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Neil has never been one to look back on past choices. What is done is done, and what is, is. The present stays firmly in front of him, waiting to be dealt with. He doesn’t dwell, and does not frequently regret, if possible. His mother primed him to look forward, to go.  Which is why it’s so bizarre that he’s been thinking so frequently about that phone call long ago, made at the end of a miserable day in muggy California. His mother’s ashes had been blended in to sand, the waves lapping them away, and her bones deep undergroundHis mother had done her best at using the last of her time taking down as much of his father’s criminal empire before she had left Neil behind, alone.He had called Uncle Stuart, and in a stroke of bright, unbelievable luck, he had answered.And before he knew it, Nathaniel Abram Wesninski became Neil Abram Hatford, and he was no longer a runaway, but more a cobbled-together person desperate for an identity to cling to. Criminal, was the one he took in. Professional criminal, his uncle often reminded him, but white was white as black was black. Neil and his mother’s family broke the law on a regular basis for profit, and they did it well.At first, it was translating at business meetings, his uncles and aunts seeing his talent in languages. Then it was his talent in numbers, and he was put to keep accounts and budgets. He juggled these responsibilities for years, content enough to work and stitch together someone he was okay with being.He saw his twenty-third birthday come and go, and he could not help but be so viscerally aware of his still-beating heart, at the blood rushing through his veins.He was a human being, not dead, not gone. And yet?Regret was an ugly emotion, and helpless he was to it, for the way in wriggled under the skin prickled more these days than any others. His mother’s family was becoming more and more suffocating as the days passed. Constant check-ins, constant work, constant regulation. Today, he had received word from Uncle Stuart that there were distractions and money to be made. He and some Hatford gang members were going to take care of some displeasing business in some of the classier areas of London, and needed a distraction. And that just happened to be Neil. He wasn't sure if it was flattering or not yet. He blinked at the walls past his sofa, eyes still narrowed, and waited for something to click. These reflective moods didn’t suit him much.“You want me to join a street race?” Neil clarified, his Uncle sitting straight across from him, sipping his tea. “To provide a distraction?”“Yes, nothing too difficult.” Stuart said. “You’ll need to be flashy, visible. We want the police to see you, recognize you as Hatford, and start sniffing you out. But you’ll be an adrenaline junkie among adrenaline junkies, so it’s not like they’ll have an easy time catching you.”“And while they’re busy trying to sniff me out,” Neil said. “You’ll be doing...whatever you’re doing over in Mayfair.”His uncle smiled. “Yes.” Murdering some sad fuck, Neil figured. He shrugged. He never felt much sympathy for the Hatford’s enemies - if he did, he’d be a hypocrite.“Well,” Neil sighed. “It’s not like I’m going to say no” Or could say no, for that matter “But, how do any of you know that I can even drive properly around here.? For all you know, I’ll drive into a wall and go splat.”“Please, Neil.” Uncle Stuart shook his head, getting up and putting on his coat. “You’re Mary’s son. Of course you know how to drive in London. And I’d bet you could do it well too.. Win a few street races for her, would you?”“Right.” Neil muttered. “Anything else?”“Your Aunt Isolde may or may not have some questions about next year’s budget, so be on a lookout for an email. Also Elle mentioned wanting to catch some lunch with you and Jack sometimes soon.” Uncle Stuart said. “I know you still feel awkward about this whole...situation. But you are a Hatford, now more than ever. Speak to your cousins, you did at one point, no?”“As kids…” Neil said. And talk was almost an understatement. The number of times Mary was allowed to speak and interact with her own family were scarce and could be counted on one hand. And he wasn’t even invited to most of those events, his father not wanting him associating with that part of the family, no whiffs of bad blood. What he knew about his cousins could barely fit page, both of the combined.   “And not even that often.”“Then it’s a matter of catching up on lost time then, hm?” Stuart said. With that Neil’s Uncle took his umbrella and made his way out of his studio apartment. Neil followed him to the door, and double-checked to make sure it locked properly._________________________________________________________________________Neil left his studio apartment to walk out to a sleek vehicle, running and with someone inside. Leaning over to peer at it, he saw that the driver was his cousin, Jack. His skin looked a pale brown in the London fall, and his various piercings caught the light as he turned his head to motion at Neil.“Cousin!” Jack exclaimed, grinning, as the windows to the car slid down. “Tell me what you did for the family to get us this beauty!”Neil figured this was the vehicle he was supposed to be dancing around town tonight, and Jack, the delivery boy. He quickly stepped up to slide into the passenger sweet. “It’s not a gift. It’s a distraction. Stuart says we're street racing tonight.”“Ah, yes. For whatever top secret operation my Pop and Uncle Stuart are up to right? Some of the higher ups have been real hush-hush about it.” Jack mused, pulling into the street. It was dark already, the clock in the plush, dark interior reading 11:35pm. “If they’re investing this much money into it, it’s gotta be serious.”“Is this car really that expensive?” Neil hoped not. Street racing, or anything the like, wasn’t too friendly to cars.“A 2013 Pagani Huayra? Fucking absolutely. Not top of the line anymore, of course. But certainly a head turner.” Jack pointed out. “Uncle Stuart tells me you’re supposed to be driving this in a race? You sure you can handle it? If not, I mean, I’d be glad to help out.”“I’ll be fine.”Neil has but one supercar driving experience in his entire life, and that was in a getaway car he and his mother stole from one of his father’s more lucrative goons. It was a monstrous car, reaching 80 miles per hours in mere seconds. Neil had been the one driving and he almost crashed the thing straight into a warehouse. His mother let him know that failure wasn’t an option. He had ridden the car straight out of St. George, Utah for miles upon miles until they ditched it for a dingy Ford truck. Neil hadn’t thought anything of it at the time.Now though, he was trying to remember the way he sped, braked, and turned - desperate and focused, trying to drive the car to its limits without letting it get away from him. His gut clenched at the reminder.Jack drove them to where the races usually take place: streets that weren’t crawling with traffic, but not suburban enough that there weren’t any straight roads. Neil figured that they would be able to race a few cars at a time.“What do these people usually race for? Do you know?” Neil asked.“The other’s car, usually. Bragging rights, at the least. Prize money, if it’s organized enough.” Jack said. “Tonight? I don’t know. Thing is, Uncle Stuart and Uncle Ned are trying to drive up a distraction right - hah! See what I did there? - and that means they would have chosen a spot and night that’s sure to bring out a crowd. That way, the cops will be sure to come running, fools that they are.”“Hmm, makes sense.”“Course it does. Ah. Here we are…” Jack muttered, taking a left, and moving into some deserted streets. He pulled into the an old parking lot, the cracks in the cement wide and pronounced. There, Neil finally saw tonight’s competition.There was a lot.“Jeez,” Jack said. “Looks like people might have heard that the Hatfords would be here tonight? Or is it usually like this?”Neil spotted a variety of cars. Many of which he would expect in street races. Honda Civics, old BMW’s, Mazdas galore, a few Corollas here and there. A Volkswagen or two. But he also caught sight of what he could recognize as tried-and-true luxury sports cars. Neil could easily recognize most of the everyday car brands, but some of those luxury cars were completely out of his realm of knowledge.There was one he could recognize though. A Bugatti, pink from what it seemed, and it stuck out like a sore thumb.“Who’s in charge of this?” Neil asked. “Is there some channel of communication?”“Social media, for sure.” Jack answered. “And it seems like they were told that we were expected to arrive. Tonight’s stakes seemed to have gotten much higher. Maybe there’s prize money after all, if they got some of the town’s rich folks slobbering and bragging  over here. Oh shit - is that a Maserati? And oh hell! Look! An Aston Martin. Good God, what a beauty.”“Are you going to be sticking around?” Neil asked. He didn’t mind Jack. As friendly as he pretended be, he knew what Jack was capable of - he was as mean with a gun as any other Hatford, and even meaner with a keyboard. Neil always tried to keep him on his good side.“Probably. Not at the actual race though, but I’ll be letting you know if and when the cops arrive from a safer place. We’re here to distract - you in particular, bright feathers and crowns to catch the attention and all that - but not to be caught.” Jack said, parking the car. “You got your cell on, right?”“Yes.” Neil said, grasping at his front coat pocket. “Charged.”“Great.” Jack said. “If they do end up showing up, I’ll know first. I’ve got my eye on surveillance cameras from all over this area. I’ll call you first thing. If you’re racing, make sure to have your phone connected to the bluetooth. No need to be scrambling around.” Jack gestured to the car radio.They got out. They attracted stares, here and there. Neil was a fairly new addition to the Hatford criminal lineup, so he wasn’t too well known or recognized by some of the folk around London. Jack was a different story. He waved and grinned at some of the people who pointed and stared. Some less friendly than others. Tonight’s participants might not just be the regular racers nor the rich bored heir, but instead some of the people itching to get payback on some of the city’s most prominent criminals.Neil frowned. “Are you sure you’ll be alright by yourself, Jack?”