Boost or Bust

by serenitysea

When Memphis gives Kip an ultimatium, who will he turn to for help? And who will help him?

3. Part 3

Boost or Bust

Part 3

PG-13

Serenity Sea

(Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)

Author's notes:

See chapter 1 for the main notes.

Suddenly had the urge to come out with another chapter of this. Better be thankful and review—I was up at midnight writing it—and I had to wake up 4 hours later to go to school. The things I do for you people…

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gone in 60 Seconds, or any characters. Such is life, I've learned to live with it. Besides, I really don't want Castleback comin' after me for lying about stuff like this… that is one scary cop, man.

PAIRINGS: Sway/Memphis… eventually. Until then, hang on tight, because with Jared around, it's going to be a bumpy ride. (Think Eleanor at the end of the movie.)

***

Kip woke to see Tumbler shaking his arm roughly.

"Come on man, we're here. Hot English babes, look out!"

For a minute, Kip forgot why he was in England. He forgot that he was mad at his brother and he forgot that he was boost-free. So of course, he automatically reached for his cell phone to call Memphis and tell him what was going on. He'd gotten as far as hitting the speedial and putting the phone to his ear when he noticed the look Tumbler was giving him.

"What?"

Tumbler shrugged uneasily. "I just give you a lot of credit. I wouldn't be able to get over that episode with my brother so fast."

And then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He was mad at Memphis for kicking him out of the company. He was mad because he missed the plane. And he was mad—for some reason—that he wasn't with Sway. And where that last thought had come from, he had no idea. He was sure it was an indication of jet lag, but then again, one could never be sure these days.

"You're right," he said, venom in his tone. "I haven't forgiven him yet." He savagely turned the phone off and sat back in his chair heavily.

***

The phone rang at 3AM and startled Memphis out of a sound sleep. He reached for it sleepily and held it up to his ear. "Hullo?" Sleep laced his voice.

"I just give you a lot of credit. I wouldn't be able to get over that episode with my brother so fast," he heard Tumbler speaking.

"Hello?" he tried again, hoping to get through to Kip and try to explain what had happened.

"You're right," he heard Kip reply, hurt and anger in his tone. "I haven't forgiven him yet." There was the sound of a beep and then a dial tone.

Wearily, he sat up, knowing he couldn't go back to sleep after a call like that. He needed to talk to someone. He needed Sway. The realization hit him suddenly and he acted on his impulse.

"Hello?" Sway's voice came over the receiver huskily, reminding Memphis of when they'd still been together.

"It's Memphis. Can you come over and talk? I just got a call from Kip and…"

A sigh. Some noise, which he assumed was the sound of her tossing back those green sheets she loved so much. "There had better be a legit reason for this call, Memphis. Jared's going to be pissed when he doesn't find me when he wakes up. What time is it, anyway?"

"Three in the morning," he told her sheepishly.

Sway groaned loudly over the phone. "You so owe me." She hung up.

Memphis allowed himself a small, victorious smile, before getting out of bed and up to make coffee. With what he had to say, they were both going to need it.

***

The car purred to a stop and Sway got out slowly, still in the throes of sleep. Stumbling slightly, she made her way up to the door in the complex where Memphis chose his residence. She knocked on the door and yawned, closing the lapels of her black duster closer and shifting the strap of her tank top over.

He answered the door in his boxers and a tee shirt—she realized it had been a long time since she'd seen him in his pajamas—and smiled when she saw the shirt he was wearing. It was a copy of the sign in a compound they'd boosted from. She and Mirror had seen it, but she was the one to have it made into a shirt.

"Lock your car or it will be gone in sixty seconds, huh," she asked, reading the shirt. "I can't believe you still have that."

He glanced down at the dark blue shirt. "I like the sentiment." And then he opened the door and she stepped in sniffing and smelling coffee. A pang hit her sharply, as she remembered waking up to the scent of fresh coffee in the morning when she'd lived with him. Jared faithfully went out every morning to get her Starbucks—but for once it would be a nice change if he decided to make it himself.

