Hi Guys and welcome back to Rush & Response! So, let's crack on with it shall we?
"Ok, you should be back onto the main route now." Kendall said, following James through the street cameras as he spoke.
"I can see the two cars ahead of me. Looks like I'm back in third place" James replied, causing Kendall to let out a little chuckle as he shook his head. Flicking through a few of the cameras, Kendall spotted the perfect place for James to take back his lead.
"There's an empty road coming up. You'll be able to take it back, so long as you stay focused."
"That's kind of difficult with you chatting away in my ear" James replied, causing Kendall to let out a hearty laugh.
"Please, you love it" Kendall replied, causing James to scoff, before letting out a small chuckle himself.
"I have to admit, you're not the most annoying person I've had in my ear" James responded, chuckling as he said it. Kendall on the other hand was slightly shocked by what James had just said, especially when the brunet had admitted before that the earphone in his car was only used to listen to the radio over the sound of his engine.
"You listen to people often?" Kendall asked, and he could practically hear James stuttering on the other side of the mic.
"No, not really. It's just…I'm not used to have people talk in my ear and when they do, it tends to be the annoying traffic person. It's nice to have someone else talking into my ear for a change" James responded, causing Kendall to roll his eyes, knowing that James couldn't see.
"Alright, well like I said, you're gonna come up to an empty road in a bit. Use it wisely, and you'll get ahead. I'll keep an eye out for anything that could help" the blond finished, before shutting off his mic, watching James drive through the street cameras, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
This time the blond was considering what James had meant when he said that the blond wasn't the only person talking in his ear, and he certainly didn't understand why his jealously seemed to spike all of a sudden. James did seem completely thrown off by Kendall's comment about it, and he was quick to try and recover from it, once he stopped stuttering of course, so what was James trying to hide?
'That's even if he is trying to hide something' His own brain supplied, causing Kendall to take a step back a second. His brain, so technically him, was right. There was no reason to believe that James was trying to hide anything at all. Maybe Kendall was just creating this entire thing in his head. Maybe James was just joking about the thing, so when Kendall ask him, it threw him off guard. The blond let out a sigh as he sat at the computer. He was unsure of where all of this was coming from. James had been nothing but nice to them since he'd joined, trying to help out where he could around the garage.
'Although he does know very little about cars for a racer' His brain reasoned, now acting as the enemy for some reason. 'Yeah, but he's not a mechanic. James even admitted himself that he was nerd at school, so it was understandable that he didn't know a lot about cars. You yourself were thrust into your situation without much warning, and you were lucky that you were that you were always interested in cars' Kendall thought back, as it to combat what his brain was saying, and he was right.
James did know very little about cars, but Kendall didn't know his past, and James may have very well been shoved into this position without much experience.
'But if that were true, then why did he give away his cut of the money' His brain supplied once again, causing Kendall to shake his head as he let out sigh.
'Maybe he was just being nice' Kendall thought back, but this thought seemed to persist a little more than the usual ones.
'But if he was in the same position as you, then he sure as hell wouldn't want to give his money away. He'd need that money, and he want to keep it' His brain persisted, and this time, Kendall certainly couldn't disagree with it.
If James was in the same predicament, he would want to keep the money, and he couldn't give it away as freely as he did, that is for sure. Luckily, Kendall was snapped out of his little thought process when James spoke up in his ear.
"Hey, is this the road you were talking about?" the brunet asked, causing Kendall to snap back into reality as he looked through the street cameras, seeing that James as well as the other two racers were on the empty road.
"Yeah, that's the one. It's a pretty long road, so you should be able to catch up, and overtake them."
"Provided they don't pull anymore stunts they like did last time."
"Well, if they do try anything, just stay focused. I don't need you getting killed like the guy back there. Just do what you can, and if you think the opportunity is too risky, then don't take it" Kendall replied, changing camera to get a better position. He watched as the Audi went speeding past, James very rapidly gaining on the two cars ahead of him. By the way the two cars were driving, it was clear to Kendall they that'd noticed James approaching, and were definitely preparing for something.
"I'll keep that in mind. But I'll also remember that we need the money for winning" James replied, and it helped clear some of Kendall's doubts slightly, with James himself reaffirming that he needed it. "$25,000 isn't worth your life James, don't waste it for some cash"
"Someone wants to keep me around" James teased back, Kendall not being able to stop the blush that was growing on his face, grateful that James couldn't see him. "But thanks for that"
"Don't worry about it. Now, by the looks of it, they're getting ready to try and block you from getting past, hence why their driving parallel to each other" Kendall replied, trying to take the conversation back onto the race, and what he said was true. The two racers were driving right next to each other, taking up both of the lanes as they did so, leaving James with only the pavement as an opportunity to get past them, not that it would help the brunet. Whatever move James would make, the two racers would just move to block him, they've have to be smart about this.
"How long does it take the supercharger to kick in?"
"What?" James replied, Kendall watching as the brunet was now behind the two cars, his position steady as he spoke to Kendall.