“Totally!” Jack laughed. “Plus, I’ve got a gun. And plenty of ammo.”“Right.”“Go mingle, cousin!” Jack waved. “Get to know the competition. Figure out who’s here to fuck us over in particular, God, next time we participate in one of these things, we should probably find some other way to communicate it. Imagine if someone actually important showed up? Not good, I would think. Not good at all.”Neil shrugged, as if to say “if you say so” and made his way to the crowd of people gathering around a street lamp. A man with a clipboard was there. Neil wondered if this was the the organizer?“Bit of a boy’s game, isn’t it?” A woman said loudly, American accent prominent. “Especially judging by some of the stares these assholes are throwing my way.”“There’s no need to be so loud, Allison.” Another woman said to her, quieter, though not quiet enough that Neil couldn’t hear. “You’ll have your chance to prove your skills in a bit, no? It's best we don't make any enemies.”“One hopes” The other woman turned to the other. “If I can stand to survive a few more moments here with the amount of testosterone in the air. How do you stand it? Oh - is that Minyard? Renee, go tell him something for me: Eat my dust, jackass.”Minyard? Not a name Neil even remotely recognized. Maybe these people were just regulars?“Andrew bought the Maserati over here." Renee smiled. "I'm sure both of you will be having fun tonight." Or not. If their acquaintance owned something like a Maserati, Neil could just assume they had something equally as expensive. Whatever happened to driving souped-up Mazdas and calling it a night? “As it is, let's not be a bother.” The other, quieter woman - Renee - continued speak. Upon looking closely, her hair was white, with the tips dyed an assortment of colors. Neil, at first thought it might have been a trick of the light.“As if the monster isn't?”“Allison.”“Whatever.”  She scoffed. “Watch me waste him in my pink Bugatti. Promise to take pictures, Renee. If you don’t, I’ll be pissed that Dan and Matt won’t be able to hang it up on their fridge.”Renee just sighed.“You guys are the ones with that pink car?” Neil asked with a drip of condescension. He couldn’t help himself from asking, and was surprised at his outburst. He was usually better about blending in and listening, years upon years of training.“You listening in?” Allison sneered. Her hair was long and blonde, Neil noted as she approached. She was taller than most women, and her heels didn’t help the case. She was wearing a fur coat in the cold air, which covered most of her outfit.“Just wondering how the hell you’re going to beat anyone in those heels.” Neil pointed out. “They can’t be all that great for driving.”“None of your fucking business.” Allison sniffed. “And I may or may not have a different pair of shoes somewhere around here.”“I’m sure,” Neil said. “So is there a reason you’re racing? Tired of your rich parents letting you lose with a credit card and you're just that bored?”“Would you believe us if we said this is all in good fun?” Renee asked. She was nice, sweet, and courteous. Neil was instantly on edge. She wasn’t like the Allison-girly, glamorous and bold, but ultimately more bark than bite. There was something to the way Renee held herself that reminded Neil of some of the men and women who hung around his aunts and uncles.“Sure.” Neil shrugged. “If you hadn’t brought a car like that here.”“We’re here to for some friendly-competition.” Renee smiled. “With an old friend.”Allison sneered. “It’s none of his business, Renee. Quit being so nice.”“Well,” Neil said. “In that case, have fun.”“Wait, what’s your name?” Renee asked.Neil immediately didn’t want to say. But, he was a Hatford now. More and more of person each day, and most importantly, not on the run. He could afford to be loose and fast with his name. And if these people recognized him as a Hatford? Hardly a big deal. Anyone with serious issues with his mother’s family was probably caught up with whatever his uncles were up to at this very second. Plus, a pink bugatti? It was hardly credible.“Neil.”“Neil.” She repeated. “Well, we’ll see you around, Neil.”“Get fucked, Neil.”“Allison…”With that, Neil left the two women, and wandered around. He caught eye of the Maserati they might’ve been talking about before. It was a nice car, bound to be some competition. He also saw some Ferraris and Porsches, here and there. Some less luxe cars, as well, though not as dingy as the regular crowd. Fiats, a Lexus, maybe even a Mini Cooper. Whatever arrangements the Hatfords had made for tonight, it was certainly drawing a crowd.Eventually, Neil wandered back to Jack, who was fiddling with something on his phone. He mentioned the women he spoke to and the man they were hoping to beat. Jack just waved him off, not recognizing their names, and therefore not anyone they should worry about.“In terms of family business? Don’t worry.” Jack had said. “Of course, in terms of competition...well, Bugattis are fast, mate. I don’t even know what people are doing here with what isn’t a supercar. They have to know they’re going to lose, right? The spirit of competition is not here at all. More like resentment and envy and...body-odor.”Other than that, time passed quietly as more and more people showed. Before they knew it, they were being called into the first rounds of racing. They would race in fours, quick and straightforward, the winners moving up in the brackets someone arranged. Winner got cash, a big stack of it that someone collected and put in a briefcase before every individual race. Neil was glad Stuart had sent Jack with some cash, because he certainly didn’t thing to carry as much as was needed.The first few races came and went. The car they had easily beat the others out. Neil half-expected some of the younger men and women to want to start a fight after he beat them, but for the most part, they just wanted to check out the car. They knew tonight was a different type of night, it seemed.Eventually, the competition narrowed, and after a few more rounds (and more money collected), Neil was left with three other racers.Unsurprisingly, Allison and her pink Bugatti were still in the running for tonight’s winner. In fact, everyone left to drive all had what Jack had dubbed “supercars”. One man, tattooed all over, had his Jaguar. The other driver, thanks to Allison and Renee, Neil had to assume was named Andrew. He was short, shorter than even Neil, if he guessed correctly. He was leaning on a dark gray Maserati, smoking a cigarette.If he was taller, Neil would almost think he looked cool.As it was, all he looked was grumpy.Had he something more mundane for a car, Neil would’ve guessed he was part of tonight’s regular crowd. But he wasn’t. Not at all. Neil caught his eye, after a few seconds of staring. Andrew merely kept looking at him, unnerved and uninterested, until someone yelled for everyone’s attention.“Alright!” The man said, a suitcase right next to him. “This is it! Last race of the night, four contestants.”People cheered, eager to see who would take tonight’s prize. Neil caught people exchanging whispers to the side. Bets, no doubt. Or plans to get to know the lucky winner. He grimaced. Hopefully, the cops would make an appearance soon, so he could leave without having to interact with the crowd.“Drivers! Get in your cars and head to the start line! You’ll be driving the road as we have before, but instead of stopping at the end, you will all need to turn around and race back to our original start line. Whoever crosses first, wins!”Neil caught Andrew’s eye again. It was 4:00am, Neil had been effortlessly beating most of the people here, thanks to his car. It was safe to say he was bored, tired, and uninterested. So, he didn’t quite know why there was a spark of energy in his gut when he saw Andrew flipping him off. He grit his teeth.Neil didn’t even know him, but he found himself eager to beat him.“Ass,” he muttered. With that he got into the car. He was already used to the feel of the leather seats, the quiet rumbling of the engine under his feet. He pulled it up to the starting line, already thinking of how to drift into a u-turn without hitting any of the others. He was the first one ready. He saw Allison, Renee, and Andrew speaking off to the side.Neil wondered how they all knew each other, enough to find themselves competing in illegal street racing in London. Allison and Renee were obviously American. He wondered if Andrew was too.Soon enough, the man in the Jaguar pulled up, and not too long after, Allison and Andrew were ready to go.Neil felt a flutter in his stomach and a spark in his spine. This was bound to be far more exciting than the other races. He made to think over all of the mistakes he made that night, and went over each and every way he could have avoided them, but there was no point to it. Better to follow his mother’s old advice. Go fast, don’t crash. Easy as it gets.Some scantily clad announcer perched up by a box, off to the sidewalk, a few feet from them. They had a flag, bright fluorescent yellow. Neil didn’t hear anything they said. He just saw the flag go up - and then - down.He put his foot to the pedal, and felt the Pagani surge forward, lighting-fast. Everything else was child’s play till now. Here, he felt his competitors vy and sing for the lead, one after another pulling up and falling behind. Neil got a foot forward, and push down even harder, calculating the time he would need to start braking, as he was coming up at the end of the street. The dark Maserati pulled up right next to him as well.A few seconds later, it was time to drift.His feet hit the brake, and he turned the wheel, noting that the Maserati did too. The Bugatti and Jaguar followed.Though the Jaguar didn’t keep space in mind, and the tip of it clipped the Bugatti. They both were clearly thrown off.That left him and Maserati, Andrew. They were both driving towards the finish line. Neil pressed harder on the gas pedal, his heart in his throat. Despite the fact that he must have been going 160 kilometers per hour, he felt as if time had slowed.He was gaining the lead. His hands turned white clenching the steering wheel.He was so close, he noted. But - then the Maserati started gaining. And gaining.Neil threw a look at Andrew, and saw him fiddling with his dash. Before he knew it, Andrew quickly turned his wheel to bash into Neil’s own car.Neil didn’t know how to deal with that. He tried to keep the car in control, fighting the steering wheel, but he was thrown off for a bit. Enough for it to slow. Enough for Andrew to take the lead.Before Neil knew it, they were passing the finish line. Neil in a clear second place.He was furious.