Sasha, Not Aleks

eleven - space race

SASHA

I do.

She's nuts. It's amazing. So what she's eating her shashlik like a crazy woman and has been teasing me with meat stick jokes for the past hour, but she's amazing.

And apparently like super fucking ripped but that must be a mechanic thing.

"Mm, Sasha," she swallows what she's been chewing, calling my attention back over to her. I, without the consent of my common sense, let my eyes flicker down her body, trying to figure out if my uncle was right in that my initial bad decision with her was based on sexual attraction. She's gorgeous, I know that, but my eyes keep catching on her legs and the gap in her shirt around her sides.

"Yeah?" I look back up, tearing my eyes away from her.

"What's the plan, what are we doing first?"

I swallow, "first thing on the list is research, then we have to go to a party."

"Oh?" She's interested in that bit, lord knows why. "Like a rich people party or a normal party?"

"Rich people."

"How cool do you think the cars will be?" She leans back in her chair, shirt shifting and folding in a different way, showing me the tension around her chest.

"Pretty cool," I shrug, "we have to go in a car, unfortunately."

"Damn. So what's the task list at the party?"

"Get in Avery's good graces. We're lying and saying that I'm a business partner of one of the random lower offices and you're going to be the one that gets us out of any holes that lying might get us into because he knows you, you're his mechanic. He might not know you well but he knows enough that you're somewhat trustable. Plus, with everything that might happen between now and then, it's probably good to have one of us in his good graces."

She nods, making her ponytail swing a little behind her, then, for a split second, her eyes deviate from their contact with mine, touching on my upper chest and back down my tattooed arm.

I need a cold shower.

"So we're going and we're sweet talking Laughlin Avery? That sounds easy enough."

"Sure," I look up at the ceiling for a moment, distracted again. "We need to get into his good graces, and then get to know as many people in the company as possible. The goal for the night is to make a list of people that would take over Avery's spot if he died, and to figure out who controls the warehouse in South Boston."

"There's a warehouse in Southie? Do you know where it is?" She stands up with her plate, setting it next to the sink before walking her long legs over to the table where all the maps are. "This one's it, right? This red dot?"

"Yeah," I don't really want to stand up but I have to so that she doesn't think I'm being weird. So I get up and I set my plate next to hers and then walk to join her.

"Do you want to go look at it?"

"Tonight?"

"I can meet you there tomorrow after I'm off work, if you'd like. Why, what do you think this is?"

"I know it's drugs, I think it's drugs. I just don't know what type or why. Avery and Co works directly with big pharma, that's why they're so rich. The business is transportation, storage, and distribution of products in healthcare. They work with Massachusetts General Hospital, Emerson, Newton-Wellesley, all those places. They specialize in emergency healthcare assistance- getting important and rare devices from one place to another, general delivery, respirators, all that, and in safe pharmaceutical delivery."