"How long does it take for the supercharger to kick in?" Kendall repeated the question, causing James to let out a little sigh.
"I don't know, about 5 seconds maybe? Why?" James replied, Kendall completely ignoring the question.
"Ok, I may have a chance for you to get past, but it's kinda risky."
"Didn't you literally just say don't do anything too risky?"
"Don't quote me back to me" Kendall replied, causing James to let out a little chuckle. "And this isn't risky risky, it's just risky to pull off."
"I'm not following" James replied, Kendall rolling his eyes at the brunet.
"Ok, what I need you to do is lead one of the cars over to the side, making a gap in the middle of them. As soon as you've done that, I need you to drive through that gap before the cars come back together"
"I'd say that's pretty risky" James replied, causing Kendall to shrug.
"Let's just hope the supercharger kicks in then, and you shouldn't have any problems" the blond stated, as he flicked through the street cameras. "Ok, there an exceptionally straight piece of road coming up, so that'll be the perfect chance to do it. You trust me?"
"Of course." James replied, causing a small smile to grow on Kendall's face.
If only the blond could feel the same way about James at the moment.
As the straight piece of road approached, Kendall was constantly in James' ear, providing the brunet with as much support as he needed.
"Ok, let's do this" James said, causing Kendall to nod although there wasn't a lot he could do.
"You've got this" the blond replied, the street cameras pointed directly at James' car so he could watch the manoeuvre.
The blond watched as James began to veer to the left slightly, and luckily the car took the bait following him as if to block his path. James let the car over enough so that it was practically driving on the pavement, and Kendall sucked in a breath, ready for James to pull this off. He watched as the brunet released the gas for a second, allowing the supercharger to get prepared, before James slammed his foot back down onto the peddle, now veering right as fast as possible to get past them.
The gap in between the two cars was pretty wide, so while Kendall didn't have any fear that James couldn't pull this off, it was more the fear that one of the racers would try to ram into him. James was smooth as he slotted in between the two cars, and Kendall watched as the car James had lead away began to speed right back over, but James still remained headstrong. That's when the supercharger kicked in, Kendall watching as James' car shot forward, completely clearing the gap and putting him in the lead of first place.
"Nice going!" Kendall said into James' ear, the grin on his face massive as he watched James speed ahead of the other two racers, the brunet creating distance between them with ease. It was definitely true that James' car could sustain fast speeds over long distances much like the blond had expected.
"Thanks. I have to admit, I was a little worried when I saw the car coming back over. I thought he was gonna ram me"
"Good thing you know your car pretty well then" Kendall joked, causing James to let out a hearty chuckle.
"Hey, I'm learning! Not all of us can be seasoned mechanics like you straight away" the brunet replied, and that helped settle another suspicion Kendall had. It was true, James was learning, albeit very slowly, so while Kendall could focus on the fact that James knew nothing about cars, he could also flip that, and focus on the fact that James was learning.
'Just calm down Kendall' His brain supplied once again, and this time, the blond let out a sigh. Even his own brain was being a hypocrite at this point. As Kendall tuned back into watching the street cameras, he noticed something approaching James' rear, causing the blond to let out a rather long sigh.
"It's not over just yet James. Look back" the blond said, before getting a few seconds of silence from the brunet before a groan came over the mic. It was the Nissan GT-R that Kendall had commented on at the beginning of the race, and the one that had been causing James a lot of trouble during it.
"This guy certainly doesn't give up" James commented, causing Kendall to shake his head as he flicked through the street cameras to see what was coming up with the race.
"A lot of the course now is bends and a few straight sections, so you should be able to stay in the lead provided you don't give him an opportunity to pass you. Just…basically do what he was doing to you" Kendall planned, causing James to let out a soft chuckle.
"Alright. Keep me updated if that other race becomes a threat as well."
"Will do Boss" Kendall replied, this time James' chuckle getting a little louder. The race was pretty tight from there on out, with this racer seemingly wanting the money quite badly provided the risks he took to try and get past James. Luckily, the brunet was able to hold his own for most of it, blocking the racer whenever he tried to get past, or using opportunities in which to extend his own lead when he could. That meant that Kendall didn't really need to provide much insight, with the blond now only really providing traffic reports for upcoming sections of the race, as well as the position of the car in third place, who looked like they'd just completely given up.
As the racers started to draw closer to the finish line however, that's when the Nissan decided to play even dirtier. As James swerved to block the racer from getting past, he received a jolt from the back of the car, causing his focused to be knocked off slightly for a few seconds.
"That prick!" James essentially shouted down the earphone, causing Kendall to swap to a camera that was closer to James. "Kendall, the bastard just rammed me!"
"I warned you about that" the blond replied, watching as the racer did it again, James letting out a 'fucking hell' as he did.
"So? What do I do?" James asked, and Kendall could hear how he was gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"Not a lot really if he's ramming you from behind. You'll just have to take it" the blond replied, before snorting at his own innuendo.
"This isn't a time for sex jokes Kendall" James snapped, causing the blond to hold up his hands, again that James could see.
