Author's Note: I don't own anything having to do with The Fast and the Furious only Sarah and Matt belong to me.

Chapter 4

"Hey," Leon smiled apologetically as he closed his dresser drawer, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's fine," I sat myself up so I was leaning against the headboard. I watched him throw a clean jersey on and run some gel through his hair getting ready for the night.

He wiped the excess product off on his towel before coming to sit down next to me on the bed. "How'd you sleep?"

"Ok," I shrugged not liking the way he was staring at me like he knew something I didn't and was going to make small talk before he jumped right into it.

"Anything you want to talk about?" he pressed. Alright, so he definitely knew something and was trying to get me to come clean but exactly what he knew I wasn't so sure so again I just shrugged and waited for him to continue. There was no way I was going to chance saying something he knew nothing about. He let out a long breath, "baby girl, I can't help you unless you're honest with me."

"I've never lied to you, Le, ever," I stated honestly. Withholding information was different than flat out lying. If he asked me a direct question I would no doubt tell him the truth but I wasn't going to just offer up information, something Dom had taught me a long time ago.

"So Matt hasn't been trying to get in contact with you?" he questioned with the same knowing look and I cringed a little hoping he wouldn't be too mad at me. I needed him now probably more than ever.

I was silent for a minute before mumbling, "Just a few texts."

"Damn it, Sez! Why didn't you tell me?!" Leon demanded and though I knew he was just worried about me his voice was thick with anger. "What did he say?"

"Nothing…Le, he can't hurt me through a text message," I tried to reason with him, not letting on how scared I really was. I didn't want his need to protect me to become greater than my need to have him next to me, no matter how selfish that might have been. If he went after Matt or any member in Tran's gang I didn't want to think about what could happen.

"Let me see them," he held his hand out for my phone which I handed over with a sigh. He wasn't demanding about it but I knew he was trying to keep his anger contained for my benefit. The ones from earlier had been deleted but apparently he had sent me more while I was sleeping. I watched as Leon's face become void of emotion as he scrolled from one text to another. "I need to show these to Dom, this is something that needs to be taken care of tonight, now. Not when races are over."

"No," I got off the bed looking at him like he had lost his mind. "This is the one night a week that Dom lives for. That Vince, Jesse, Letty and Brian live for. That you live for! You're not canceling because of a fucking text message that means nothing! I won't let you."

I was breathing heavily as I finished my rant, my mind going in a million directions at once that it was hard to figure out which way was up. Leon's face was shed of the anger and replaced with sympathy as he got off the bed and pulled me into his arms. "Relax…just breathe."

I took a couple of deep breaths before pulling back a little to be able to look him in the eye. "We are going to go to the races tonight and we aren't going to tell Dom anything until afterwards. I am not having him distracted at those speeds. I won't be the reason he or anyone else on the team gets hurt. I won't, Le, I just won't."

"Baby girl," Leon sighed ready to argue until he was blue in the face.

"Please, Le, please…for me?" I knew adding the last part was low but I couldn't think about what would happen if they went after Tran and one of them got hurt, or worse. Leon, like Dom, was wrapped tightly around my finger and though I tried not to take advantage of it desperate times called for desperate measures.

Leon groaned as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Fine. We go. But you stay by my side at all times, you hear me? I mean it Sarah, if I can't reach out and grab your hand you are too far."

"The skanks will love that," I teased trying to lighten the mood a little as I walked over to his closet and pulled out one of his t-shirts.

Leon rolled his eyes that I was making jokes when something so serious was going down but I needed that relief. That moment of escape from reality even if was just for a few seconds. I pulled off my shirt and threw his on, tying it in the back so that it fit me better but I picked it purposefully so it could hide all of my bruises. After changing into my skinny jeans and a pair of heels I went upstairs and let Mia do my makeup to cover the bruises the best she could.

"Where do you think you are going?" Dom questioned as Mia and I came down the stairs ready to head out. I had seen that look in his eyes one too many times and knew I was going to have to fight my way out of the house.

"Uh," I looked at him then around the room where the rest of the team was waiting, "where we go every Saturday night."

"I told you that until this situation is resolved you are not to leave this house," Dom crossed his arms looking down at me. That look might have worked on Mia on occasion but I had never been afraid to tell him what was what and it had been one of the things Letty and I had bonded over.