____________________________________________________________________________“Unbelievable!” Neil heard, as he got out of his car. The voice belonged to the woman, Allison. “You call that driving! And you still got second place!”She was talking to him. Neil wasn’t ready, he was still reeling from the rage, and the confusion that stemmed from feeling rage at this situation at all. A few feet ahead, he saw Andrew get out of his own car. The organizer was speaking to him, and there was a quick crowd forming around them.Neil turned. “What do you mean?” He asked her.She took her time getting her coat, changing her shoes, and overall, disdainfully pulling a scarf over her neck. “Your car isn’t even modified, is it? So what was the point, huh?” Allison exclaimed. “Did you just come here to pass the time?”“Is that how he beat me?” Neil asked. “He modified his car?”“No,” An unfamiliar voice came from behind. “I beat you because I knew how to drive.”Neil turned. Andrew was there, seemingly away from the hubbub his victory caused. “What the hell do you mean by that?”“He means you don’t know shit.” Allison snapped. “Yeah, drifting here and there is great and all, but you have no style. No drive. Pun not intended, fucker. You just steer your car where it needs to go, and push real hard on either the gas or brake. There isn’t any finesse.”“Fuck off. I beat you, didn’t I?”“Barely. If it wasn’t for that fuck in the Jaguar, I would’ve beaten you. You too, monster.”Andrew stayed quiet.“Whatever,” Neil scoffed. He didn’t know why this riled up him, but he felt his blood pressure rising. “I bet you I can beat the both of you in another race.”“Are you proposing a rematch?” Andrew raised his eyebrow. “Hardly interested. I’ve seen enough.”“Fuck you.”“Learn how to drive first.” Allison said, hands on hips. “And then maybe we can talk.” Neil noticed that Renee came up behind her, giving a small wave to both he and Andrew.“Okay, and what exactly am I supposed to learn -”Neil was cut off by a vibration in his coat pocket. He pulled out his phone and checked the screen. Jack. He answered.“Neil - start the car. Cops are coming.” Jack muttered, quiet, afraid of being overheard. No cause for panic, Neil assumed. “We got to leave. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”Neil hung up and put his phone away. He looked over to the strange Americans.“Bye.”“Wait - what?” Allison gawked. “One second you want to race again, and now you’re leaving.”Neil noticed Andrew’s eye narrow almost immediately.“Don’t need to give any of you an explanation.” Neil quickly said, turning to his car. He quickly pushed the button on the key fob to start the engine.“Something’s up.” Andrew said. “Pigs are coming, aren’t they?”“Pigs? Cops? Cops? ” Allison clarified. “Shit - “ She turned to Renee. “Let’s go, Renee.”“Do you even know where you can go,  though? What’s to say we don’t drive straight to them?” Renee asked, frowning. Neil was already halfway into his car by then. He paused though, seeing Jack approach, and made a split-second decision. He didn’t know what made him decide to help them, but he was opening his mouth before he knew it.“Follow me, if you don’t want trouble.” Neil said. He closed his car door, and was ready to change gears. He saw them scramble for their cars through the front windshield as Jack jogged across the street to get into the car. When he was in. Neil took off.“I’m thinking the warehouse right outside the city. It’ll take a bit, but we’ll be able to lose them and stay lost.” Jack said, Neil already swerving left, moving away from the suburban streets. He saw the red and blue flashing lights quickly coming up. He gave but a single second to consider the poor bastards who had busted their cars during the races.He also caught the view of a black Maserati and a pink Bugatti in the rear view mirror.“Uh, are we being followed?” Jack asked.“Yes.”“Are you okay with this?”“I asked them to.” Neil said, taking a sharp turn. He could still hear sirens.“Wait - what?”____________________________________________________________________________The warehouse was bare, cold, and heavily secure. Neil breathed a sigh of relief, as he sat on one of the many cargo boxes around the place. Jack was on the phone - he was, no doubt, talking to Elle or someone else from the family regarding whether or not Neil had provided enough distraction for whatever the hell they were up to tonight.Neil occupied himself by ignoring all of the questions Allison Reynolds, apparent American heiress to Reynold’s Resorts and Spas, was throwing his way. He was also ignoring the searing stare Andrew Minyard was giving him.The only one who could keep their mouth shut was Renee. Who he still knew nothing of. She hadn’t introduced herself. She had just thanked him for the tip, and gone back to texting someone on her phone. While Allison paced up and down, she leaned against the wall with Andrew. They were friendly apparently. Involved, maybe?“Are you listening to me, fucker?” Allison asked. “I said I’ll teach you how to drive?”“Wait, what?” Neil blinked. “You would?”“Yes.” She sighed. “Only if you keep going to races with us. I can’t afford to be caught street racing, especially in a foreign country, and you seem to know when cops are showing up. This wasn’t the only high-profile race to ever happen in London. There are a more here and there, if you keep an ear out. I want to go to them.”“The Hatfords are the only reason this one got so big though, the only reason the cops showed up.” Neil pointed out. He wasn’t sure if they had caught up with the fact that he and Jack were the rumoured Hatfords to have shown up tonight. “If you’ve been racing for a while, why not keep going to the ones you’ve been going to?”“Those still have cops show up.” Allison huffed. “Not as much as the ones who came tonight, but still.”“And you’re there too?” Neil asked Andrew, who was still scrutinizing him.“Sometimes.” Renee answered for him. “Andrew keeps a weird schedule thanks to his profession.”“Exy.” Allison drawled.“It’s off-season though.” Renee added. She looked to Andrew. “You’ll want to race some more before you leave again, right?”Andrew just shrugged, still looking at Neil. “Are you undercover or something? You knew when the pigs would show up far before anyone normally would.” His eyes flicked to Jack, who was still talking quietly in a corner. “This all seems a bit to coincidental. How do we know you’re not just waiting for us to say something to trip us up?”Neil weighed in the options of telling them they were Hatfords. On one hand, they could full well-know what the Hatfords get up to and get angry, horrified, whatever. Or they wouldn’t care. They were partaking in white-collar crime without much on their conscience, why would they care for them? Plus, what would they do? Turn Neil and Jack in? As if others haven’t tried with more prolific family members. Hatfords had pull in London they could only ever dream of.“We’re Hatfords.”“Shit, what?” Allison blinked. “As in, the gang? The one who was supposed to show up tonight. That was you guys?”“Yes.”“And yet,” Allison shook her head.”You can’t drive for shit. How is that I can drive better here? I’m not even from here!”“You’re not that good,” Andrew said. “Stop acting as if you are.”“Like you’re any better.” Neil snapped, unthinking. “All you did was something to your car. How does that count as skill?”“Modifying your car is just the first part. You have to know how to drive it as well.” Andrew said. “You clearly know neither.”Neil made up his mind then and there. “Fine.” He said to Allison. “You teach me, I watch your back. Good enough?”“Uh, am I missing something here?” Jack said, joining the conversation again.“I’m doing more racing.” Neil said. He didn’t know how well that would go over with Jack, let alone his uncles and aunts, but he didn’t care.“Huh.” Jack said. “Well. I think that’s fine? Our dear Uncle Stuart mentioned he might need some more...” He looked to the others. “Help. Later on, of course. For now, you can stick your head low.”Neil didn’t miss Andrew’s eyes narrowing again.“Excellent.” Neil said. “Let’s start as soon as possible.”____________________________________________________________________________And so they did. Jack kept his nose out of it, citing that Neil “probably knows best” and that, “Uncle Stuart will let you know if it’s a problem.” He was being surprisingly mild about it, a far cry from the pure energy Jack brought to most things.Neil, on the other hand, felt like he was brimming over with energy.Allison showed up at his door two days after the race alone. She had her keys and said they would be driving outside of the city. Neil went without any hesitation.That began the many days they spent learning the ropes. Allison had many cars all with different drives and capabilities. Neil learned how to drive with each and every one of them. There were also techniques to pick up on. He thought all he had needed was to know how to drift, but Allison quickly corrected that assumption.Grip, heel-toe shifting, rev matching, over-steering, weight transfer, even left foot braking. His hands and knees and thighs hurt from all the driving and the tension. Allison was not a forgiving teacher, nor a patient one. He was to learn fast, and drive fast.But any frustration melted away the first time Allison wanted him to race against her, on a “proper track”. They hijacked some old forgotten professional race car track, where both of them raced each other countless of times.He absolutely loved it.He wondered why he never had the same type of adrenaline rush with this when he was on the run. It was probably the competitive nature of it. Racing and driving for your life were two very different things, Neil learned.And on his end of the bargain, he accompanied Allison to every race. He didn’t always participate, but he loved to see Allison drive her various cars, not all of them luxury supercar, for prize money or bragging rights. He often brought along Jack’s equipment, and learned to figure out how to read for cops. He even caught glimpses of blond hair and sleek black cars at times, and felt his gut clench.Time went on.___________________________________________________________________________Allison lived in a fancy apartment with Renee, who was not just a friend, it turned out. In fact, the two of them were apparently engaged.“Huh.” Neil said, sipping on his tea from his spot on her bar. “I actually thought....never mind.”“What, that I was straight?” Allison scoffed. “You wouldn’t be the first to.”“No, not that.” Neil shook his head. He thought back to the slightly more receptive way Andrew and Renee gravitated around each other. He thought there might have been something there. “It’s just that the first night we met, I almost swore Renee and Andrew were…”“A thing?” Renee finished for him. She was dressed in comfy pajamas and had her laptop in front of her. She ran a nonprofit in London, miraculously of course, thanks to Allison’s support. “You wouldn’t be the first. Our teammates back at college thought the same thing.”‘You guys went to college together?” Neil asked.“Yup.” Allison confirmed, flicking her hair back. “We all played Exy together.”“Exy, huh?” Neil muttered. He knew of the sport, but it never caught his attention. “Sounds fun.”“Not as fun as racing though.” Allison grinned. “We should invite the monster to one of our races. It’ll be fun.”

