Page 23 of Her Sloth

She eyes me.

“Do it before I change my mind,” I say, drawing up my eyebrows, and she does as told.

I don’t know how I ended up here with her, but aside from the resemblance to her sister and our initial dispute, she seems to be not the worst person in the world. And whatever it was back there by the water, she is not the person I thought her to be. Most of all, she is nothing like Elise.

Elise never cried. Always had this hard surface no one could crack through. Audrey is different. Emotional. A thing that isn’t necessarily better. I can’t deal with tears and emotions. But it also felt wrong leaving her alone, especially after what happened with Elise.

I shake the thought as I close the door and walk around the car, where I sit and start the Hellcat; she roars and gurgles in her dangerously deep purr.

“She is a beauty,” says Audrey. “How much more does she have?”

I narrow my eyes at her.

“Who says she has?”

“I can hear it,” she says. “If I were to make a guess, I’d say long-tube headers, upgraded camshaft, and if I’m not entirely wrong, there was the supercharger whine from the smaller pulley.”

I stare at her for a moment. People like her shouldn’t know things like this. Car things. She’s elites, arrogant assholes.

“1001,” I say flatly.

“No wonder no one ever beats you,” she says with a huff. “To be honest, I only beat you because I made you believe I can’t drive.”

I scoff and shake my head in disbelief as I drive off. The Erie Basin Auto Pound is just around the corner.

We drive up to the closed gate with the N.Y.P.D. sign and guard cabin two minutes later.

I park the Hellcat right in front of it. The impound is already closed for retrieval, but I have my ways.

I get out of the car as the guard comes to the gate.

“Trouble,” he says.

“Nah,” I say and add, “homecoming,” with a tilt of my head to Audrey, who gets out of the car, too.

“Which one?” he asks.

“The Elenaor.”

He laughs out loud.

“What?” I ask.

“I bet fifty bucks it was you,” he says. “Get in, she’s in the back, a real beauty.”

“She is,” I say. “Are you in all night? Otherwise you should come by later.”

“All night,” he says. “Tell Nikki I got something in she’ll love.”

“I will,” I say and get back into the car.

Audrey follows me.

The gate opens, and we drive through.

She doesn’t say a word about everything she just witnessed.

“No judgment?” I ask her as we drive into the back of the pound.