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Chapter Three

Arletta's POV

After waking the kids up for school, I ran to the bathroom for my morning piss. I washed my hands and face, taking a close look at the ring around my left eye. I winced at the purple bruise on my cheek and I was sure there was a knot on the back of my head. Just a price to pay for being the wife of one of the most wealthiest lawyer's in New York.

I looked closely at myself, wondering how I had let my life get to this.

It was Friday night and I stood in my wall-long mirror, checking out my body before I got dressed. I rubbed my fingers softly over the finger-like bruises on my arms and shoulders. Rubbing at my abs, I nearly vomited at the almost black bruise covering my stomach. Who knew a baseball bat could do such damage?

"Letty, get your ass down here!" I heard my abuser, my boyfriend Chase, scream from the bottom of the stairs. He and his friends were drunk and were dragging me to another one of their dumb keg parties. But I had already promised Mia that I'd go with her to the races tonight. "Let, what the hell are you doing?"

I scattered to dump extra clothes in a duffel bag as I pulled on some tight jeans and a tank top. I tossed them out the window of my home and climbed down the drain. I never could how it managed to hold me for all those years. Shaking off my thoughts, I peaked in the window to find Chase. His dumb friends were wrestling in the living room, but he wasn't anywhere in sight. Before I could think anymore, I grabbed my bag and I ran.

"Hurry Dom, open the door!" I banged on the Toretto's front door. I could hear the loud clanking that could only belong to Mia's oversize bonehead brother, Dominic. His ego was about the size of his head, not counting his brain.

"What's your malfunction?" Dom asked sarcastically as I pushed into the house and toward the stairs.

Usually, I'd have a brutal and witty comeback for him, but I settled for flipping him the bird. He had to know something was up, because I never turned down a chance to insult Dom. I continued up the stairs to Mia's room.

An hour later...

"Mia, Letty, let's go!" Dom stomped up the stairs two at a time looking for the girls. The boys were ready to leave and Dom couldn't wait to race. He found Mia in her room and she directed him to his own bedroom, where Letty was using his bathroom to get ready.

He griped at Mia for letting her in, stomping to his room to find her. He quietly opened his room door, finding it to be silent. Tiptoeing to the bathroom, he put his ear to the door to listen. Frowning at how quiet Letty was, he burst the door open, only to be taken back by his sights.

There Letty stood in a tight leather skirt and boots, shirtless. It was then Dom noticed the purple and blue bruises covering Letty's upper body.

"What happened?" he asked through gritted teeth. She looked in the mirror at him, tears in her eyes.

"I guess I'm not as strong as I thought," she replied, her tone shaky and uneven. Before her body could touch the floor, Dom caught Letty's collapsing body in his arms. He carried her out the bathroom and into his bedroom, placing her on his bed gently. Dom crawled into the bed next to Letty and held her tiny body close to his.

It was no doubt that Letty and Dom had an attraction to each other. Everyone knew it, including them. At the same time, they couldn't stand being around each other for more than ten minutes without being at each other's throats. Dom knew the boys Letty dated were no good, and he warned her that one day they'd "show her just how lame they were". He had no idea that her latest boyfriend, Chase, would take it to this level.

"It's okay Arletta. You're safe now. I promise with my life, you're safe with me."

It was those few words that guaranteed Dominic a spot in Letty's heart forever.

"Arletta!" Ryan's raspy voice brought me back to reality. I quickly wiped away the tears, tossing water on my face. I tried taking deep breaths to restart my heart up that seemed to die at the thought of Dom's warm eyes. Those warm eyes...

"Baby, didn't you hear me calling you?" Ryan walked into the bathroom, wrapping his arms around me from behind. He looked at my eye in the mirror, wincing at the bruising on my cheek. "Sit, let me clean that up," he gently sat me on the toilet seat while he rummaged through the medicine cabinet for the First Aid kit. He rubbed some soothing cream on my cheek while stroking my jawline with his other hand. He dabbed a washcloth at my bruised eye, kissing it afterward.

It was moments like these that I didn't regret loving Ryan. He had his moments, his days even when he was such a loving and caring man. He took care of me and enjoyed the kids even more. Hell, he had times where he actually liked Rylan.