___________________________________________________________________________It wasn’t fun. Andrew showed up at one of the race tracks, and promptly refused to race with Neil. Allison, rolling her eyes, had decided to have some fun by herself while Neil sulked and Andrew smoked.“Have you beat Allison yet?” He asked Neil, who had sullenly sat on the cracked concrete.“No.”“Then what make you think you can beat me?”“Maybe you’re not better than her. What makes you think you are?” Neil scoffed.“I’ve been driving longer. And I’m not afraid, like she is.” Andrew said. He pointed to the tracks. “She hesitates. No matter her skill, she’s afraid of a too-sharp turn. People who are afraid to die shouldn’t be racing.”Neil snorted. “Real edgy of you.”But Andrew merely looked at him, eyes as intense as they were the night they first met. “I thought, for a second, that you were going to beat me.”Neil blinked. “When we raced?”“Obviously, dumbass.”“I would have. Had you not done something to your car.”“What people do to their vehicles is irrelevant in racing. Because if you can’t control the power it gives you, than it’s all for nothing.” Andrew said, exhaling through his nose. “Skill beat you out. But for a second, I thought you weren’t afraid.”Neil contemplated that. He thought, at one point in his life, that he wasn’t afraid to die. Had resigned himself to it, at the feet of his father. But that didn’t turn out to be the case. When his mother died, Neil hadn’t given up. He never would, if he could help it.“I think you’re wrong.” Neil said. “I am afraid of dying, but that doesn’t mean I can’t beat you.”Andrew merely looked past to the race track, seemingly uncaring. “Maybe.”They stayed quiet for a few moments, hearing the rev and engine of Allison’s car as it did its laps, one after another.Andrew eventually spoke up. “You’re not English.”“Oh yeah?” Neil drawled. “That’s not a comment on my skin tone is, it?”“It’s about your accent.” Andrew pointed out. “Yours sounds fabricated. Like when American actors get those English roles in movies. You’re not from here.”Neil stood. “You’re right.”“Where are you from?” Andrew asked. “Who is Neil Hatford, who looks so little like the others with his red hair and blue eyes?”“Like you’ve seen other Hatfords.”“You’d be surprised how widespread your family is here.” Andrew retorted.Neil could only sigh. “My mother was a Hatford, born and raised here. My father, on the other hand? American. I was born in Baltimore, and raised there for some years.”“So what brings you here?”“Dead people, mostly.”“Now who’s being edgy?” Andrew let his cigarette drop, squashing it with his foot. “I’ll see you later. Renee invited me to one of your post-practice dinners.”“I thought you didn’t like Allison. Or me, for that matter.” Neil said.“Renee bakes an excellent cake.” He said. With that, he got into his car, and drove off. Neil briefly wondered if he owned any others, like Allison did. Cars were often won in races, and someone as good as Andrew should have quite a few by now. Though, Neil supposed he wouldn’t be surprised if he merely drove off after he won. No care in the world.What made him tick? Neil couldn’t help but think that Andrew didn’t quite add up.A professional Exy player with more money than he could ever need. A talented street racer. According to Renee, a twin and a cousin he was silently loyal to. And no fear of death. It was a jagged list of facts of what he knew about Andrew, and it didn’t make much sense.Neil, to his surprise, wished it did. Just like he wished he could race him again.____________________________________________________________________________This last race had been a close call. Allison and Andrew were both participants. Neil was content to watch and keep an eye out.It was good that he did.Cops were commonplace at street races, but the amount that showed up to this particular race was abnormal. It had Neil calling Jack after, from Allison’s apartment.“Ah, cousin!” Jack exclaimed.“Do you know what’s up with the increased police activity tonight? Do they have nothing better to do than crash street races?”“You’re still going to those?” Jack asked. “Well, there’s nothing going on, from what I know. I could be wrong of course.”“So, maybe just a coincidence?” Neil asked. He doubted it, though. Neil didn’t believe in coincidence or happy accidents.“Or…” Jack trailed off. “Maybe someone is trying to stir trouble like we were all those weeks ago, don’t you think?”“Like who?”“Who knows.” Jack replied. “Could be all sorts of people. Nonetheless, I’ll probably bring it up with my dad. He’ll know, probably. Not that he’ll tell me. Have you noticed all of the higher-ups in the family have been skittish lately?”Neil paused. His Uncle Stuart did send him a bizarre amount of messages during the past few weeks, some variant of “how are you” usually, with no explanation why.“Kind of.” Neil answered. “It’s been weird.”“Hmmm.” Jack hummed. “Things to think about. Oh! And Aunt Isolde wants me to tell you to call her tomorrow. She needs help with the budget.”“Will do.” Neil sighed. “Bye.”“Ta, cousin!”Neil hung up and pocketed his phone. Andrew and Allison, who had been glaring at each other across the room, turned to Neil.“Everything alright?” Renee asked, from her place on the loveseat.“I think so.” Neil said. They had had a quick escape, Neil having crammed into Andrew’s car while Renee dove for Allison’s. She wasn’t shaken, but she seemed to recognize that the amount of cops that showed up to that race was not normal. “My cousin said nothing was up on our side of things. Doesn’t know what was up.”Renee just sighed. “I wish you all had different hobbies.”“Racing isn’t a hobby, Renee.” Allison huffed.“Then why don’t you do it professionally?” Andrew asked. Neil looked to Allison, wondering this himself.“My parents would never allow it.” She sneered. “Just like your record doesn’t even allow you to do it either.”“I don’t want to race professionally.” Andrew said, dead tone. “I don’t want anything.”Neil scoffed. “Sure.”Andrew turned his stare to him. “Racing’s just a way to pass time. Not my fault you actually like doing it, and aren’t good at it.”Allison scoffed. “Neil’s improved. Plus, he’s a natural. And him against you? I’d bet on him. Just wait, one of these days.”Renee just smiled, and stood, facing Allison. “Do you mind coming with me to the store down the street? We need some groceries for tomorrow morning and I don’t want to worry about them.”Neil watched as Andrew looked at Renee, a hint of aggravation on his blank face.“Sure, whatever.” Allison flipped her hair off her shoulders, and grabbed her coat. “Feel free to stay here, fuckfaces. We may or may not bring back curry.”Neil shrugged, and watched as they left him and Andrew alone.“Do you like anything?” Neil asked him, after a few moments of silence. “In general.”Andrew just raised an eyebrow at him. “Nothing.” He said. Neil must have looked unimpressed, because Andrew followed that up with: “As if you like anything either.”“What do you mean by that?”“The only thing I’ve ever seen you talk or care about is racing, and apparently, this is an interest only recently taken up. Like some bored junkie.” Andrew said. “So, that means you must have had nothing to keep you entertained before.”Neil shrugged. “I guess the life of a criminal isn’t all that glamorous. It’s fine.”“It’s boring.” Andrew drawled.“A bit.” Neil conceded. “Racing’s a change of pace. I like the speed, the controlled aggression, the competition.” Neil paused. “Allison tells me it’s a lot like Exy. How come you don’t like that?”“Exy and racing are two different things. Neither of which I enjoy.” He muttered. “One makes money. The other helps pass time.”“But no...passion for either of them?” Neil frowned. “Joy, interest?”“What exactly made you come to a family you hadn’t grown up with.” Andrew said, changing the topic. Neil felt his mouth pull unhappily but he let him do it.“My mother died. My father’s not a nice man.” Neil said. “And the Hatfords were willing to take me in. Simple.”“And you sought to blend in. Speaking the accent. Performing familial duties. Dragging on from day to day.” Andrew said.“It’s a life.” Neil said. “There are worse ones to be had.”“I suppose you’re right.” Andrew said. “You do what you don’t enjoy because there are worse things. Because you are tied to invisible deals and strings. That’s what I do.”“Allison mentioned you paid for your twin’s medical school. Is that one of those deals and strings you’re talking about? Why you play Exy when you hate it.”“I don’t hate Exy.” Andrew’s hand twitched. “And yes, it may be.”“And racing?”“A way to pass time, as I said before.”“And why do you need to pass time?” Neil asked.“It keeps me here.” Andrew said.Neil felt that he meant in a more universal manner, than in the more obvious way he could have meant it. Neil would admit it, that racing had piqued his attention, had made his run blood, and heart pick up. It was good to feel something but the numb awareness of days passing you by. He wondered if Andrew had ever found something like that, did he let it go? Did he lose it some way or another? Or perhaps, he was still looking for it, in his own way of doing so.