Page 22 of Pit Stop

Seventeen

Tillman

The past few days have been a whirlwind. I knew from the moment that Decker put the offer on the table that I wanted to take it. It was just a matter of figuring out things here. Luckily, things worked out. Zeke let me move to a silent partner. I will still help him negotiate some possible land deals from time to time, but for the most part I’m just silently there making some money. I hired movers to come and pack up my stuff and I’ll rent out the house I have, to supply extra income. Real estate is a great investment I’ve learned throughout the years. I have multiple properties in a few states. I packed a couple of bags and headed towards Los Angeles at the first chance I got.

I toss the bags in the trunk of my favorite car. The rest I’ll sell off or have transported to Los Angeles at a later date. I can’t leave the McLaren behind. As I slide behind the wheel of the car, I drop the top of the convertible and take a moment to appreciate where my life has led me. I have no clue what to expect when I get to Los Angeles and the newly revamped Street Kings. I pull onto the street I’ve called home for a few years now. All the houses are two stories, large and elegant with a side of country twang. Many of the Texas state flags flying high in the sky from the property below. The gated community was up and coming when I first purchased the house. I’ve watched it actually grow into something, into an actual community. A piece of me is actually sad to leave it behind.

Dallas is like any other big city in America. Sky high buildings take up the surroundings for as far as the eye can see. Interstates and freeways with fast moving cars, in a hurry to reach their next destination. In the city itself you’ll find lots of people busy with the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life in the city. In a lot of ways, it’s similar to Los Angeles but the people were different. They speak with an accent, greet you with a tip of a cowboy hat and still hold doors open for people. I’ve missed life in Los Angeles all of these years, but I have a feeling I’m going to miss Dallas too.

I let the country radio play as I make my way out of town. When I finally hit the outskirts of Dallas, I take a glance in the rearview mirror. The city skyline is growing smaller and smaller with each mile. Taking a deep, cleansing breath I move my eyes back to the road in front of me. Dallas is now my past. Los Angeles will once again be my future.

A couple of days later I pull into Los Angeles. It’s a Friday and night is fast approaching. My trip took longer than expected because I made a couple of extra stops along the way, but I feel even better about my decision to return home now. As the city lights of Los Angeles come into view, I can’t help the excitement that starts in my stomach and grows throughout my body—taking up residence in my veins and coursing through every inch of my body. There was a time when I never thought I’d see this place again. It feels so damn good to be home. As I drive down the familiar streets, I can’t help but take everything in. It’s like nothing and everything has changed at the same time. I’m seeing this city with fresh eyes. I swing into a convenience store to grab some gas and something to drink. When I’m back in the car I check the time on the dash clock. It’s a little after nine which means the Pedal to the Metal races will be starting in a few. I’m tempted to drive by.

I head that way, but halfway there I decide against it. This car will stick out like a sore thumb, and I need to keep a low profile until I figure out exactly what is going on. Decker’s offer almost seems too good to be true, so for now I need to keep a watchful eye out. Instead of heading for the races I head into the SK territory in the south side of town. As I approach, I can’t help but feel a painful twist in my gut. What if I’m being naive and walking into a trap?

I find the rundown hotel easy enough. It still looks the same except worse. The gray brick is chipped and faded; cracked and crumbling in some other places. Some of the windows are boarded up. I park in the front and climb out of the car. As I glance back at the McLaren I kept, I wonder if I should have chosen a different car. This definitely sticks out here. I readjust the baseball cap on my head then slip the loaded handgun into the waistband of my boxer briefs behind my back. After making sure that my t-shirt hides the gun, I head for the door. I feel silly but I also don’t want to go in unprepared. At this point anything can happen.

When I reach the door, I knock but no one answers so I push it open “Hello?” I call into what appears to be an empty lobby area. I step inside and survey my surroundings. There is a large sectional and some bean bags sitting around a large TV hooked up to a gaming system in what was formerly the lobby. Cans of soda and opened bags of chips litter the area but not too badly. I move further into the area and notice what was formerly the lounge area is now set up like a dining area. “It’s different right?” Decker’s voice comes from behind and I can't help the flinch it causes. Decker chuckles. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I turn around and I’m shocked to see him dressed down. In Dallas he was dressed in a three-piece suit, now he’s in dark denim jeans, red t-shirt, and a pair of Vans on his feet. He’s got a pair of glasses on as well which is a new development. “You didn’t really. More of a startle.” I look around the room, taking in the red, blue, and black color scheme of the living area. “This place looks different.”

