Thread: Driven to the Edge [Blu and Driven]

Lara's arm was leaning out of the window of her diesel pick up as she kept an eye on Peter while backing it up against the trailer. It was finally time to get the Fox out of storage and back on the road. She had waited long enough and the little maintenance she had done to make sure the old Mustang had stayed in perfect working order cried for use the car cried to be driven. She hadn't heard any word about what had happened to any of the guys that had been caught, but chances were things had not gone well...for the cars at the very least. It made her cringe to think about but that was not something she would let happen to hers... When the middle-aged man put his palm up for her to stop, she did so, threw the truck in park and waited to make sure the rollback didn't throw off the line up. With the reassuring thumb up, she shut the truck off and hopped out to go stand beside him as he insisted on lower cranking the trailer down onto the hitch. She leaned against the side of the truck, clearly antsy and he cast a glance her way. You sure you're gonna do this tonight? Hazel eyes met an older, considerably wiser gray-blue pair and then darted away as she sighed. I need to do this. I can't take her out to the drag strip...I need to run. Perhaps it was childish perhaps her inability to control the urge to scratch the eternal itch a sign that she was still no where near growing up. She honestly could not have cared. She belonged in the driver's seat of a well-built car and didn't feel right if she couldn't be in that position periodically. Peter hesitated on the crank, his eyes studying the strong-willed, stubborn young woman who currently looked and behaved too much like her late father to be safe. He knew that look in her eyes well enough. He could only look out for her as much as she would let him. Well, at least she's built like her mother , he mused to himself before returning his focus to the lowering socket which had just covered the hitch, the weight of the trailer now transferring to the lowering bed of the truck. He kept his focus on that as he spoke. Just...be extra careful this time, wouldja? Stop trying to play the hero all the damn time. His tone was definitive, but had the forever undertone of a concerned parent. Her gaze shifted to him once more and she smiled gently before running a hand through her long, loose hair and pulling it to the side. I will, Pony Pete, don't you worry. The Fox is too important to lose, she assured, to which he chuckled, locked the trailer down and dropped an arm around her shoulders in order to pull her in and kiss the top of her head. You are too important to lose, sweetheart. Your parents would kill me if I let you get hurt doin' this shit. --- Shortly before eleven o'clock, Lara had settled into the seat of the '91 GT and breathed a long, slow, calming breath. They had been much more careful about this one, or at least tried to be. The meeting place had been moved to a spot farther out, lookout roles had been given at least three miles out on every off-shooting road and word had been spread much more slowly and much more quietly. There would be no straight up party this meet. This would be more about the cars and the racing. She took her time to push in the clutch and turn the key, closing her eyes as the rumbling, cammed idol of the V8 vibrated in her chest. She didn't take enough time to just sit and appreciate that sound anymore and how soothing it was for her. She really wanted this meet to go well. Or else she was going to have to find a track somewhere else to drive how she wanted and something about that made her feel a little too sentimental for her old home... After buckling the straps of the harness around herself, she waited a few more minutes for the engine to warm and then took slow, deliberate movements to shift into first gear, slowly let off the clutch and push in the gas as the car began to roll forward around the house and onto the pavement of the road. As soon as the fresh set of tires made contact with the pavement she was shifting into second and accelerating a little harder than necessary, a grin curling her lips upward as she felt that connection between her car and the road. That was the feeling she never got sick of and was certain she never would... She didn't go too hard on her way there just hard enough to warm up the tires and hopefully put just enough wear on them to make them grippy when necessary. They were a little more high-end than she was used to, courtesy of a customer who had decided against them after the Pete had already ordered them, and she was currently enjoying herself well enough. Four miles out, a pair of headlights from the side of the road flashed on and off twice. In response, she flashed her brights four times and mashed the throttle as she passed the dark-colored Mazda RX-8. She smiled to herself and continued down the winding road until it straightened for a several mile stretch, which was where she finally spotted the gathering of cars, most parked along the side of the road and those whose cars were a bit too low to the ground for comfort stayed to pavement of the two off-shooting roads in the immediate vicinity. The music throbbing from the subwoofer in someone's trunk was not nearly as loud as it had been and the crowd was considerably smaller. Everyone was still on edge and clearly feeling much more cautious. She couldn't blame them. Instead of her usual, flashy entrance, she simply punctuated her entrance with a few throttle taps as she coasted to an empty side of the road, making sure the Mustang was parked facing the pavement beside Luke's familiar Firebird. She killed the engine and stepped out, not even bothering to remove the key as Luke walked around the front of his own car and greeted her. All's quiet so far, he confirmed and she nodded. Let's hope it stays that way. I need to run tonight. He chuckled and shook his head slowly. You always need to run. That never changes. Just maybe no dancing with Officer Friendly tonight if he shows up, eh? She kept her gaze focused on an unfamiliar Toyota Supra and shrugged, choosing to dwell more on her surprise at finding the car there than her feelings towards the potential - or perhaps inevitable - bust attempt. She was pleased to see it there, that was for sure. It was always nice to see new people, especially if the 2JZ under the hood was in the shape Supra owners usually kept it in. We'll see.