I've been away for nearly a year! Kinda lost my spark for writing these for a while, but I am back! Hopefully this will be enjoyable for you guys. Not exactly sure where I'm going with it, but I hope to get a few faithful readers who'll review with some constructive criticism.
"You can't let him beat you. You've won every battle between the two of you. You will never live this down if you lose to the Buster."
Dom sweet-talked himself from the driver's seat of his '67 Chevy Nova as he glanced over at his competition in a blue Nissan GT.
"Try to keep up, Old Man," Brian teased while revving the newly-modified engine.
The two friends taunted each other back and forth while they waited for Mia to drop the flag.
"No cheating this time," she pointed at her brother teasingly.
"Not you too," Dom replied with a grin.
"And you – put some effort into it," Mia shouted at her husband of a year.
Brian pouted with focused eyes.
On the count of three, Mia dropped the black bandanna to the dirt road below, and both cars shot off the line.
Mia watched over her shoulder for a moment, still amazed by the transformation between the two most important men of her life – her new husband and her only brother.
Once enemies from opposite sides of the law, it only took the two car enthusiasts eight years and five hard-fought races to become brothers. They were bonded by their tragedies and triumphs, but most importantly the family that they built along the way.
"It's nearly seven in the morning. Why was I dragged out of bed to watch them race?" Billie asked from the hood of Mia's white Dodge Charger as she approached.
"He likes your car. It's a dick-measuring content they've had going for years," Mia joined her on the hood, "Brian's been itching for some action since I barred him from racing in Seattle."
"Ouch. How'd he take that?"
"He tried to hold out on sex. I had to explain to him that doesn't exactly have the same affect than when I do it," the girls shared a laugh, "I just can't take any risks on him getting busted again. He was lucky the cop who stopped him last time was more interested in his Nissan. A condition of our pardons was that we had to stay out of the spotlight, and that's what we're gonna do."
"Is that why we're out in the middle of nowhere?" Billie asked, glancing around the barren desert land just outside of L.A.
"It's Dom's favorite spot. My dad used to bring him out here a lot. He actually taught him how to race here," Mia stared off into the peaceful orange and pink hues of the sunrise. "Anyway, Dom needs this. It helps him heal his losses... beating Brian to a pulp."
Billie chuckled, peering to see the cars speeding away on the horizon.
"Brian needs it, too. After every loss, he trains his butt off and gets that much better. I swear, I think if I wasn't in the picture they still would've ended up like that. They were meant to find each other."
"I'm sorry – did they get married and I missed it?" Billie teased.
"They might've and I missed it," Mia retorted with a laugh.
"I'll tell ya what: there's nothing sexier than a dedicated and loyal man. Especially one who knows his way around a fine body," Billie grinned.
"Ugh, don't. I don't wanna hear about your conquests with my brother," Mia scoffed at the biracial girl with beautifully wild, curly hair.
"Oh, relax, Mia. It was only twice, and we were drunk both times."
"Maybe you should stop drinking with your boss at work and having relations in customer's cars?" Mia suggested, referring to an incident in which she was an unwilling witness.
"Hey, if my gorgeous employer offers me a cold drink after a hot day, I'm gonna accept it," the mechanic replied with a laugh. "Besides, he needs some good company. He's alone a lot. Wouldn't you rather it be me – a good friend of a year – or some random hussy from the streets?"
"I guess you have a point there," Mia said.
Billie showed up when Dom and Brian reopened the garage together as partners, and applied for a job. She impressed both with her artistic abilities and her welding skills, and was hired on the spot as a graphic artist.
Billie impressed Letty and Mia by not dangling her good looks in front of Dom or Brian. She was genuinely interested in her work, and the girls respected her for that. Mia and Billie grew to be close friends in the past year, considering they were the only two around a crew of rowdy men.
"How's he been since the move?"
"He's better. I think you springing the news on him about the job offer two months after she left really threw him for a loop. He felt like he was losing everything right after he got it all back... his words, not mine."
Mia sighed as the two cars reappeared in the distance.
"He didn't lose anything. She lost him," Mia said sternly as the two performance cars kicked up dust on their way back.
Dom's sleek cherry-red Nova arrived first and Dominic stepped out with a shit-eating grin on his face. Brian pulled in a few seconds later, a not-so-thrilled look on his face.
Mia already knew the outcome and held out her arms, "Aw. My poor baby."
"What's your excuse now, Brian?" Dom asked, leaning against his Nova proudly.
"I took it easy on you. I didn't want to scratch up Billie's baby on this rocky turf," Brian replied from the comfort of Mia's arms.