Decker turns and stares at the living area, almost as if he’s taking it in for the first time as well. “Yeah, it does. We gutted the whole downstairs area. Everything that was here is gone and we redid it. The boys helped come up with the color scheme. It’s part of the racing logo that they came up with. Bazz is a damn whizz on a computer.” His voice is so full of pride when he talks about the boys here.

“That’s good. So, what’s the deal here? I mean if you’re not doing the illegal stuff that the SK was into, how are you affording the upkeep on this place, the utilities and stuff like that?” This is where my mind has been running since I saw Decker and proposed his plan to me.

He sighs and walks over to the long black dining table and takes a seat. “Did you want something to eat or drink?” he offers. I shake my head. “The boys all want to street race and they're damn good. They win pretty frequently, and they pitch in some of their winnings for those exact things. The rest is theirs to keep, but they have to stay on the straight and narrow. I had a couple that were still mixed up in some shit. Took down a really sweet girl we had here.”

“A girl?” My eyebrows raise as I take a seat. That’s definitely new. Girls were never a part of the SK unless it was for their bodies, stripping, sex, and whatnot. The idea makes my skin crawl. The disrespect the SK held for women makes my stomach coil with nausea now.

Decker nods his head and runs his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, she needed help. She’s a damn good racer, gets along with everyone. She has a younger sister and brother she was trying to help take care of. They’ve had obstacle after obstacle. She got tied up with some of the last of the SK I was trying to get out of here.” Decker stops, shaking his head. “I should have moved quicker, gave her a better warning, but I didn’t.”

I’m almost afraid to ask but clearly whatever outcome this girl ended up with has left Decker feeling guilty. “What happened?”

“They all got busted for boosting cars. One ran and was killed by the police. The other had a rap sheet a mile long so he was sentenced to some big time. Onyx, the girl, it was her first offense so she got eight months in jail, but it was still too long in my opinion. She just got out while I was in Dallas. I haven’t got to see her yet, but I know she’s been here.”

“I’m glad she’s okay.”

“Me too,” Decker says quietly. “So, the only illegal thing we can get busted for now is street racing and that’s something so many of us do anyways.”

I like Decker’s ideas and theories. I’m more than happy to be a part of this transition. This is what I always wanted. This is what I tried to make the SK be while I was in it. I guess in some ways it was that, at least for us grunts running around together, but at least now these kids won’t be killed smuggling drugs back and forth for our personal gain. “I’m proud of you, Decker, and what you’ve managed to turn this into.”

Shadows cross over his face. I can see the flashes of memories that haunt him. We all have those. No one can live the type of life we lead and escape unscathed, without ghosts always lurking in our shadows, dark spots on our souls that threaten to spill over and steal all the light. “Don’t be too proud. My hands aren’t clean. Trying to turn things around was a process, a bloody process.”

I lean my head down so I can meet his eyes. “But it was worth it.”

He sits up a little taller, squaring his shoulders and taking a deep breath. “It was. It was definitely worth it.”

For a while we sit there, talking, reminiscing about guys we lost during our time, funny memories and catching up on our lives since that night we don’t bring up at all. It’s after midnight, probably closer to one in the morning actually, when the door to the hotel bursts open with a string of commotion. A taller, muscular boy with tanned skin comes in carrying a lifeless girl with him. From here, and without good lighting, I can tell her face is bruising and her lip is busted. Another boy and a girl follow behind them. Decker jumps up. “Slade? What the hell?” Decker asks.

The girl rushes forward, her caramel-colored curls a mess of wild. “Decker, it was Lyle.”

Decker turns to her. “Onyx, is this Odette?” she nods. “What happened?”

So, this Onyx, the girl Decker was just telling me about. She’s a looker, beautiful in fact, but rough around the edges. However, my eyes keep being drawn to the girl they carried in. I move towards the couch where the teenage boy, Slade, placed her. Seeing this girl like this brings back memories from childhood. Acidy bile rises up the back of my throat and I kneel down to get a better look at her. If her sister is beautiful then this girl is downright gorgeous. Even under the swelling, bruises, and dried blood marring her angelic face.

“She went back to her ex-boyfriend while I was in jail. Apparently, she got desperate and had nowhere else to go with Odin. Lyle, her ex-boyfriend, is an abusive ass. This why she broke up with him the first place.

I glance over my shoulder and see Decker pulling Onyx into his arms and smoothing down her curls. The other teenage boy that came in with them clears his throat. “We have another problem.”

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