Chapter 3.
"My car's not here." Said Otto "I loaned it to Kip this morning. He was getting itchy." Memphis's brother had been having a very hard time getting away from the life the others had successfully left behind. He was hooked, and like addicts, her got cravings. Otto owned a sleek, flame red, 1963 Corvette Stingray coupe. Kips favourite relief tonic.
"Shit!" Cursed Memphis. "I need to find her Otto." He looked across at the Cobra. It would take too long to get that down off the jacks. On the opposite side of the garage, the pickup caught in his vision out of the corner of his eye. He pulled they keys off the rack behind him and jumped into the battered old vehicle.
"I think you'll need a push" Said Otto positioning himself behind the car "Okay, on three. One, two, three!" Otto heaved against the Ford and it began to roll slowly forwards. Memphis turned the key in the ignition and it rumbled to life coughing and emitting a slightly worrying cloud of black smoke from under the hood.
"Find her Memphis, before she goes and does something stupid."
"I will." He said as he pulled out of the garage and jerked around the corner disappearing from view.
Otto sighed as he watched him go "I hope you do." He said quietly to himself before returning his attention back to his wrecked garage.
***
"YES!!!" Shouted Sway as the Nitrous kicked in and the car lurched forwards. The engine roared and the needle on the clock hovered on 150mph. She glanced up in her mirror at the fading Porsche and laughed at the bewildered look on the face of the businessman inside it.
She began to instantly feel better as she weaved the speeding car in and out of the traffic before her. The accelerator beneath her foot gave her a sense of extreme power. She closed her eyes for a second and savoured the feeling whilst it lasted. The clock began to slowly drop back down towards a more normal reading as the nitrous ran out. Sway eased her foot off the accelerator, but at 120mph, by the time she noticed what was ahead of her, it was already too late.
***
Memphis shivered as the cold night air blasted through the windows of the Pickup. It was 10:30pm and after driving around for three and a half hours, he had had no success in finding Sway, and was on his way back to their apartment building. The fact that he had not discovered a wreckage of a mangled Ford Mustang was a relief, however he was still worried how far Sway might have ventured. The truck lurched forwards as he shifted down into 1st and pulled into the car lot.
He stopped in a space about eight cars down from the buildings entrance and turned off the engine. The struggling Ford shuddered to a standstill, and out of the corner of his eye, Memphis noticed something that made is heart rise in his chest.
In a parking space, shining under a streetlamp, sat a now rather well used looking Eleanor. He gripped the top of the pickup's steering wheel and dropped his head onto his hands sighing a huge sigh of relief.
"Don't worry your beloved Eleanor's back in one piece." The voice made him jump and Memphis whipped his head to the left to see Sway stood at his window, her hands on her hips.
"Jesus Sway!" He said, "It wasn't the Goddamned car I was worried about." He reached out to touch her arm, but she turned and walked away. He wrestled with the door, creaked it open and jumped out of the truck, following her up to the tall building.
"Here you go." She said throwing the keys to Eleanor over her shoulder without even looking back at him.
"Where the hell have you been Sway?" She ignored her question and took the stairs up to their apartment two at a time. She suddenly stopped and spun around.
"You might need some more Nitrous cylinders."
"Jesus Sway! You could have…."
"Don't worry! I didn't crash! Didn't break your Eleanor. Got me a nice speeding ticket though." She turned back around and continued up the stairs to their floor.
"Where the hell did you use it!?"
"Freeway." She replied matter-of-factly.
"Jesus Sway!"
"You said that. Twice."
"I know. Didn't you think that I wouldn't be worried about you…"
"I think I can just about manage to drive a car Memphis." She threw a 'look' at him over her shoulder as she unlocked the door to apartment number 76.
"You don't remember what happened last time then?"
She didn't reply and instead walked into the living room of their home and switched on the lights. Memphis closed the door and leaned back against it, his head tipped back, eyes closed. He heard Sway throw her jacket on a chair and flop down on the sofa. She clicked on the TV and the sounds from an old Western movie blared out into the small room.