"Bull," Dom laughed, "Billie's taken her through worse."
"Stop harassing my man," Mia consoled Brian playfully.
"Brian, thank you for not trashing my car. Now, if you two are done seeing whose is bigger, we have to open the garage," Billie pointed to Dom as she slid off the car.
"She's right. You and I need to go unpack," Mia said to Brian. "Jack should be waking soon. He's probably starving."
Dom made his way around to the backseat of the Charger where his two year-old nephew Jack was sleeping soundly in his car seat. Dom smiled with pride at the toy model Challenger clutched tightly in his hand.
The tiny tot had grown a lot in the eight months that the O'Connors had been away. His once pale skin was now a creamy olive color, and his bald head was smothered in sandy blonde curls. He looked a lot like Brian when Dom first met him.
Dom took a seat next to Jack to get a closer look. He leaned in and inhaled softly. He loved the way Jack smelled; so innocent and pure. Dom remembered Mia smelling the same way when his parents brought her home from the hospital.
Jack, never the heavy sleeper, stirred awake in his seat. His baby blue eyes fluttered open and landed on Dom. A sleepy smile crept onto his face.
"Unky Dom," the boy cooed while rubbing his drowsy eyes.
Suddenly, everything was perfect in Dom's world and the void in his heart was filled.
"Uncle Dom missed you, Jackie. Glad to see you're still into muscle," said Dom with a grin. "You're getting big, Buddy. Good to see Momma's still cooking, too."
Mia joined him at the car when she realized her rowdy son was now awake. She checked his pull-up for a mess before unbuckling him from the seat and lifting him out. She handed Jack over to Dom and watched as they embraced eagerly.
"I cook plenty. Maybe if you came to Seattle to visit every now and then, you'd know."
"Mi, you know I've been busy with the shop," Dom said while rocking Jack, "Especially since you took my business partner."
"Yada-yada, excuses. You're coming to Seattle," Mia demanded.
Dom kissed his nephew's cheek affectionately before placing him on the ground. The tot trotted off in his father's direction, leaving the siblings to talk. Dom brushed off her words lightly and pulled his sister into a tight embrace. Once he was engulfed in the safe, familiar territory, he didn't want to let go. He missed having his sister around. She was his nurse, his chef, his confidant, and his therapist. When she disclosed receiving a job offer from a hospital in Seattle, he knew it was time for her to move on. He couldn't hold her back anymore. She had her own family, a husband. The move devastated Dominic, but he grew to accept it.
"Whatever you say, Sis," Dom smiled as they broke away.
"Billie, thanks for letting me use your ride," Brian tossed the keys to her, but she launched them right back.
"Drive it to the house. I'll catch a ride with Dom to the garage."
"Sweet. I'll take a look under the hood at the garage," Brian said happily, sliding in the sleek car. Mia gave a grateful smile to Billie – she knew how much Brian loved that car, and missed his own back home in Seattle. "Mia, let's go. We're only here for the week and you've packed everything from the house. It's gonna take forever unloading."
"I'll see you later for dinner. Tell the boys to come by, we'll make it a thing," Mia leaned to kiss his cheek before turning for the car.
"O'Connor," Dom hollered out, "I changed the locks a few weeks ago. Key's under the lilies."
Brian nodded and fired up the Nissan while Mia slid into her Charger, the gorgeous white beast roaring to life. Dom watched as they pulled away from the deserted land, leaving Dom and Billie alone. Billie could tell by the long look in Dom's eyes that he was dreading his family leaving again. He put up a front that he was a masculine man who enjoyed his alone time, but Dom didn't do well without his family.
He needed someone to protect... someone to love him back.
Dom and Billie slid into the Nova and headed back to their hometown, southern Los Angeles. Dom stared in the rear-view at the cross necklace around his neck and wondered about her, yet again. Where she was, if she was happy, if she was a lonely as he. Those seemed to be the only things on his mind now that he was a free man. Now that she was gone.
"You know they aren't driving back to Washington yet? You'll see them later," Billie said with a smirk.
Dom gave a small smile, "You just worry about O'Connor making it to the house with your car in one piece."
"Brian's a great driver. I trust him," Billie relaxed against the smooth interior, kicking her bare legs up on the dash. Normally, he'd scold someone for disrespecting his ride, but Billie's short denim shorts gave her a pass. Dom couldn't help grazing his eyes over her smooth legs during the drive, and it didn't go unnoticed by Billie. "Eyes on the road, Playboy. That train left the station the same drunken night it arrived."
