Chapter 2
"That girl has been here every night for the past week." Jimmy Hernandez said to Tej Parker, who was running Miami's nightly street races, nodding over towards a girl who was leaning on a dark cranberry Aston Martin. It was a Friday night and things were poppin. You could smell tires burning in the air from them spinning out on the black top, you could hear the chit chat of the racers and spectators lined up on the sides of the streets, and all the headlights from the cars gave the sky a bit of a haze. For anyone there, it was nothing but pure adrenaline rush.
"Yep. That car she gots is probably gonna kick some ass." Tej nodded. He decided to make an invitation to her to get her in the race. Even if the girl couldn't race, the car itself was a nice piece of eye candy and would give the spectators a thrill. "I'm Tej. Nice car." He nodded, sticking out his hand to shake hers. He noticed the gleam on her belt buckle and tried to nonchalantly look her up and down. She was defiantly new, he would have noticed her before, he noted.
"Tiffany." She smiled, not moving from the hood, but holding out her hand to shake his. Tej was dressed in the usual street racer gear, baggy pants, a muscle tee, and she grinned at the fact that no matter what part of the country you raced in, they all had a similar quality and similar people that raced.
"You new in town, huh? Do you race?" Tej asked, looking at his watch to make sure he wasn't going to get his races started late. He was known for being on time and being ready to roll. He was the organizer and he was large and in charge.
"Yeah, I race. I'm new here, but I race." She nodded, using her people reading skills to her advantage. She knew she was in and had convinced him she was a real racer. She knew it would be no time before she was lined up to race. "Would that be a challenge?" She raised an eyebrow, making sure she secured her place on the race line.
"If you want, if you think you can hack it" Tej shrugged, grinning at her confidence. "Four large. We got the best of the best racin tonight." He said in a warning tone as he looked down and counted the money he had been holding onto. He wanted to be fair and let her know she likely didn't stand a chance against the racers tonight.
"I've checked out the competition, you should warn them I'm on the blacktop tonight." Tiffany nodded, jumping off the hood to hand Tej the money with a grin as she patted him on the shoulder. She got in her car without another word, leaving him speechless at her confidence.
"Line up then, shit." He grinned. He noticed Suki pull up to the line. He looked down and shook his head with a grin at her persistence and determination to win a race. She raced every week. But he didn't complain because every time she needed her car worked on, she was at Tej's garage so it worked well for him. Tiffany lined up almost at the same time as the third racer. Brian made his grand entrance as usual, smoke blowing out of the sides. The crowds descended behind him, cheering him. Tiffany took this that he was the local hotshot, much like Dominic was the public favorite at the LA races.
"You're goin down tonight, Big Boy." Tiffany said out loud as she situated herself in her seat, looking over at Brian. He flashed her a smile but she ignored it, revving the engine. She was ready to take this egotistical boy down with a flair he'd never forget.
"Ready." Tej pointed to each of them. The engines revved in response and the tires squealed as they pulled off. Smoke clogged the night air and the moon shone down on the black top, making it almost glisten like ocean water. Too bad he seemed to be full of himself, he was actually kind of cute, Tiffany thought to herself as she battled him to take first place. She inched ahead of him and then he would inch back ahead of her. They continued to play cat and mouse until they reached the first turn. Brian then easily took the lead but Tiffany was able to stay on his tail, strategically staying back and waiting for the right moment to take back what was hers- the lead. She had the advantage of being outside on the last turn and used it to full advantage to pass Brian. In no time, the race was over. Brian, not far behind her, pulled up beside her and smiled.
"You're good." He nodded, his crystal blue eyes looking at her with appreciation. He wasn't even blowing up that he had just lost 4 thousand, Tiffany noted. If he was, he was playing it off nicely.
"You didn't too bad for someone who's king of the streets." Tiffany smiled coyly, testing him to see what his reaction to that phrase was. He did a semi double take and looked a bit nervous. She worked hard to keep from smiling widely at that one. So, he was still feeling guilty, she made a mental note to be sure to tell that to Dominic. She looked him up and down nonchalantly and was impressed immediately with his looks, although she didn't want to admit that out loud. The white t-shirt made his eyes stand out like a lit up Christmas tree in Times Square at night. His biceps were almost too big for the shirt he was wearing but she was perfectly content with them bulging as they were. She shook her head, almost as if to get her thoughts back in the appropriate place.
