"You have got to be (censored) kidding me!" Holden cussed reprehensibly as Jett strapped a tracking bracelet to his ankle later that night. Jett looked extremely pleased with himself to do it and Paige watched on with an amused chortle.
"Looks good on you. Very 'in' among criminal wear." Holden gave her a dirty look but replaced it when Payton caught his eye.
"This is a (censored) insult!" Holden continued to cuss, making Michelle cringe nearby. Brook saw her face and stepped up to Holden with a threatening stance.
"You watch your mouth around here or you're gonna be getting your teeth knocked in," he said, bringing his fist an inch from Holden's mouth. Holden lapsed into a fuming silence after that.
"You prove you're trustworthy and the bracelet comes off," Soriano said to him. "Until then, you try to run, contact any of the Mao You or anyone else, and I'll drag you to the NPD myself."
"I'm not afraid of the cops, you can't pull that line on me!" Holden retorted. Soriano looked calm as he answered, "No, but if the cops turn you loose for lack of evidence, it'll be a matter of time before Zhang picks you up. Then you'll wish you were safely behind bars."
"Ooh, burn!" Paige said, making a hand bomb at Holden. Unable to cuss, he made an angry snarl like a tiger whose tail got pulled. Michelle giggled in the corner.
"He's a regular burr in the saddle," she commented to Leslie beside her. Leslie smiled.
"He's just an overgrown kid denied of the safety and shelter of family love. It isn't easy living the street life. I know the chief's done a bang-up job trying to raise this bunch, despite the troubles he's faced. Still, they turned out good." Leslie gazed at the crew with fond eyes. "But not everybody was lucky enough to be taken under Morgan's wing."
"Morgan?" Michelle asked, raising her eyebrows with a little smile.
"I mean the Chief!" Leslie corrected quickly, a little color appearing on her cheeks. Michelle smirked and nudged her gently.
"Don't worry, I won't tell." Leslie cleared her throat, returning to her cup of coffee to burrow her face.
"Tell what?" Paige asked, her ears perking up.
"Nothing," Michelle said quickly, moving away before Paige could prod her with questions. Payton came up to her and sat down beside her on the swivel chair, back facing front and his arms resting on the back.
"Hey." He addressed her without looking at her.
"Hey," Paige answered casually, guessing he wanted to talk.
"What's on your mind?"
"Nothing, why would you ask?" Paige asked, turning to look at him.
"Paige, you should know by now I can read you like an open book," Payton said softly, still keeping his gaze from hers. She sighed.
"It's my fault for getting too close to you," she said wistfully, though her eyes softened on him. "Alright fine, I'll talk." Payton turned the chair to face her. She chuckled quietly.
"Don't you think all this is my fault?" Her question made Payton raise an eyebrow.
"At least part of it. If I hadn't courted trouble dragging the Nightshades into our lives because I thought they could help, we'd be in a lot less shit without them."
"True." Payton's acquiescence annoyed her and she slapped his arm.
"Hey!"
"You're supposed to comfort me, not agree with me!" she griped, making Payton chuckle.
"Yeah, but you're right and I can't argue with that. Still, I hope this means you learned a lesson about trusting people on the outside, Paige," he added on a more sober note. Paige folded her arms with a scowl but Payton pulled her hand from under her elbow and threaded his fingers through hers.
"As long as you trust me to take care of you," he whispered softly, making her expression change. She turned to him with longing eyes, inching closer to him, her eyes on his lips and his on hers—
"You guys aren't gonna exchange saliva in front of everybody, are you?" Reece interrupted them with a fake nauseated look on his face. Paige aimed a punch at him but he dodged deftly, sticking his tongue out at her causing Payton to bite back laughter.
"Settle down everyone. Now that we're all well fed and watered," Soriano said aloud, drawing everyone's attention, "let's get down to business. We know that Zhang's most likely to strike at the Las Vegas sprint and we need to be ready. But knowing him, he's not gonna chuck a chance at pocketing five hundred grand simply for revenge which means he'll see the race through before he decides to attack."
"But chief, Holden was his main racer. How will he stay in the race without him?" Michelle asked.
"Unless you're planning to turn on us at the last minute and compete, the Mao You's as good as disqualified. They don't allow substitutions," Brook said to Holden.