I didn't know why she and he resented each other so bad. Sometimes I thought maybe it could be the fact that they weren't anything like each other. Rylan was my mini-me. Looks, personality, attitude, the works. The only thing that Ryan and Rylan shared was a strong work ethic. When they wanted something, both were overly-persistent, which clearly wasn't always a good thing.

When I look at her, I can only see one person. Those dark eyes, that promising smile, her awkward sense of humor, every little thing about her ... was him. Especially when he did something wrong; he always could sweet talk his way out of anything.

Dom walked into the room with his arm around Letty, both giggling at the clueless Snowman, who now owed him a brand new car. Dom immediately stripped off his black tank and tossed it on the floor. He flopped down on the bed, placing his arms underneath his chin. Letty grabbed the massage oil and jumped on his back.

"Dom, why do you flirt with those girls?" Letty asked, rubbing the oil onto his smooth back.

"Letty, come on, not now," Dom groaned, enjoying the feel of her hands.

"No, now," she stopped the massage, climbing off the bed. She stood in front of him with her arms crossed. Shit, he thought to himself. He knew that stance. He should've known Letty, she didn't let anything go.

"Look, Let, it's not a big deal. You know it's all for show," Dom said, holding his arms out to Letty. She scowled, side stepping his arms.

"Sure didn't look like it was for show. Dom, I'm not stupid and I'm damn sure not blind. You can't keep your fucking libido under control for a fucking hour without catching a boner at the first skirt you see. What, am I not good enough for you Dom? What do I have to do, dye my fucking hair and get fake tits?!" Letty ranted, oblivious to the tightness she was causing in his jeans.

When Dom only growled, glaring her body up and down, Letty grew even more furious.

"Stop looking at me like a piece of meat! I'm fucking serious Dominic! I'm sick of you and the skanks!" Dom continued to ignore her, only he climbed out of bed. He walked too her as she stepped back, throwing threats and obscenities at him. He finally backed her into a corner, staring down at her with extreme lust.

"I'm sorry. You know you're the only woman for me. You know I love you, right?" his deep voice was soft, and it instantly swept Letty off her feet.

"Yeah, whatever," she smirked, allowing him to pick her by her ass and carry her to the bed.

Hours later...

I sat in the living room, flipping through the channels. I hated not having something to do. Since I was a kid, I wanted to be working. Rather it be with my mom cleaning house, or with my dad under a car.

Thinking about being under a car sent a lightening bolt of frustration through my body. I couldn't remember the last time I seen the engine of a car, hell even a wrench. I tried numerous times to get a job here in NY, but Ryan was hellbent on keeping me locked up in the house. Claiming "a woman shouldn't even be near a car, let alone under one". I wanted to ditch him after that comment, but he was so incredible.

After the last heist went wrong, Leon and I bailed to Mexico. He was supposed to show up a few hours later.

Only he didn't.

He had the audacity to call a few days later, saying that he was laying low in Texas, not Baja.

"I'm gonna hang here for a few days until everything blows over," he said, no regret or remorse in his voice. Not to much surprise, that was a lie too.

He never came for us. Yeah, he called a once every few weeks to make sure we weren't in jail, but he never showed.

He never came back for me.

So Leon and I went back to L.A a few weeks later. The LAPD were on our ass, but said they couldn't dig up enough proof or evidence that we were involved, so we were cleared. After making sure Mia, Vince, Jesse, and Leon were set for a while, I left.

I couldn't stay with them, waiting by the phone every night for a call, or for him to show up. I got in my 240SX and drove like a bat out of hell out of L.A and California for good. I had no set destination, but somehow ended up in New York. It seemed like a great place for a fresh start. I had enough money to take care of myself for a few years, so I had no one to rely on but myself. Figured it was better that way anyways.

(No POV)

Rylan was nervous in school all day. She knew her mother went into her room without knocking, and she wouldn't dare snoop into her stuff. But she wasn't so sure about her father, or even Stacy. If they found what was hiding underneath her mattress wrapped in a bandanna, she knew her dad would be the first to call the cops.

"Ms. Tyler?" Rylan snapped out of her daze, realizing all eyes were on her. "Glad to have you with us again. Now I asked you how we can improve this car to make it more appealing..." the question was left in the air for a few seconds.

Rylan stared at the car, which was a '01 Cavalier. A local car dealer loaned it to the high school's Automotive shop class for a complete makeover. After it was finished, it was to be auctioned off at a fair.