"You from around here?" He asked, interested in the new racer. He hadn't seen anybody that caught his attention like she did since Mia. He looked her up and down, liking the high heeled boots with the black lace up pants. Her hair was looking especially nice to him, it was as if it was glimmering in the moonlight. She almost looked like a star to him, she had a glow about her that made him sway at the knees. She was a treat to look at, no doubt about that.
"No. My name's Tiffany. What's yours?" She asked for his benefit. She already knew his name. She had seen countless pictures Mia had taken of him. Those same pictures were the ones Dominic had used to put out the word on the street that was calling for his head. Well, figuratively, that was. Dominic wanted to be the one to bring him to his knees and make him pay. Tiffany reveled at how the pictures had NOT done him any justice whatsoever. She fought hard to not fall under his charm that Mia had warned her about countless times.
"Brian." He grinned. "Brian O'Connor. As in who was the best racer around." He grinned, looking down as he joked. "Hope we can have a re-match." He challenged, his eyes locking with hers. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful her honey brown eyes were. They had a dark aloofness about them but at the same time, they were a warm colored brown that made them seem like endless brown satin ripples.
"It's a possibility." Tiffany nodded, folding her arms and leaning on her car. She smiled, happy she had accomplished what she had set out to do. All she had to figure out was how to get him to the hotel to see a very apprehensive Jordan. "O'Connor, is it?" She paused and got a nod, his face turning serious as he wondered why she wanted to know. "Funny, I got this home girl, Jordan, looking for her brother. His name is Brian O'Connor too." She said, her finger on her mouth in a flirtatious way. Brian's smile disappeared and he stared at her as though she had struck a chord directly attached to his nerves.
"That's not funny." He said the memories of the past resurfacing and the pictures of his sister appearing in his head like visions in a dream.
"I know it's not. She's been through some stuff she won't even tell me about, something pretty serious. She's in trouble, beat up, and she got this far to find you and she's needing you. The least you can do is talk to her." Tiffany said, thinking maybe Brian didn't want anything to do with Jordan. There had to be a reason the look on his face was of concern.
"You know where she's at?" Brian asked, scratching his chin, his eyes intently fixated on this girl to try to see if she was lying to him or not.
"No, she's just someone I brought here to see you. I dropped her off on some train tracks before I came to race you and take your title." Tiffany joked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Brian's usually easy going self wasn't smiling at this joke though.
"Is she here?" He asked, looking around and scanning the crowd that was beginning to break up and dissipate. The Miami air was beginning to get colder, the nightly fog was beginning to roll in and the dark clouds overhead were passing by the moon, casting a shadow on Tiffany, her confident, tall silhouette making Brian almost nervous.
"No, she's at the hotel we're staying at. She wasn't sure if you'd talk to her or not. But I told her you would because I would kidnap you if I had to." Tiffany shook her head, running a hand through her hair nonchalantly and smiling smugly. Brian laughed at her joke nervously but Tiffany was pretty sure he had no idea how truthful and serious she was being. But that was okay. She could deal with him being naïve as what he was. He was still cute, she reminded herself even if he wasn't totally able to read her like she was able to read him.
"Lead the way and I'll follow you." He nodded, his face serious.
"That's pretty much how it works in all my relationships." She smiled, getting in her car and commenting. She wasn't sure if he had heard her or not, but to her, it didn't really matter. She was just being truthful. Brian walked over to Tej and shook his hand.