____________________________________________________________________________Time passed again, only this time, it passed in a stranger way than before.There were two things. Two people, if Neil was being specific. Andrew and Stuart.Andrew, somehow, became something akin to...a friend. An acquaintance he saw on the regular, more like it. Ever since the dinner at Allison’s and Renee’s place, he had dropped by Neil’s for nightly visits (impolite nightly visits, Neil should add, as they were often after races or whatever other hobbies Andrew had at night  - Neil was tired of being woken up) to smoke and have odd conversation.And despite the nuisance, Neil always let him in. He always made two cups of tea, one he sipped at and another Andrew didn’t even touch. They spoke. They sat in silence. And then he left.Neil found himself sharing things about himself that he never thought he could utter to living beings. Worst of all, he had himself admitting his apathy to his current living situation. Neil should be grateful that the Hatfords took him in, that he was still breathing while his father stalked the States. Regardless, Andrew looked at him and took it all in. No comments, no judgement. Just blank acceptance.And Andrew himself shared tidbits of himself as well. Neil found himself treasuring any bit that would help him understand Andrew better. He heard of his twin brother, of his cousin, of ugly foster homes, and uglier inhabitants. His mother.“How’d you learn how to drive like that?” Neil had asked once.“The first time I played around with the capabilities of a car was when I was planning on killing my mother.”Neil had only blinked.“Car crash?”“Intentional. Yes.” Andrew had breathed out the smoke in his mouth. “She was a nuisance.”Neil couldn’t imagine killing his own mother, but Andrew had had his reasons.And so, understanding bloomed between them, their not-real rivalry taking a backseat to it all. Andrew was a welcome change to his regular day-to-day, and he found himself thinking of what he would do when he back to the States.The other (unwelcome) change to his day-to-day was his Uncle Stuart.Uncle Stuart had never been a constant fixture is Neil’s life, but he had always been a protective element. When he and his mom would travel to England in rare trips, he knew he was safe. No lurking shadows in the hall, no knife lesson, no temperamental butchers. So while Neil hadn’t spent much time with Stuart, he - almost unwillingly - trusted him. So while he didn’t think he was up to something, he did think Stuart had been ridiculously strange these past days.For one, he insisted on daily visits. Neil enjoyed his privacy, and having his Uncle to entertain every morning was driving him to unbelievable heights of impatience.“How are you doing, Neil?” He would ask, as he brought a coffee and and a bagel for him. He would walk around his apartment, nod to himself, and proceed to either talk to him about upcoming family business.See: “Aunt Isolde is throwing a party this upcoming Sunday. You should come.”See: “Your mother liked a curry spot some blocks away from here back in the day. You should see if your cousins want to go.”See: “Remember to make it to the monthly family meeting, Neil. It’s quite important.”And so for, up until he would pat him awkwardly on the shoulder, and quickly turn to leave.Something was up. Neil knew it. He would investigate more, but between Andrew, practice and dinner with Allison, as well as his regular duties, he found himself too busy to do so.In retrospect, he really wished he had.___________________________________________________________________________Neil hung up his coat, keys, and dropped the small batch of books Renee had gifted him earlier that night. Apparently, there had been a sale at her favorite gift shop and had been inspired to buy Neil a whole bunch of books on the history of drag racing.(Neil couldn’t bear to tell her he hadn’t picked up a book since his last year of schooling.)He had dinner earlier that night, but felt like a cup of tea, especially since Allison continued to fail at brewing a single decent cup. He let himself go through the motions of making his cup of tea. He wasn’t a huge fan of it when he first arrived in England, but the putting the water to boil and the leaves to seep, pouring himself a cup felt like a ritual now.When he was done, he took the cup to his small balcony and let himself enjoy it, looking down on the streets below.The more and more he drove with Allison, ate with Renee, and talked with Andrew, the more he wondered at his place here. What was keeping him tied to the Hatfords? His mother, perhaps. Gratitude, maybe. An inability to find himself in a place where he belonged - most likely.He sighed, and the chill of the air made him see the cloud his breath made.He got up and was ready to go inside when something caught his eye. A woman, long blonde hair with high-heeled boots, bundled up in a coat. The way she moved, how she kept her hand inside the coat, it reminded him of -His doorbell rang. His heart spiked up to his throat, and he turned quickly towards the sound. He approached quietly, and looked through the peephole.It was Andrew. Neil let a gust of a breath out and opened the door.Andrew quickly quirked an eyebrow. “Not expecting me?” He asked, fully aware that he had never let Neil know when he was coming over.“Uh, no.” He looked back to the balcony. His mind was playing tricks, it seemed. “Just...thought I saw something.”“You look tense.”“Sure.” Neil conceded. “Want some tea?”“No.” Andrew said.“You could have said that when I continued to give you some all this time.” Neil groused.“I wanted to see when you would eventually stop.” Andrew said.“Are you going to come in?” Neil raised an eyebrow.Andrew looked at him for a long second. “No.” He shook his head slowly. “Come on. Follow me. There’s something to show you.”____________________________________________________________________________They stopped at another abandoned race track. This one was more hidden than the others. How many of these did Allison and Andrew know about? They weren’t even English. (The power of money and sole-minded focus, he figured). It was twisting and curving, with long stretches of straight road, surrounded by a thicket of trees on all sides.Andrew had them switch spots, Neil sitting behind the wheel.“I want to see you drive this, as fast as you can.” Andrew said. “And if I think you can do it, I’ll race you.”Weeks upon weeks have passed since that very first race. And with those weeks, were practice races and dinners and unapologetic nightly talks. Neil thought about how he hadn’t wanted to race Andrew for a while now, content enough to be in his presence.“I don’t wanna race you anymore.” Neil said. Andrew looked at him, an eyebrow quirked. “How about this: I race this under a certain time limit, and I can ask you a question.”“You want to ask me a question.”“Yes.”Andrew stayed silent for a long moment. “Fine.” He said. “Drive this entire track under three minutes without stopping, and I’ll answer your question.”Neil grinned. “Alright.” With that, he took off.He was practically flying.Andrew’s Maserati was a well-maintained machine, a monster on the roads, blurring past the trees. Neil let the smell of the leather, of Andrew’s smoke, amd the pure adrenaline spike guide him through the various twists of the track. He kept his left foot on the brake, carefully timing each and every turn, drift, and instance of grip.He didn’t even keep track of time, nor did he worry about it. He let himself slide across the finish line with a wild grin and a beating heart that could have popped from his chest for all he cared. As long as he had this, he would live.“Two fifty.” Andrew announced, looking up from his phone. “I believe you’ve won a question.”Neil let himself take deep breaths, letting himself calm down from the experience. “Why did you take me here?”“That’s it? That’s your question?”“Yeah.” Neil said.“I already told you. I wanted to see if you were ready to race.”“Since when do you care about that?” Neil shook his head. “No, you had a different motive for tonight, one that you decided to pursue by taking advantage of the fact I wanted to race you.”Andrew merely looked at him. And looked away. “Ask me another question.”“What? Why?”“Because when I answer your first one, it won’t be an equal trade.”Neil frowned, confused. “What does that mean?”“It means I only took you here because I wanted to see you race. To see how you take to it.” Andrew said. “To gauge what makes you do it.”“You mean what makes me like it so much?”“No, I know you like it. I wanted to see why you do.”“It’s fast. It’s usually competitive. And I like the control.” Neil shrugged. “It gives me something to be excited about. Isn’t that something? A sort-of purpose? Something to look forward to.”“No.” Andrew answered. “Racing provides me control, I agree with you on that. But it doesn’t give me anything to look forward to, other than the possibility of an end.”There it was again.“You want to die?” Neil said, pit in his stomach.“I don’t want anything.”“But you clearly wouldn’t mind an end.” Neil pointed out. “Why?”“Is that your question? The one you just won?” Andrew looked at him straight in the eye. Neil nodded. “Because there’s is little live for. Not much things are interesting enough to keep my attention, at the end of each day.”“What about your brother, though? Or your cousin? Or...Renee, she’s your friend, isn’t she?” Neil shook his head. “Or this?”“This?” Andrew’s lip curled disdainfully for a split second. “There is no ‘this’. This is nothing.”“What, so you come to my place to just stare at my walls? You can do that at home.”Andrew ignored him. Neil stayed quiet, breathing steadily next to him.“I think I felt that way,” He started. “Back before all of this. I was...going through the motions. Letting familial duties take me where they would. But now.”“Now?”“I don’t know.” Neil muttered. “I feel more animated. More awake.”“You’re just an adrenaline junkie looking for his next fix.” Andrew murmured, lighting another cigarette. “Hardly credible.”“No. That’s not all. It’s the after too. Dinners with Allison and Renee. Talking with you at night.” Neil shrugged. “It’s good. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s good. Don’t you want something like that?”“No.” Andrew said, looking away.