Chapter 5.
"Any ideas?" Asked Memphis as he returned to the front of the group. Sway sat down on the edge of a desk next to Kip who flung a casual arm around her shoulders.
"Like, what is there, that we can do, but he can't?" He asked shrugging
"Steal cars." Snorted Tumbler. Kip laughed but Memphis stayed quiet.
"We make it something he can relate to." Interjected Sway suddenly. Memphis looked at her,
"You have an idea?"
She nodded
"Yeah," She stood up and began to pace back and forth "The only language he seems to understand is that of the big green dollar right?" They all nodded "So, this doesn't just need to be about status and pride, we need to make it one for the money."
"Yeah, but we 'aint got no money to give him!" Said Kip. Sway waved a dismissive hand at him,
"Not literally, that's the thing," She looked at Memphis now talking solely to him
"We've done the whole, how many cars can you steal thing, but how bout this time we don't make it about numbers. How bout this time we see how much car we can boost."
"Eh?" Kip and the others frowned at her obviously puzzled, but a small smile crept across Memphis's face. She never let him down.
"What Sway is trying to say Kip, is that she is a genius and has just come up with a bet he will never refuse!" He kissed her lightly on the forehead and she laughed softly.
"Guys," Otto pointed at his watch "Hate to interrupt, but its 12 o clock."
Memphis nodded and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
"Lets just hope this works," He muttered to himself as it began to ring in his hand.
***
Sway stood alone outside whilst her friends gathered around Memphis in the garage, hanging on every word he muttered down the phone. She closed her eyes and felt the sting of despairing tears behind her eyelids. She drew a long and distinctly shaky breath and opened them, unable to shake the schoolgirl wish that when she did it would all be gone. She raised the cigarette to her lips and savored the soothing nicotine. It had been nearly four years since she had last felt she needed one, it made her realized how shot her nerves must be. Even the situation two years ago hadn't caused a revolt back into the world of Kools.
She stared at Eleanor sitting on the driveway. Gleaming silver through the heavy dark of the midnight sky. She imagined herself climbing behind the wheel and driving away, away from it all. Blasting off into the night and forgetting everything. But she couldn't do that, it wasn't her style, it wasn't Sway. So, she flicked the butt of her cigarette to the ground, turned on her heel and walked back. Head held high, face uncaring, eyes hard, Sway all over.
***
Memphis briefly noticed Sway walk across the garage and settle in the shadows, before turning his attention back to the matter at hand.
The long silence down the phone was now beginning to make him feel physically sick, this had to work; he had to agree to this.
"So let me get this straight," said Johnny eventually "We do a one night boost, from say 8pm till 8am, stealin' as many cars as we can?"
"Yep," answered Memphis "And the winner of the bet is the team that has the most moneys worth of cars in their garage at the end of it."
"So we'd be aiming for all the top-end cars?"
"Well yeah, that would make sense. You can steal as many cars as you like, but you have to have the highest cash total, deducting any repairs that would need to be made at the end of it all."
The line went silent again. Memphis looked over at Sway and she stared back at him, expectantly.
"OK." Johnny answered eventually.
"What? You'll do it."
"Yeah boy, I'll do it."
Memphis gave Sway and the rest of the team a thumbs-up, and silent high fives were thrown.
"So when?" asked Memphis.
"How bout Friday night."
***
Memphis and Sway didn't get back to their apartment until 1.30am. After Memphis had finished his conversation with Johnny, there had been a short- lived celebration before they all went home.
Memphis unlocked the door and flicked on the lights. He walked over to the big leather sofa where Sway had been sitting just over 3 hours ago furious with him, and leant back, closing his eyes, savoring the comfort.
He listened to Sway as she threw her jacket over the back of a chair and walked towards the kitchen. It was a habit that, at first had annoyed him, he had bugged her hundreds of times about hanging her coat up, but one day had come home to find their entire wardrobe piled up on the same chair. He never tried again, she was stubborn, a strong character that took a lot of breaking. Which was exactly why it pained him to see that this was getting to her so intently.
He knew that she had been smoking, and that fact almost panicked him. Sway hadn't smoked for years. Hadn't needed to.
He heard her open the refrigerator door and pop the top off two beers. She returned to the living room and flopped down next to him on the sofa, handing him a drink. They sat in silence together for a few minutes, enjoying the relaxing feeling that the alcohol induced.
Then Sway suddenly drained what was left of her beer, stood up and heaved the bottle at the wall with all the force she could muster.
"FUCKIN' SLIMEY BASTARD!" She shouted making Memphis jump, "What the hell does he think he's trying to pull! I'll kill him, I swear to god I'll kill the mother fucker!"
Memphis laughed at her outburst, he couldn't help it. Tempers he could deal with. Tempers were very Sway, cold, hard and not to be messed with.
She stared at him icily and then began to laugh herself, dropping back down into her seat.
"We're gonna kick his ass." She said matter-of-factly crossing her feet on the coffe table in front of them.
"Yeah we are." Memphis grinned at her and a small wicked smile pulled at the corner of her lips.
"Yeah we are." She repeated as she swiped Memphis's beer off him and took a long swig.
