<div class="floatright">(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b52/jotunusmc/36827_421832359861_518524861_4822950_3819136_n.jpg)</div><br/><hr/><hr/><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Taras Ivan Markovski<strong>  -  Name           </strong><br/>The Muscle<strong>  -  Title              </strong><br/> Foulweather Bluff, east of Seattle<strong>  -  Location     </strong><br/> Allison "Saurer"<strong>  -  Tagged         </strong></span></span></div><hr/><hr/><br/><div style="text-align: justify;">     So she wouldn't feel too awkward, Taras tried to contribute to the conversation - even though he was mostly distracted by Allison's current state in limbo. Though he had no idea she was thinking the same thing, he also worried about how Cori would take the news. Trust was a big thing between the crew. It had to be, given their business and recreational activities. Even the new guy Ryan had gotten a pretty brutal initiation under the piercing eyes of the ever-watchful Cori. She had a cold and fierce demeanor, but he knew that deep down she had an affectionate side to her - an understanding side. It didn't show up often, but it seemed to be there right when she needed it to be.<br/><br/>     He hoped for Allison's sake that Cori wouldn't punish her too harshly. He knew she couldn't get off scott-free. The crew relied on honesty and communication, and if his female counterpart gave someone on the crew a free-pass, the others might expect the same. He hoped that the wild blonde woman wouldn't look to him for advice on a punishment... he had no idea what would be fitting of such an error. And he <em>really</em> didn't want to be the one to have to lay the hammer down on his best friend. He tried to think of what he might say or do - since Cori frequently called upon him to be the enforcer of the group. He just fit the role naturally. Not that Cori wasn't able of holding her own and calling the shots - but she just had so many other things on her plate.<br/><br/>     Taras did a quick look over his parked Pontiac after they got out of the car at Foulweather Bluff. Everything seemed to be in order - as he expected. Someone would have to be pretty brave to tamper with his car. The other racers around Seattle all knew who it belonged to, and they wouldn't touch it for fear of retaliation. The underground community new that his crew worked closely with the Triad Mafia - and that was a faction that nobody dared to anger. Currently the crew was on the Triad's good side - so they wouldn't mess with it either... though the relationship was beginning to get tenuous - mostly from the crew's point of view. The Triads had really increased the workload lately, and the pay wasn't much different. They were being used, but unfortunately they didn't really have any way out of the situation. The Chinese had way too much power and influence here in Seattle. Standing up against them would be suicide.<br/><br/>     <em>"Thank you."</em> was all Allison said as they began to walk around and look at the other vehicles that were already showing up. He understood everything she meant in those words and he reached up to hug her shoulder briefly as they walked, <strong>"Don't worry. However bad it might seem, I'm still here for ya."</strong> Now and in the future. Regardless of the way Cori and the other crew member's felt about whatever it was that Allison was holding back - he would still be as much on her side as he possibly could. He was glad that he'd finally put her in a position to open up about it. Better for him to get the news first and figure out how they might go about breaking the news to Cori and the other crew members. It might not be as bad as he imagined... but then... it might be far worse. <br/><br/>      Already there were at least a dozen cars parked in the scenic overlook parking lot. Only a couple of them belonged to racers that were participating tonight. The rest were spectators and new racers that couldn't quite compete to the level his crew and the Mafia were at. The tall Ukrainian gave a nod to one of the racers as they walked by. To another one he lifted his hand in greeting. Walking along next to Allison in the close and casual fashion they often did, many of them probably assumed that they were dating - though the thought never really occurred to Taras. He didn't really spend much thought on wondering what other people were thinking. It wasn't in his make-up to do so. He didn't really pay much attention to the other racers there - plagued as his thoughts were about the current situation with attractive young woman walking next to him. He kept his eyes peeled for other crew members showing up - as all their cars were quite recognizable.<br/></div>