"You made coffee."

He handed her a mug of it. "I did." His gaze swept her fleetingly, taking in the gray tank and plaid boxers. She probably didn't remember… but they were his. "Sway, we need to talk. This… rift between us is growing and that's something I don't want."

Sway sipped the coffee appreciatively and sat down on one of his couches, stretching like a cat. "You're right. I can't believe you kept this thing about Kip from me. And you lied about those letters. There were at least two more."

Memphis stared at her before shaking his head slowly, a grin forming on his lips. "Only you would know that." He sat down facing her.

She shrugged. "Yeah, well."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off on you like that this morning. And I had no right to say that about you and your relationship with Jared." She nodded slowly, and put her coffee mug on the table. "And you're right, I should have come to you sooner about Kip. I think I've really messed things up this time. At least before, Atley told him why I left… now he knows the reason why he's leaving and isn't happy about it." His voice grew stronger and he proceeded to tell her about the phone call.

When he was almost finished, he felt a weight on his right shoulder and looked down to see Sway's blonde head. "And you're asleep…" he whispered quietly, before shifting to pick her up and carry her into the bed in his room.

She unconsciously shifted to the side she'd always slept on and snuggled under the covers. Amazed that even in sleep she knew where she was, he crawled in too, and made sure to stay on his side of the bed before turning out the light and falling asleep.

***

When Sway woke up for the second time that morning, she had the deepest feeling of having come into a place where she hadn't been for a long time, but felt better about it than she had in a long time. She felt like she'd come home. Lazily, she turned over—why was she on the left side of the bed, anyway? Jared slept on this side—

--to see the dark features of Memphis Raines. There were dark circles under his eyes and she flinched, knowing that she was partly to blame for them. Her conscience kicked in a few seconds later, and she remembered that she was dating Jared—and what the hell was she doing over here? They didn't sleep together again, did they?

Slowly, she slid out of the bed and wandered into the kitchen, seeing the coffee mugs on the table in the living room. Then it came back to her and she had to smile. Only Memphis would call her over at three in the morning to talk.

And only Memphis would have put her back in his bed.

Still smiling ruefully, she glanced at the clock absently and moved to sit down on a kitchen stool. Instinct made her look at the clock again and she gasped. It was almost eight. She and Memphis were going to be late for work. And he was the CEO.

The last time they had both been late was when they were living together. And it wouldn't take too long for people to start talking at work…

"MEMPHIS RANDALL RAINES!" She yelled loudly, hoping he'd heard her. Suddenly, the urge to go back in that room had dissolved and left a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach. "WAKE UP! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"

Apparently, his memory wasn't quite back to full power because he yelled back, "IT'S OKAY! DONNY KNOWS WE WERE OUT LATE LAST NIGHT, SCOUTING THAT SET!"

Sway shook her head. The last scouting mission they'd been on had caused them to be late the next day, but it wasn't because of the cars. Of course, that was also when their relationship had been slowly unraveling and the last night they'd spent together. Leave it to Memphis to remember that day.

Steeling her resolve, she walked into the room. "Memphis. There was no scouting last night. I came over this morning after you called me after Kip called you."

He sat up. "You're right. Damn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up that night."

That night had been the first, only, and last time he'd failed to trust her. He said he had gotten his information from another source and wanted to trust that instead of her. They'd nearly gotten caught—and had to leave and hide out in the back of some dumpster for the night.

He never apologized and she never found out who the source was.

"It's okay." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "You know we're going to be late."

Memphis shook his head. "No we're not. I have the alarm set for seven."

"Well then, we both slept through it because it's almost eight now."

"Oh—" He mumbled a few colorful phrases and she looked away to hide her grin. "Look. You get in the shower first and I'll go after you."

Sway shook her head. "Memphis, I don't have any clothes with me. I'll just come into work later and shower at home."

