of sadness in them.
“Hey, it’s OK. I didn’t want Izzy here in the first place. She needs to stay far away from this mess. I never wanted to put her in this situation. Do you think you should call him, let him know it’s OK?”
“No, it’s fine. I just thought he would tell me in person. Something feels off.” Nolan says. The worry lines deepen on his forehead. I grab his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. My instincts are telling me something isn’t right either.
“We'll check it out when this is done. How does that sound?” I ask Nolan, trying to reassure him.
“That works for me. We need to focus on getting to your family first and ending Shaun once and for all. Then we can figure out why Xavier and Izzy took off.”
I start the car and the engine roars to life, vibrating under my hands, sending tingles through my body. I close my eyes for a moment, enjoying the purr of the motor. It’s soothing and relaxing my soul.
“Ash, I really don’t want to hear those noises,” Noah says from the back seat.
“What noises?” I ask.
“The ones you have while I’m pleasuring you,” Nolan says, giving me a smirk.
“I wasn’t making any noises.”
“Yes, you were.” Both Nolan and Noah say at the same time.
“Whatever,” I grumble under my breath.
I put the car in first and slowly drive out of the garage. The rising sun is casting beautiful reds and purples across the sky. I follow Ashton and Hotflash down the road. Ashton is driving Hotflash’s silver Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Rush and Harris are in Quickshift’s dark green Porsche Cayman GT-4 behind me, Rush is driving. Then bringing up the rear is Marks and Ramirez, with Ramirez driving a BMW M-3.
It’s been about twenty minutes since we left. We’ve been driving up some side roads and towards the winding mountains, the silence is killing me.
“I’m actually surprised Hotflash is letting Ashton drive her car. What’s up with that?” I ask. I glance over at Nolan, his head is leaning against the window. He’s staring out into the passing trees. Something is on his mind.
“I’m not sure. I asked him about it, but he’s being tight lipped.” Nolan says with a shrug.
“Is that what your argument was about earlier?” I ask him, watching for a reaction. His shoulders stiffen a little, then he releases a breath and relaxes in the seat.
“No. It was about a case we’ve just been assigned.” Nolan says.
There’s something he’s not telling me. Something is different between us right now and I don’t like it. He’s holding back, something is weighing on his mind.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.
“Not right now. Later.” Nolan answers.
We drive up into the mountains, the sun is rising, creating a fireball in the sky. This is my favorite time of year. The way the sun reflects off the clouds, coloring them with reds and pinks, always makes me want to stop and sketch. Ashton puts on his turn signal to turn into the overlook up ahead. I follow suit, then Rush and Ramirez do the same behind me.
Once we all come to a complete stop, I turn off the engine and get out. I let Noah out of the back seat and he rests his hand on my shoulder, giving me reassurance. He walks off towards the picnic area. Everyone else follows, leaving Nolan and I standing here in front of my car. I have to figure out how to fix whatever is creating a distance between us.
“Nolan,” I say, drawing his attention. “What’s going on? You’ve been acting weird since we left. It’s like a switch has been flipped and you’re holding something back.”
He takes a deep breath and turns away. That hurts a lot. I watch his muscles tighten and he runs his hands through his brown hair. He grabs the back of his neck with both hands and walks towards the overlook, away from everyone. His movements are stiff and unnatural. I follow him, not giving up yet.
“Nolan, talk to me. Please.” I practically beg him to explain what’s going on.
“I…” he hesitates to continue.
I can see the stress radiating off him. I rest my hands on his back, rubbing his broad shoulders, trying to ease the tension, waiting for him to continue. When he doesn’t, I push him a little more.
“Nolan, it’s me you’re talking too, no one else. Tell me about it.” I tell him quietly.
“There’s so much more here to worry about, I don’t want to burden you with my issues right now. I don’t want you to lose focus on getting Redline and Quickshift back.” Nolan whispers.
“But you’re losing focus, Nolan. You’re distracted by something. Talk to me, I promise it won’t interfere with what we’re doing now. Besides, it might help.”
Nolan takes a deep breath and finally turns to look at me. The sun is behind him, surrounding him in a golden haze. His eyes are holding mine when he brings his hand up to rest on the side of my face.
“My team and I have to leave for New York City, once we’re done here.”