PowerShift: Skid Row Kings Series, #2 (14 page)

“Crank.”

“Mitch. What the hell’s going on, man?”

“You think you can be to the Gas Go on the corner of Mill in one minute?”

“What the hell are you doing over there?”

“My girlfriend works here. I just walked in on AZ hitting on her.”

“No fuck. I’m over on Elm. I can be there in thirty seconds. You about to beat the shit out of him?” I heard a car door slam and the roar of his engine.

“Naw, he’s gone right now. I got a couple of things I need to do before Scar gets off work and
was hoping you could stick around till I get back.”

“Yeah, I’m on the way. You should be able to hear me in about ten seconds,” he laughed.

“If you had the ‘Vette, I would have heard you by know.”

“Yeah, yeah. You and that damn American muscle. I ain’t trading in my import. No way, no how.” I heard the roar of his car and thirty seconds later he pulled into the parking lot next to the ‘Vette. Crank climbed out of the car, and we clapped each other on the back.

“Thanks for coming, man. I doubt AZ will come back, but you can never be too sure.”

“Eh, you can never be too careful. Hell, I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend. I was more surprised by that fact than that AZ was sniffing around. First Luke and now you.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his car. “She from around here?”

“Naw, she just moved here a month ago.”

“You work quick, man.”

I ran my hand over my head and shrugged my shoulders. “Sure as shit doesn’t feel quick.” I had been working my ass to get Scarlett to give me a chance. I just hoped AZ sniffing around didn’t fuck things up and scare her away. “She gets off work in an hour. I’ll let her know you’ll be out here and then follow her to her apartment if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing, man. I know you’d do the same for me.”

I walked back into the gas station, and Levi ran straight for me and wrapped his arms around my legs. “Let’s go,” he shouted.

“Alright, bud. Just let me talk to your mama for a second. Why don’t you go say hi to Crank? I’m sure he’ll let you sit in his car. Just tell him you know me.”

“Yes! Bye, Mama!” he yelled as he ran out the door.

“Who’s Crank?” Scarlett asked as she walked around the counter.

“He’s gonna hang out here until I get back from dropping Levi off.”

“He’s here because of AZ, isn’t he?” Scarlett walked to the door and looked for Levi. “I knew he wasn’t good the second he opened his mouth.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that, Sparky. AZ is anything but good.”

“He’s the one who smashed into Luke’s car, right?” She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yeah, and he also messed up my aunt really good.”

“He beat her up?”

“Naw, although getting her hooked on drugs is just as bad.”

“And he was here talking to me because he’s trying to piss not only you but both of your brothers off.” She ran her hand through her hair and shook her head. “Well, things were going well for a while. Although it is a pattern in my life that everything turns to shit.”

“Scarlett, what the hell are you talking about? AZ was a problem before you moved here. This has nothing to do with you. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Mitch, I moved here to get away from a psycho, now I have to worry about another one.”

She hung her head down, and I felt like an ass for bringing this to her. “Scarlett, look at me.” She shook her head but raised her head. “I promise on my life, that nothing will happen to you and Levi. As long as I’m breathing, you will have the life you always deserved.”

“You’re crazy,” she whispered.

“Probably,” I laughed. Scarlett launched herself into my arms and wrapped her body around me. “You’re not going to worry, right?” I whispered in her ear.

“I’ll try not to.”

“Good girl,” I said. “Now, you gonna let me go so I can get Levi over to Frankie, or am I going to have to take you with me?”

“Hmm, as much as I’d love to leave with you right now, I need to work. Brooke always comes in a bit early so I’ll see about punching out a couple of minutes early.”

“Sounds good.” I pressed a kiss to the side of her head and gave her one last hug. “Crank is going to follow you to your apartment after work, OK? I’ll meet you there.”

“OK,” she whispered as she stepped out of my arms. “Here’s the key,” she said as she pulled it out of her pocket and put it in my hand.

“I’ll see you soon, Sparky.” I walked out the door, glancing over my shoulder and wished I didn’t have to go. But the sooner I grabbed Levi’s bag and dropped him off with Frankie, the sooner I would be able to hold Scarlett again.