"Don't kid yourself." Holden shook his head. "Zhang's the kingpin at shell games. He'll pull a fast shuffle right under everyone's noses."
"Meaning?" Michelle asked in confusion, baffled by Holden's street slang.
"Meaning he'll strap on a helmet and pass himself off as me if it means getting in that race," Holden explained. "Don't doubt that for a second."
"Which puts Brook at a greater risk. I'm not happy about Brook going head-on with Zhang, the guy's a loose canon at the wheel. I've seen him race and it ain't pretty," Soriano said, wincing at a memory from his younger days.
"But it could provide the perfect opportunity to bait and trap Zhang," Payton observed. Michelle rose to her feet at once.
"No, no one is using Brook as bait! I'm not gonna let that happen, we discussed this!" she protested frantically. Brook placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.
"Michelle, this may be the only opportunity to capture Zhang and get answers from him. We have to pump him somehow if we want to get the lowdown on Mr. Cross. It might mean putting him away for good as well." He tried to reason with her gently but she was adamant.
"We can do that some other way, any other way! Please, there's no need for you to stay in the NNC now," she looked tearfully at Brook. He met her eyes with tender love.
"Michelle..."
"Brook won't be alone," Paige interrupted. Everyone turned to her. "We can tail behind on the sidelines and keep an eye on him. The race track is a sprint which means it's an open road. No barriers to keep outside cars from joining in."
"Don't think for a moment Zhang won't have the rest of the Mao You do the same," Holden cut in. "I heard him plan it that way. He'll attack right around the finish line if it's opportune. Crowding and ambushing is his trademark."
"You would know," Michelle said with a hard look at him.
"Even so," Soriano said, "I won't be letting Brook go alone. We'll all follow behind in the shadows. Since Zhang's most likely to strike at the finish line, we'll need to concentrate our attention there. Although I wouldn't put it past him to finish off his opponents before the end and that worries me..."
"Chief, don't you trust me?" Brook asked incredulously. "I can handle him easy and make it to the finish line before him." Holden snorted.
"Show off. I'd have made you eat my dust if I were still racing," he muttered. Brook gave him a patronizing glance.
"Sure you would've, keep telling yourself that," he said sarcastically. He turned to Soriano.
"I'll race to the finish line. We can set a trap for Zhang from there." Michelle made a sound of discomfort in her throat.
"Michelle," Brook addressed her softly, pulling her aside, "you know I have to do this. I'm the best guy for the job and it's the only way to bring down the Mao You and hopefully Cross once and for all."
"Why do you have to be the bait?" She cried in a small voice. Brook caressed her cheek.
"I remember someone else who once put herself out as bait to catch a criminal," he said with a fond smile, "a girl with the face of an angel and nerves of steel. Damn, she was braver than me, and she was so sexy she downright seduced me." A smile tugged at Michelle's lips and color filled her cheeks against her will as she knew Brook was talking about her.
"'Was'? So you're saying she's not sexy now?" she asked petulantly. Brook chuckled quietly.
"Quite the opposite. Now she's on fire she's tantalizing me that it should be illegal." Michelle smiled a little at that.
"So you're trying to compete with me?"
"I'm trying to protect you and put an end to all threats so we can start our lives together," Brook answered softly, leaning his forehead against hers. A cough from Paige alerted them that they weren't alone as they temporarily forgot.
"Right, so the operation," Brook said, clearing his throat though his hand slipped into Michelle's out of everyone's sight behind her back.
"I want to haul Zhang in myself," Soriano said determinedly, "and that means, pulling a smoke-and-mirrors stunt on him while he blinks. Payton, you got the city map with you?" Payton silently unfolded a map from his pocket and spread it on the table. Soriano studied the roads, tracing them with his fingers.
"Yes, the track ends at a convenient spot for us. Michelle, do you use hairpins?" Soriano's last question left everyone wide-eyed. Michelle blinked at him.
"Yeah, sure chief, why?"
"Thinking of wearing a man-bun, chief?" Reece asked with a snicker, referring to Soriano's shoulder-length black hair. Everyone knew he never tied it or cut it as he had decided to grow it ever since he quit being a cop—an act of rebellion of sorts. Soriano smiled.
