Turbo Charged, page 1
part #5 of Commitment Series
Turbo Charged
Commitment 5
Karen Botha
Contents
Hello from London
1. Kyle
2. Elliott
3. Elliott
4. Kyle
5. Elliott
6. Kyle
7. Elliott
8. Kyle
9. Kyle
10. Elliott
11. Kyle
12. Elliott
13. Kyle
14. Elliott
15. Kyle
16. Elliott
17. Elliott
18. Kyle
19. Elliott
20. Kyle
21. Elliott
22. Kyle
23. Kyle
24. Elliottt
25. Kyle
26. Elliott
27. Kyle
28. Kyle
29. Elliott
30. Kyle
31. Elliott
32. Kyle
33. Kyle
34. Elliott
35. Elliott
36. Kyle
37. Elliott
38. Kyle
39. Elliott
40. Kyle
41. Kyle
42. Elliott
43. Kyle
44. Elliott
45. Elliott
46. Kyle
47. Elliott
48. Kyle
49. Elliott
50. Kyle
51. Elliott
52. Kyle
53. Kyle
54. Elliott
55. Kyle
56. Elliott
57. Elliott
58. Kyle
59. Kyle
60. Elliott
Other books by Karen Botha
THANKYOU
61. special thanks
About the Author
Hello from London
Hi everyone,
You’re still here, thank you so much for loving these two boys as much as I do. But, if this is your first foray into the Commitment series, don’t worry, you’ll be fine, you’ll understand what’s going on as all the stories are standalone, but if you read Buckle Up first, you’ll understand the people a little better.
Tube Charged is where real life kicks in for the boys. I loved getting them down and dirty as they fumble through the real issues that we all face in our crazy bad assed lives where we’re all spinning a million plates to stay afloat.
As always, don’t take Elliott and Kyle’s lives too seriously, and if some facts don’t tie in with our lives, what does it matter? These guys have their own universe which is way better than the reality we’re all trying to escape.
Likewise, this is total fiction, do not for whatever reason think that these guys are based on anyone in motor racing. They are not, they are figment of my imagination, created from pure personal pleasure.
So, all that’s left is for me to wish you happy reading and I’ll see you on the other side.
Mwah
Karen x
Kyle
The digger crashes its bucket into the wall. The already shaky building that sits on Judd Racing’s grounds, buckles. The roof dips under the force of the hit but the noise is, well, underwhelming.
“I thought it was going to be more dramatic,” Elliott has to shout, but that’s due to the volume of diesel-powered engines on site rather than the old gym crashing down.
Good old Elliott, always in tune with my every thought. “Me too!”
“It’ll make a good PR shot, don’t worry.” Jessie grins while tapping my arm. She’s more excited to be here than anyone.
“What’s with you?” I ask.
“Ah, nothing. I just enjoy my job, that’s all.”
I keep my mouth shut. That’s not what she told me after a few wines at a recent press event. But, I was sworn to secrecy, so I can’t ask what she means. Instead, I concentrate on the job at hand today. I’m on three months’ severance leave from my old job and I can’t officially start work with Elliott until the time is up. That means I have two jobs to keep me busy in the interim.
Number 1: Find a house for us to buy and move into.
Number 2: Sort out the team’s fitness.
Neither is proving to be as simple as you’d think. I have agents out searching for the ideal place for number 1, but number 2 needs to be rethought. Florian and I have spent hours planning the ultimate gym that will transform the race team into human machines who are impossible for our opposing race teams (i.e., Chase) to compete with, while providing a great perk for those left at home. We’ll employ a team of personal trainers who Florian will oversee. Each will have a group of designated staff members whose race fitness they will be responsible for. Even employees left at home will have a personal program to ensure that they can carry out their daily tasks with maximum ease.
We really are on the brink of something here. Elliott and I both believe that this is what will give us the edge when the cars are equal.
And that will be my next job once I’m officially employed. To get this car’s mechanics up to scratch. For the first time I understand the enthusiasm that drove Elliott to work at a million miles an hour when he first took over this company. There is so much to do, but also, so much opportunity for us to make a difference. And that’s not just in the racing calendar, but also in these people’s lives. Being part of a world-class project can’t help but lift spirits as well as bonuses.
And this little pre-fab building isn’t close to what’s needed to deliver that. Even if the existing building were to be fully re-kitted, it’s just not up to the job. And so, here we are with a couple of diggers in tow and Jessie recording the event for posterity and publicity. Of course!
The claw of the digger blasts against the roof, crushing the concrete to powder and the remaining walls topple inward.