"Tej, I'll catch up later. I gotta go." He told Tej, who nodded and was left wondering what the deal was. He wasn't sure why Brian was leaving with the mystery girl so quickly but he knew Brian well enough to know there had to be a reason. Brian wasn't usually a player or Casanova, in fact, since he had been here in Miami, he hadn't even laid eyes on a female. He wouldn't answer what had happened from where he came from but Tej could tell the wounds were still
pretty deep and open. But, oddly tonight, he was leaving with racer girl. Tej quickly forgot about Brian when someone who owed him money walked past him. If there was anything to do with money, Tej was all over it. Tiffany and Brian weaved through traffic to a motel that was, ironically, down the street from Tej's garage. It was a grungy old motel, with the rooms only being about twenty of them. Above the office hung a half lit sign that the M and the T lights were out on so it read oel. It looked like a seedy place but was pretty well lit and there were a lot of cars in the parking lot. Every room was viewable from the office.
"Sorry if I was an asshole when you mentioned my sister." Brian apologized awkwardly, his hands stuffed in his pockets, as Tiffany opened the door with a key that had been given to her on a cheap little key ring by the motel.
"It's okay. I'll let you slide this time." Tiffany said with a smile, turning to face him, not realizing he was so close behind her. She tried not to look surprised as she looked into his eyes. She coughed and continued to speak. "Jordan was gonna take a bus by herself out here. She wasn't even sure if this is where you were so I'd told her I'd drive her out here and I just took a guess you'd maybe be at the races. I didn't know you would be the star of the show, though." Tiffany said, looking up at him and smiling charismatically. He grinned at her boyishly as he towered over her. They were so close they could have felt each other's hair rise up on the other one's arms if they were paying attention to detail. "Wait a minute, Ok?" She smiled as she let herself in, not wanting to stand so close to him for much longer or she wouldn't be able to trust herself. She was trained to know her weaknesses and trained to stay on task.
"Yeah. Don't be too long." He murmured, staring at her like a puppy in love. Her perfume alone captivated him. Mix that and the leather of the pants she was wearing and he swore it was intoxicating. He almost felt drunk just being so close to her sweet honey smelling hair. It smelt good enough to take a bite of.
"Jordan, I found him." Tiffany said, wanting to be courteous and give her new friend some warning. Jordan, who had been sitting crossed legged on the bed and looking at a cheerleading magazine, looked up in shock. Tiffany smiled and nodded at her.
"WOW! I've been looking for a year and nothing. You found him in less than a week. That's amazing." Jordan jumped up, giving Tiffany a hug. She checked her reflection in the mirror, making Tiffany laugh at how cute she was when she was nervous. It was like she was meeting her teacher for the first day or something. "I'm nervous." She admitted, seeing Tiffany stare at her with amusement.
"He seems pretty cool. You'll be all right. You got my cell number, right?" She asked, patting her pocket to make sure she still had her cell on her. Jordan nodded, looking a bit confused as to why she would ask that. Over the past week, Tiffany had found that Jordan's confused looks were comical and one of a kind. This kid was pretty easy to read too, thought Tiffany.
"Wait, where are you going?" She asked, surprised and putting a hand on Tiffany's shoulder to stop her from leaving.
"I'm going to go for a drive. Meet up with some old friends. I got business to take care of and you guys need time to talk." Tiffany said with a shrug, grabbing her windbreaker before she headed back to the door to let Brian in. She opened the door quickly, not wanting to give Jordan a chance to object to her leaving. "She's all yours, Blondie." Tiffany said, breezing past Brian and motioning for him to go on inside.
"Where are you going?" He stared after her as she walked away, holding the door to keep it from closing.
"You guys need some privacy." Tiffany smiled at him, loving how boyish he looked right at the moment. Him and Jordan resembled each other a lot in looks but it was their actions, reactions, and mannerisms that really cinched the idea that the whole brother/ sister relationship thing was legit. She could tell he was nervous and she couldn't blame him. Whatever the two had happened to them, it seemed pretty serious. She reminded herself it wasn't her business so she started for her car again. She turned around once more to find him staring at her walking away, yet still. "I'm sure you got a lot to talk about so go get to it. I turn into a pumpkin in an hour. I have to get my beauty sleep so better get to it. I'll be back soon." She promised over her shoulder as she walked to her car, the alarm beeping as she remotely unlocked it.
