The next two nights passed easily. Each of the old school boosts were paired with one of the UC team - old and new. They got all the addresses and cars easily enough with Cody's help. Later that night, she took them down to the waterfront scrapyard where the cars were to be driven and dropped. The next night they paired off again to go scout the ladies. Each pair was given 10 addresses to handle. With 10 people on this, it was going to be easier than Speed had thought. But when she talked to Donovan, Alex and Jake in private, they set her straight again. Cody and Monica shouldn't go out on the boost. It just wasn't something they wanted to risk. True enough Monica and Cody were Federal Agents, but both of them had relatively little skill undercover. Reluctantly she agreed to keep them in the nest the next night. They weren't going to like this one bit. After they'd all gotten back from scouting, Sweet, Speed, Jake and Lexis went out to scout the very last one.
They walked down the garage ramp of the high rent HighRise apartment tower, Sweet with a camera in hand. Speed slowed down and finally stopped, arms held out to stop the others. Before them sat a lemon yellow hot rod with black and chrome trim.
"We saved the best for last... the 1971 Plymouth 426 Hemi Cuda Convertible..." Speed's voice was like a child in awe as she approached the car. "The 426... Sweet, the cuda?"
Sweet chuckled, "yah yah, THE 'cuda..."
"There she is..." Her eyes took on a slightly glazed appearance as she walked over to the car. "There's Christine." One hand lovingly touched the ducktail spoiler as she talked to it.
"What's she doing?" Alex was confused.
Sweet smiled and watched his friend. "She's talking to her, getting reacquainted. Christine and Speed have had a long and painful history. That's her unicorn."
"Unicorn?" now it was Jake's turn to be confused. He was watching Speed talk to the car and caress the screaming yellow paint as if she were talking to a long lost lover.
"Mythical creature, one horn" Alex offered.
"Fabled creature, the one car that no matter how many times you boost it, something always goes wrong. She nearly killed Speed once, another time Speed got laid up with a broken arm and collarbone when it flipped over in a high speed turn."
Jake was still watching her. He wasn't sure if he was jealous of the way she touched the car or not.
"... just a smooth clear ride. We're just gonna to fly....." Speed looked up at Sweet and sighed a heartsick sigh. Slowly she walked by them all towards the garage entrance. "Did you get the picture?"
Sweet nodded and snapped the shot, then grinned. "See you tomorrow Christine, you and your fine ass..."
--
Speed had sent Jake, Alex and Donovan on home with Cody and Monica. Cody had fallen asleep on his laptop and proceeded to drool all over the place. For someone who was so skinny, it took all four of them to get him into the Suburban. George had already gone to bed, which left Speed down in the garage bay staring at the list. It was a big list... and all 50 of the cars were listed with their names. she chuckled, remembering 'Mouse' asking why they were all named girls' names. 'So when you're speaking over the radio, you say Marla, Sharon, etc and no one is the wiser.'
She shook her head slowly and fought back a yawn. For the first time in three days since she got handed the list, she actually felt like this was going to work. So deep in thought she was that she didn't hear Donny come back in.
"Speed."
She jumped, knocking off a loose pipe and sending it clattering to the ground. "what.." she hissed.
"I need to ask you something."
"yeah...?"
"Why are you doin this?"
"I told you why."
"No, not Switch's threat. I mean this..." he gestured around. "Rounding us all up again, pulling off a monster heist in one night. I knew you had an ego but come on..."
"It's not about an ego, Donny. I have my reasons. Please, just trust me on this."
"You can't even tell an old friend? Come on, I've been with you since you got started in this. We've boosted more cars than we can count together and you won't even tell me why you're making a One Night Stand Come Back?"
"I want to... God knows I do, but I can't. Everything will be explained Friday morning when this is all done and over with. Please, go home and get some rest. We've got a big night tomorrow night."
He gave her a look that said volumes. "Be careful. Things changed after you left us. Just be extra careful not to get yourself killed or worse, one of the kids.
He left, leaving her to her thoughts once more. His words haunted her. Things changed...
----
Switch perched on the end of his desk. He couldnt' believe what he was hearing - from one of Speed's own crew no less. "You're sure about this?"
"Yeah, I over heard her talking with her man and two of the new crew about her going back to prison in exchange for immunity for her crew."
