Hi Guys and welcome back to Rush and Response! I don't really have much to say, so let's crack on shall we?
"Well, it's not a total mess, but it's clear that some compromises were made in order to have all the fancy stuff installed" Kendall announced from under the Audi, before wheeling himself back out on the dolly. "Still, I can work around them and get the car up to scratch. Starting with this supercharger"
"Hey, I installed that supercharger"
"Yeah, I can tell" Kendall replied with a grin on his face, causing James to kick the dolly slightly. Kendall's head disappeared under the car for a brief second before the blond pulled himself back out. "All I'm saying is that there is definitely work that can be done to it to improve your chances of winning"
"I'm doing pretty well so far"
"And yet, you still couldn't beat me" Kendall teased, causing James to raise his foot, ready to kick Kendall under the car once again.
Before he could however, Logan walked in with his laptop in his hand. "There's a race tomorrow. We're meeting in the breakroom" he said, nodding his head towards the back, causing both Kendall and James to nod.
Once the blond was back on his feet, the three of them made their way into the breakroom, where everyone else was gathered.
"So, what's the route?" Lucy asked as Logan placed the laptop on the table and spun it towards them.
"It's a long one. It starts on the outskirts of the city before taking you up past the waterfall, towards the houses in the hills. You follow that road west until it loops back down, straight into the city centre, where you'll race through the hordes of traffic, but this is where it gets risky. The route they show will take you straight past the police station before you continue west out towards the beach front, so at this point, you're certain to have the police on your tail. Going past St Lewis Pier, you'll then have to drive on the pavement, with is pretty much a single file situation unless you want to end up on the sand. The race ends at the marina officially, but if you've still got the police on your tail, then they're saying you can't head there. You need to make sure that you have lost the cops before you get there if you want a shot at winning." Logan explained, causing Kendall and James to glance at each other briefly before they returned their attention to Logan. "It's about an hour and a half driving in total"
"Fuck me, that is a long race," Lucy said, rubbing her forehead in anxiety.
"But it's a $180,000 payout, roughly $2000 per minute. That much money would go a long way in helping us out" Logan added, causing everyone's eyes to widen.
"And it would certainly bring some attention to the winner" James stated, causing Kendall to glance at him, the two of them on the same wavelength.
"I'm down to do it" Kendall spoke up, causing everyone to look over at him. "I mean, I know that area pretty well and it will also give me a chance to test out the modifications I'm going to make on James' car. Plus, that payout is worth it, and I bet there is some compensation for second and third place as well."
"$90,000 for second and $45,000 for third" Logan added, causing Kendall to nod.
"Even they're worth racing for" Kendall replied, causing Lucy to let out a sigh.
"I'm not disagreeing with you" She began, her eyes shifting from the table to the blond. "But you'll have to be extra careful. For a start, a race like this is going to draw lots of racers to it, so you'll be in for some tough competition and secondly, you've already been arrested once this week. We don't need you being arrested again, and actually charged this time."
"I promise, I'll be careful. If the heat from the cops gets too much, I promise I'll withdraw from the race and just focus on losing them" Kendall replied, causing Lucy to nod.
"So it's agreed then? Kendall will take this one?" Logan asked, causing everyone to look round the table and nod. "Alright. I'll send you the exact starting location and time"
"Looks like we have some work to do," Kendall said, turning his attention to James, who just nodded.
As everyone shuffled out of the room, Kendall and James made their way back to the Audi, Kendall now surer than ever that he'd need to make some improvements to James' vehicle.
"So what improvements are you thinking of making?" James asked, the two of them now just reaching the front of the Audi. As soon as Kendall was about to speak however, James got a text message, causing him to pull his phone from his pocket.
'Get in the car now. The both of you' It read, causing James to let out a little chuckle.
"It's from Camille. She wants us to get into the car" James explained, causing Kendall to nod, if not with a puzzled look on his face. As the two of them climbed into the car, James' phone began to ring. Without even looking at the home screen, James answered it, put it on speakerphone and spoke up. "Hello, Camille"
"What's this about modifications being made to my baby without my permission," she said, ignoring James' greeting entirely. "I can't believe you were even thinking about changing things on the car but to practically go ahead and do it already!"
"We haven't even made any changes yet" Kendall spoke up, causing a low growl to come through the phone.
"You. Don't even speak to me. You try installing all these systems onto a car without having to make some sacrifices"
"Well, I was going too, until you interrupted" Kendall replied, causing a smirk to grow on James' face, while Camille let out another low growl. Realising that he'd taken it far enough, Kendall spoke up once again. "Look, if we're going to get the attention of the Crime Boss, then we're going to have to show him that we have the best cars in the business, and that means winning a lot of races. Sure, the car is in a good condition, and you really did do a good job at installing all of these systems into it, but we're going to have to make some changes if we want to win these harder races. The car's just too...up to code" Kendall explained, causing the car to go silent for a few seconds before a huff came through the phone.
"Fine, but I want to be consulted about every change that's going to be made. I know that car inside and out, so I'll be able to help" Camille replied, causing Kendall to nod.