"Thanks." He called to her, stunned and not knowing what else to say. She wasn't sure how she could just up and leave without knowing for sure if that was his sister in there and vice versa for the girl inside. Maybe she had lied. What would Tiffany have done then? What if he had actually turned out to be a mass murder and killed some poor innocent girl and it would be her fault for taking his word that it was his sister he wondered. Did she set up meetings like this all the time? How did she know where to find him so easily? How was it that someone like her was so beautiful? He shook his head, trying to clear his head and bring back some focus to the situation at hand. He'd have plenty of time to think about her later he decided. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Jordan opened it slowly. He looked at the girl standing before him and was relieved that it was actually his sister he had lost contact with so long ago. "Hey sis." He smiled and enveloped her into a big bear hug.
"It is you!" Jordan smiled and said and then broke down crying. Brian held his sister for the longest time, playing with what he used to call her golden spaghetti hair, letting her get out what she needed to get out. She was an emotional, typical girl. Growing up, he had learned that when she was upset, she had to calm down and wasn't able to talk most of the time while crying. That's just how she was.
"You okay? Better now?" He asked, lifting her chin up to make her look at him. He studied her gaunt face and her sunken eyes and felt a pang of guilt for not being able to have found her. He hated that she was that one that had to find him. But it hadn't been from lack of trying. He had followed up on every possible lead to no avail.
"I'm sorry…. I came looking for you….. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm tired of running." Jordan said, talking between deep breaths. He dried her tears as they fell.
"No, J, I've been looking for you too. I promise." He said, shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair, something he did when he was nervous or upset. It was clear by her actions and the way she looked that she had been through something horrendous. "What's goin on?" He asked, stroking her hair as he held her on the bed. "Come on, you can talk to me." He coaxed, seeing her start to get worked up again.
"I... this guy and his gang are after me. I dated him... it's my fault." Jordan choked out, some parts of her sentence louder than others. She looked down in what seemed to be shame, not wanting Brian to think of her as stupid.
"Slow down. Start from the beginning. We got all night." Brian reassured her. It was then he noticed her bruises. He knew Tiffany was on a time limit but he also knew he could go buy her a room next door if it meant Jordan needed to talk to him and take her time doing it. He tried not to get too tense before finding out the story because he knew she would pick up on that as well.
"I started dating this guy after I ran away. He was my only way to stay in a house, away from the cops, off the streets and stuff." Jordan said, her voice cracking and a bit shaky. She drew in another deep breath, her eyes focusing on the swirly pattern of the cheap bedspread on the bed. "He was fine at first but then he started beating me and making demands I wasn't willing to do." Jordan said, her hands shaking. Brian's body tightened with each word. It was him taking the deep breath now.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you." He held her tightly as her body racked with sobs. He noticed her elbow was a blackish bluish. "Have you been to the hospital for that?" He asked, looking at it closer. She pulled back in pain, rubbing the arm as thought it was making it feel better.
"No. They'll take me back. I'll go to juve, Brian. I ran away from the state and they'll take me right back to where I worked so hard to get away from." Jordan said, her voice going an octave higher and sounding like she was in full fledge panic mode. She was panicking because it was starting to sound like he was going to make her go to the hospital. "If my name is on paper, Tran will fine me. He has so many connections, you have no idea, Brian. He's going to end up killing me." Jordan said, looking down and playing with her addias shoelace, her whole body shaking.
"How the hell do you know Tran?" He asked, reeling from the words that had just come out of her mouth. "What's his first name?" Brian asked, guessing he was probably jumping to conclusions. It was probably coincidental. At least he hoped. Tran was a common last name, he reasoned. It couldn't be the same Johnny Tran he knew, it just couldn't be. There would be no way in the world he reassured himself.
"Johnny. Why?" Jordan asked, confused about the intensity of Brian's voice, as she wiped her eyes. His look said there was a reason he wanted to know and she wanted to know his reason for wanting to know.
"Back up. How about you tell me from the beginning what you are talking about, it's important." Brian scooted on the bed, making himself more comfortable. She lay down, putting her head in
his lap, her favorite way to lay by him so he could play with her long hair. To her, nothing was better in the world than having her hair played with.