Memphis straightened up "Sway I need to talk to you."
"Talk, sure, talk. Hey haven't I said that to you before. Like last time you deserted me and came back expecting-"
"Sway I'm not deserting you."
"As good as. You're trying to drag me back into this life, the life I've tried so damned hard to leave behind -"
"Sway-"
She jumped to her feet and turned the western off
"No, shut the hell up! You know why I'm so pissed? Its 'cause you're the reason I stay clean. I stupidly thought," She began to pace the room furiously "that I couldn't let you down! That the only reason I even bother to try staying away from the life is because I don't want you to be dragged back with me! Well fool me, 'cause it looks like you couldn't really give a shit could you!"
Memphis shook his head "Sway, listen to me…"
"No! Why the fuck should I! You go and play with your little friend. See if I care!" She marched off towards the bedroom, her end of the argument closed.
"He's going to kill you!" Shouted Memphis. He had been trying to let this in gently, but Sway wasn't listening and it was the only way he could think to get her attention. He screwed his eyes shut as she stopped dead in her tracks.
"What." She said softly, never turning around.
"Johnny B. If we don't get out of long beach, he's gonna kill you."
She turned around to face him, her eyes searching his. "So what's all this about a bet?"
"I convinced him to make it into a bet so we've at least got a chance of staying. I have to think one up by midnight or else we're out of here. "
Sway sunk down into a recliner and put her head in her hands.
"Oh god." She said quietly, barely above a whisper, "I can't believe this is happening again."
Memphis walked across the room and sat on the arm of the chair. He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.
"We'll sort this. I promise. I won't let him hurt you."
She sat up and looked at him "Jesus Memphis, I don't need protecting!" She grinned to show that she was joking and Memphis laughed.
"Tell you what, if we do win this, you can have some 'fun' with Johnny in the name of Josephine!" He leant forwards as he spoke his lips barely millimetres from Sway's.
"Now you're talking!" She smiled, and kissed him.
***End chapter 3***
"My car's not here." Said Otto "I loaned it to Kip this morning. He was getting itchy." Memphis's brother had been having a very hard time getting away from the life the others had successfully left behind. He was hooked, and like addicts, her got cravings. Otto owned a sleek, flame red, 1963 Corvette Stingray coupe. Kips favourite relief tonic.
"Shit!" Cursed Memphis. "I need to find her Otto." He looked across at the Cobra. It would take too long to get that down off the jacks. On the opposite side of the garage, the pickup caught in his vision out of the corner of his eye. He pulled they keys off the rack behind him and jumped into the battered old vehicle.
"I think you'll need a push" Said Otto positioning himself behind the car "Okay, on three. One, two, three!" Otto heaved against the Ford and it began to roll slowly forwards. Memphis turned the key in the ignition and it rumbled to life coughing and emitting a slightly worrying cloud of black smoke from under the hood.
"Find her Memphis, before she goes and does something stupid."
"I will." He said as he pulled out of the garage and jerked around the corner disappearing from view.
Otto sighed as he watched him go "I hope you do." He said quietly to himself before returning his attention back to his wrecked garage.
***
"YES!!!" Shouted Sway as the Nitrous kicked in and the car lurched forwards. The engine roared and the needle on the clock hovered on 150mph. She glanced up in her mirror at the fading Porsche and laughed at the bewildered look on the face of the businessman inside it.
She began to instantly feel better as she weaved the speeding car in and out of the traffic before her. The accelerator beneath her foot gave her a sense of extreme power. She closed her eyes for a second and savoured the feeling whilst it lasted. The clock began to slowly drop back down towards a more normal reading as the nitrous ran out. Sway eased her foot off the accelerator, but at 120mph, by the time she noticed what was ahead of her, it was already too late.
***
Memphis shivered as the cold night air blasted through the windows of the Pickup. It was 10:30pm and after driving around for three and a half hours, he had had no success in finding Sway, and was on his way back to their apartment building. The fact that he had not discovered a wreckage of a mangled Ford Mustang was a relief, however he was still worried how far Sway might have ventured. The truck lurched forwards as he shifted down into 1st and pulled into the car lot.