Florian cheers.
“You happy?” I ask.
“Yeah, that’s the worst excuse for a gym I’ve ever seen,” he drawls in his Irish lilt.
Elliott
Oh my goodness. Kyle is a nightmare. He’s taken on this gym project like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do. Sure, it is important. Every small component contributes to winning championships, so in that respect, he’s right.
But this gym has cost a fortune.
I’m not kidding.
What we’re spending we won’t get back if we win our first world championship next year, which is a pipe dream in itself. I guess this is a long-term investment in our future. That’s what he keeps telling me, anyway. And he has a point. But, wow. I was not prepared for him to be quite so eager on the expenditure front.
An overabundance of diggers has rolled in today and is smashing the construction to smithereens. If we were to dismantle it into sections, it would probably only take half a day so I can't help but think that Kyle has gone a tad on the side of overkill here. We had the time because the builders aren't in until tomorrow to start the process of erecting a building that will rival any commercial gym. Not only are the footings quadruple the size, but this thing will be two levels with an additional underground swimming pool.
Don’t ask me why it needs to be under the surface, as we have to dig that out, too. It’s not like it’s an easy job, but that’s what Kyle wants, so we’re getting it.
Everyone is cheering, so I join in. I am excited. I’m excited for us to finally be moving this project forward as one entity. But this new lease on life he’s found is expensive.
“Let me take a picture of you both in front of the demolition.” Jessie points a finger at Kyle and me so that we automatically shift positions to where we’re being directed.
“OK.” Kyle is beaming, and my heart swells for the man.
“Smile.” Jessie smiles herself as she waits for the perfect shot before snapping her finger down on the screen of her phone. “Flawless.” She falls quiet for a few minutes, her head bent, angling the handset against the glare of the morning sun rays, before announcing, “Done.”
“What’s done?” I ask.
“You’re uploaded on social media.” She continues to check her screen. “The post is getting responses already. People are loving what you guys are doing here.”
“How fantastic to take people on the journey with us. From small-time race team to the world championship winners,” Kyle says.
I don’t say anything. I’m not sure we’re really taking folks along with us. Sure, we’re posting on social media, but is that the same thing? At the risk of being in the minority and flanked by two of my closest allies who will not hold back in telling me where I’m going wrong, I keep my lips zipped.
“Kyle, we should do that. We should find a way for people to come on this journey with us. Maybe get some kids involved and take them on as young drivers or something. Train them up. What do you think?”
Hang on. How did we get to this? First, Kyle hates everything about publicity and now he’s the PR go-to person. And second, Jessie always came to me. He’s only been here two weeks and already he’s taking over.
“Sounds amazing, Jessie,” he says.
“Perfect! We’ll do it then.”
Looks like I don’t have a say anymore.
Elliott
“What do you think about this whole young driver program?” Kyle asks me over dinner later. At least he’s checking, I guess.
“Sounds like a great idea. Not sure how I’d manage them with everything else going on though.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about that. Jessie and I have been talking about it. A nd you know how you’re demoting one of the incumbents to become the test driver when you take over as the lead?”
He doesn’t wait for me to reply, and so I continue to munch with my fork mid-air as he continues.
“Well, what we thought is that we could have them looking after this program too. You’d spearhead the whole campaign and therefore have the benefit of the positive PR, but the day-to-day activities would be managed by whoever we decide will step back.”
‘We decide?’
“It sounds like a plan.” I don’t have much else to add. Looks like Kyle and Jessie have got this sewn up.
“Brilliant, I knew you’d agree.”
“You’re really getting into this PR thing, aren’t you?”
He chews his chicken, thinking about it. His head is tilted to one side and if it’s possible to be vibrant with a thought, then Kyle has this look nailed. “Yes, I think I can finally see its value.”
“But, you still don’t want to be at the center of a campaign?” I’m not asking, more making the point that whatever decisions he makes now will have ramifications later on down the line. Meaning that as the name behind the business, it will be me being carted off on some merry-go-round of photo opportunities and public events.
“No, that’s so not my thing. But you’re so good at it.”
I eye him. Something about Kyle has changed in the last two weeks. I’m not sure it’s necessarily a bad thing; in fact, he’s endearing. But, he is different.
Rather than deal with this now, I change the topic. “How’s the house search coming on? It’ll be good to get out of our rental.”
“Oh, great. I have some viewings lined up for the weekend. You are free, aren’t you? Your calendar didn’t have anything on it.”