***End chapter 5***
"Any ideas?" Asked Memphis as he returned to the front of the group. Sway sat down on the edge of a desk next to Kip who flung a casual arm around her shoulders.
"Like, what is there, that we can do, but he can't?" He asked shrugging
"Steal cars." Snorted Tumbler. Kip laughed but Memphis stayed quiet.
"We make it something he can relate to." Interjected Sway suddenly. Memphis looked at her,
"You have an idea?"
She nodded
"Yeah," She stood up and began to pace back and forth "The only language he seems to understand is that of the big green dollar right?" They all nodded "So, this doesn't just need to be about status and pride, we need to make it one for the money."
"Yeah, but we 'aint got no money to give him!" Said Kip. Sway waved a dismissive hand at him,
"Not literally, that's the thing," She looked at Memphis now talking solely to him
"We've done the whole, how many cars can you steal thing, but how bout this time we don't make it about numbers. How bout this time we see how much car we can boost."
"Eh?" Kip and the others frowned at her obviously puzzled, but a small smile crept across Memphis's face. She never let him down.
"What Sway is trying to say Kip, is that she is a genius and has just come up with a bet he will never refuse!" He kissed her lightly on the forehead and she laughed softly.
"Guys," Otto pointed at his watch "Hate to interrupt, but its 12 o clock."
Memphis nodded and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
"Lets just hope this works," He muttered to himself as it began to ring in his hand.
***
Sway stood alone outside whilst her friends gathered around Memphis in the garage, hanging on every word he muttered down the phone. She closed her eyes and felt the sting of despairing tears behind her eyelids. She drew a long and distinctly shaky breath and opened them, unable to shake the schoolgirl wish that when she did it would all be gone. She raised the cigarette to her lips and savored the soothing nicotine. It had been nearly four years since she had last felt she needed one, it made her realized how shot her nerves must be. Even the situation two years ago hadn't caused a revolt back into the world of Kools.
She stared at Eleanor sitting on the driveway. Gleaming silver through the heavy dark of the midnight sky. She imagined herself climbing behind the wheel and driving away, away from it all. Blasting off into the night and forgetting everything. But she couldn't do that, it wasn't her style, it wasn't Sway. So, she flicked the butt of her cigarette to the ground, turned on her heel and walked back. Head held high, face uncaring, eyes hard, Sway all over.
***
Memphis briefly noticed Sway walk across the garage and settle in the shadows, before turning his attention back to the matter at hand.
The long silence down the phone was now beginning to make him feel physically sick, this had to work; he had to agree to this.
"So let me get this straight," said Johnny eventually "We do a one night boost, from say 8pm till 8am, stealin' as many cars as we can?"
"Yep," answered Memphis "And the winner of the bet is the team that has the most moneys worth of cars in their garage at the end of it."
"So we'd be aiming for all the top-end cars?"
"Well yeah, that would make sense. You can steal as many cars as you like, but you have to have the highest cash total, deducting any repairs that would need to be made at the end of it all."
The line went silent again. Memphis looked over at Sway and she stared back at him, expectantly.
"OK." Johnny answered eventually.
"What? You'll do it."
"Yeah boy, I'll do it."
Memphis gave Sway and the rest of the team a thumbs-up, and silent high fives were thrown.
"So when?" asked Memphis.
"How bout Friday night."
***
Memphis and Sway didn't get back to their apartment until 1.30am. After Memphis had finished his conversation with Johnny, there had been a short- lived celebration before they all went home.
Memphis unlocked the door and flicked on the lights. He walked over to the big leather sofa where Sway had been sitting just over 3 hours ago furious with him, and leant back, closing his eyes, savoring the comfort.
He listened to Sway as she threw her jacket over the back of a chair and walked towards the kitchen. It was a habit that, at first had annoyed him, he had bugged her hundreds of times about hanging her coat up, but one day had come home to find their entire wardrobe piled up on the same chair. He never tried again, she was stubborn, a strong character that took a lot of breaking. Which was exactly why it pained him to see that this was getting to her so intently.
He knew that she had been smoking, and that fact almost panicked him. Sway hadn't smoked for years. Hadn't needed to.
He heard her open the refrigerator door and pop the top off two beers. She returned to the living room and flopped down next to him on the sofa, handing him a drink. They sat in silence together for a few minutes, enjoying the relaxing feeling that the alcohol induced.
Then Sway suddenly drained what was left of her beer, stood up and heaved the bottle at the wall with all the force she could muster.
"FUCKIN' SLIMEY BASTARD!" She shouted making Memphis jump, "What the hell does he think he's trying to pull! I'll kill him, I swear to god I'll kill the mother fucker!"
Memphis laughed at her outburst, he couldn't help it. Tempers he could deal with. Tempers were very Sway, cold, hard and not to be messed with.
She stared at him icily and then began to laugh herself, dropping back down into her seat.
"We're gonna kick his ass." She said matter-of-factly crossing her feet on the coffe table in front of them.
"Yeah we are." Memphis grinned at her and a small wicked smile pulled at the corner of her lips.
"Yeah we are." She repeated as she swiped Memphis's beer off him and took a long swig.
***End chapter 5***