“I thought I would keep running with my mother forever, I hated it. And then when she was gone, and I was brought to the Hatfords, I thought maybe...maybe something would click. It didn’t. But now things are changing and I feel...happy? Especially around you guys.” Especially around Andrew, he wanted to add, but refrained himself from doing so. Jack had commented a few days back, when he had almost run into Andrew making his way out of Neil’s studio on how attached they were becoming.(“The blond midget again, cousin?” Jack had smiled, coming into his studio right after Andrew had left. He had to deliver urgent papers to Neil for his perusal. “Are you two dating? I thought you didn’t date, or at least, that’s what you told Elle.”“I don’t,” Neil could only frown, letting a furrow appear on his brow. “Or at least, I think I don’t." Sometimes, the way Andrew stared at his lips made him wonder about that. Or when he placed his hand to the back of Neil’s neck, needing his attention out when Neil was busy in the kitchen and not wanting to speak. Or when he sometimes let Neil rest his weight on him on the balcony, talking about this and that.“Well.” Jack had raised an eyebrow. “It’d be great if you could figure that out, because I don’t see you doing nightly meetings with that leggy blonde you talk to so much.”“...Right.” He had said. And looking at the cracked-open door Jack forgot to close, he hoped Andrew hadn’t caught any of that.)“Isn’t that worth something?” Neil finished finally, letting himself shake those memories from his head. .Andrew turned to look at him. “I once looked for something like that. It ended up crashing and burning.”“When? Your brother?” Neil didn’t know much about Aaron Minyard, but he did know that Andrew kept in touch occasionally with him. There was still bad blood between them because of Andrew’s hand in their mother’s death.“No. A foster mother.” Andrew fingered the sleeves of his jacket, as Neil had so often seen him do. “It didn’t work out.”“What do you mean?”“I thought she had wanted to keep me.” He said. ”It turned out that the only one who wanted to keep me in that household was her son.”Neil frowned. “What do you mean?” “He was into people smaller, younger, and weaker than him.”Neil sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth.“So no,” Andrew said. “It isn’t worth shit.”“Fuck them. Shit. You deserve better than that, Andrew.” Neil said. “That’s not - I don’t -”“Shut up.” Andrew said, opening his car door. “And get out of my car. We need to switch. I’m taking you home.”Neil swallowed, and did as he said. When Andrew started the drive back to London, none of them said a thing.____________________________________________________________________________Jack called a week later.“Hello cousin!” Jack exclaimed, chipper at nine am. “I have news from our dear Uncle Stuart. Seems like they’re in need of another distraction. A big one this time, as they have me making a bunch of bullshit social media accounts to build the hype up.”“Another race?” Neil asked. “It’s been a while.”“Yup.” Jack said. “Also, Stuart said you have to stay in the neighborhood  if the cops come, so don’t go running in the opposite direction.”“What the hell?” Neil frowned. “How am I supposed to get away?”“He said to make use of the south warehouse in the area.” Jack said. “I’d be there with you, but they need me tonight, apparently.”“Do you know what’s up?” Neil asked. “Uncle Stuart has been more...intense lately.”“I still don’t know what’s going on, but it’s big. I imagine when it’s all over, we’ll all get big memos to look over.” He said. “Regardless, he sounded pretty serious about staying in the area.”Neil just sighed. “I’ll be there. Text me details. Also how much money I should bring.”“You got it.” Jack said. “I’ll let you if anything else comes up. I've got the cash. You still have that surveillance equipment right? Make sure to use it!”“Got it. Bye.” Neil said, promptly hanging up.He had raced, with Allison, in actual races a few times over these past couple of months. But as far as Uncle Stuart’s needs for distractions went, they were few and far between. It surprised him that this one came by after so long.It sounded big too. Jack must be making a lot of noise about it as Neil stood in his studio. He pulled out his phone again. He texted Allison the details, telling her to show up. He hesitated a bit, but also did the same with Andrew, who had given him his phone number sometime after the second time he had visited Neil. They had talked after the night at the race track, but Neil found Andrew a bit more distant. His silences were different than before, and Neil had worried he had said too much that night. He shouldn’t have assumed anything about Andrew’s place in his life, knowing how disinterested Andrew was in any sort of relationship.He sent the text regardless. Andrew would show if he wanted to or not, as was his way. Neil would respect it.He spent the rest of the day nursing some tea on the balcony, and as the time passed by. The sun slowly crawled down and disappeared behind his view of the world, and all was left was the dim twilight. Neil got up, ready to make dinner and prepare for tonight, but before he could turn away, that same feeling he had a week ago crawled down his spine.He leaned over the balcony.There it was, another glimpse of that woman. She walked down the street, with that familiar gait. Neil’s stomach churned in remembrance.He shook his head. There was no point to this.He was being suspicious and was probably hopped up on nerves and excitement. He closed his balcony door firmly when he got back inside, and made his way to the kitchen, making sure not to look back.___________________________________________________________________________The air was heady when Neil arrived, and the parking lot packed. Now that he finally knew what the local racing scene looked like (young, crazed, and broke for the most part), he understood why everyone was so hyped up that first night. Having the Hatfords involved upped the stakes and brought out highbrow racers, similar to Allison. Neil would include Andrew in that, but he was uncaring enough that he went to whichever race was going on when the mood struck.He quickly parked the Pagani near what he assumed where the other racing cars, peeking Allison’s favorite Porsche among them. He thought he might have seen Andrew’s Maserati, but it was dark enough that he wasn’t sure.He easily found who he needed to find, the organizing ringleader for the night and passed along the cash needed to participate.“It’ll be a bit of a hectic night, mate.” The man said. “Just letting you know.”“How so?”“Lots of money here tonight.” He said. “We figured we would make it fair to some of the drivers who’re regulars, so that means we’re upping the entry fee and doing one big race, everyone involved, throughout the city.”“We’re leaving the area?” Neil asked, frowning a bit.“A bit yeah. We’re skipping heavy traffic roads, of course, but we wanted to make it a little more exciting.” The man laughed. “We got word that last time the race was this big, there was no chance anyone but one of you rich fucks was going to win. We’re making it a little more fair this time.”“How many drivers are there this time?”“Twenty or so?” The man answered. That was a lot fewer than last time. “Admittance to it went up a bit. But watch out, dirty driving is going up tonight, I imagine.” He laughed.Neil only shrugged, and wandered into the fray of people.He caught sight of Allison and Renee milling about a street light, Allison filing her nails while Renee talked on the phone. He made to go to them, but was startled by a figure at his side.“Andrew.” Neil smiled. “You made it.”“Somehow, yes.” Andrew sighed. “It looks like you’ll finally get your desired rematch tonight, junkie.”Neil rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the grin on his face. “Hardly. But it will be fun to beat you. Or see Allison do it.”“Both of you wish.” He said.Neil found himself sobering. “You haven’t stopped by my place in a bit.”“I didn’t want to.” Andrew said. Neil felt his stomach twist at the words, and his lips pull to a frown. Andrew noticed.  “What does that mean?” Neil asked.“What did you mean, when you said “this”, back at the tracks?” Andrew said quietly,  his words muffled by the hand holding a cigarette in front of his mouth. It seemed nonchalant, but the way that his eyes settled on Neil had his heart rate picking up.“I-” Neil started, and stopped. He had missed Andrew this past week, spending most of his nights on his couch, sending looks to his front door. He had also had to deal with Jack’s (and Elle’s on one occasion) invasive questions. He wasn’t sure what he felt for Andrew, but he knew it was no one’s business but his own - and maybe Andrew’s. He sucked a breath in. “I don’t - I’m not used to...feeling like this for people. It’s not that I assume you -”“Stop.” Andrew said. He let his cigarette drop to down, and his hand twitched. Neil’s stomach clenched further at his obvious agitation. Neil should’ve known better. Andrew wanted for nothing. “We have a race.”“Uh, okay.”Andrew merely led him over to Renee and Allison. Neil followed silently, desperately trying to focus on the upcoming race. He didn’t have to win, but he wasn’t about to let himself look like a fool when Allison was clearly expecting his best.“Hey, fuckfaces.” Allison greeted, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Renee was holding her other hand, and they seemed excited for tonight.“Andrew. Neil.” Renee greeted. “It’s good to see you both. Tonight will be quite the race, huh? I’m so excited for all of you.”“So, the Hatfords had a hand on this one too?” Allison asked. Neil nodded.“Be ready for police presence at some point in the night.” Neil said. “Apparently, there’s something big coming up.”Neil was still wondering what in the world it could possible be, but to be truthful, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know just yet.“This showdown will be started in a few.” Allison said. “There are some fuckers I’ve caught that have beat me before, when I first arrived in London.” She glared at some spot over Neil’s shoulder. “I’ll teach them tonight what some practice can do.”Neil only grinned at her, buoyed by Allison’s attitude, never-changing.“And, of course,” She continued. “I’m looking forward to leaving the two of you in the dust.”“Keep dreaming, Reynolds.” Andrew muttered, hands in pocket.