Loud, monotonous techno music filled every nook and cranny of Lindsey's
kitchen, flowing over itself, nearly loud enough to cause someone's ears to
bleed. In the middle of it all stood Lindsey, vigorously scrubbing the
dishes in the sink left over from dinner. She was head banging to the
music while drumming on the counter with two soapy wooden spoons. Suds
were flying everywhere. But the redhead didn't seem to notice. Black
pants that would have fit Viktor better than her hung from her hips. She
wore a tight black baby Tee with the words, "Drive It Like You Stole It"
written across the chest in large, bright red letters. Her hair was
braided in cornrows halfway back the tops and sides of her head. From the
rubber bands, it exploded into tight blood-red curls. Her many silver
hoops hung from each ear, the first pair of them large enough to brush her
shoulders.
Jenny sat at the island in the kitchen with a bored expression on her face. She grabbed an apple from a nearby fruit bowl and sunk her teeth into it with a satisfying crunch. She wasn't really hungry, but she needed something to do. And she wasn't about to join in Lindsey's head banging. She stared down at her perfectly manicured hands (she still had her nails from prom). She wore a black halter-top that was studded with small rhinestones. She wore dark flares and black shoes. Her black leather coat was draped over the back of her chair.
Tapping her nails on the counter slowly, she stared at the clock. "Twenty minutes, Lins."
She didn't get a response.
Leelee, Catie, Sabriena, Kristen and Lia walked in about that time.
Leelee's dark eyes went wide when she saw Lindsey. *There goes thirty minutes of work* she thought to herself as she watched Lindsey's hair being flipped every direction. "Thanks for destroying my work, Lins."
Lindsey flashed her a soapy thumbs-up and went back to beating the spoons on the counter.
Catie seated herself beside Jenny on a stool. She grabbed Jenny's apple and bit off the uneaten side. Like the other girls, she was dressed in all black. Leather pants and a tight top that read in big, blingy gold letters "Just Win, Baby". Her long, golden brown hair was swept up into a high ponytail. The golden flecks in Catie's dark green eyes were flashing with excitement and nervousness. "Can we go yet?"
"No," Jenny muttered. "Dancing queen over there won't finish the dishes."
Lindsey turned on her heel and launched a dirty rag at Jenny's head. "I'm through. Let's go."
Together, the girls walked out the kitchen door and around the side of the house to the front where their cars sat. "C'mon, Ladies!" Lindsey cried, grabbing Lia's shoulders and shaking her violently. "Lighten up! We'll be rich in thirteen hours!"
Sabriena whooped and did a cartwheel. She threw open the door to the red Mustang and got inside. "After this paycheck, a Mustang just isn't gonna cut it anymore, Ladies."
*~*~*~*~*~
Friday Night: 13 Hours to Deadline
The girls sat in a circle in the foldout chairs that were still in the garage. Jenny kept pressing a switch in her hand, making the black light flash and the ink show up. Every time she did it, the list seemed even longer than before.
"You're making me sick," Lia muttered.
"Sorry," Jenny said softly and continued flicking the switch. Her eyes scanned the list with every flash. "Elaine . . ." she said in the same low voice, barely above a whisper, "Sharon . . . Tina . . ."
Lia had her elbows on her knees and was gripping the sides of her face tightly. "Shut up," she groaned through clenched teeth. "Someone make her shut up . . ."
"I'm not gonna," Jenny said, keeping her voice at the same level. "Nicole . . . Azalea . ."
Lia hastily got up and headed for the bar.
Anarchy 99 started to fill the garage. Viktor carried a large box and heaved it onto a workbench. Then he and Kirill got to work dividing up tools and such.
Lindsey looked around for Yorgi. He was nowhere in sight.
Xander stood near the list wall, trying to ignore the flashing black light in his eyes. "Guys, we have thirteen hours and sixty ladies. Get into your groups now, get your junk and do your shit." With that, he sat down beside Catie.
"Hey thanks for flashing that in my face, Jenny," Xander spat.
"Welcome," she muttered, still flashing the light.
"What's up with you?" Catie asked.
"She always gets in a zone like this before she boosts," Sabriena answered as she stood up. She hugged each of the girls and Xander quickly. "Ya know, if things don't work out . . ."
"They will," Jenny cut her off quickly. "They always do."
Sabriena nodded and went to join her group. After some reassurance, Lia, Leelee and Kristen also joined their groups.
"Look, if something goes wrong," Xander said, leaning in and closing their circle, "I'll take the heat. You girls don't need to get locked up or nothin'. If anyone should get it, I should."
"Xander that's crazy," Jenny said. "You don't need to be locked up any more than we do."
"This shit will fly, ight?" Lindsey said, more to assure herself than the others. "And if it doesn't, then we're just out a few bucks."
Xander glared at her. "A few hundred thousand bucks."
"Let's just do our shit, okay?" Catie interrupted.
The four of them put their fists together, then went to pick up their tools on the table by Viktor and Kirill.
Just when they were preparing to leave, Yorgi made his entrance.
He was wearing his favorite dark green turtleneck and his long, black leather coat. "You all know how important you are. To the boost. To Anarchy 99. And to each other. You're the best-damned boosts in the state, probably in the country. And you know it. Drive hard, think fast, and fly."
They all knew what he was really trying to get across - which was the fact that he really did care and he wanted them to all be safe.
Kip's team left first.
"We'll let them get a bit of a head start," Xander explained to Catie. "That way it doesn't look suspicious all of us leavin' here at once."
