We pass rows and rows of every vehicle and bike you can imagine, most greeting Gage with a smile or wave, primarily out of respect. You can tell they know who he is. We walk a little further, where I can see them setting up the actual track for a quarter-mile run.
“Is that all they do here?” I ask, pointing to the track.
“Nah.” Gage shakes his head. “They do contests and shit, too. Burnouts. Stunts.”
I look around and wonder how the hell they set this up without getting caught. They have huge lights shining everywhere, so bright it almost looks like noon and not midnight.
“How do they pull this off?”
Gage chuckles. “Cops know who’s here, and they aren’t busting it up.”
That made sense. No cop in their right mind would come here against these guys.
We loop back around the other side, looking at everything there, and I start getting excited, listening to cars and bikes rev their engines. I didn’t get to do this in North Carolina because I didn’t hang out with people that did. Now I’m here with the Italian Mafia leader, who is talking to the Russian Mafia.
It sounds like the start of a good movie.
We walk back toward the group while Gage describes everything that goes down here, and I find myself interested in what he’s talking about. I don’t know much about cars and such, but I know enough to follow most of his conversation. Gage is easy to talk to, and I feel myself being pulled into the conversation, listening to everything he has to say.
“Hey, Gage,” a sultry voice purrs in front of us.I look from Gage toward the voice, and it’s a busty blonde girl in a bikini top that barely covers her boobs.
Gage barely spares her a glance. “Hey, Victoria.”
She runs her long red fingernail down my t-shirt. “Who’s your friend?”
“Leo,” I answer.
“Leo,” she lets the name roll off her tongue with a purr. “I like that.”
“Fuck off, Vickie,” Gage says, surprising me.
“Oh,” she pouts her red painted lips, “Why the grump face, Gage?” she asks, running her fingernail over his arm.
“I think he said fuck off,” Alessa says, walking up behind Victoria. Alessa puts this barely dressed girl to shame while she’s still fully clothed. I might be biased, though. Is Alessa jealous?
Alessa walks by her and puts herself right in front of Gage and me. The girl sneers at Alessa, looking her up and down like she’s shit on the bottom of her shoes. “If it isn’t the Italian whore.”
Alessa raises an eyebrow. “And you are?” she asks, and I can tell she legitimately doesn’t know who this girl is.
Victoria throws her blonde hair over her shoulder. “I used to date Gage. Like you didn’t know that”
Alessa slowly looks at Gage, and his mouth hangs open. “We fucked one time.”
Alessa shakes her head and turns back to look at Victoria. “You can go now.”
Victoria huffs. “You can’t tell me what to do.” She reaches for Gage again, and he takes a step back. “You know I can make you feel good, Baby.”
Gage laughs. “Right.” He slings an arm over Alessa’s shoulder, letting her know she doesn’t stand a chance. “Now. Fuck. Off.”
Victoria’s eyes zero in on his arm. “You guys are a thing now? Is that why you never called?”
“Oh, honey,” Alessa says and shakes her head. I can almost guess why Gage never called the next day, and Alessa picked up on it, too.
Victoria bristles, and her eyes land on me. Does she think she hasa chance with me? I follow Gage’s lead and slide my arm around Alessa’s waist.
Victoria laughs a little too loudly. “Both of them? So, you really are a whore?”
“Call her a whore again, and I’ll slit your fucking throat,” Dex threatens, walking up behind us. Victoria shrinks about two sizes, causing Gage to laugh. I find myself chuckling with him.