“Of course. You know I don’t arrange anything on the weekends without telling you first, anyway. Where are we searching?”
He pulls his phone out of his pocket with lightning speed.
“Now, I know we’re looking for something modern, but just bear with me on this one.” He swipes his finger a few times and lands on the screen he’s searching for.
He bites his fingernail as he waits for me to give a verdict. It’s awful. Well, actually, that’s not fair. It’s a nice house. But, it’s just like the one we’ve moved out from. It’s an ancient building that can only be updated within the constraints of planning regulations. Plus, it’s not what I’m looking for. “It’s OK. Have we booked to view it?”
“Yes, if you like it. I know it’s a push, but the location is supposed to be worth the compromise.”
“Who told you that, the agent?”
He nods.
“And the rest?”
The next two are modern, I’ll give him that. “Have you seen the prices of these places, Kyle?”
“Yeah, they are pricey, but it’s what you have to pay for somewhere as secluded as our current place.”
“But, thirty million big ones? It’s outrageous.”
“I know. That’s what I said, but the agent said that kind of price tag is fairly standard around here for this quality of property.”
I want to inquire whether he’s ever purchased a house before and even if he hasn’t, if he’s lost his mind. Everyone knows estate agents are just looking for a quick buck. “I wonder how much he will make at that price tag?”
“I thought the same, so I checked it out. It’s a lot, Elliott.”
“And you’re still comfortable that these prices are right? They could have seen us coming, you know.”
“If we like the house and we want to make an offer, then we can always just put in the price that we think it’s worth and then the sellers either accept that or not. No one is holding us over a barrel to pay the asking price.”
That’s the first sensible thing he’s said all evening.
Kyle
The weekend cannot come around fast enough for me, and so typically the week drags. And drags some more.
Until finally it’s Saturday morning and Elliott and I are in the pickup truck heading out to see the places I’ve set up.
The first one we’re seeing is the old house that I know doesn’t interest El. He’s just humoring me. Which is fine. As long as he visits it with me, we can both make the decision.
It’s actually just a bit bland.
You know that feeling when you walk in somewhere and you’re like, ‘is this it?’ That’s how we felt when we walked into this place. The agent was super excited to meet us with lots of hand shaking and half bows. But, the place just did not do it for us.
“So much for that then,” I wink at Elliott as we re-enter the privacy of our car.
“I thought it was OK.” He looks straight ahead.
“No, you didn’t?” I check, shocked. I’m sure he was on board with how I felt about the property.
“No, I didn’t. It was, as predicted, very average.”
“Very.”
“Now where to next?”
I confirm the address in my calendar and click on it so that Google Maps will deliver us directly to the door.
Except it doesn’t.
The zip code I have takes us to the middle of a field.
“You said you wanted privacy.” I laugh as we pull up to where we have apparently reached our destination.
“Oh my goodness, Kyle, this house viewing thing is going from bad to worse. Have you got any suitable places lined up? A field with a load of cows is a little remote, even by my standards.” He throws his empty bottle of water at me.
“What the fuck?” I yell. I’m now sporting a nice dark patch in my crotch. He didn’t have the cap on properly. Brilliant.
Elliott laughs. “Give the agent a call. You’ve got a bum address.” He looks out of the window, before muttering, “I hope.”
“Hey, I heard that.” I slap his arm.
“You were meant to.” He taps his hands on the top of the steering wheel while I wait for the phone line to connect.
A few minutes later we’re on our way again. “The agent is still waiting at the property for us. Wait, swing down there." I wave my arm. "He said turn by the big gate on the right.”
Elliott swerves the car as though he’s rounding a turn on a racetrack. We don’t slow down fast enough and are left careering over the unmade track at a much faster speed than is good for my lower back.
“Whoa, watch it, hot rod,” I laugh, holding onto both sides of the seat to avoid launching out of the windshield.
“Oh, my rod is hot for you, Mister Beaumont-Judd.”
I let go of the side of the seat long enough to slap him as he steadies the steering wheel. “You’d be no good in the safety car the way they throw that around on the track in the name of slowing down the performance cars,” he teases as we finally slow to a more temperate speed.
“Neither would you! You’ve been off the track for a few years now, and you still can’t get used to driving like a normal person.”
We pull up outside a house that on the pictures had looked truly unspectacular. I’m not even sure what attracted me to it, other than the price tag. Surely a property at twenty million notes must have something going for it. And now I see what.
“Is this the customized one?” Elliott asks as he parks the car. We sit without moving, taking in the modern front of the home which is pretty much decked out in floor to roof windows.