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Chapter 20

Scarlett

I had butterflies flying in my stomach, and I swear I was ready to pass out.

Crank had followed me home from work, and when I had pulled up to my apartment, my heart had skipped a beat when I saw Mitch leaning against the side of his car waiting for me. He had changed into a ripped pair of jeans and was wearing a tight blue shirt that made me wish we didn’t have to leave the apartment.

Now I was standing in the bathroom trying to get a hold on my nerves. This wasn’t my first date with Mitch, but this felt completely different from anything we had done before. It had taken me forever to figure out what to wear, partly because I wanted to look nice for Mitch, but I knew we were going to the race and wasn’t really sure what the dress code was. Leelee and Violet had worn normal clothes when I had seen them there, but then other girls were dressed up and definitely trying to impress. I figured somewhere in the middle was where I needed to be.

I didn’t have a lot of clothes so my choices were limited. I had settled on my best pair of jeans, a black cami and purple and green flannel shirt over it,
left open. I had managed to find the only pair of shoes that weren’t tennis shoes and slipped them on my feet. My
normal shortness of 5’ 5” was gone as the shoes boosted me. They were only black pumps, but they helped to jazz up the outfit a bit.

“Scarlett, you ready?” Mitch asked as he knocked on the door.

“Um, I think so,” I said hesitantly. I don’t think I could ever be fully prepared for going on a date with one of the most handsome men I had ever seen. I opened the door and held my breath as Mitch’s gaze traveled over me. “Um, do I look OK?” I rubbed my hands on my jeans trying to get a grip.

“There’s only one way you’d look better.”

“Oh, should I change?” I knew the damn heels would be too much. I stood on one foot and raised the other as I balanced trying to pry the shoe off of my foot.

“Whoa, whoa. What are you doing?” Mitch asked as he grabbed my arm before I fell over.

“I look like a fool.”

“No, you definitely do not look like a fool.”

“You just said there is something better that I should be wearing. I bet I look like a redneck hick with this on.” I ripped the shirt off my arms and tossed it on the floor.

“Scar,” Mitch bent over and picked up the shirt off the floor. “You looked hot as hell. I meant the only way you could look hotter is if you weren’t wearing anything at all.”

“Oh,” I gasped, my mouth dropping open. “I thought I looked embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing is the last word I would use to describe you. Especially with these heels on. Take a deep breath, Sparky and tell me what the hell is going on.”

I put my foot down, and I shrunk three inches. Mitch leaned down, grabbed the shoe I had taken off and slipped it back on my foot. “That better?” He asked looking up at me.

“I’m embarrassing. That’s all I’m going to do is embarrass you. I don’t even know how to dress, and I’m twenty-five years old.”

“Scarlett, you need to knock this shit off right now. You’re not fucking embarrassing and you sure as hell know how to dress. I haven’t had any complaints about any of the clothes I’ve seen you in.”

“Ugh, never mind.” I didn’t want to sound like a whiny little girl.

“No,” he said standing up. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I just don’t know what to wear, Mitch. All I own is jeans and t-shirts. That’s it. All those girls I saw at the race last week were wearing way skimpier clothes than that. Well, Violet and Leelee weren’t, but they’re cool enough that they don’t need to worry about what they wear. Violet is gorgeous with her hair piled up on her head, and Leelee is so kick ass that she could wear a burlap sack, and she’d look amazing. Me, I put on a flannel shirt, and I look like I’m going to a hoedown, not a street race.” Mitch looked at me with a blank stare.

“I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at one time.”

I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed the flannel shirt out of his hand. I was acting like an idiot, but I couldn’t help it. I shrugged the shirt back on and ran my fingers through my hair. “I guess I just don’t normally have a lot to say.”

“Wouldn’t you know when you actually talk, it’s all bullshit.”

I gasped and propped my hands on my hips. “What I think is not bullshit.”

“No, normally it’s not. But what you just went on and on about is pure bullshit. There’s only one person you need to care about when you’re getting dressed.”

“Let me guess, you.”

“No.” Mitch stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. “The only person you need to care about is yourself. If you like the way you look, then everyone else will too.”

“That’s so much easier to say than do.”

“I guess I’ll just have to help you.”