“Renee!” Allison brightened with an idea. “You should ride with me! It’s going to be a long circuit.”“Hm.” Renee looked thoughtful at the idea, whereas Neil would’ve thought she would’ve rejected it immediately.She must be a good mood. They stayed like that for a bit more, talking and joking. Neil sent Andrew a few looks throughout the conversation, swearing that Andrew returned some of them moments later. But Allison’s confidence and the sweet support in Renee’s voice always pulled him back in, his blood heating with anticipation.“You considered putting in those upgrades I recommended, right Neil?” Allison asked.“Yeah, of course -" “Drivers!” A voice boomed. “It’s time! Get to your cars and drive to the starting line.”Neil then just shrugged, and with that, they made their way to their respective cars. Neil got in his, turned the car on, rolled his windows down, and drove it right next to Andrew’s. Andrew merely threw an unimpressed look his way, and then kept his eyes on the road.Neil just gripped his steering tighter. And as he was going to throw another look to Andrew, he felt his phone buzz.Startled, he took the phone out and checked the screen, bold white letters on a black background. Jack.“Jack,” Neil answered. “I really can’t talk right now - and before you ask, yes, I got that surveillance app connected to the bluetooth." “Balls, Neil! Listen! That’s not what I called for -” Jack said, sounding frantic. “I just found out what’s going on, they wanted to keep you in the dark, but I don’t think that’s a good idea -”“Ready, drivers!?”“Shit. Jack,” Neil said. “I’ve got to go, I’ll call you first thing when this is over.”“Neil - wait! It’s your-”As a woman with a flag approached the side of the track, Neil immediately hung up, recognizing he had seconds to put down his phone in the appropriate spot and get in position. Nonetheless, he saw Andrew’s head quickly turn in his direction, as he no doubt heard the conversation.But there were more pressing matters to attend to.Neil let his car rev, and when the flag dropped, he let it burst into action, the speed jarring. He focused on the beginning frenzy of the race, cars vying to get a leg up on everyone else as the large number of them sought to converge on the streets without crashing.Neil, having left the window open, heard cars already lose control. They crashed and clanked against each other, and most importantly, they slowed each other down. If they didn’t get in control past this next marked corner, they were doomed.Neil put more pressure on his gas pedal, letting his grip on the wheel tightened, and as the curve came up, he quickly put his complete focus on sliding across the turn, keeping up with the rest of drivers who still had their wits together. He caught view of Allison and Andrew, not too far ahead. But also let himself glance at the rearview mirror, noting the few crashes and sidelined cars that had appeared.Neil grinned.When he was back on straight roads, he changed the drive and let the car give him a boost, quickly blurring past a few cars, and catching up to what seemed to be Allison. He threw her a look, and found her giving him the bird with her windows down, eyes on the road, and her flaring wildly. He thought he saw Renee in the car, giving him a friendly wave.Unbelievably (or maybe entirely so), Allison did something clever with her dash, and sped forward. Neil could only huff a laugh and strain to catch up. While he was getting close, he spotted a black car blur past both of them - Andrew - and cursed.He slammed on the gas pedal, letting the car climb to full speeds, and fought to stay in-control as he avoided crashing into other vehicles.He almost missed the turn. Brakes screeching, he drifted across it, only slightly out of control, and barely missing hitting another car. Andrew didn’t seemed to be as lucky, and nicked what looked to be an Aston Martin. Neil winced for him, but was also grateful. That mess-up gave him the ability to pull forward.He laughed. But his lead wasn’t to last, because in his distraction, Neil missed a car, wicked red, pull into the street. He only caught it when it pulled up beside him and swept to the side to throw him off-guard.“The hell?!” Neil grit his teeth. Where had that car come from? Neil swore it hadn’t been in the race before.“Hi, Junior!” A voice called out.Neil’s blood froze.“It’s been so long!” A woman’s voice. Lola. Damn it. That’s what Jack had been trying to say back at the car. “You wouldn’t mind if we pulled you from the race right? We’ve sent to cops running just about every which way in this damned city! We’re here to save you!”  Fuck off!” Neil bit out, slamming back into the car. He considered what he said about the police. They were always meant to come here, at some point in the night, though not this early, but what did it mean to say that they were going elsewhere?Had his father’s goons thrown them at the Hatfords? Shit. Was his father here?! Neil felt the black edges of a panic attack begin to rise. He should have let Jack finish, damn it all.“If you don’t stop your car, sweetheart, we’ll be forced to cause trouble with some of your friends!” Lola taunted, waving a gun, from the passenger’s seat. In the driver’s seat was her brother, Romero, from what Neil could see.“Fuck.” He whispered. He could easily imagine it, Allison and Andrew both had their windows down and would not doubt be easy targets for wayward bullets. Neil swallowed, and pulled over, jerking the car dangerously to the side. He saw other cars pass by.But Lola’s just came closer. “Quick now, Nathaniel! Your father’s waiting.”Neil’s stomach dropped, and he considered just letting her kill him right then and there. But, not wanting to draw a scene, and already hearing the screech of tires as some cars stopped, he got in and acquiesced. Immediately, once in the backseat, he saw Patrick DiMaccio ready for him with a pair of handcuffs.Neil could only swallow and repress the intense fear he felt at their sight.All these years of running...somehow, Neil wasn’t too surprised that it came to this. He managed to forget about his father’s presence on this planet for so long, but deep down, Neil knew he would never be able to rest until either he was dead or his father was.“Nathaniel.” The man smiled. “Your father’s very eager to see you. I hope you’re ready.”“You...don’t have to do this,” Neil tried, feebly.“Oh, but we do, sweetheart.” Lola said, as Romero shifted gears and took off, fast as a bullet.Neil was quick to obey DiMaccio’s orders to lower his head, and stayed that way for minutes upon minutes, willing himself to think of plans, to not to think of what his father had in store for him.This is why he didn’t see it coming when the car swerved out of Romero’s control. Neil’s side hit the window, and the whiplash made it hard for him to lift his head.“Fuck!” Romero exclaimed. “Someone’s after us!”“If these are one of your little friends, Junior, I swear -” Lola was cut off by another hit to the car. Neil fought this time to keep himself from hitting the side of the car so hard. This time, he caught eye of a sleek, black car.“No,” Neil breathed. If that was truly Andrew, Neil didn’t want to think what his father’s men would do to him.“Push back, and then get the fuck out of here!” Lola smacked Romero’s upper arm. “Cops are going to be showing up soon!”“It’s a little harder than it looks, Lola.”The car was hit again, but this time, with enough force that Romero couldn’t pull it back from hitting the sidewalks and a streetlight. Neil’s head hit the window that time, and he couldn’t help but give out a curse.“Back up,” Lola grunted.“Going.”And once more, the car was hit, pushing them more and more into the sidewalk. Romero curse, and ducked, as Lola fired her gun to the the outside of the car. Neil’s heart seized in worry. If that hit Andrew…But the Maserati reversed and Neil couldn’t move enough to tell where it had gone.“Let me out!” Lola said, trying to climb over Romero and get out the car. “I’m dealing with this myself.”“Wait! No!” Neil’s teeth were clenched with pain.“Oh, don’t worry Junior. Whoever this friend of your is, I plan on skinning him myself.” Lola laughed. “Patrick! Keep him restrained.”“Gotcha.”“Stop!” Neil grunted.Neil couldn’t keep his heart from wanting to seemingly exit out of his body in anxiety and nerves. When he heard a few gunshots, he could have sworn it stopped.“Goddamn it.” He heard Lola say to Romero. “There are more people coming. Help me out, here.” Romero made to get out of the car.Neil thanked his mother for every lecture and exhaustive conversation on what to do if he ever got caught, because the moment that DiMaccio’s attention shifted towards Lola, saying something, Neil viewed an opening. He threw himself back at the side of the car, and quickly used his hands to grasp at the handles of the car door. By the time DiMaccio noticed, Neil had sprawled into the sidewalk back-first. He hit his head, which jarred him for a bit - he had to have had a concussion by now - but was able to make into a backwards crawl across the sidewalk, scraping his hands.“Neil!” He heard someone call. It sounded like a feminine voice, nothing like Andrew, who upon looking, was ducking in his car. The Maserati was on, and still capable of achieving fast speeds in seconds. He figured that’s why Lola hadn’t just charged at him yet. One firm push on the pedal and she’d be a smear on the concrete. “Hey! Get away from him!”“Allison?” Neil coughed.He heard another gunshot. Lola? But when he heard the heavy thud of DiMaccio’s body hit the ground with a curse, he knew he had been hit.“Let’s go, Neil - Quick!” Allison said, grabbing him and helping him up. “We’ll have to get into Andrew’s car, there’s no way we can get him out of his if we get into ours.”“You absolute bitches!” Lola yelled. Neil heard a few more gunshots go off in his direction.“She’s quite rude, isn’t she?” He heard Renee say, coming up by him. Neil looked up to her and saw her holding a small, simple gun. She was pointing it at Lola. Romero must have been down too, if that was the case.“Andrew, open your fucking car!” Allison knocked angrily at the window. Neil lifted his head to see Andrew ducking, but nonetheless reaching for the button to unlock the car. Allison quickly herded Neil into the backseat, and Renee took the front. She immediately slid down the window to point the gun at Lola once more.