Thanks to my reviewers! I decided on a Vince/Cari pairing... *Caleb's babe: I love Vin too, but after seeing the fourth movie I can't see him with anyone except Letty.* Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except Cari and Chris

Chapter Two: Probably Just Trouble

Cari shook herself from her thoughts. Four days had gone by since she left Miami and now she found herself three and a half hours from DT Automotive. She looked at herself in the mirror and examined the finished product. Her long, dark brown hair fell down to the middle of her back and was completely straight. She had on a little eyeliner and lip-gloss, but the majority of her makeup was used to try and cover up the now fading bruise on her right cheekbone. She decided it was barely visible and went on to check the outfit she was wearing. It had taken her 20 minutes and twelve different outfits before she opted for something casual and comfortable; a black wife beater tank and white shorts. She figured it was the least dressy outfit… she had to keep reminding herself that she was going to a garage. After deciding she was presentable, Cari looked around the hotel room to make sure everything was packed and ready to go. Deciding it was all there; she slid on flat, black sandals, grabbed her duffel bag and checked out. Her car purred as it started and she smiled. She eased onto the highway as her GPS loaded, and quickly picked up speed.

The three and half hours she thought it would take her had turned into two hours and some change. She couldn't believe how fast the drive had been and remember the first time she'd ridden with Chris on the highway; he weaved in and out of cars faster than she was okay with. It had been an adrenaline rush though. She cursed at herself loudly for thinking about him and turned her attention to her GPS. As it signaled for her to exit the highway, Cari began to panic. Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute and she thought she was going to throw up. Then the questions started running through her mind…

What if they don't want me here? Why didn't I just call first? Should I just go back?

She pulled into the first parking lot she saw and did the only thing she could think of. She called Suki.

"Hey girl! Where in the world are you today?" Suki answered laughing.

"I'm two miles from the garage or about 3,000 from Miami… depends on which direction I end up goin…" she answered hesitantly.

"What's wrong?" Suki picked up on Cari's tone of voice and turned on her mommy mode.

"Should I be here…? I mean, what if Le and Jess don't want me here? It's not like any of us have made the effort to visit before," she stated quietly and bit her bottom lip.

"Don't even start. You made it all the way out there and you're staying. They'll be happy to see you. I mean, come on, they never forget your birthday. In boy speak that means they love you. Plus, you're not comin around lookin for a handout. It's gonna be fine," Suki laughed trying to reassure Cari. There was a slight pause on Cari's end.

"I guess… okay. You're right. I'm being crazy," she sighed. "Did Tej talk to his friend about the job and the apartment?" she asked quickly.

"You know it. Hector said that this guy, Harry, owns a parts store and is lookin for someone to straighten out his books… says they're a mess and it'll take you some time to fix 'em up, but once you do he'll only need ya once a month. Anyways, Hector's cousin, Maria, is movin to Boca with her boyfriend so you can look at her place. It's not an apartment but it's a two-bedroom two-bathroom condo… no furniture but we figured you'd want your own anyway. What do you need a job for?" Suki wondered out loud.

"Because if I stay here I can't just sit around and bother Leon all day. Tej didn't tell Hector that I was Leon's cousin, right? I really don't need him or his friends thinkin I'm using them," Cari asked, praying they hadn't.

"Don't stress, girl. We didn't say anything. Hector has your number and is gonna call you tomorrow to go look at the place. If he doesn't call before noon, call Tej or me. Now get outta whatever parking lot your in and go see your boys!" Suki ordered playfully.

"Okay, okay!" Cari shook her head at the fact that Suki knew her so well. "Thanks. Love you guys!"

"We love you too girly." They hung up and Cari turned her car back on. It took her all of five minutes to find DT. She pulled into the parking lot, took a quick look in the mirror and frowned at her cheek, and took a deep breath before getting out of the car.

Vince had just rolled out from under the Evo he'd been working on when the Celica whipped into the parking lot. No graphics and no custom paint… great. He knew he was about to get stuck with an oil change and wished he'd just gone to lunch with the rest of them ten minutes ago… that neon kit wasn't going anywhere.

Damn, so much for leavin early.

He was less disappointed when he saw the pair of legs that belonged to the driver; long and tan. He leaned against the Evo and crossed his arms over his chest as he took her in. She was tiny… no more than 5'5", but she had curves in all the right the places. She had on dark sunglasses that hid her eyes completely, making her look mysterious. As she got closer she hesitated a little, but her full lips curled into a seductive smile as she reached him.

"Handles well on the turn, what's the damage?" he asked as he stared her up and down. She laughed and slid her aviators on top of her head. That was not the reaction he expected and raised an eyebrow; giving her a questioning look.

"I'm not here for the car," she stated. He was perfect. Tall, muscular, sexy grin, tattoos… He had bad boy written all over his face… completely her type. No boys she quickly told herself.