"I met Johnny through a friend of his. I had run away and went to a club. He was nice at first. We started dating. I didn't know he was so mean." Jordan said softly, yawning. It was almost three am and she was starting to get tired. Brian playing with her hair was really starting to relax her and she felt safer in his company than she had felt in years.
"Was this in California?" He asked, making her sit up to look at him, wondering how he knew this. She nodded. "So you came all the way from Cali to here?" He asked, his eyes showing his shock and surprise.
"Yeah, thanks to Tiff." Jordan said, looking very grateful as she pulled a strand of her back behind her ear, one of her habits when she was uncomfortable or anxious. "Brian, I've been saving money since I was put in foster care to be able to come find you… I don't expect you to take care of me. I just wanted to see you, I just had too…." Jordan's voice broke even though it was only a soft and strained whisper. She was getting the feeling he didn't want her to cause him all this trouble. She really didn't blame him. He had his life all worked out, he didn't need her.
"You're staying with me, J. I'm not going to let you go away or disappear go anywhere. You're stuck with me so you just have to deal. " Brian assured her, tickling her in the ribs and giving her a grin. It almost seemed like old times. "I've missed you a lot." He added, his voice thick and deep with emotion.
"You're just saying that to be nice." Jordan sighed, unsure of what was the truth. Why would he want to take care of her, he already had his life. She was just a burden to everyone around her and she was sure he was just saying this to make her feel better. Surely he couldn't mean it. She wasn't sure if she could even trust her own brother.
"No, I'm not just saying that, you dork." Brian laughed, ruffling her hair like he had used to back in the day. "We're going to get your arm fixed tomorrow and I'll introduce you to my friends after that, okay?" He asked, not really caring if she said yes or no, regardless, she was going to stay with him now and he wouldn't let her change his mind about that.
"I still can't believe Tiffany found you." Jordan yawned sleepily and happily. She felt so relaxed, so much more relaxed than she had felt in a long time. She knew all she had needed to do was find her big brother and she finally accomplished that, she thought to herself happily.
"How long have you known her?" he asked, himself feeling drained from all the emotion and pure shock of things. For him, it had seemed a normal race night but it had turned into so much more and for that, he was grateful. Grateful, but yet so tired he thought as he yawned.
"A week." Jordan replied with a mumble as she began to drift off to sleep. Brian's phone rang and he quickly answered it, looking at her to make sure it hadn't woke her up. She looked like she needed sleep. When he looked at her, he couldn't help but smile. She looked like a peaceful
angel sleeping on a cloud, her expression no longer seemed as gaunt as what he had first thought when he had saw her.
"Everything kosher, Bri? Brian!! Hello, Brian!" Tej yelled into his phone, starting to get worried. He knew Brian had a history of people wanting to come after him so he was more than a little concerned.
"Yo, man, chill. I'm here." Brian laughed, holding out the phone from his hand in case decided to test out his vocals some more. "Yes and no. That girl who won the race took me to my sister that I've been lookin for, Bro." Brian said with a big grin.
"No shit?" Tej asked surprised. "And here I thought you were hookin it up with race girl. Not that I'd blame you, she's smoking." Tej laughed, whistling as he thought about the girl he had saw Brian with. No one could hate on her, he thought to himself.
"I wouldn't mind getting with her, she's hot and she's got it going on." Brian grinned with a laugh. "I'll fill you in on the rest tomorrow, Man." Brian promised before hanging up.
"You gonna bring her by tomorrow?" Tej asked, himself crawling into his bed to get some rest in order to start the same stuff all over tomorrow.
"Yeah, for sure, man." Brian promised and hung up. He thought about what Jordan had said about Tran. He had thought Johnny Tran was dead. It seemed to him he was going to have to make a trip back to California, like it or not. He kind of wished Dominic and the crew would be there since he'd gotten all their records cleared but he doubted they would be. And even if they were there, Dominic would probably want revenge for his betrayal. He sighed and fell into a light but fit full sleep.