“You need to drive now, Andrew.” Renee murmured.“Shit! The big guy’s up!” Allison exclaimed looking out the window.“Duck!” Andrew exclaimed from the front. Two shots cracked the glass. “Andrew, drive already!” Allison said. “Also - I think Neil has a concussion.”“Nrgh.” Neil tried to protest, but words were hard to form under the pressure building in his head. And before he knew it, the car was speeding away, Andrew somehow managing to drive without seeing the road.Eventually, the clanks and shots and sirens that had been building on that street faded, and Neil only heard the regular noises of London traffic.“Does he have his phone on him?” Renee said up front. “We can contact his family?”“How do we know his family isn’t responsible for this, huh?” Allison said. “They’re a mob family or whatever. They could have gotten him wrapped up in one of their messes.”Neil tried to shake his head at that, but it throbbed at even the slightest movement that he could only wince.“No.” That was Andrew. He hadn’t spoken much as they drove. “I overheard his phone call with his cousin. He tried to warn him. “Neil,” Allison said, tapping him. He felt the sharp jab of her nails on his shoulder.  “Neil, we need your phone. Is it on you?”Neil feebly reached into his jean pocket, and slid the phone out. He tried to hand it to Allison, but apparently, judging from his quick exhale, he was too slow. She grabbed it and quickly opened it.“This thing’s old as fuck, Neil. God.”“Call the last number contacted.” Andrew said.“On it.” A pause. “Don’t tell me what to do.”There was a silence in the car, but Neil couldn’t help the groan that slipped from his mouth when the car went over a bump and jostled him.“Gentle...Andrew.” Renee quietly said.“Fuck off.”“Hello?” Allison perked up. “Is this Jack or whatever? Neil’s cousin?”A beat.“We have him. Some assholes took him during the race. There’s a bit fucking mess back there.” More silence. “He is. Concussion. Probably?" “Ask him where we can take him.” Renee whispered.“No - wait - listen!” Allison snapped. “Where do we take him? The hospital? His place? ” She quieted. “Right. And where is that? Here, no, wait. I’m not even driving right now, let me pass you to him.”She held the phone out to the front seat. “Here you go, monster. They want him at their official estate.”Andrew grabbed the phone. “Well?” Was the only word he said for the rest of the ride.______________________________________________________________________________Neil woke to warm lamplight and a black figure sitting at the edge of the bed, looking down at something. The blond hair gave who it was away.His head throbbed. His mouth was dry and unpleasant. He apparently had a change of clothes, since he felt like he was wearing soft cotton. He wanted water.As he struggled to get up on his elbows, Andrew turned to him.“Lay down, idiot.” He said, moving closer. He grabbed the water, and placed a steel straw into it. Never let it be said that the Hatfords weren’t environmentally conscious.Neil laid back down on the hoard of pillows behind him, and let Andrew hand him the water. He took a few sips. “What happened?” “Your murderous father happened.” Andrew deadpanned. “Thanks for telling us about that, by the way.”Neil bit his cheek. “Sorry.”“You said he was trouble. You never said he was still alive.”“I didn’t want to think about it.”“These Hatfords apparently knew he was here for a while...your cousin said they were dealing with him. Apparently, he outwitted them and got to you anyway.” Andrew said. His hands twitched, like they wanted a cigarette, but he was staring right at Neil.Neil swallowed.“I should’ve known.” Neil said quietly. “My uncle was so jumpy. I wondered why. And I was seeing things.” He thought of that woman from the balcony. “Guess I wasn’t going crazy after all.”“Your cousin said they managed to get to your father, at the end of the night.” Andrew said. “But that the whole business with his henchmen caused another set of issues.”“I imagine.” Neil winced. That kind of mess was going to be a bitch for the Hatfords to clean up. “Thank you, by the way. For stopping...helping. You didn’t have to do that.”“Shut up.”“And I’m sorry about the Maserati, it can’t be in good condition after that.”Andrew just shook his head and stayed quiet.Neil looked at him, bathed in the warm lamplight, his hair in many shades of gold. Andrew didn’t have to stop. He didn’t owe Neil shit. But he did, and he risked Lola’s bullet in his head for him.“Can I kiss you?”Andrew looked up, sharply. His mouth made to move into something else before it settled on: “No.Neil just let his mouth twist. “Sorry." “You’re concussed.”Neil blinked. He was concussed. But he wouldn't be a few days or so. “Does that mean that -”There door opened. “Fuckface one and fuckface two, thank God.” Allison said, strolling in. “Your family was driving me insane. They're coming in to talk soon.”“It's good to see you, Neil. Conscious, specifically." Renee threw in with a gentle smile. “Cousin!” Jack barged in. Following him was Uncle Stuart, and Elle, his older cousin. “You’re awake.”“Jesus, Neil.” Elle groused. “Way to give us a hell of scare.”“Maybe if you would have told him that his gangster sunovabitch father was here, he would’ve been ready.” Jack frowned.Uncle Stuart shook his head. “Enough. What’s done is done.” He said. He slid a look to Neil. “Regardless, it is good to see you awake and whole, Neil.”“Thanks.” He muttered, sneaking a look at Andrew. He wasn’t looking at anyone, just staring blankly at the wall.“Um, where're our thanks?” Allison put her hands on her hips. Renee appeared, seemingly from nothing next to her. “We saved you?”“Of course,” Neil said, reddening. “Thanks."“Hmph! You’re welcome.”“Alright, let’s get back on topic.” Stuart said. “There is good news, and bad news.”“As to be expected.” Elle said.“Let’s start with the good news. Your father’s dead. Most of his henchmen are dead too, and you should be free of that disgusting lot.” Stuart said to Neil. “Apologies,” He looked sad for a moment. “We meant to tell you, but your other uncles and I thought it would be best to not worry you with it when we thought we had it under control.”Neil thought he heard a scoff come from Andrew. He fought to hide a grin. Ass.“Bad news is that we can’t really cover up the mess that happened last night.” Stuart explained. “For any of you.”“So, we have to ditch the UK. All of us."“Basically.” Jack sighed.“Goddamnit.” Allison groused.“Obviously, the three of you.” Stuart threw a significant look to Allison, Renee, and Andrew. “Will be fine. It’s Neil I’m worried about.”“Shit, Uncle Stuart, where will he go?” Elle asked.Neil just sighed, already feeling his head worsen with the plans that would have to be made. Andrew looked over at him. Neil caught his eye. He watched as Andrew made his mind up about something.Neil froze as he said his next words.“He can come with us.” Andrew said. It was the first time he spoke since people entered and his stare was fixated on Stuart. “Surely the Hatfords need an informant or whatever overseas, no?”“And where would he stay?” Stuart raised an eyebrow.“With me. With us.” Andrew said. Neil blinked, not quite believing Andrew was saying what he was saying.“There might still be Wesninsky henchmen crawling around.” Jack crossed his arms.“And?” Allison scoffed. “I think we just showed we had that covered better than you idiots did. “Okay, now.” Renee placed a placating hand on Allison’s arm. “But Neil can certainly have a place to stay in the U.S.”“We could have some work to be done there.” Elle mused, hand on chin. “I think it might be a good idea.”Allison grinned. “So he’s ours now.”Neil really couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Allison and Renee and Andrew...they were friends...in the sense that they were people he spent time with. He didn’t know he actually mattered to him. He felt warmth blossom somewhere in his chest, and a heavy stone settle in his throat.“Dan and Matt are going to love you, just you wait.” Allison laughed.“He’ll drive Kevin insane.” Andrew murmured. “Good.”“He’ll still keep in contact with us.” Stuart said. “Right, Neil?”“Of course.” Neil nodded.“Which means you’re still part of the fam.” Jack grinned. “And still get some money right?” He looked to Uncle Stuart.“What you need. Nothing quite as luxurious as here of course, but certainly enough.” Stuart said, with a dim smile. He scratched his head. “Alright, I need to go speak with the others to figure out how to get you all out of the country.”“Aw, it’ll be fun, Uncle Stuart. Chin up!” Elle laughed. With that, most of them exited the room.Neil watched as Andrew stayed in his spot, watchful as ever. “Why?” He asked.“Why, what?”“Why keep me?”Andrew got up, and for a second, Neil thought he was about to leave. But, and shit, there was his heart going again, he came closer. Andrew sat right in front of him.“Yes or no?” He asked. “Yes?” Neil answered. And with that, Andrew slid a hand to the back of his neck, and pulled him in to rest their foreheads together.“I need to see if I still want to kiss you after you stop being a concussed little shit.” Andrew muttered.“Ignoring the irony of the word ‘little’ in that sentence….Is this romance? Is this what I’ve been missing out in life? “ Neil grinned. “I think I might want a refund.”“Speak to customer service” Andrew sighed. “But they’re underpaid and don’t get benefits, so good luck.”“I think we can make romance more of our own thing anyways. I think I have mild allergy to flowers anyhow.” Neil chuckled, his breath hitting Andrew’s cheek“No flowers.” Andrew agreed.“Maybe chocolates?" “Hmm. Cars, maybe.” They drew slightly back.“The U.S. has a lot more space you know.” Andrew looked down to where Neil’s hand had dropped next to his. Neil turned his palm upward, and to his everlasting surprise, Andrew took it. “The races are better there. Maybe you’ll actually learn to drive there. That means you’ll have to stick with me, instead of that blond harpy.”Allison would have strangled Andrew for that if it wouldn’t have messed with her latest manicure. Neil could only smile. “Sure. But what about Renee?”“They can visit.” Andrew said, looking out to the window. “Sounds like you’ve planned this out.”“..." Neil laughed, and tightened his grip. Wonders upon wonders. Neil stopped running a long time ago, but he never quite got the grasp on living. He thinks this time he might be able to get it right.