"Agreed. I was thinking of starting by changing the spark plugs out for some iridium ones, as they'll cause the fuel to combust faster"
"Fair point. The old ones haven't been in there for too long, but the iridium will definitely make a big difficult" Camille replied, causing Kendall to nod, while James just slouched back in the seat slightly, completely confused.
"I was also going to change the performance chips in the fuel exchange system with a few of our own. The one in the car at the moment is deliberately restricting the amount of air and fuel the car can consume, but with ours, we'll gain increased horsepower, sped and mileage"
"That's fair again. What else?" Camille asked, causing Kendall to let out a little chuckle.
"Just the air intake, tires, rims, brakes, drivetrain and the supercharger" Kendall replied, rattling off the list quite quickly, causing another smirk to grow on James' face. Camille definitely wasn't going to be happy about all of that.
"That's a lot of changes. I thought you said I did a good job" Camille spoke up, causing Kendall to let out a soft sigh.
"I did, but all these changes will be a massive help. The new air intake will allow more air to reach the engine, and that combined with the spark plugs, will improve the speed and the mileage. The new rims will make the car lighter and the new tires will help improve its grip on the road. The new brakes will allow us to become more efficient in how we use them, and by tuning the drivetrain, everything will work a lot smoother. Plus, you can tell that James installed the supercharger, so a new one would go a long way" Kendall explained, causing Camille to let out a little chuckle at the end.
"I get what you mean about the supercharger. I tried my best with him, but it was his first piece of work, so it was never gonna be the best. Still, good luck with him helping you on this one" Camille responded, causing James to let out a small huff.
"So, you're just gonna insult me now?" the brunet asked, causing Kendall and Camille to both let out a little chuckle.
"But, ok, I think you've made your point. You have my blessing to work on the car. Just please, be gentle with her" Camille said, causing Kendall to nod.
"I will be. For a start, I won't let James anywhere near her" Kendall replied, causing Camille to let out a little chuckle.
James, on the other hand, saw it as the perfect opportunity to leave the vehicle, which only resulted in Kendall and Camille laughing once more. A few seconds later, Kendall hopped out the car as well, passing James' phone back to the brunet as he spoke up.
"Looks like we've got some work to do," Kendall said, causing James to roll his eyes.
"Oh, so you want my help now?" James asked, causing a mischievous grin to grow on Kendall's face.
"Of course I do. Who else is gonna pass me my tools?" The blond replied, the teasing tone evident in his voice.
"Jackass" James muttered under his breath, causing Kendall to let out a chuckle.
"But seriously, it's gonna take two of us to do this, so if your down, then the help you be appreciated" Kendall explained, causing James to nod.
"Just as long as you promise to stop making jokes" James stated, causing Kendall to nod, a small smirk present on his face.
"Promise" Kendall replied, reaching his hand out to shake James.
With a shake to seal the deal, the two of them got to work on the long day they had ahead of them.
"Are you sure you want me in the car with you? Won't I like, be a distraction or something?" James asked once Kendall had told him that he was accompanying Kendall in the car during the race.
"I mean, it's your car, so you probably should be in it with me so you can see how well the improvement work" Kendall replied, causing James to nod his head. "And you're always a distraction for me" Kendall added on the end with a wink, causing James to blush as the two of them approached Logan and the rest of the crew.
"Ok, so I'll be in your ear the whole time, keeping you updated on everything and we'll meet you at the marina at the end of the race," Logan said, causing Kendall to nod as he took the earphone from Logan.
"Just remember what we said Kendall, we don't need you getting arrested. If the heat from the police gets too much, back off from the race and just focus on losing them. No amount of money is worth losing you" Lucy said, causing Kendall to nod once again.
"I will do, and thank you for the compliment" Kendall responded, causing Lucy to roll her eyes.
"I take it back"
"Too late, we all heard it!"
"Just get your ass into that car, and win us the damn money" Lucy finished, causing a small chuckle to leave Kendall as he nodded.
"Come on, let's get ready," the blond said to James, causing the brunet to nod as he followed Kendall towards the car.
As they walked, James couldn't help but glance around at all of the racers, until his eyes landed on one specifically. "WayneWayne's here" he announced, nodding his head in the direction of the driver, causing Kendall to follow his eye line.
"Of course he is. The prick wouldn't dare miss out on an opportunity to win a large sum of cash"
"And if he is the murder, it also gives him the chance to prove that he's still got what it takes after the loss at the Waterway Rivalries." James replied, causing Kendall to hum in agreement.
"We'll have to keep an eye on him. In a race like this, he's going to play all types of dirty and he won't hesitate, probably even when we have the cops on our tails."
"Which of course, we won't need to worry about too much" James added, causing Kendall to glance up at him. "I'll get Camille to call off the cops on our tail after we've passed the pier. By that point, I'm guessing all the racers will split up to try and lose them, so it won't look suspicious" James continued, causing Kendall to nod.
"Sound like a plan" the blond replied, flashing James a quick smile. "It looks like we're starting soon. We best get into position."