“Ugh, there’s that damn word again; help.” I was seriously starting to hate that damn word. All Mitch seemed to do was help me. “Do you think you can go the whole night without using that word again?”

“Now we’re going to get into this again, Scar?”

No. I really didn’t want to get into that again. Mitch was never going to understand how I felt about him helping me all the time. I was so independent before I moved here and now it felt like I was constantly leaning on Mitch. “No, we’re not. I plan on watching you kick ass at the race and then watch a movie.”

“I thought maybe we could come back here and watch a movie.”

“Um.” How to tell him the closest thing I had to a TV was Levi’s portable DVD player and no furniture to sit on. I had a list a mile long of things I needed to buy, but never seemed to be able to buy anything, but I sure did add things to it daily. “I think we should go to the movie theater. I haven’t been to one in years.” That was the truth, although it wasn’t like I was dying to go to one.

“Hmm, but then I can’t do this at the theater.” He inched up the hem of my shirt and his fingers brushed against my skin.

“Is this your way of distracting me?” I asked, shivering at his touch.

“This is my way of finally getting my hands on you without being interrupted by a four-year-old.” His lips brushed against mine, and I felt my need for him all the way down to my toes. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tilted my head back. “I want you so bad, Scar,” he whispered against my lips.

A soft whimper left my lips as his hands traveled down my waist and lightly grazed my butt. “I really wish I had a bed,” I whispered.

Mitch laughed as he rained kisses down my neck. “We’ll worry about that after the race, Sparky.”

“How long until we have to leave?” I was hoping he was going to say we didn’t have to leave at all.

“We needed to leave ten minutes ago. Luke was texting me that they were all waiting.”

“Dammit.”

“We’ll pick this up after I win.” Mitch stepped back and ran his hand over his head. “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can pick up where we left off.”

“Hmm, you’re pretty sure of yourself.”

“About the race or you?”

“Both. But I can tell you right now,” I leaned in, my lips next to his ear. “I’m a sure thing.”

______________

Chapter 21

Mitch

“It’s about fucking time you showed up. I had to all but bribe these fuckers not to start without you.”

It had taken all my willpower to leave Scarlett’s apartment and not press her up against the wall and have my way with her. “We’re here.”

Scarlett was standing by Violet and Leelee nervously wringing her hands together looking like she was ready to be sick. “We need to have a conversation about Kurt when you have time.”

“Fuck me. Now, what the hell did he do?” Talking about Kurt was one of the last things I wanted to do.

“He’s upped his game about being a complete ass to Leelee.”

“She’s tough.”

“Yeah, she is, but I don’t think anyone can take the way Kurt is acting and not be a little hurt by it. Violet said Leelee had been acting different lately.”

“Different how?” I asked.

“Like she’s trying to leave.”

“What the hell does that mean? Has she said she’s going to quit?”

Luke shook his head, and I was even more confused. “No. Vi said she just can see the way Kurt is treating her and that it’s changing her. Making her pull away or some bullshit.”

“He’s trying to get her to quit.”

“Yeah, but that shit isn’t going to work. The three of us can’t handle the shop anymore. I need to be in that office ninety percent of the time, so I need a set of hands to help you guys in the back. It’s Leelee, and I’m not going to fire her because Kurt has his head up his ass.”

“He here tonight?” I scanned the cars that were lined up but didn’t see his.

“Not yet. Although fucking AZ managed to show up again,” Luke scowled.

“I had a run in with him at the Gas Go today. I walked in, and he was hitting on Scarlett.”

“No shit,” Luke whistled. “He really is a special kind of stupid, huh?”

“Yeah, and from the sound of it, he’s not done fucking with us. Aunt Bev, too.”

Luke shook his head and sighed. “Doesn’t he have something better to do?”

“Evidently not.” I glanced over at the cars that were lined up and saw all the drivers get in their cars. “I better get over there. Keep an eye on Scar for me, OK?”

Luke nodded his head, clapped me on the back and headed over to the truck. Scarlett was standing next to Violet, nervously wringing her hands together. The closer we had gotten to the race, the more nervous she seemed to get. All the hard work I had done before of loosening her up had gone to waste, and she was a tight ball of nerves now.