Dom spotted her and approached, "Long time, no see Hayden," he said giving her a quick peck on the cheek. Mystaya grinned up at him, the smile not quite reaching her eyes.
"How're you doing since your old man was killed?" Dom asked.
"Ok, under the circumstances, I guess," she murmured.
Brian walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder. "Hey Misty," he said softly.
"Dom, can I talk with Mystaya, privately for a few minutes?" Brian asked. Dom nodded, "Yeah man just be ready to race."
Brian led Mystaya away from the crowd and gazed down at her.
"Are you ok? I got worried when I didn't see you last weekend," he said, hugging her. Mystaya looked up at him, her eyes wet with unfallen tears.
"I'm not bad considering," Mystaya said, "Dad should have never even been there that night. That bullet was meant for me, Bri."
"They still haven't proven that and until they do, I can't protect you around the clock," Brian said.
An idea hit Mystaya like a ton of bricks. She grinned at Brian, "Hey you have some vacation time coming up, right?"
Brian looked at her, "Yeah, I do. Why?"
"Do you want to come to Conneticut with me so I can give Rory and Mom the stuff Dad left for them?" Mystaya asked.
"When do you leave?" Brian asked.
"Next Friday," Mystaya said, "The plane leaves at seven am."
Brian nodded, "I'll go with you." He hugged her again as Dom called for the first wave racers to line up. Mystaya got into her bright blue Dodge Neon with the modified Viper engine and NoS injection fuel line and pulled into her posistion on the line. She turned on her stereo and blasted her system.
The signal was dropped and Mystaya's foot hit the accelerator. Her car shot forward in front of Johnny's car. She was right behind Brian and everytime she tried to pass, he cut her off.
"Move, Brian!" She growled. They came to a turn and Mystaya got her chance. She past Brian as she cut to the inside of the turn. Brian trailed behind her right on her tail.
"Get off my ass O'Connor!" She yelled into a walkie talkie.
"No way, Baby Girl," Brian answered with a laugh.
"You're meat, Brian," she growled. She still had Dom to pass before she could win. She shifted into fifth and slammed the gas down. The distance between her car and Dom's was quickly shortening. She was right behind him as they both hit the NoS. Dom crossed the finish line about half a second before Mystaya. She got out of her car and walked over to shake Dom's hand.
"Damn, Hayden, do you know how long it's been since I've come that close to being beaten by a chick?" Dom said in amazement.
"If I had to guess, Dom, I'd say it's never happened," Mystaya said.
Dom grinned, "You gotta come to Arizona with us for Race Wars," he said.
"I'll think about it Dom," Mystaya said, as Brian walked up.
"Hey Mystaya, where the hell did you learn to race like that?" Brian asked, as Dom walked away.
"Watching you and Dom for the past three years," Mystaya answered.
Brian grinned, "Watching us huh? Oh and what are you going to think about?"
"Oh, Race Wars, Dom wants me to race with the team," Mystaya answered. Before Brian could answer, gunfire erupted. Bullets shattered the windows of Mystaya's car. Brian hauled Mystaya to the ground, but not before a bullet struck her in the shoulder. Brian pulled his hand away and looked at the crimson blood.
"Shit!" He yelled. Dom's girlfriend, Letty Ortega, scrambled over, ducking the bullets.
"What happened, Brian?" She said.
"Mist's been shot. I gotta get her to the hospital. Can you make sure her car gets to the garage and let Dom know what happened?"
Letty looked at Mystaya's unconscious form and felt sorry for her. She nodded softly and took the keys that Brian held out.
"Do you want Jesse or Leon to go with you to the hospital? Or Mia?" Letty asked.
"No, Letty, I'll be ok and I'll go to Dom's when I find out how Mist's gonna be," Brian answered.
"Ok, I'll tell Dom," she said, scrambling to her car. Brian scooped Mystaya up and gently laid her in the passenger side of his Nissan. He buckled her in and got behind the wheel and sped toward the nearest hospital.