He stopped in a space about eight cars down from the buildings entrance and turned off the engine. The struggling Ford shuddered to a standstill, and out of the corner of his eye, Memphis noticed something that made is heart rise in his chest.
In a parking space, shining under a streetlamp, sat a now rather well used looking Eleanor. He gripped the top of the pickup's steering wheel and dropped his head onto his hands sighing a huge sigh of relief.
"Don't worry your beloved Eleanor's back in one piece." The voice made him jump and Memphis whipped his head to the left to see Sway stood at his window, her hands on her hips.
"Jesus Sway!" He said, "It wasn't the Goddamned car I was worried about." He reached out to touch her arm, but she turned and walked away. He wrestled with the door, creaked it open and jumped out of the truck, following her up to the tall building.
"Here you go." She said throwing the keys to Eleanor over her shoulder without even looking back at him.
"Where the hell have you been Sway?" She ignored her question and took the stairs up to their apartment two at a time. She suddenly stopped and spun around.
"You might need some more Nitrous cylinders."
"Jesus Sway! You could have…."
"Don't worry! I didn't crash! Didn't break your Eleanor. Got me a nice speeding ticket though." She turned back around and continued up the stairs to their floor.
"Where the hell did you use it!?"
"Freeway." She replied matter-of-factly.
"Jesus Sway!"
"You said that. Twice."
"I know. Didn't you think that I wouldn't be worried about you…"
"I think I can just about manage to drive a car Memphis." She threw a 'look' at him over her shoulder as she unlocked the door to apartment number 76.
"You don't remember what happened last time then?"
She didn't reply and instead walked into the living room of their home and switched on the lights. Memphis closed the door and leaned back against it, his head tipped back, eyes closed. He heard Sway throw her jacket on a chair and flop down on the sofa. She clicked on the TV and the sounds from an old Western movie blared out into the small room.
Memphis straightened up "Sway I need to talk to you."
"Talk, sure, talk. Hey haven't I said that to you before. Like last time you deserted me and came back expecting-"
"Sway I'm not deserting you."
"As good as. You're trying to drag me back into this life, the life I've tried so damned hard to leave behind -"
"Sway-"
She jumped to her feet and turned the western off
"No, shut the hell up! You know why I'm so pissed? Its 'cause you're the reason I stay clean. I stupidly thought," She began to pace the room furiously "that I couldn't let you down! That the only reason I even bother to try staying away from the life is because I don't want you to be dragged back with me! Well fool me, 'cause it looks like you couldn't really give a shit could you!"
Memphis shook his head "Sway, listen to me…"
"No! Why the fuck should I! You go and play with your little friend. See if I care!" She marched off towards the bedroom, her end of the argument closed.
"He's going to kill you!" Shouted Memphis. He had been trying to let this in gently, but Sway wasn't listening and it was the only way he could think to get her attention. He screwed his eyes shut as she stopped dead in her tracks.
"What." She said softly, never turning around.
"Johnny B. If we don't get out of long beach, he's gonna kill you."
She turned around to face him, her eyes searching his. "So what's all this about a bet?"
"I convinced him to make it into a bet so we've at least got a chance of staying. I have to think one up by midnight or else we're out of here. "
Sway sunk down into a recliner and put her head in her hands.
"Oh god." She said quietly, barely above a whisper, "I can't believe this is happening again."
Memphis walked across the room and sat on the arm of the chair. He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.
"We'll sort this. I promise. I won't let him hurt you."
She sat up and looked at him "Jesus Memphis, I don't need protecting!" She grinned to show that she was joking and Memphis laughed.
"Tell you what, if we do win this, you can have some 'fun' with Johnny in the name of Josephine!" He leant forwards as he spoke his lips barely millimetres from Sway's.
"Now you're talking!" She smiled, and kissed him.
***End chapter 3***