County Line Road Read Online Free PDF

stay home,” Double A said.
    “No. We have to go. I need to talk to Jeff. Maybe that girl will be there. And besides, you need to go talk to this girl. Just don’t talk about Mars or anything like that.”
    They drove out of their neighborhood to Jeff’s house in The Ranches, out past the I-75, leaving behind well-lit roads for dark and narrow two-lane streets and acres of pastures and barns.
    As Double A slowed down for a stop sign, Jimmy peered up a long driveway to glimpse the house on the right and wondered who lived there.
    “These big houses that probably cost millions and all I smell is horse shit,” Jimmy said. The smell came in the open car windows, thick and pungent, like clouds of dust raised by a herd of horses running across a plateau in an old Western movie.
    Double A turned left onto Palomino Drive to Jeff’s house. Even if they’d never been to Jeff’s house before, it was easy to tell where the party was. At the end of the long street, cars gathered around one of the gates to Jeff’s driveway. Jimmy searched among the parked cars for Allison’s blue Mustang. Broncos, Blazers and pick-up trucks were grouped together on the grass. Hondas and Acuras lined the edge of the pavement on the other side of the street, with their chassis extra low and spoilers extra big.
    “No Mustang,” Jimmy said.
    “No place to park,” Double A said. Double A pulled up near the front gate and squeezed in next to flower beds that ringed a flag pole. Above them as they got out of the car, the American flag flapped in the humid breeze. They could hear music coming from the house, even though the house wasn’t visible yet behind the trees. One of the guys leaning on a pick-up truck called them over.
    “Double A,” the guy said. “What’s up with your car?”
    “Hey, Kurt,” Double A said and walked over. “I’m going to put in a bigger cam shaft. What the hell did Jose screw that into his trunk for?” Double A pointed to a big spoiler on the back of a little car next to Kurt.
    “He wanted the biggest spoiler they had,” Kurt said. “Must be trying to compensate for a tiny little dick.” The guys laughed.
    Jose stubbed out his cigarette and stalked over to them. “You talking about my dick? Jealous? Wanna’ see it?”
    “I ain’t got no microscope,” Kurt said.
    While they were laughing, a single headlight bobbed up the street. Jimmy knew right away it was his brother, Rich.
    Rich pulled up on his motorcycle and skidded to a stop right in front of Jimmy. Rich flipped his tinted face mask up and said, “Are you here to show off the baseball to your friends?”
    “Are you here to trade it for drugs?” Jimmy said.
    “I’m trading something, but that ain’t it,” Rich said. He parked his bike and locked his helmet to it. “You’re not as dumb as you look.”
    “I’m going to Clemson no matter what you try to do,” Jimmy said.
    “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Rich said.
    “You know,” Jimmy said. “I can’t believe you’d join up with her. I thought you were better than that.”
    “I ain’t done nothing with her,” Rich said. “She’s been trying to get her hooks into you since she moved in.”
    “I’ll get her for this,” Jimmy said.
    “Be careful. She’s a pro,” Rich said. “And you ain’t.”
    A car rumbled up the street. Rich, Jimmy and Double A turned to look. It was a dark green 1969 Z28 Camaro.
    “Here’s my man now. See ya, boys,” Rich said and walked away from Jimmy.
    “Who’s that?” Double A asked. “Nice Z28, who ever he is.”
    “I don’t want to know,” Jimmy said.
    Two guys in the Z28 nodded at Rich as they pulled up next to him and his motorcycle. “Nice bike. The eleven hundred?” the guy in the passenger seat said.
    “Yeah,” Rich said as he lit a cigarette. “Look, but don’t touch, or I’ll have to kill ya.”
    Rich walked around the Z28 and shook hands with the driver who parked the car and got out. He didn’t look big