Chapter 35
Jesse stood in front of the Mitsubishi rubbing his chin with his index finger and thumb deciding how he would attack the project. In his mind he had an idea of what he needed to change, taking the idea from his mind to reality was another matter. "The engine needs to come out."
"What?" Sky looked up from the rear bumper of her car. "Are you serious?"
"It needs to be completely rebuilt."
"Jess that will take three weeks." She walked around the car and up to Jess. "Do you know the man-hours that'll take? We'll never leave the garage."
He patted her softly on the shoulder, "Let me handle the engine and I promise it won't take as long as you think. But it won't be ready at the end of the week. I can get you somethin' to drive until then."
An idea suddenly popped into her mind and a wicked smile appeared on her face, "I got wheels. Take as long as you need."
"Woohoo. I'm gonna need you to work on the interior. Get rid of those seats for lighter racing versions and see what else you can part with. Need to lose a little weight on this beast."
"You got that shit right, but I'm telling you it's a waste of time. Too fuckin' heavy and driven by an amateur, you'll never win a race." Leon felt the need to offer his unwanted opinion.
Sky looked him up and down in disgust, "Oh really and since when did you become such an expert? I bet the reason you hide behind the scanners is that you ain't got the balls to race. Makes sense you driving a yellow car and all, chicken shit."
Leon let out a hearty laugh grabbing his stomach and leaning back on the car he was working on, "I'd beat your ass any day."
"Name the time and place."
Dom walked out of his office and slammed the door behind him causing everyone in the shop to jump, "I've had enough of this shit between you guys. No one is racing you hear me. I don't have time for this shit. If you two can't work together then one of you guys is gonna work somewhere else. Am I making myself clear?" Sky and Leon nodded and went back to the cars they were working on without another word.
Lunchtime rolled around and Sky borrowed Vince's car to head to the hospital to visit Razor. She approached the front desk and was greeted by an older woman in her fifties. "May I help you?"
"Yes mamn. I am here to visit Christian Marrs." Sky said the name that was unfamiliar to her. As long as she had known him he had been Razor and she had been his 'Little One' or 'Baby Girl'. Formal names were something that hardly came up in conversation.
The woman typed the name quickly on her keyboard and stared intently at the screen, "Are you a relative?"
"Sister." It was a small lie to get her past the security.
"Your brother is in the intensive care unit listed in critical but stable condition. Take the elevators to the 14th floor; take a right and then an immediate left. Continue down the hall to room number 1457. There should be a nurse's station in the center of the unit and you may speak with his nurse there. Is there anything more I can help you with?" The woman smiled sweetly at her reminding Sky of her own grandmother.
"No, but thank you."
The elevator ride seemed to take forever, when in reality it was only seconds. Her nerves stood on end as the door opened. She had no idea what to expect when she saw Raz. The sound of monitors surrounded her bringing back the memory of her own stay in the ICU. Leon had been by her side the entire time and it had made the hospital bearable, but he wasn't with her anymore and this place gave her the creeps. The nurses rushed around from room to room dealing with critically injured patients, some which were near the end of their lives. The sound of her heart beat in her ears and her body began to tremble. Sky rushed to Raz's room.
"Everything ok Baby Girl?" Raz noticed the perspiration on her brow.
"Uh huh." She worked hard to slow her breathing and control her racing heart. "I'm...fine....you?"
"Couldn't be better. Not everyday I get waited on hand and foot by hot chicks in nursing uniforms."
"Razor, I can't believe you. You got shot last night and now you're making jokes. What the hell's wrong with you? Did they replace you brain?"
"Chill ok? No need to be all sad and shit. I got shot. So what. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Especially with all the stuff we've been through. I'm just happy you didn't get shot. I don't know what I would do if you were laying in this bed instead of me."
"I've been there." Sky mumbled under her breath and wrapped her arms around her waist.
"Girl you don't look good. What's wrong? Come here." Raz patted his hand on the bed next to his thigh. "Sit your pretty ass down and tell me."
Sky took a seat next to him and took a deep breath, "It's just that I almost lost you. I wish I'd killed him back at the warehouse and didn't give him the chance to hurt you."
