Page 11 of Full Throttle

“Could you tell me what happened?” I asked, but when she looked at me, I couldn’t hold her eyes. I looked down, my fingers messing with the string again. “It's just a little fuzzy for me.”

“Ms. Wells, the accident you were in was serious,” she told me, her tone firm. “The vehicle you were driving in exploded from underneath, flipping in the air. According to your chart, the vehicle landed upside down on the pavement.”

Her words triggered the memories. The loud bang, my scream as I held onto the steering wheel as I went airborne. The feeling in my stomach when I was upside down. The sharp pain in my ribs as the car slammed into the pavement, jerking me in the harness. The rest was a blur…

My gut twisted into knots, and I had the sudden urge to throw up. I reached for the water, taking a sip as I looked up at her. “How did I get out of the car?”

She stared at me.

Unease drifted over my shoulders like a cold wind on a winter’s morning. “Was I thrown from it or something?” My voice was shaky, and another memory came forth. Pale hair, its cool color warmed by the glow of the flames.

“Dr. Raza, please. How did it get out of the car?”

Just then, Leon Torrance appeared in the doorway, his frame taking up most of the space. The man was a machine, built for destruction, and yet, he was the kindest out of all the leaders of Oasis. At least to me. The rest of the guys were cool, but Leon was like Sullie, always checking in on me.

“Cain pulled you from the car, Nikki,” he said, his low voice stretching across the room, going straight for that stupid thing inside my chest.

I stopped breathing as I tried to remember, but I couldn’t.

“I helped him,” Leon continued.

Dontell appeared then, coming in the room and walking to the window. “I carried you,” he said, turning and looking at me, leaning his shoulder against the wall.

“It’s good to see you again, Mr. Michaelson,” Dr. Raza greeted. Her eyes went to Leon. “You as well, Mr. Torrance.”

They both nodded to her before Leon asked, “Is she good to go?”

Dr. Raza looked at me as she answered. “Yes. I’ll get the discharge paperwork ready, and she should be out within the hour.”

I muttered a thanks to her.

When she left the room, I eyed both of the street racers. Even before I came to St. Louis, I knew what Oasis was and who ran it. These men were legends in the car and racing community, though Leon more so than Jer and Dontell. My eyes lingered on him, taking in his broad shoulders and thick arms covered by a black Nike hoodie that matched his sweats. He was always dressed like that; I’d never seen him in anything else besides jeans or sweats. Dontell, on the other hand, dressed well. Today, he was in a navy suit with a dark purple tie.

The colors didn’t fool me; he was dangerous. His electric blue Porsche either excited you or put the fear of God in you. There was no in between. I’d heard the stories. He was the numbers guy for Oasis, the negotiator. Jer was the leader of Oasis and the Crew, a street organization created by Sullie years ago. Members of the Crew protected the streets of St. Louis…in their own way. Sullie had contacts all over the country, including some of the cities I’d raced in.

When Jer asked me to join Oasis, it’d been a dream come true.

That dream quickly turned into a nightmare when I saw Cain that night.

Shake it off, Nikki.

“Is everything okay at Oasis?” I asked, getting right down to business. I’d been there less than four months, but Oasis meant something to me. The people, this city…I finally felt like I belonged somewhere for the first time in my adult life.

Both men remained silent, and I looked back and forth between them, but when my eyes landed on Leon, I froze. There was an intensity in his eyes I’d never seen before. He wasn’t looking into my eyes—he was looking at my temple. I hadn’t had a chance to look in the mirror yet, but there wasn’t a single doubt in my mind that I looked like ass.

“Lee,” I called out softly, trying to get him to look at me, not the cut.

He moved then, coming towards the bed, a shadow lingering within the gold of his eyes. I remained frozen as he brought his hand up to my face, his fingers brushing some of my hair back. “I’m so fucking sorry, Nikki,” he murmured, guilt thick in his voice.

I shook my head as he sat on the edge of the bed. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry I totaled your car, Lee.”

He blinked, and then his eyes snapped over to Dontell. My eyes bounced back and forth again, my stomach dropping. I knew what this was. I was the driver. I was responsible. “I’ll work it off,” I whispered.

Lee’s gazed snapped back to mine, his brows furrowing. “What?” he clipped.

I tried not to flinch at the harshness in his voice. “The car. I’ll do whatever you need me to do, you know, to pay it off…” I trailed off, bracing myself for what was about to come out of my stupid mouth next. “I’ll give you mine in exchange.” I continued putting my foot into my mouth as I looked down, grabbing the faithful string again. “I know she isn’t much, but she’s gotten me through a lot. To me, she’s priceless, but I understand—”

“Nikki, what the fuck are you talking about?” Dontell asked, sounding closer than he was before.

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