"Not in the slightest, Reece. But I might have a use for it."
"I can give you some," Michelle said, though she wondered what use it would have.
"Excellent. Jett, Reece, how fast can you two pull a paint job?"
"On a car?" Jett asked. "Including drying time, probably a day."
"Make it twelve hours," Soriano commanded. "That'll be essential, just in case..."
"What are you planning chief?" Payton asked, seeing a gleam in Soriano's eyes. Leslie smiled, answering for him.
"Knowing the chief, something spectacular."
BG ESSENTIAL. 🎧🎵⤴
The atmosphere was saturated with wild anticipation, excitement, and tension at the last stage of the race, the crowds looking forward to an entertaining finale in the long event. The racers themselves however were doing their best to keep cool heads and tried not to let the excitement distract them from their goal. The air around the Night Blazers, however, was different; nothing but vigilance was etched on their faces.
"Ready?" Soriano asked, through his earpiece to the rest of the crew. He, Michelle, and Leslie were standing at the edge of the track near Brook's Ford in which he was seated, ready to race.
"All set," Brook answered.
"We're in place," Payton responded from his Hennessey Venom on the outskirts of the track.
"So are we," Jett and Reece responded simultaneously through their earpieces.
"And me," Paige said.
"Keep an eye out for the Nightshades. If they're around and playing a double game, it's an even bet they'll be in contact with our mysterious Mr. Cross," Soriano said in a low voice.
"Then this is the first time they haven't shown up chief, they're not around," Michelle observed, scanning the stands. Soriano made a thoughtful hum in his throat at that, his suspicions increasing.
"Forget the Nightshades, I'll run 'em over if I see 'em," Paige said blatantly. "Is agent double M giving you boys any trouble?"
"Who's agent double M?" Michelle asked in confusion.
"Holden Lee," Paige said, with amusement in her voice.
"But his initials are H.L., what does double M stand for?" Michelle asked.
"Moody Mongoose. Or Mole, anything goes," Paige said, evidently holding back a snicker. Brook, Payton, and Reece chuckled, making Holden grumble inaudibly from Soriano's car where he was sitting.
"Hey, who came up with codenames without running them by me?!" Jett whined.
"Can it, Jett, even you have to admit it fits," Paige teased him.
"Oh fine..." Jett grudgingly admitted. "But then we all should have had 'em..."
"Chief," Michelle suddenly gasped, clutching Soriano's arm when she saw something. Soriano followed her gaze and saw Zhang sitting in a car on the opposite side of the track, a lethal glare in his eyes. He made a 'you're dead' sign with a thumb-swipe across his neck, making Soriano clench his fists.
"Apparently, they do allow substitutions," he grunted. "Brook, I want you to wipe the floor with him."
"You got it, chief." Brook sounded confident as he agreed. The leaden weight that had pulled Michelle's heart down ever since Holden's warning weighed inside her chest again and fear gripped her as it reawakened at the sight of Zhang. It was less than a minute until Brook entered the most dangerous race of his life, head to head with a criminal driver... she still wasn't sure if she could let him do it...
If I were you, I'd keep Havens out of the last stage of the NNC. She tried to block out Holden's words from her head.
You don't want him to end up in a crash and burn, do you? No, that wasn't going to happen! She gripped the bars of the steel railing separating the crowds from the track, taking deep breaths to calm her palpitating heart, her eyes closed.
"Michelle, honey, are you okay?" Leslie asked, seeing her clammy forehead. Michelle didn't answer, her eyes opening and rising to meet Brook's through the open window of his car.
"Michelle, baby, don't be afraid. I'll be fine," he assured her through her earpiece, smiling at her from his car. Her gaze began to water as a string of her memories with him suddenly flooded her mind. His voice, his intoxicating scent, the way he kissed her, the way he held her close to his body, how he always put himself in harm's way to protect her, sacrificing himself for her...
No, if there was a chance she might never see him again, she wasn't ready for it.
"Racers! Start your engines!" the commentator signaled that the race was about to begin, but Michelle didn't hear. Only her shallow breaths that her straining lungs struggled to take filled her ears. She glanced at Brook once more and in that split-second, she made her decision.
