Page 33 of Bastard Bartender

“It only costs a thousand dollars.” The words come out matter-of-factly, like he just said ten dollars instead of a thousand.

I not only gasp, but my jaw drops as well. “Okay, passenger it is.”

They all laugh as a guy approaches us and holds out his hand to Nic.

“Nicolás!” he says as they shake hands. “So glad we finally got you in here.”

“Hey, José. Believe me, we’re just as excited. These are my friends I told you about—Mario, Logan, and Dro—and I brought Evette here last minute to ride shotgun with me.”

“Nice to meet you all. Now, follow me.” He adjusts his baseball cap and leads us down a small hallway with double glass doors at the end, which part as we approach.

We enter through the glass doors to an even larger room in the complex. I feel like I’ve entered a vintage muscle car museum with the way every car is lined up. High-performance two-door American automobiles with V8 engines and gorgeous structures are on display with ropes to keep people at a safe distance. Where the first room had cars with paint so shiny that you could see your reflection, these cars have old-school lacquer. They’re not prissy or pompous. No, these rides are hard-core and badass.

I grab Nic’s arm in excitement. “My grandpa had that Oldsmobile.”

“You know about classic cars?”

“Enough to appreciate an awesome display. After school, I’d get off the bus to see Gramps in the driveway, tinkering away with his midnight-blue 1975 Oldsmobile. He loved that vehicle more than he loved anyone in my family. Except for me, of course. I was his pride and joy.”

His smile gleams in the pin lighting. “He sounds like someone I’d get along with.”

“You would have,” I sigh as I recall my fun-loving grandfather, who used to take me joyriding, even when it was past my bedtime. When he passed away, a small piece of my heart went with him. “Which one are you going to drive?”

“Our cars are probably in the back alley, waiting for us, since we did all the paperwork and set this up last week.”

I nod as José continues to walk us through the facility toward the back. As he opens the door, I see the four cars Nic mentioned when we first spoke this morning.

“Oh!” Mario says as he places his hands on Dro’s shoulders and jumps in the air. “Hell yes!”

Each guy takes their time in checking out the car they’ve been assigned. I enjoy watching their childlike reactions just as much as I like seeing the expensive cars sitting in front of me.

There’s a fifth car, and when I point to it, Nic answers my unasked question, “José is our guide. We’ll follow him. You know, so they make sure we all stay in line and don’t drive a hundred and twenty miles per hour down the freeway.”

I snap my fingers. “Smart man.”

“Yeah, you think he’s done this a time or two and has everything figured out in how to run it.” He pinches my stomach playfully, and I giggle, moving out of the way from his assault. “So, that’s your spot? I’ll have to remember it.”

I skirt out of his reach and walk over to the other side of the car he’ll be driving. It’s a cherry-red Ferrari. I run a finger along the passenger door.

“ ‘He never drives it. He just rubs it with a diaper,’ ” I murmur to myself.

A low chuckle catches my attention. “Gotta love a woman who can quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

“Gotta love a movie about someone who overcomes obstacles in order to live life to the fullest.”

“No way. Everyone knows it’s not Ferris’s story.”

“Oh yeah?” I fold my arms over my chest. “Then, whose story is it?”

“Cameron’s,” he says, like this is common knowledge. “All stories need tension and conflict. Ferris has none. He lives life sans consequences. He skips school and doesn’t get caught. He doesn’t even have to get the girl. He lives a pretty charmed life.”

“Sounds like someone I know.”

He winks at my assessment of him and continues on, “Now, Cameron, if anyone really needs a day off, it’s Cameron. He has to overcome his fears. He’s the one who takes the biggest risk by stealing his dad’s car, and when it all goes wrong, it’s his ass on the line. He decides, I’m not gonna sit on my ass as the events that unfold against me affect my life. I’m gonna take a stand. He takes control of his life.”

“Ferris is the kind of guy you want to be.”

“Cameron is the most relatable.”

“You relate to a guy who has a predetermined destiny?”

“Don’t we all?” Nic replies, opening up the door and sliding in. “Now, come on. Let’s get this baby to purr.”

I open the door and slide in as well. “So, I take it, this is the car you signed up to drive?”

Nic grips the steering wheel, sliding his hands over the smooth leather. It takes him a minute to respond, and I give him that time to enjoy the moment he’s having with an unbelievable car that most people won’t get the chance to sit in during their lifetime.

When he looks at me, he answers, “We get to drive all four.”

“Seriously?”

“Grand Canyon, here we come.” He cranks the engine, and chills instantly run through my body at the sound the car makes around us. “Oh yeah,” he says in complete awe.