"After you," James said, gesturing so Kendall could go forward before he followed the blond to the Audi.
With Kendall climbing into the driver's side, and James into the passenger's side, the two of them got ready, with Kendall putting the earphone from Logan in, while James plugged his earphones into his phone and called Camille.
"You know, if I would have known that we would have been working with someone on this case, I would have put an earphone into the passenger side seat as well" she spoke up, causing James to let out a little chuckle.
"It's fine. I have unlimited minutes anyway" James responded before he glanced over at Kendall, who was currently chatting to Logan.
"There are out 20 cars lining up at the starting point at the moment, so I would make your way over there as soon as possible" Logan said into Kendall's ear, causing Kendall to nod as he started the car engine.
"Alright, how's the route looking?" Kendall asked, causing Logan to let out a sigh.
"The roads are looking pretty busy, especially around the city centre, so it's going to be a tough race. The traffic does thin out in the hills, but the tight roads and corners may make it difficult to overtake"
"I'll manage. I always have before" Kendall replied, causing Logan to let out a hum of agreement as Kendall took their starting position.
It was safe to say that they were closer to the back of the pack, but Kendall tried not to let that deter him. He needed to look on the bright side and take advantage of the situation, much like James was doing at the moment, with the brunet taking a photo of the line-up.
"Camille, I'm going to send you a photo, containing most of the racers in front of us. Would you be able to run that through the system, and get us some identifications?" James asked, his response for a brief second just being typing.
"I'll get on it, but it may take a while for the computer to get a match. In the meantime, I'll pass the photo along to the uniformed officers. At least that way they'll know what cars to chase after you race past the police station" Camille replied, causing James to nod. "Speaking of which, I've already confirmed what officers will be 'chasing' you and Kendall. They've agreed that once you're past the pier, they'll wait until a suitable location until they break off pursuit."
"Perfect, thanks" James replied, glancing over at Kendall.
"The police issue has already been dealt with," he said to the blond, causing Kendall to let out a sigh of relief.
"That's one less thing to worry about" Kendall replied, causing James to flash him a small smile before he returned his attention back to Camille.
"We've also had visual confirmation that WayneWayne is racing with us," James said, causing Kendall to let out a little snort next to him at the name.
"WayneWayne?" Camille asked, causing James to let out his own little chuckle.
"Sorry, Wallace Patrick Dooley. Is the background check on him completed?"
"Yep, I'll send the information through to you now"
"Perfect, thank you, Camille. Is there anything else you need from us?"
"Not really, but I'll give you a call if anything comes up"
"Same here, thanks for all the help" James replied, cutting off the call with Camille, before turning his attention back to Kendall. "Anything from Logan?" James asked, causing Kendall to shake his head briefly.
"Not really. He gave me a traffic update, and he's also said that there are about 30 racers, including us, competing today so the stakes are high" Kendall replied, causing James to nod just as his phone pinged. "What about Camille? Anything good?"
"She's going to run all of the cars through the system, so we know who we're up against, and she's also just sent through WayneWayne's background check, which is pretty extensive. Looks like he's got a criminal record for a petty thief he committed a few years back. He tried to rob some antibiotics from a pharmacy and was caught in the process." James read, glancing up at Kendall briefly before he read the next bit. "He was bailed out by someone who had no affiliation to him, at a price of $50,000"
"So, that must be the Crime Boss then. I mean, that's what happened to Logan, someone random bailed him out" Kendall replied, causing James to raise an eyebrow at him, the brunet considering asking about Logan's past, before deciding against it for the time being.
"So, he's a suspect then. I mean, the murder style fits his MO, and it seems like he's indebted to the Crime Boss."
"But that could also go for everyone else here" Kendall stated, causing James to let out a sigh.
"I'll ask Camille to put a bug on his phone and on his computer, but that's about the most we can do at the moment."
"So, we're no closer to finding out the truth" Kendall responded, now sighing himself.
"No, but hopefully we will be after this hour and a half" James replied, his gaze turning to the front of the queue of cars. "Speaking of which, I think we're starting up. Ready?"
"Ready" Kendall responded, and with that, the two of them watched at the chequered flag was raised into the air. Engines revving around them, Kendall took once last glance at James, who flashed him a small smile, before pressing his foot down on the gas pedal.
The engine roared to life as he did so, and as they both watched the chequered flag be raised into the air, ready to signal the start of the race, Kendall's grip tightened on the steering wheel.
"Let's see what this baby can do" The blond announced, and with that, the flag was waved, starting the race.
So there we have it! Kames have geared up for a pretty long race, with some improvements being made on the Audi for it, but they're still unsure on who is even committing these murders! Hopefully, their investigation will start to gain some proper traction soon!
I want to say a massive thank you to Guest, Winterschild11, RainbowDiamonds and EpicallyObsessed for reviewing the last chapter and I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Kendall certainly does have a lot on his mind, and maybe this race might be an opportunity for him to get some of it out there, with the two of them being in a car together for about an hour and a half!
I hope you guys are having a great week, and I will see you on Monday for the next chapter of Blizzard! But until then,
TTFN 😃🚗