"On your marks..." She sprinted forward, vaulting over the railing and crossing to Brook's car.
"Michelle! Michelle!" she was heedless to the echoes of her name frantically called by Soriano and Leslie.
"Get set..." the commentator continued, as the crowds let out a holler in excitement. Michelle lunged in through the open window of Brook's car, making a startled Brook exclaim in surprise as she landed in the passenger seat.
"Michelle! What the heck are you—"
"GOOO!" the commentator released the signal with all his breath, and the deafening roar of engines drowned everything else out. All the cars shot forward except Brook's.
"Dammit, Michelle, you shouldn't be here, it's dangerous!" he shouted.
"Go!" she simply shouted back, quickly adjusting herself in the seat and putting on her seatbelt. Brook protested vehemently.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT, I'm not moving this car an inch unless you get out—"
"SO HELP ME BROOK, STEP ON THAT GAS PEDAL OR I SWEAR I WILL NEVER KISS YOU AGAIN!" Michelle shouted louder than him at the top of her voice, making him gawk at her. Realizing he had to go, he stamped on the gas pedal with irritation.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, chief, what do I do?" he asked as his Ford shot forward, lagging behind the other racers.
"Well, if you want the girl to kiss you, better do as she says," Payton said with laughter in his voice, as he and everyone else had heard everything through their earpieces.
"There's no turning back now," Soriano replied calmly, as though he had accepted the sudden change in the plan. "You and Michelle are in it together. Proceed as we planned, win that race, and stay alive. We'll meet you at the finish line."
"And be careful okay? Keep him from doing anything stupid, Michelle," Leslie said, concern and care evident in her voice.
"I will," Michelle promised her with a smile in her own voice.
"Yeah, sure, not like she just pulled the stupidest move ever..." Reece muttered with irony. Only Paige was not upset over Michelle's decision and made it clear through her earpiece.
"Whoo hoo! I am so proud of you, angel face, I taught you so well," Paige said, wiping fake tears from her eyes and laughing widely. Michelle smiled with an eye roll.
"Yeah, right, Paige." She turned to Brook.
"Please don't hate me," she said in a small timid voice, all her bravery melting at the thought that Brook might be mad at her for jumping in his car. The corner of his lips tugged up though his eyes never left the road.
"How could I hate the woman who threw herself headlong into danger to be with me?" he picked up her hand, threading his fingers with hers. He brought it to his lips, leaving kisses across her knuckles, perking up her spirit.
"You are trouble, you know that? Trouble I can't get enough of," he said to her huskily. She smirked.
"And you are always gonna be my bad boy so don't ever think of doing stuff like this alone again."
"I've been a bad influence..." Brook laughed, shaking his head. "But you're right. I promised you we're in this together. All the way, Michelle."
"Guys, you do remember we can hear everything?" Reece reminded them, making them chuckle silently.
"At least they can't liplock while doing a hundred and ninety out there or we'd hear that too," Jett guffawed while Holden made retching noises.
"Ugh, is it always this disgustingly schmaltzy around you people?" he asked.
"Pipe down, everyone already knows you've never had a girlfriend," Paige teased him.
"I've not not had a girlfriend!" Holden flared up, tickling Paige with laughter.
"Man, it's fun to rile you up, Moody Mongoose."
"As sporting as this is, Paige, focus. We need to make it to the finish line before Brook," Payton reminded her.
"Payton's right," Soriano said. He and Leslie made their way to their cars and he continued, "Everyone, roll out. Operation 'Bait and Chase' is on."
Oh man, I love Lindsey's music 🤩... Having a starstruck moment...
That song has been my L2L inspiration and theme music all year last year so I hope you could relate to it!
So, Michelle's moment of crisis... Deep dilemma... Brook's too. I mean, imagine never getting to kiss Michelle again 😂🤣. Big stake. Too much to lose, boy.😗
Hope you love love loved the interactions with the crew, hope I made you laugh and go awww 🥹🥰... Especially hope to see some votes so I know you're still with me and a bunch of comments coz... I REALLY WANNA HEAR EACH OF YOUR THOUGHTS WHILE READING. Pretty please 🥹♥️.
Big question: WHY do you think Soriano wants hairpins???🤔 Answers here! Hope to see you soon. Love MJ