"There is a spare set of your leather pants and a tank in my left bottom drawer." She looked at him, an eyebrow arched questioningly. "What? You left them here last time."

Sway walked over to the mentioned drawer and sure enough, there was a pair of her clothes there. "Okay… I'll be right out."

Memphis sat up and rubbed the scruff on his chin. "This is going to be a long day."

***

They were late.

45 minutes late, if you wanted to be exact, and Sway couldn't exactly say that Jared was happy about it. Of course, it didn't help that they'd driven together and walked in at the same time, but what was she supposed to have done?—go home and then come back? That would have been out of her and Memphis' way. Besides, her apartment was in the opposite direction.

(8/1/02)

Around 11 came the confrontation with Jared that she had been expecting.

Her head was down, reading over paperwork, some bills, and reading the latest information that Mirror and Sphinx had put together on their 'outing' yesterday, along with the results of Eleanor's repair and Nadine's gas mileage. The testers had taken her little red car out for a spin and tuned up the steering column, and reported that everything else was pretty much in order. This pleased her inordinately and she virtually forgot about this morning's events.

That is, until someone knocked on her door just before lunch break and barged right in. It was Jared, of course, and judging by the look in his eyes that had earned him the name 'Blaze,' he looked pissed.

With a sigh, she raised her head from the paperwork and forms and regarded him with a cool gaze. Neither spoke for some time. Sway realized she would have to break the ice. "Are you going to close the door, or did you want the rest of the seventh floor to have front-row seats to this?"

A muscle twitched in his left cheek and he half-turned to slam the door closed, making her jump ever so slightly by the force he had shown the door. But Sway wasn't one easily intimidated and he didn't scare her. She settled deep back into her chair, folded her arms, and kicked her booted feet on the rich, cherry desk. When her eyebrow rose questioningly, he took that as his cue to begin.

"What did you think you were doing this morning?"

She remained silent.

He shoved a hand through his hair and flung his body into one of the chairs opposite hers. "Let me rephrase that," Jared spoke with a bitter twist to his words. "What did you think you were doing with Memphis Raines this morning?"

Her green eyes lit up. "Oh, so that's what you were talking about?" She bit back a grin when she noticed him clench his hands, vainly trying to hold back his temper. "Working."

He closed his eyes and his lips started to move in a soundless prayer for patience and sanity. The vibrant green she was treated to when he opened his eyes established that he had some semblance of control. "Sway. I know you and Memphis aren't… like that anymore. However, you were gone when I woke up around 7:30 to get coffee this morning and your car was gone. The next time I saw you, you were walking in the building with Memphis. Now, given the circumstances, I really don't think it's out of the question to request an explanation."

Sway smiled broadly. "Nope. It's not."

When she failed to say more on the subject, he leaned forward and said, "Well?"

She stood up from her chair in one fluid motion, slapped her hands on the desk and leaned down so they were eye level. "Given the circumstances, you're right: it's not out of the question to ask for an explanation." She shrugged flippantly. "I just don't want to give you one."

With that, she grabbed her duster off the back of the chair next to him and sauntered out of the room, leaving him to plunk his head in his hands and wonder where he had gone wrong.

***

Sway usually stayed at the office for work, ordering in, or even once in a while, venturing down to the cafeteria to see if anything was edible. She always stayed out of the resturant on the ground floor, because that was where Memphis took lunch, every day, without fail, and you could usually find Kip with him. Rather than dig up painful memories of the Raines brothers, or risk a nasty run in with Blaze again, she grabbed a spare set of keys to Nadine, hopped in, and drove out for lunch for the first time in two years.

Her aimless journey led her to a diner that she vaguely remembered Kip telling her about once – something to do with Johnny B. and outgunning him when there was nowhere else to go – and how he and Memphis had wound up mixing Johnny up with the police and therefore, taken them off their hands.

It would be just like her to travel to places that would remind her of Kip.