"No," I corrected with a sarcastic smile, "You told me to be with someone at all times and I'm going with," I paused to look around the room again, "five people…well seven once Vince and Jess get here."

"I don't like it," Dom shook his head.

I glanced over to Letty looking for some backup. "She'll be fine with all of us there to watch out for her. What do you want to do? Leave her here alone?"

I knew I could count on Letty to have my back and gave her a wink when Dom wasn't paying attention.

"I'll stay with her," Brian offered taking a step forward.

As sweet as he was being I knew he said exactly the right thing as I saw Dom's eyebrow raise in question but before he had a chance to say anything Leon spoke up. "I already told her she could go."

"Why the fuck would you do that?!" Dom demanded glaring at Leon with such force I thought he might actually knock him over without touching him.

"She asked me," Leon held his ground, never faltering under the heated stare as he threw one back. "You actually think I'd let something happen to her?"

Before Dom could answer or anyone else to speak up the front door opened and Vince and Jesse strolled through the door not sensing the tension in the room.

"We ready to head out?" Vince asked casually leaning against the door frame.

"Yeah," I answered with a nod as I walked out the front door and towards Leon's Skyline.

"She's coming tonight?!" I heard Vince ask Dom in shock and I had to bite my bottom lip as Dom just grunted in response.

Leon slipped into the front seat a few minutes later and we were off. I turned on the radio to block out the silence that had fallen over us. I knew he was upset with the texts I had received and was even angrier that I was keeping it a secret but I also knew a big part of him was still uneasy about letting me come to the races.

We were just pulling up to the warehouses when he turned the music down. "After races, win or lose, party or not, you need to tell Dom about the texts," his eyes never leaving the road in front of him. Dom's accusation whether audible or not had rattled him.

"They are just texts…words on a screen. I'm not a glass house that someone is throwing rocks at. Words aren't going to hurt me," I tried to reason but it was no use and his mind had already been set. I sighed and glanced out my window. "Le, I know you'd never let anything happen to me. No matter what anyone else might say." He flashed me one of his famous smiles before parking the car and walking around to open the door for me. "Oh, the service," I teased.

"I told you, you're to stay close tonight," he replied scanning the crowd as if to check that he didn't see anyone from Tran's gang.

I got out of the car and intertwined our fingers as he held my hand and held onto his arm with my free hand. Vince and Jesse had gone over with Dom to talk to Hector about how it was going to go down tonight while Letty followed after to keep away the racer chasers. Mia quickly found some friends and chatted animatedly like she always did when she was excited about something.

Leon walked around a little checking out a newbie that also had a Skyline. Brian had made his way over curious about the car as well and all three men started talking about the modifications that the car had gone through. I barely paid attention to what was being said, I liked to drive fast and growing up with the Torettos I was used to the race scene but I couldn't have even told you how to change an air filter.

Vince had showed me how to change a flat tire after I had called him one day as I was stuck on the side of the highway. Dom had tried to teach Mia and me all about the inner workings of an engine though Mia had fallen asleep halfway through as I counted the dust particles in the air. Letty didn't even bother with trying to teach me anything which I was grateful for and then there was Leon who I would just hand my keys over and tell him what needed to be fixed.

Being at the races wasn't as bad at I thought. I could probably count on one hand the amount of times Tran had actually shown up and let Leon's hand go feeling safe with him and Brian right there.

"Sarah!" A familiar voice called out and I turned to see Andrea a friend from high school. Leon glanced over to see who had called out my name but went back to talking about the car once he saw who it was.

"What's going on?" I smiled hugging her lightly before we started catching it up on what we had been doing since we graduated.

I hadn't even realized we had been moved off to the side by the crowd until I turned to look for Leon and he wasn't where I expected him to be. I told Andrea I would talk with her later as I tried not to panic. He wouldn't have gone far. But why couldn't I find him? While scanning the many faces, some I knew and some were strangers, I saw the once face I had been dreading. There he was. Matt was at the races. My heart beat hard against my chest while my feet were frozen in their spot out of fear.

I loudly gasped when I felt someone put their hand on my lower back until I realized it was Leon and I instantly clung to him. There were so many emotions running through me at that moment that I actually felt sick. I was relieved he had found me, shocked that Matt was actually here and terrified that something was about to go down.

"Yeah, I know, you missed me," he chuckled as he wrapped an arm around me thinking I had been messing around but when a tear escaped any amusement in his voice had disappeared. "What is it? Baby girl, what's wrong?"