He toyed with the slight fuzz of a goatee on his chin. Speed had indeed turned Fed Pidgeon. When Johnny B had come to him a day or so ago and said that a girl he knew on the inside had told him that Speed was talked to by the Feds, he didn't believe him at all. But this, this was from one of her own... And if she was turned, and doing a job for him... that meant that she was moling him out and he was under surveillance. "Does she know that you know?"
"No, man, she's just too damned busy with getting everyone back safely. She doesn't know I still work for you."
"Alright. Here's what we're going to do..."
****
They walked down the garage ramp of the high rent HighRise apartment tower, Sweet with a camera in hand. Speed slowed down and finally stopped, arms held out to stop the others. Before them sat a lemon yellow hot rod with black and chrome trim.
"We saved the best for last... the 1971 Plymouth 426 Hemi Cuda Convertible..." Speed's voice was like a child in awe as she approached the car. "The 426... Sweet, the cuda?"
Sweet chuckled, "yah yah, THE 'cuda..."
"There she is..." Her eyes took on a slightly glazed appearance as she walked over to the car. "There's Christine." One hand lovingly touched the ducktail spoiler as she talked to it.
"What's she doing?" Alex was confused.
Sweet smiled and watched his friend. "She's talking to her, getting reacquainted. Christine and Speed have had a long and painful history. That's her unicorn."
"Unicorn?" now it was Jake's turn to be confused. He was watching Speed talk to the car and caress the screaming yellow paint as if she were talking to a long lost lover.
"Mythical creature, one horn" Alex offered.
"Fabled creature, the one car that no matter how many times you boost it, something always goes wrong. She nearly killed Speed once, another time Speed got laid up with a broken arm and collarbone when it flipped over in a high speed turn."
Jake was still watching her. He wasn't sure if he was jealous of the way she touched the car or not.
"... just a smooth clear ride. We're just gonna to fly....." Speed looked up at Sweet and sighed a heartsick sigh. Slowly she walked by them all towards the garage entrance. "Did you get the picture?"
Sweet nodded and snapped the shot, then grinned. "See you tomorrow Christine, you and your fine ass..."
--
Speed had sent Jake, Alex and Donovan on home with Cody and Monica. Cody had fallen asleep on his laptop and proceeded to drool all over the place. For someone who was so skinny, it took all four of them to get him into the Suburban. George had already gone to bed, which left Speed down in the garage bay staring at the list. It was a big list... and all 50 of the cars were listed with their names. she chuckled, remembering 'Mouse' asking why they were all named girls' names. 'So when you're speaking over the radio, you say Marla, Sharon, etc and no one is the wiser.'
She shook her head slowly and fought back a yawn. For the first time in three days since she got handed the list, she actually felt like this was going to work. So deep in thought she was that she didn't hear Donny come back in.
"Speed."
She jumped, knocking off a loose pipe and sending it clattering to the ground. "what.." she hissed.
"I need to ask you something."
"yeah...?"
"Why are you doin this?"
"I told you why."
"No, not Switch's threat. I mean this..." he gestured around. "Rounding us all up again, pulling off a monster heist in one night. I knew you had an ego but come on..."
"It's not about an ego, Donny. I have my reasons. Please, just trust me on this."
"You can't even tell an old friend? Come on, I've been with you since you got started in this. We've boosted more cars than we can count together and you won't even tell me why you're making a One Night Stand Come Back?"
"I want to... God knows I do, but I can't. Everything will be explained Friday morning when this is all done and over with. Please, go home and get some rest. We've got a big night tomorrow night."
He gave her a look that said volumes. "Be careful. Things changed after you left us. Just be extra careful not to get yourself killed or worse, one of the kids.
He left, leaving her to her thoughts once more. His words haunted her. Things changed...
----
Switch perched on the end of his desk. He couldnt' believe what he was hearing - from one of Speed's own crew no less. "You're sure about this?"
"Yeah, I over heard her talking with her man and two of the new crew about her going back to prison in exchange for immunity for her crew."
He toyed with the slight fuzz of a goatee on his chin. Speed had indeed turned Fed Pidgeon. When Johnny B had come to him a day or so ago and said that a girl he knew on the inside had told him that Speed was talked to by the Feds, he didn't believe him at all. But this, this was from one of her own... And if she was turned, and doing a job for him... that meant that she was moling him out and he was under surveillance. "Does she know that you know?"
"No, man, she's just too damned busy with getting everyone back safely. She doesn't know I still work for you."
"Alright. Here's what we're going to do..."
****