"It was a wild ride, right?" Dom grinned boyishly. "We had fun, didn't we?"
"We did, but we've already been through this – you're my boss and a good friend. You and I both know that'll never work."
"Why wouldn't it?" Dom asked curiously. "We're both single, consenting adults."
"Because that would make work awkward and uncomfortable for the both of us, and your employees. Not to mention the big, Latina elephant that finds her way into any room we're in alone."
"She has nothing to do with anything," Dom grovelled, "I can be with someone without worrying about her."
"You can't even say her name, Dominic. Letty has everything to do with everything," he visibly winced at the mention of her name. "I was only around for a few weeks before she left, but I saw the love and passion you had for her, your efforts to help her remember. The way you looked at her like she was the only person who existed. You've never looked at me that way," Billie placed her hand on his face, rubbing her thumb soothingly over his cheek, "Dom, a part of me wishes I could live up to what you want in a woman, but an even bigger part of me knows I never will. I'm not Letty. I never will be nor will I try to be."
Dom glanced over at Billie; she was a beautiful, ethnic woman with brown eyes that he found easy to swim in. She had beauty, and brains, and was fiercely tough. She would no doubt make any man happy, but never a man hung up over his ex.
He couldn't help but smile at her spunk. She was adorable, and sweet as can be. Dom would be lying if he said there wasn't a connection between them. He felt it, and anyone around them for a few minutes could see it. But after the beating his heart and psyche took when Letty split, it was hard for him to keep the harsh feeling and comparisons at bay.
"You're right; you're too good of a woman to wait around for anyone," Billie blushed slightly, "And I'd hate to lose my best mechanic if things didn't work out."
Billie snorted, "Don't let the boys hear that. They're still mad that I have a separate changing room."
Later that day, Dominic sat in his office hard at work balancing the books and placing orders for new parts.
Dom despised busy work. He would've rather been out in the garage, getting his hands dirty under a car with the rest of his crew, but with Mia now living across the country, it was Dom's responsibility to handle the finances. He hadn't yet found a clerk to take over Mia's responsibilities, and he was kicking himself for it. With his sister gone, and the rest of the grease monkey's financially incompetent, it was up to him to handle the money.
He was staring through reading glasses while going over the inventory when he heard a ruckus happening on the other side of his office door. Dom dropped his lenses on his desk and moved to the bay window that overlooked the garage. He yanked up the blinds to see O'Connor nose-to-nose with his most recent (and aggressive) hire, Oz Daniels.
Oz knew his way around any car Dominic put in front of him, and he was a great asset to the team. But his temper was unpredictable.
He reminded Dom much of Vince.
"What's going on?" Dom stormed over to the confrontation.
"Blondie here thinks he can waltz in here and go where he wants. There's a waiting area for visitors and clients for a reason," the long-haired blonde brute growled in Brian's face, "Who the hell is this clown?"
"Dom, call off your guard dog. If he tries to bite, I will put him down," Brian retorted back with blazing blue eyes.
"All right, that's enough!" Dom stepped in between the two. "The clown is part-owner of this garage. Your boss, so show some respect. Brian O'Connor... family," Dom emphasized strongly in Oz's face before he turned to Brian, "Oz Daniels is our new mechanic, and security. Been here for a few months, so quit being a butt-head."
"Family or not... watch yourself, Pretty-Boy" Oz's baritone southern drawl rattled before stalking off.
"Come off it, Oz. Don't be mad 'cause you're no longer the only pretty blonde," Billie teased as she approached.
Brian handed her the keys to her Nissan, "She's running smooth. Engine looks damn good."
"Just couldn't wait to see under her shirt, huh?" she smiled a perfect grin while pulling her wild curls into a tail.
"You know me," Brian smiled.
"You remember the twins, Sonny and Neil," she motioned to the Korean twins bickering over a transmission.
"What's up boys," Brian greeted across the garage. "I gotta catch up with Dom. B, You mind looking after Jack? Mia had to do a grocery run," he motioned to the bright-eyed tot scooting around on his push-bike.
"No problem," she smiled at the toddler.
Brian followed Dom to his office and closed the door.
"Security for what? That guy's a dickhead."
Dom chuckled before sitting back at his desk, "That's the point. And as you can see, the renovations and upgrades are top-of-the-line. There's been a lot of break-ins in the area lately, and I'm not always here to scare punks away. We don't exactly make a lot of friends when we travel."
"Speak for yourself. People love me," Brian gave a wide smile before sitting across from Dom. He watched as Dom placed on his glasses and returned to his paperwork.
