Screeching tires on dry asphalt filled the quiet neighborhood as a pair of headlights raced forward. Its engine revved, sounding like a confined monster's growl. The car drifted to a stop, gravel flying, as two dark figures came racing from the shadows to throw up the garage door for the '68 Impala to slide inside. The door was lowered quickly as police sirens screamed in the distance.

“, Simone!” One of the figures, a tattooed man with a black ponytail, threw the driver's door open. “You brought the police here!”

Simone stepped out of the car without a hint of unease, unlike her two companions. A bandana tied in her almost-white hair. “Like they're going to find us.”

“Doesn't matter. They're way too ing close for my comfort. I thought you were more careful than that!” he screamed at her and she put her hands in front of her to bring more distance between them.

“Danny, chill. The only reason they were on to me is because they were waiting. Either they're getting extremely smart or someone told on us.”

“No one would tell,” Danny said.

Simone's eyes flitted to the boy standing in the corner, shadowed. He was merely a boy, only sixteen. “No one would tell, would they, Chris?”

Danny followed her gaze before his brown eyes hardened. He looked back at Simone. “You're blaming my brother?”

“No,” she answered shortly, and stepped around him. She opened the walk-through door and peered outside. The sirens had since dwindled. Simone turned back to the two and dug around in her shorts' pocket. “Here.” She pulled out a wad of cash, dispensing half of it into Danny's hands. “Now, go home and don't worry about anything. I got it handled.” She offered a smile, carefree.

Danny mumbled something before summoning his brother to his side and the two exited from the garage and into the night. Simone pulled the door shut behind her and locked it. Her platinum hair was a serene beacon in the moonlight as she hurried for the backdoor of the house. The night was quiet and warm, the parched grass cracking under her feet. Quietly, Simone entered, kicking off her boots and sighing in relief at the sanctuary the old house offered.

The floorboards creaked with every step, the air-conditioning was unreliable, and there was a leak in the attic, but it was home. Simone shuffled through the kitchen, her mind set on her bed upstairs, when she cleared the corner into the living room. She stopped short, breath catching in . Seated on the sofa were two men, dressed of importance with smug simpers that revealed a victory.

“That was a pretty close call tonight,” the one on the right said, dark hair slicked back. He leaned forward. “It would have been terrible if we would have lost our best racer.”

“Where's my roommate?” Simone's voice shook against her will.

“Upstairs, sleeping,” the other one said. “She's none of our business. Unless you make it that way.”

“What do you want?” Simone demanded. “I paid my dues and I won tonight.”
“That you did,” the first one said. “You've been a very good girl, Simone. Mostly.” Simone's eyebrows crinkled in the middle, asking a silent question. “Someone narc'ed on us. Our warehouse was was raided by the cops today. And I know who would never say anything.”

“I wouldn't.”

“Are you sure?”

“Angel, I'm positive.” She directed this to the first speaker. “I would never say anything.”

“You may have said something to your sidekicks, maybe? Who knows how tight-tongued they are.”

“I never said anything to them. They don't know I'm...” Simone swallowed.

“...that you're under our thumb,” the second one, Jesse, smiled. “You know, we could put this all behind us.” He stood, a towering figure over six foot. His dark eyes traveled over Simone's wardrobe: a black tank top and cut-off shorts. They hovered over spots that Simone's body bristled at. “...if you and I can have some fun.”

Simone grit her teeth. “Fuc—”

“Jesse, control your and sit down,” Angel growled. Jesse smiled, but did as commanded, his eyes still lingering. “Look, Simone. We like you. You're beautiful, a good driver, and you got a lot of fire. But that's not going to stop us from doing what we need to do.”

“I understand.”

“Good, so if we find out for sure that you're the person who narc'ed on us...” Angel shook his head and looked away, seeming to be torn about the decision. But Simone wasn't fooled. He was bloodthirsty; mercy wasn't an emotion he contained. “I'd hate to waste that pretty face of yours.”

Simone said nothing, unable to as her body trembled. The men stood to their feet and dispersed like shadows from the house. She waited, frozen, until only the silence of the house remained. Hurrying upstairs, she didn't worry about being quiet and waking up Val(her roommate). Simone grabbed her suitcase, throwing clothes inside as her other hand hurried to make a phone call.

“Hey, i—its me.” Simone cleared , desperately trying to rid of the edge in it. “I'm coming to visit this week. If you don't like it, too bad.”