Catie nodded.
Not even ten minutes later they heard Tumbler's voice on the radio. "Susan is on her way home. I repeat, Susan is on her way home."
Catie blinked. "Already?"
"If that's the case, we'd better bounce," Jenny said.
"The 5-0 will be catchin' on before too long," Xander said.
Lindsey sniggered. "But we'll be long gone by then."
And with that, they piled into Xander's car and left.
Jenny sat at the island in the kitchen with a bored expression on her face. She grabbed an apple from a nearby fruit bowl and sunk her teeth into it with a satisfying crunch. She wasn't really hungry, but she needed something to do. And she wasn't about to join in Lindsey's head banging. She stared down at her perfectly manicured hands (she still had her nails from prom). She wore a black halter-top that was studded with small rhinestones. She wore dark flares and black shoes. Her black leather coat was draped over the back of her chair.
Tapping her nails on the counter slowly, she stared at the clock. "Twenty minutes, Lins."
She didn't get a response.
Leelee, Catie, Sabriena, Kristen and Lia walked in about that time.
Leelee's dark eyes went wide when she saw Lindsey. *There goes thirty minutes of work* she thought to herself as she watched Lindsey's hair being flipped every direction. "Thanks for destroying my work, Lins."
Lindsey flashed her a soapy thumbs-up and went back to beating the spoons on the counter.
Catie seated herself beside Jenny on a stool. She grabbed Jenny's apple and bit off the uneaten side. Like the other girls, she was dressed in all black. Leather pants and a tight top that read in big, blingy gold letters "Just Win, Baby". Her long, golden brown hair was swept up into a high ponytail. The golden flecks in Catie's dark green eyes were flashing with excitement and nervousness. "Can we go yet?"
"No," Jenny muttered. "Dancing queen over there won't finish the dishes."
Lindsey turned on her heel and launched a dirty rag at Jenny's head. "I'm through. Let's go."
Together, the girls walked out the kitchen door and around the side of the house to the front where their cars sat. "C'mon, Ladies!" Lindsey cried, grabbing Lia's shoulders and shaking her violently. "Lighten up! We'll be rich in thirteen hours!"
Sabriena whooped and did a cartwheel. She threw open the door to the red Mustang and got inside. "After this paycheck, a Mustang just isn't gonna cut it anymore, Ladies."
*~*~*~*~*~
Friday Night: 13 Hours to Deadline
The girls sat in a circle in the foldout chairs that were still in the garage. Jenny kept pressing a switch in her hand, making the black light flash and the ink show up. Every time she did it, the list seemed even longer than before.
"You're making me sick," Lia muttered.
"Sorry," Jenny said softly and continued flicking the switch. Her eyes scanned the list with every flash. "Elaine . . ." she said in the same low voice, barely above a whisper, "Sharon . . . Tina . . ."
Lia had her elbows on her knees and was gripping the sides of her face tightly. "Shut up," she groaned through clenched teeth. "Someone make her shut up . . ."
"I'm not gonna," Jenny said, keeping her voice at the same level. "Nicole . . . Azalea . ."
Lia hastily got up and headed for the bar.
Anarchy 99 started to fill the garage. Viktor carried a large box and heaved it onto a workbench. Then he and Kirill got to work dividing up tools and such.
Lindsey looked around for Yorgi. He was nowhere in sight.
Xander stood near the list wall, trying to ignore the flashing black light in his eyes. "Guys, we have thirteen hours and sixty ladies. Get into your groups now, get your junk and do your shit." With that, he sat down beside Catie.
"Hey thanks for flashing that in my face, Jenny," Xander spat.
"Welcome," she muttered, still flashing the light.
"What's up with you?" Catie asked.
"She always gets in a zone like this before she boosts," Sabriena answered as she stood up. She hugged each of the girls and Xander quickly. "Ya know, if things don't work out . . ."
"They will," Jenny cut her off quickly. "They always do."
Sabriena nodded and went to join her group. After some reassurance, Lia, Leelee and Kristen also joined their groups.
"Look, if something goes wrong," Xander said, leaning in and closing their circle, "I'll take the heat. You girls don't need to get locked up or nothin'. If anyone should get it, I should."
"Xander that's crazy," Jenny said. "You don't need to be locked up any more than we do."
"This shit will fly, ight?" Lindsey said, more to assure herself than the others. "And if it doesn't, then we're just out a few bucks."
Xander glared at her. "A few hundred thousand bucks."
"Let's just do our shit, okay?" Catie interrupted.
The four of them put their fists together, then went to pick up their tools on the table by Viktor and Kirill.
Just when they were preparing to leave, Yorgi made his entrance.
He was wearing his favorite dark green turtleneck and his long, black leather coat. "You all know how important you are. To the boost. To Anarchy 99. And to each other. You're the best-damned boosts in the state, probably in the country. And you know it. Drive hard, think fast, and fly."
They all knew what he was really trying to get across - which was the fact that he really did care and he wanted them to all be safe.
Kip's team left first.
"We'll let them get a bit of a head start," Xander explained to Catie. "That way it doesn't look suspicious all of us leavin' here at once."
Catie nodded.
Not even ten minutes later they heard Tumbler's voice on the radio. "Susan is on her way home. I repeat, Susan is on her way home."
Catie blinked. "Already?"
"If that's the case, we'd better bounce," Jenny said.
"The 5-0 will be catchin' on before too long," Xander said.
Lindsey sniggered. "But we'll be long gone by then."
And with that, they piled into Xander's car and left.