Chapter One
The black and red '69 Mustang's engine roared as is took the fourth and final turn around the race track. The driver pushed a little button on the black steering wheel and the car bolted forward with an increased speed that made the car blase past the finish line and roar around turn one again. The driver let off the gas enough to slow the tank of Nitrogen Oxide under the hood.
Beaureguard Duke sat in a stand watching the driver speed around the track. He shook his head. That driver was to reckless, they'd have to have a talk. The car roared to a stop just into the pits.
Bo stood and threw his clip board onto his chair and headed for the car. The driver slid out of the window and started to unbuckle the chin strap of the black helmet. The driver pulled it off and let her long blonde hair fall onto her back. Then she unbuttoned the top of her racing uniform, Then she pulled the zipper down most of the way and smiled at Bo.
" Beaureguard Caroline Duke! I told you not to put Nitrogen Oxide under that hood!"
She slumped her shoulders.
"But dad Frankie gave me that to tinker with. She told me to try it out on Lucifer."
She put her helmet on the roof of the car and rested her arm on the helmet.
"I've told you enough that I don't want you near Frankie. She's a bad influence to you."
She crossed her arms to her father as he popped open the hood and started to detach the can of Nitrogen Oxide from the motor.
"But, you have to admit that she's taught me more 'bout engines than you or Cooter have. Besides there ain't many lady mechanics in this world that have put together the car that won the Charlotte 500."
He handed her the can and slammed the hood shut and slipped the hood pins back to hold the hood down.
" Lina, just remember you ain't Richard Petty."
She stuck out her lip to fake pout.
"Dad kin I come to the big race this Saturday?"
He placed a hand on Lucifer's hood and looked at his daughter
"Well if you don't sneak out to race your friends. Then well talk 'bout racin'."
"But dad, you said that I'd get to go this time."
She said with her arms still crossed.
He turned around and put both hands into the air as he walked away.
"Fine, then you'll just have to meet your third cousin."
She uncrossed her arms and ran after him. She stopped in front of him and continued walking backwards.
"My what?"
He kept walking.
"Dad, you said my third cousin. This ain't Colt is it?"
He kept walking.
She stopped walking, he veered around her and kept walking toward his chair.
She groaned and stared toward the puffy white clouds over head as she headed back for the car.
She gazed at Lucifer, the sleek black and red car shone in the bright sun. She'd gotten Lucifer on her sixteenth birthday from Francis Lee Olmstead the personal lady mechanic for Amy Krivey ,the only woman to ever race against Linas' dad's old car The General Lee and win. Corse Amy had gotten herself killed in a car accident on her way home from a race.
But Francis, or Frankie as she's called, was head over heels for Lina's dad. Frankie had instantly attached herself to Bo after Lina was born. Then Lina's mom had died of a drug overdose a year later.
Frankie didn't drive very much and she wanted to see another woman who could handle a car to drive Lucifer. So when Lina got her licence she had her car. Just the girl version of her dad. But her dad was jealous that she hadn't ever been in a wreck, and she'd been driving for five years already.
Lina shook her head and tossed her helmet into the passenger seat and climbed in. She slid on her sunglasses as the engine roared to life and sped out of the pits and out the gate into the parking lot. She waved to Dan the gate security guard as he opened the gate for her.
She about floored the gas pedal as she headed for her dad's apartment. One block away she changed her mind and headed for the bar. The Dead Bolt would be pretty dead at 2p.m., just the way she liked it when she was mad about something.
Bill would be behind the bar till seven, just the person to blurt her problems to.
There were three cars in the parking lot when she pulled up and parked. She slid out the window and pocketed her keys.
The door was propped open with a barstool to let in a breeze. Inside she could hear the slightest sound of Lynrd Skynrd playing Down South Jukin' over the speakers.
She sat on a bar stool, flipped her sunglasses onto the bar and stared at her reflection in the long dusty mirror behind the bar.
There was no sign of Bill behind the bar when she looked around and glanced behind her.
A man sat at a table near the dance floor talking over beers and burgers, but no Bill.
She stood and stepped behind the bar to help herself to a frosty Budweiser from the fridge under the bar. She popped the top off and took a swig from it before going back to her stool.
She turned her stool around and watched the tv mounted on the wall behind her. She rested her back against the bar and set her beer down. After she got sick of the news she pulled five bucks out of her jeans, that still hid under her racing uniform, and went back behind the bar and stuck the five bucks to the fridge. She grabbed a note pad for taking orders and scribbled Bill a note then stuck it to the fridge with her money.
She grabbed her beer and headed for Lucifer. She set her beer on the hood and pulled her uniform off and stuck it in her trunk. Then she sat on Lucifer's hood to finish her beer in the sunlight.
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Lina put her keys in the ignition and shifted to first gear as she rolled out of the parking lot. She'd laid out on her hood for an hour while she soaked up the sunshine and finished her beer. Her buddies would be gathering at Nate's place pretty soon. She drove through the middle of town and pulled up next to an Apartment Complex. Several cars littered the parking area in front so she rolled up into the alley way and parked. She pulled herself out of the window and reached into the backseat and retrieved her black leather jacket and put her keys in one of the pockets. She checked her eye make up in her side view mirror and turned to the end of the alley way.
When she came around to the front of the building she could already hear the loud music blaring from the forth level.
She ran up the four fleets of stairs and came to the dirty hallway that housed rooms 45-60. She stopped in front of room 49 and knocked on the door. The door opened and the guy smiled at her.
"Bo, my girl! What's hangin' girlfriend?"
She smiled back.
"Come to enjoy the party. Is Jake here yet?"
Her friend shook his head.
"Sorry baby. No sign."
She punched his shoulder and walked into the room filled with chaos. Several guys clad in black leather stood in a circle all with beers in hand stopped what they were doing and watched her walk up.
"Bo! What took so long?"
She looked at the speaker.
"Well T.B. ,I had to run several people off the road before I got here."
He shook his head
"Hard work I tell you."
He smiled at her.
A guy she stood next to handed her his beer and left the circle.
" Sphinx always get you a beer?"
A blond guy held his arms out.
She raised her eye brows and smiled.
"Hey all, we've got a new comer!"
Care turned to face the speaker.
He stood next to a dark haired chick who also wore black leather.
Care's smile had faded.
Just what she needed, some chick to take her position as ranking chick in this group.
"Everybody, this is Spitfire, or Spitz for short."
Two of the guys from the circle headed toward the new girl.
She turned around and saw Sphinx coming toward her with a freshly opened beer in hand.
She handed him his beer back and took hers from him.
"Know anything 'bout the new girl?"
Sphinx shook his head. Sphinx had received his nickname after they saw the movie Gone in Sixty Seconds, with a character who didn't speak named Sphinx.
"Back me up."
With Sphinx behind her she made her way towards the tuff looking newcomer.
" Let's get this straight from the start. I'm the boss. Non of these boys are at your finger tips."
The Spitz gave her the raised eye brow.
"Oh, now who made you the boss?"
She had a catish way about her.
" Meet Sphinx my right hand."
She shoved her thumb toward Sphinx.
"If you try to cross me there will be consequences."
she growled.