"Le, he's…he's here…Matt's here."

I felt Leon's whole body stiffen as the words left my mouth. "Where?" When I didn't answer he pulled me away from him and held me by my shoulders. "Sarah, where is he?" Instead of answering I glanced in the direction that I had last seen him and Leon followed my line of sight. "Which one?" He questioned seeing a couple of guys talking to a group of girls.

"We should leave," I whispered thinking again of all the things that could go wrong. "Leon, just take me home."

"The one with the black and blue shirt…that's him, isn't it?" He asked though I was pretty sure he already knew the answer as he let go of my shoulders and started to stalk over to Matt.

"Leon, no!" I shouted as I ran over and grabbed his arm trying as hard as I could to hold him back. "Please, I need you!"

He didn't even look me in the eye as he called Brian over. "Get her out of here."

"What's going on?" Brian questioned looking between Leon and me. "Did something happen? Are you hurt?"

"Brian," Leon snapped not wanting to sit around and play twenty questions. "Get her out of here. Now!"

As if a switch had been flipped Brian grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards his car.

"No," I struggled against him, "he's going to get hurt, please we have to stop him," I cried as I tried to get out of his grasp but he ended up grabbing me around my waist so I couldn't get away.

"Sarah, stop," Brian pleaded as he got me in his car and quickly sped away. I couldn't stop crying as the people behind us got smaller and smaller until we were back onto residential streets. "He'll be alright," Brian tried to assure me as the tears flowed down my face.

We drove for awhile until he brought me back to the fort. I always hated being at the house when no one was home it was eerily quiet. We sat on the couch much like the night before but this time his words or gentle touch weren't as comforting as I needed them to be.

My hands trembled with fear as I sat on the edge of the couch straining my ears, listening for the sound of the performance engines but again I was hit with deafening silence. Brian took my hand in his and pulled me to sit back further on the couch.

"I knew this would happen," I whispered before I turned to him with tears in my eyes. "Why did this happen to me? Why couldn't he of just killed me and be done with it?"

The sobs came harder at my confession. It was something I had been thinking about since it had all happened. Of course I didn't want to die but wouldn't that have been better than anyone else on the team?

"Don't say that," Brian took my face in his hands using his thumbs to wipe the tears from my cheeks. "Look at me, Sarah, don't you ever wish that he finished the job."

"But…" I went to argue but I was cut off as his lips came crashing onto mine and as quick as he started he pulled away.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled letting go of my face and moving over on the couch so we were no longer touching. "I shouldn't have done that."

I didn't even have time to process the fact that he had just kissed me when I finally heard the sounds I had been waiting for. Leaving Brian on the couch I bounded out the front door in time to be picked up in a bear hug from Vince. The moment he set me down everyone had their chance to give me a hug before making their way into the house. My stomach dropped when two very important people hadn't greeted me.

"Guys, where's Dom and Le?" Everyone seemed to be having a silent conversation though no one answered. "Where the hell are they?!" I demanded the dread building quickly inside of me until I saw Dom's car speeding down the street and coming to a screeching halt in front of the house.

I let out a sigh of relief until I saw him supporting most of Leon's weight as he helped him into the house.

"Matt wasn't alone," Letty told me as gently as she could as Dom set Leon down on the couch while Mia started cleaning him up the best she could.

I locked eyes with Brian and I wasn't going to say anything until I heard Leon wince in pain as Mia touched around his nose to make sure it wasn't broken.

That's when I lost it.

"I told you!" I screamed my anger directed at Brian though the rest of the team seemed shocked at my outburst. "I told you we shouldn't have left! I told you he was going to get hurt! I told you it should have been me!" The last part slipped out in my anger before I had a chance to stop it and suddenly all eyes were on me.

I slipped past Vince and Jesse who had been standing by the hallway and made it to the back porch before my legs gave out and I crumbled to the floor in heart wrenching sobs. I was only out there for a minute or two until someone came out and sat next to me.

"Baby girl, I don't know what I would have done if you never came home from that party. I'll take whatever he has to throw at me as long as it means you're safe," Leon pulled me into his side.

"I'm sorry, Le, I'm so sorry," I cried into his chest trying to be careful not to hurt him any worse.

I'll be alright," he promised placing a kiss on the top of my head.

Deep down I knew it was just the beginning and this was going to get worse before it got better.