"This is a garage, baby girl," he growled as he stared at her lips. He had a strong urge to kiss her right then and there, but she knocked the urge completely out of him.

"Good, cause I'm lookin for a mechanic. You know where I can find Leon Sanchez?" she tilted her head and quickly realized he was disappointed. Her eyes lit up with satisfaction.

"Leon, huh? Yea, I know where you can find him," he walked over to a locker in the back of the shop. "He's up at the store with the rest of 'em," he started taking off his boots and coveralls, exposing a white tank and jeans. He glanced over at her, wondering why she was still there and why Leon was so damn lucky. " You gonna go see him or stand here for the half hour they'll be gone?" he asked sarcastically.

"Listen, cowboy, all I'm waitin for is for you to point me in the direction of this store and I'll be outta your way," she stated, crossing her arms.

"How bout I take you there? I'm done with this and was goin anyway," he put his shoes back on and looked up at her. He licked his lips slightly as she bit down on her bottom lip nervously. "I'm not gonna steal ya," he laughed at how she went from confident to nervous so fast.

"What if I wanted you to?" she smirked. He whipped his head up at her and growled softly. She laughed. "How bout," she stepped closer to him, "you ride with me?"

"Lead the way." He couldn't read this girl. She was hot, but nothing like Leon's normal drunken buddies. She didn't seem like a one-night roll in the sack kinda girl, but she knew what buttons to push. He did not ride. Bottom line. Until today, anyway. He wanted to be close to her, Leon or not. Thank god she didn't want to follow him; that would've been easier though. He locked the bay and followed her to the Celica.

"It's Cari, by the way," she smiled over her shoulder as he followed her.

"Vince," he replied sliding into her car. It took him under two seconds to notice all of the mods. There were racer belts, a laptop built into the dash, NOS release buttons, and pink ambient lighting once she turned on the car. "You race?" he asked, shocked.

"Shouldn't judge a book by its cover," she retorted smirking. This girl had him completely by the balls. He'd never met anyone that interested him so much. She was beautiful, mysterious, a racer… and lookin for Leon. Damn.

"Turn left," he instructed when she was about to pull out of the lot. "Sorry if I let the factory paint job throw me," he said sarcastically.

"I was workin on a few designs… I got interrupted by life though," she said leaving out all the details. He cocked his eyebrow, but she pretended to ignore the questioning glance.

"Up here on the right," he pointed at a small store called Toretto's. She swung in and parked. They got out at the same time, but Vince noticed that Cari wasn't moving. She was second-guessing herself again. Only this time she didn't have time to think about the situation because Vince has placed a hand on the small of her back and was pushing her gently toward the door. "You've gotta actually go inside to get to Leon," he growled into her ear. She laughed and felt electricity surge through her when his fingers grazed the exposed skin between the hem of her shirt and the waist of her shorts. He pushed the door open and she let him lead her in, enjoying how close his body was to her.

She looked around the store. There were basic groceries and a lunch counter with two girls standing behind. Only one was facing her. She was pretty, but looked tough. Her build was similar to Cari's but the comparison ended there. This girl was edgy with a badass attitude and was currently eyeing her suspiciously. The other girl had her back to Cari; she was tall and model thin.

"Yo, V who's your friend? She doesn't reek of skank like the ones you normally hang around with…" the girl asked with a smug look on her face. The taller girl turned to see what her friend was talking about and squealed before Vince could answer.

"Cari!?" Mia rushed around the counter and threw her arms around Cari.

"Mia! What are you doin here?" she asked relieved to see a familiar face.

"I work here… My brother and I own the place. What are you doin here?" she asked. Letty looked at Vince confused. He just shrugged and sat at the counter staring at the girls.

"I'm lookin for Leon…" she answered slowly. Letty walked into the backroom of the store and Vince cleared his throat to get Mia's attention.

"He's in back," Mia told Cari, ignoring Vince. "Tell me about Miami! How's everyone? Is Chris here with you? Wait, wait, how do you know Leon?" Mia asked every question without so much as taking a breath. She hoped Leon hadn't jerked Cari around.

"Can someone fill in the blanks here?" Vince asked before Cari could answer any of Mia's questions. He was totally lost, but he did pick up on Mia asking about a guy. Who the hell is Chris?

"I met Cari last summer when I got that TA job at UM. She let me live with her when the campus housing got messed up during Summer B," Mia answered and then turned back to Cari. "Where's Chris?" she asked again. She figured if he was here then Leon hadn't been screwing with her friend.

"I don't know –," she was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Damn Letty, you don't have to pull on me. I'm comin, shit," Leon whined. He didn't want to see any girl that had come around lookin for him. Probably just trouble. He looked up and saw his cousin standing next to Mia; same pretty face, but all grown up. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed wide-eyed as he closed the gap between them.

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--Cari