Dom could feel Brian watching him, "What's up Brian?"
"I didn't realize your eyesight was going, Pops."
"Remember what I said about not losing your cool?"
"Meal ticket, yeah yeah," Brian rolled his eyes, "Anyway... have you heard from her?"
Dom didn't have to guess who he was referring to, "Nope."
"Have you called around again? There's no way she vanished again."
"Brian, leave it alone. If that's why you came in here, go home."
"Aren't you the least bit curious where she is? Or if she's even okay?"
"No," Dom's quick answer made Brian wince, "She can handle herself."
"But Dom, you guys have history together. Aren't you curious why she hasn't turned up in over a year?"
She had been gone for over a year now, yet the pain wasn't as excruciating as before. He knew she knew how to protect herself, that was something she'd never forget.
Things were different now, they weren't together. He wasn't sure if he could even consider them friends anymore. Friends called, or emailed, even wrote letters. She didn't. It was like she was dead all over again.
"Maybe she's made a life for herself that she's happy with. And if so, good for her," Dom grew agitated, "And history don't mean shit. It was ultimately history that broke us up. So, drop it."
Tension rolling off Dom's shoulder was enough to make Brian change the touchy subject. He stood at the bay window, smiling at the sight of Jack laughing hysterically as Billie wheeled him around on his bike.
"What about Billie? I've heard you two are getting cozy."
"Well you heard wrong. Why the sudden interest in my love life, Brian?" Dom asked. "You sound worse than Mia."
"I'm just checking on you, man. The only time I've ever seen you genuinely happy was with Lett. Since she left, you've been this shell of your former self. Surviving because you have to, but not living. Not enjoying life."
"I was genuinely happy watching my baby sister getting married, and Letty wasn't there," Dom reminded. He sighed, "I'm enjoying not being behind bars. Being able to walk down the street or into a store and not being afraid of people seeing my face. I'm enjoying life, Brian."
"But you're not happy, Dom. You're the closest thing I have to a brother. You were my best man. I hate to watch you sulk," Brian smirked, "Now, what's up with Billie?"
Dom gave in with a sigh and a smile, "She's great, but she's not interested in anything romantic with me. We're just friends."
"Dom, you wanna get over Ortiz, right?" Dom didn't reply, but stared straight into Brian's intense eyes, "Exactly. You need to make yourself available to other women, and I'm not talking one-night-stands with chasers. Billie's awesome. She's been around for a while and has remained available for a reason. Get to know her."
"Okay, Dr. Phil... if I agree to talk to her, will you leave me alone?"
"Yes," Brian folded his hands proudly.
"Since you're in such a helpful mood," Dom pushed the paperwork across the desk, "Finish the paperwork for next week's delivery. You're an owner. Time to start acting like it."
Brian's smile quickly faded, "Oh that's not right, D. Come on man, let me out there."
"Get to work, Boss," Dom smirked while leaving the room.
"All right, gang. Let's pack in it for the day. Dinner is in an hour."
Dom's words provoked cheers and sighs of exhaustion from the hard-working mechanics at DT's Automechanics that evening. After nearly ten busy hours of work, they were anxious to put away the tools and punch the clock.
"Guys, please don't be late to dinner," Brian said as they changed and shuffled for the door. He noticed Oz still lying on a dolly underneath a Lexus. Brian's good conscience gave way to his pride, "You too, Redneck. And bring beer."
Oz crawled from the car with a smirk, "Anything special for you, darlin'? Maybe some pink little umbrellas to go in your lady-drink?"
"Stop," Dom intervened again, pushing Oz toward the door. Dom turned to Brian, who was grinning, "Quit taunting him. Next time, I'll let him pummel you. What's up with you? You've been picking at him all day."
"Maybe I just miss Vince," Brian brushed it off and ripped the black tarp from his waiting ride. A smile broke on his face as he laid eyes on his pristine '99 Maxima. He found the beauty at a junk yard after returning to the States and rebuilt her from the ground up. With the help of Dom, they built a near-replica of Vince's favorite ride, in honor of their fallen friend.
"Now that makes me miss Vince," Dom smiled wide at the cobalt-blue import.
"And Jesse," Brian added, running his fingers across the homage to their late friend, Jesse Owens. His signature graphic - a medieval soldier mounted on a rocket - was displayed across the tail-end of the Maxima.
The two friends shared a smile before Brian loaded his sleeping son in the back of the Maxima. Dom watched him drive off before pulling down the chain-link doors and hopping in his Nova, speeding off to a much-need home-cooked meal.