"Ok, ok fine. The best thing I can recommend is to try and move out of the way as he's about to hit you. That way, it'll throw his car off balance slightly"
"That's kinda difficult when he's ramming me from behind"
"Har har"
"Kendall!" James snapped once again, causing the blond to roll his eyes.
"Fine. You'll probably have to speed up. It's gonna be difficult, but at least that way he won't be able to pass you"
"But I'm already going as fast as I can"
"Then buckle up for the ride" Kendall snickered, causing James to let out a long sigh.
"I take it back. You are the most annoying person I've had to listen too" James mumbled, causing Kendall to let out a little chuckle.
"Look, the finish line is right around the next corner. The car will take some damage, but if you can hold out for that long, you're golden. Just try to speed up if you can, but other than that, there's not much you can do"
"Thanks" James replied, Kendall watching as the Audi was rammed again. By this point, the blond didn't even need to use the street cameras, watching as the battling two cars came round the corner together. James was still in the lead, luckily, but Kendall could see the second car ramming James and it was safe to say that Kendall knew what it was like.
Still, the brunet seemed to be holding on strong, and by this point, Kendall was standing as he watched the Audi race across the finish line, the gathered crowd erupting into applause, Kendall included. As James came to a stop, the other racer did the same, pulling off to the side and as James stepped out of his, Kendall found himself sprinting up to James and enveloping him in a hug. James was taken back by it at first, but he quickly settled into it, wrapping his arms around Kendall as all the walls he'd built up completely crumbling.
Unfortunately the moment was ruined by the prick in the Nissan and his friend running over to shout at James.
"Hey dickhead! You killed my fucking friend!" The guy said as he pushed James slightly, causing the brunet to stand up straight. Being a cop, James knew what it was like to deal with threatening behaviour and he also knew the best way to throw a punch. Of course, only if that was really necessary.
"First of all, dickhead, if you hadn't tried to pull off those dirty tricks, then none of that would have happened. And secondly, the last thing I noticed was the paramedics showing up, so hopefully you're friend's still alive…although let's be honest, he's probably been incarcerated by this point" James replied, causing the guy to growl at him.
Kendall on the other hand was curious about what James had said. Who could have called the paramedics? There was no one in that industrial estate, apart from the racers and whoever was watching on the street cameras. Maybe one of them called the paramedics, but that was unlikely as racers weren't usually that compassionate, hence why Kendall didn't even do it.
Of course, there was always the possibility that it was James.
'It would explain why he wouldn't answer over the mic as soon as it happened' his brain stated, causing Kendall to let out a silent sigh. Why did he even care about this? So what if the brunet called the paramedics, if anything it just shows how caring James is by the fact that he didn't want anyone to die due to a race. Maybe the blond was just overthinking this.
"You fucker!" Kendall tuned back in to, seeing the second place winner being held back by his friend as if to stop the fight from happening.
"Is there a problem here?" Lucy's voice spoke up, Kendall only just noticing how the rest of the crew had joined them.
"No, no problem" the third guy winner spoke up to try and defuse the situation.
"You better watch yourself. Next time, I won't be so kind" the second place winner threatened to James, the brunet not looking fussed at all which of course, only pissed second place off more as he walked away.
"What was that all about?" Lucy asked, causing Kendall to shrug.
"It's a long story, but the positive side of it is that James won the race!" Kendall replied, causing everyone to cheer as they enveloped James into a hug this time. "Nice going!" "Well done!" and "Good work!" were among a few of the praises James received from the group, and it only got better when the guy came over to hand them the cash.
Everyone seemed to crowd the briefcase as it was placed onto Audi's hood, but that's when James like someone was staring at him. Turning around, James noticed a black escalade pulling through the area.
The vehicle was at some distance, so James struggled to make out some of the details, but what he certainly did notice was that the back window was down, and that's when he felt a cold shiver come over him as the figure stared at him. James couldn't make out a lot of the features, apart from the fact that it was a white male and it seems that Kendall had noticed the car as well.
"The overlord is here" the blond said to James, his tone filled with massive amount of venom causing the brunet to raise an eyebrow at him, questioning what Kendall meant by that. Instead, the blond just went silent, turning back to the rest of the group, James' curiosity peaking massively.
This case was definitely getting more interesting as every day passed.
So there we have it, the continuation of the race, this time from Kendall's perspective as the blond starts to have some doubting thoughts about James! What do we think this will mean for the two of them, or do you think Kendall will convince himself its nothing of note? James won the race as well, which is always nice!
I want to give a massive thank you to Guest, Winterschild11, RainbowDiamonds and EpicallyObsessed for reviewing the last chapter, and I'm so glad you all enjoyed it! You all seem curious as to why Kendall and the crew need the money, but don't worry, you won't have to wait long to find out, and you all seem to think that James' car has been bugged! Of course, we'll have to wait and see how that plays out! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
I hope you're all having a good week, and I'll see you on Monday for the next chapter of Blizzard! But until then,
TTFN 😃🚗