With a roll of her eyes, she turned off the ignition, grabbed her keys and made sure there was some cash in her pockets. Then she headed into the resturant. When she was at the door, she noticed someone with dark hair and the same dark blue shirt that she had seen Memphis put on this morning.

"This is not happening," she groaned, as she opened the door and the man looked up. He had a round, fat face, and ugly black eyes. She breathed out a sigh of relief. "I'm being paranoid."

A waitress came over and took her to a table, where she flicked a two second gaze at the menu and then ordered a burger with fries. She was about to plunk her feet on the bench across from her when someone cleared their throat from behind her.

Since she pretty much had the patent to that move, and only one other person came close to claiming it, she knew who it was right away. "Sit down, Memphis." She said, without turning around.

"I followed you here," he offered by way of explanation. "You never go out for lunch, and I heard that you and Jared had a fight," her eyes flashed, "and I wanted to make sure you weren't going to…"

"Do anything dumb." She finished for him.

"Well…" under the table, she kicked him and half-smiled, "yeah. Pretty much." He admitted.

"Join the club," she exhaled, and then her eyes lit up as the waitress set down her cheeseburger.

"I'll have what she's having," Memphis told the waitress, who flipped out her pad and wrote it down.

With her mouth full of burger, Sway managed, "No, he won't. He wants a turkey club with cheese fries." She swallowed and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Cholesterol. He fights to keep it down."

The waitress crossed out the first order and wrote down the revised one, before placing the pad in her apron and walking away.

Sway leaned out of the booth as the waitress headed to place the order with cook and called out, "And could I get this to go, please?" The waitress nodded and walked back to grab the food. "Thanks."

Then she turned back to the table and reached for her duster, taking out the money to cover her meal along with Memphis'. "Stop grinning like that, Memphis."

"It's just that… after all this time, you still remember what I like to eat. I just find it amusing."

She stood up and one-handedly took the bag from the server while replying to him, "Glad I could make you laugh." And she started out the door.

Memphis ran after her and grabbed the door when she started to open it. "Don't do this, Sway."

She stood still. "Do what, Memphis?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Run away from this. We need to talk."

Now she turned around, and he noticed her eyes looked bright, as if she was holding back tears. "No, Memphis. We need to stop talking. When we talk, we get into trouble. Let me go."

Reluctantly, he took his hand off her and she headed for her car. The keys went in the ignition and she tore out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.

Ironically, the waitress returned with his turkey club and fries. Except he wasn't hungry anymore.

***

"Hey listen to this. Carmen Consuaula. New crime mistress of the UK. Hey, isn't that the chick Memphis is working with?" Tumbler asked Kip.

Kip nodded distractedly, searching for their new apartment.

"Well, it says here that her gang's been responsible for the murder of three people… and they were all former employees who didn't stay true to her. The coroner says that they were severely beaten and then their bodies were thrown in the river to wash up a few days later." He paused, scanning the rest and his eyes widened. "Whoa! It says here that the crimelord Memphis Raines in America is financially backing her."

Kips stopped. "What the hell? Let me see that!" He snatched the paper of out Tumbler's hands. "Oh my god. What the freakin' hell has Memphis gotten himself into now? We gotta tell him. He's gotta know."

He took off for the nearest payphone, leaving Tumbler to follow after. Tumbler grabbed the bags and ran after Kip.

Kip leaned dejectedly against the telephone stand. "It doesn't take quarters." Tumbler put his arm around his best friend and started to drag him bag to their apartment.

"Let's get settled in, get some rest, and call Sway in the morning. Memphis'll kill ya if he knows what you know about Carmen. 'Boost' information and all that stuff. But Sway'll be cool about it. We'll call her, and she'll tell your brother and then you can still have your money, and not feel guilty at the same time, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know. It still feels funny."

Tumbler sighed. "No, Kip. That's the fried chicken you ate on the plane."

***

Hope that's good enough for now. Can't wait until part 4! Don't forget to review!