"Look at me." He cupped her chin in his hand. "I should've killed him years ago when he hurt you. You don't know how much I regret not putting a bullet in his head that night."
Sky turned away from him not wanting to relive that night, not wanting to deal with it. She had tried to leave and go back home to her family. Simon had found her at the phone booth trying to call Vince. He bashed her head against the glass and then drugged her back to the warehouse kicking and screaming. He pounded her with his fists until she shrank to the floor half-conscious. Simon pulled a gun on Raz when he tried to help her. She lay on the floor in a puddle of her own blood that night while Simon watched her suffer not allowing anyone to help her. That was the time she tried to escape on her own.
Raz rubbed his hand up and down on her back trying to comfort her, "Baby Girl that'll never happen again. I promise."
"I know Raz really I do. Just had it rough lately and I'm overwhelmed." She sat up straight, turned around, and tucked her hair behind her ears. "So when are they springing you from this prison?"
"Two week sentence at least. They have to get me back on solid foods first."
"Awww. Hey did you bring my bike to L.A.?"
Leon pulled into the parking lot of the Fat Burger. He swore he could hear Vince's stomach growling. This little trip was going to cost a fortune. They walked up to the counter and Vince rattled off half the menu for his order. Leon checked his wallet to be sure he had the cash available for this meal fit for a king. He felt sick handing over thirty dollars at a fast food place.
Vince started stuffing his face almost immediately upon sitting down. With is mouth full of half chewed food he began to question Leon, "What the deal with you and my cousin? One minute you're all over each other and the next she wants to rearrange your face. What did you do to her?"
"Yo dawg look thought we'd just pick up where we left off but it didn't work. Things change. I'm not ready to deal with a full-time headache. Prefer to keep it random. You understand."
Vince stopped stuffing his face and took a hard look at Leon, "If you didn't think it was gonna work out you should've left her alone. Don't mess with her anymore cause I swear you make her cry again and I'll make sure your own mother wouldn't recognize you."
Leon cringed at the mention of his mother, "It's over, not gonna mess with Sky anymore."
"Then we're cool." Vince put his fist up.
Leon pounded his knuckles against Vince's, "We're cool."
Jesse stood in front of the Mitsubishi rubbing his chin with his index finger and thumb deciding how he would attack the project. In his mind he had an idea of what he needed to change, taking the idea from his mind to reality was another matter. "The engine needs to come out."
"What?" Sky looked up from the rear bumper of her car. "Are you serious?"
"It needs to be completely rebuilt."
"Jess that will take three weeks." She walked around the car and up to Jess. "Do you know the man-hours that'll take? We'll never leave the garage."
He patted her softly on the shoulder, "Let me handle the engine and I promise it won't take as long as you think. But it won't be ready at the end of the week. I can get you somethin' to drive until then."
An idea suddenly popped into her mind and a wicked smile appeared on her face, "I got wheels. Take as long as you need."
"Woohoo. I'm gonna need you to work on the interior. Get rid of those seats for lighter racing versions and see what else you can part with. Need to lose a little weight on this beast."
"You got that shit right, but I'm telling you it's a waste of time. Too fuckin' heavy and driven by an amateur, you'll never win a race." Leon felt the need to offer his unwanted opinion.
Sky looked him up and down in disgust, "Oh really and since when did you become such an expert? I bet the reason you hide behind the scanners is that you ain't got the balls to race. Makes sense you driving a yellow car and all, chicken shit."
Leon let out a hearty laugh grabbing his stomach and leaning back on the car he was working on, "I'd beat your ass any day."
"Name the time and place."
Dom walked out of his office and slammed the door behind him causing everyone in the shop to jump, "I've had enough of this shit between you guys. No one is racing you hear me. I don't have time for this shit. If you two can't work together then one of you guys is gonna work somewhere else. Am I making myself clear?" Sky and Leon nodded and went back to the cars they were working on without another word.
Lunchtime rolled around and Sky borrowed Vince's car to head to the hospital to visit Razor. She approached the front desk and was greeted by an older woman in her fifties. "May I help you?"
"Yes mamn. I am here to visit Christian Marrs." Sky said the name that was unfamiliar to her. As long as she had known him he had been Razor and she had been his 'Little One' or 'Baby Girl'. Formal names were something that hardly came up in conversation.