"Paint job and some graphics?" she asked, completely unsure because of her lack of attention.

"Exactly class. That's gonna be your new project. This car has to look beautiful for the auction, and you all will come together and give her a little makeup. You'll need to divide into two groups, one assigned for the paint job, and the other the graphics. Get started," the shop instructor said, laughing at the group's excited squeals.

"What's wrong Ry? I thought this would be your favorite part," Cece asked, noticing how distant Rylan looked.

Rylan shook her head, hoping Cece would leave it alone. She should have known better.

"Come on, don't give me that. You've been like that all day. What's bothering you?" Rylan knew Cece was only trying to help, but she wasn't making her mood better.

"My dad's beating mom," Rylan said.

"And? I knew that. What else?"

"It's getting worse. I'm afraid she'll end up dead if something doesn't happen," Rylan said, the emotion and hatred in her voice gave Cece chills.

"Why don't you call the police, tell someone about it Ry," Cece pleaded.

"Are you serious? My father is the most praised lawyer in New York City. Ain't no way in hell people are gonna believe he's beating his wife," Rylan replied, walking into the group her and Cece were entered in without their knowledge.

"Well you have to do something. Why hasn't your mom left him?"

Rylan thought hard. It wasn't a question she had actually asked her mom. "I don't know. I guess 'cause she loves him. Love or not, I'd never let a man take away so much from me that he's taken from her. I remember when I was little, she used to be so strong. So dominant and aggressive, and I liked it. Now she's living in hell. I wanna get her out of there Cece," Rylan looked at her friend with determination.

Cece knew that look. "No. Whatever it is your crazy ass is thinking of, leave me out of it. I don't want part of whatever you're thinking about doing," she walked away to get supplies to start on the graphics.

Rylan followed behind her closely, "It's nothing much Cece. Look, I wanna get her out of New York. I read on some papers that said she was from Los Angeles, maybe we can go there."

"Are you crazy?! There's no way in hell you're getting your mom and family to move across the country. What are you thinking?" Cece asked, curious to what it could be this time.

"I bought a gun last night. Now before you freak, I'm not gonna use it. I'm just gonna scare my dad a bit, make him back off long enough for me to try to get through to her."

"So what do you need me for?" Cece asked. She wanted to freak that her best friend had bought a gun, but then again, she wasn't so surprised.

"Well I'm gonna need cars. Three of them. Fast cars Cece."

Cece pouted, she hated getting involved in Rylan's messes. She was her best friend and would do anything for her, but sometimes she wondered where the hell Rylan came up with her ideas.

"When do you need them?" Cece gave in, rolling her eyes.

"By next week. Yes, I love you Cece!" Rylan shrieked with happiness, hugging her friend close. She didn't know that the class was watching her in astonishment. Rylan had never shower that much emotion around anyone before.

"Well lookie there, the dyke can smile," a boy's voice came from across the room, getting Rylan's full attention.

She removed herself from Cece and turned to him. Dallas Dinkerman, the asshole who picked on Rylan for three years because she wouldn't go on a date with him. The asshole who told everyone in their high school class that she was a lesbian because she wouldn't sleep with him. The asshole that Rylan was tired of dealing with.

"Why don't you shut your mouth you fucking prick!" Rylan yelled, marching over to him.

"Whoa, whoa there cutie. You are something sexy when you're mad. Too bad you don't like this," he smiled, grabbing his crotch. The boys surrounding him laughed, and the other two girls in the class snickered.

"Enough Dallas, knock it off," the shop instructor, Mr. Hunter, ordered, wanting to take his class back.

Just after the teacher turned around, Rylan swung a left hook into Dallas' face, landing it right on the nose. The whole class 'oowed' as Rylan pounced on Dallas, hitting every available space on his face. Mr. Hunter turned around, racing over to the scene as Cece tried to pull Rylan off of Dallas.

"Rylan Parker, enough! Both of you, to the office, now!" Mr. Hunter helped Dallas off the ground, the class wincing at his face. His nose was pouring blood and it was clearly broken. He had a gash across his cheek and his left eye was swollen.

Rylan licked the sweat from her lip as she walked down the hall. She had an evil smile on her face. She felt good.

Revenge never felt so good.