The woman typed the name quickly on her keyboard and stared intently at the screen, "Are you a relative?"
"Sister." It was a small lie to get her past the security.
"Your brother is in the intensive care unit listed in critical but stable condition. Take the elevators to the 14th floor; take a right and then an immediate left. Continue down the hall to room number 1457. There should be a nurse's station in the center of the unit and you may speak with his nurse there. Is there anything more I can help you with?" The woman smiled sweetly at her reminding Sky of her own grandmother.
"No, but thank you."
The elevator ride seemed to take forever, when in reality it was only seconds. Her nerves stood on end as the door opened. She had no idea what to expect when she saw Raz. The sound of monitors surrounded her bringing back the memory of her own stay in the ICU. Leon had been by her side the entire time and it had made the hospital bearable, but he wasn't with her anymore and this place gave her the creeps. The nurses rushed around from room to room dealing with critically injured patients, some which were near the end of their lives. The sound of her heart beat in her ears and her body began to tremble. Sky rushed to Raz's room.
"Everything ok Baby Girl?" Raz noticed the perspiration on her brow.
"Uh huh." She worked hard to slow her breathing and control her racing heart. "I'm...fine....you?"
"Couldn't be better. Not everyday I get waited on hand and foot by hot chicks in nursing uniforms."
"Razor, I can't believe you. You got shot last night and now you're making jokes. What the hell's wrong with you? Did they replace you brain?"
"Chill ok? No need to be all sad and shit. I got shot. So what. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Especially with all the stuff we've been through. I'm just happy you didn't get shot. I don't know what I would do if you were laying in this bed instead of me."
"I've been there." Sky mumbled under her breath and wrapped her arms around her waist.
"Girl you don't look good. What's wrong? Come here." Raz patted his hand on the bed next to his thigh. "Sit your pretty ass down and tell me."
Sky took a seat next to him and took a deep breath, "It's just that I almost lost you. I wish I'd killed him back at the warehouse and didn't give him the chance to hurt you."
"Look at me." He cupped her chin in his hand. "I should've killed him years ago when he hurt you. You don't know how much I regret not putting a bullet in his head that night."
Sky turned away from him not wanting to relive that night, not wanting to deal with it. She had tried to leave and go back home to her family. Simon had found her at the phone booth trying to call Vince. He bashed her head against the glass and then drugged her back to the warehouse kicking and screaming. He pounded her with his fists until she shrank to the floor half-conscious. Simon pulled a gun on Raz when he tried to help her. She lay on the floor in a puddle of her own blood that night while Simon watched her suffer not allowing anyone to help her. That was the time she tried to escape on her own.
Raz rubbed his hand up and down on her back trying to comfort her, "Baby Girl that'll never happen again. I promise."
"I know Raz really I do. Just had it rough lately and I'm overwhelmed." She sat up straight, turned around, and tucked her hair behind her ears. "So when are they springing you from this prison?"
"Two week sentence at least. They have to get me back on solid foods first."
"Awww. Hey did you bring my bike to L.A.?"
Leon pulled into the parking lot of the Fat Burger. He swore he could hear Vince's stomach growling. This little trip was going to cost a fortune. They walked up to the counter and Vince rattled off half the menu for his order. Leon checked his wallet to be sure he had the cash available for this meal fit for a king. He felt sick handing over thirty dollars at a fast food place.
Vince started stuffing his face almost immediately upon sitting down. With is mouth full of half chewed food he began to question Leon, "What the deal with you and my cousin? One minute you're all over each other and the next she wants to rearrange your face. What did you do to her?"
"Yo dawg look thought we'd just pick up where we left off but it didn't work. Things change. I'm not ready to deal with a full-time headache. Prefer to keep it random. You understand."
Vince stopped stuffing his face and took a hard look at Leon, "If you didn't think it was gonna work out you should've left her alone. Don't mess with her anymore cause I swear you make her cry again and I'll make sure your own mother wouldn't recognize you."
Leon cringed at the mention of his mother, "It's over, not gonna mess with Sky anymore."
"Then we're cool." Vince put his fist up.
Leon pounded his knuckles against Vince's, "We're cool."