Chapter 9

Two hours later, the team pulled up to the fort. Parking their cars, they got out and headed to the front door. Once inside, Leon stood in the living room and called his younger friend. "Jess, can I talk to you?" He moved closer towards the dinning room entry way.

"What?" Jesse came closer as he had no clue what Leon wanted to talk about it. In an instant he was put into a headlock by Leon's arm. "Ow...hey!" He struggled against Leon's arm until he squeezed out of the hold. By then Vince and Letty were standing there watching them. Jesse exhaled hard as he caught his breath. "What was that for?" He rubbed his neck while looking at Leon.

Leon grabbed Jesse by his shirt and looked into Jesse's eyes. "What the fuck were you thinking by talking with her?"

"Pandora started talking to me." He responded as he tried to get Leon to let go of him.

Finding it suspicious, Leon shook him gently. "And her candy?"

Managing to push Leon away. Jesse straightened out his shirt. "She offered me one and I gave her some of mine."

By then the whole team stood there and watched the scene unfold. It looked like Leon and Jesse were little boys in grade school and fighting over sharing their food with the pretty girl. Only at that moment, Leon was the one behaving irrational towards Jesse. Putting a stop to the fighting, Dom stepped forward as he deepened his voice. "What's going on?" Dom stepped between them and held Leon away Jesse.

"Leon's pissed that his dream girl is talking to me." Jesse nudged away when Leon tried grabbing him again.

"Don't get any ideas, Jess!" Leon pointed a finger at him.

Holding his hands up in defeat. "I'm not. She's cool and even said she'd lend me a book." He let out a chuckle as he reached over to scratch his head. "Not that I'll read it."

"A book?" Leon questioned him.

Dom glanced over his shoulder and could see Leon's anger. Sighing, he turned his to Jesse. "Jess, go to your room." With that said, Jesse moved away as quickly as possible. He went upstairs not bothering to look back. When they all heard Jesse's door close, Dom turned his whole body to Leon and looked at him. "What's going on in your head?"

Leon looked at him and grunted. He turned and sat on the edge of couch. Putting his hands through his hair, he then sighed. "I don't fucking get her. I'm being nice to her, I buy her shit and she's just...cold. No reaction and blows me off."

Brian was leaning against the doorway. "Maybe she's not really interested," He commented.

Snapping his head up, Leon looked at Brian and replied, "Like hell she is. I know she looks for me when I'm looking now."

Letty walked into the living room, passing Dom to sit on the lazy-boy chair. "Well you have picked up on the whole stalker vibe. Maybe you creep her out." She said.

Staring at the coffee table and totally mesmerized by the ashtray, Leon frowned. "I'm not trying to creep her out. She's just...she's beautiful. Fucking smart, completely different from our world. She's perfect for me. I have this gut feeling about her." He blinked and looked up to see the rest of the team looking at him.

Dom shrugged and gave him his honest opinion. "No such thing as perfect but maybe you should try another angle. Besides, what's wrong with our world?"

Leon leaned back on the couch as he was starting to lose hope. "Nothing, I just don't want a chaser." He looked up knowing that racing will always be apart of their life. He wasn't trying to disrespect the racing lifestyle, he just needed something new. Clearing his throat, he then asked "Like how? Be her friend? Fuck that shit. You know well enough that once you become friends, there's no way back."

Mia went over and sat next to him. "Why don't you just talk to her?" She suggested to him.

"I agree with her." Dom commented as that was the only thing Leon could do now.

Leon sighed and shook his head. "Even if I tried, she'll blow me off." He got up from the couch and headed for the stairs.

"I say get over her and find another chaser in the meantime." Vince said and saw Leon looking at him. He continued to say, "I'm serious...maybe you'll get her attention if you pretend like you don't give a shit." He said since it seemed to work for certain women. Hell he had some good results when he did that trick but he always ended up screwing it up.

Meanwhile, across town, Pandora opened her front door and then walked into the darkened living room to notice the kitchen light on. Walking over, she found her dad in a little adjacent room that lead to the back porch. She watched him spraying water to a few flower pots. "Daddy?"

Looking over to her, he smiled. "What is it, little cub?" He was happy knowing she was home.

"I thought you'd be in bed." She stepped into the room and looked over the different colors of flowers. She smiled and looked over to him. "You have so many flowers now, by the time I get married. I might just use the ones from the garden." She heard him chuckle and then she giggled. Continuing to tease him, she asked, "Will you stay close by?"

Putting down the spray bottle. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Of course, I have to make sure your husband keeps you happy." He kissed her forehead before moving away and walking into the kitchen.

Arching an eyebrow, she followed him. "What makes you think it will be his duty to make me happy?" crossing her arms over her chest, she smirked. "Only I can make myself truly happy."

"If that's the case, then why get married?" He grabbed his cup on the counter and drank his tea.

She looked at him and thought about his words. She then thought about all the times he's told her about boys. Smirking, she shrugged and decided to make him bite his own words. "True. I don't need a husband. Hell, I need a boyfriend first but that will never happen. He will never be good enough." she moved passed him and opened the refrigerator.

Listening to her, Koro recognized those words. Something inside him made him realize how much of a fool he was. Of course, he was just being a father and wanting to keep her safe. However now, he could see that one day will come and she would really fall in love. As much as he feared it, he knew he had to let her experience it. It was what her mother would have wanted. Putting down his cup into the sink. He looked out the window and watched night sky. "Little cub, one day you will need the love and support of a man that I cannot give."

Pandora heard his serious tone and knew it was time to be serious. Turning her head, she watched his back. "Like the type you gave momma." She had heard how much her dad loved her mom. It felt like it was out of a fairytale but she always hoped to find that kind of love.

"Yes." Turning around, he looked at his daughter and then grinned. "But talking about the future is foolish. For now, you're young and don't need to think about marriage." He began walking out of the kitchen.

However, she wasn't ready to drop the matter. She stood there and spoke, "But what if I tell you I'm ready to take the step and start seeing men."

Koro stopped in his tracks and lowered his head. Looking over his shoulder and gave his honest thoughts about love and the male mind. "You'll never be ready, no matter how much you think you are. The men in this neighborhood only mess around and fool young girls into thinking they're in love with them but then moment a child is on the way, those same miserable bastards turn and run the other way."

"Not all guys are like that."

Turning to face her again, he shrugged. "Not the ones who treat their mothers like queens and their sisters like princesses."

Thinking about the type of guys in her life, her mind went to the team and settled on Leon. "What if they don't have mothers or sisters?" She knew Leon's family was the team but any rumors she heard never were extremely bad.

Koro could see she was thinking and he couldn't help but feel that she had begun to settle her eyes on someone specific. Not liking that whoever that man was could be dangerous, he decided to kill that thought in her head. "Then they're not good enough for you. No man like that will get near my daughter. He has to show me respect by respecting you."

Frowning, the idea of Leon in Pandora's head vanished as quickly as it was created. Looking away, she wondered about the guys who tried to come to her dad. "What if they're scared?"

"Then they don't deserve you." He said even more serious.

Pandora looked at her father. She could see his cold exterior as it appeared when strange guys came around. Knowing that her father will never change, she knew that no guy could ever make her dad proud. Having enough of the conversation, she grinned and went up to him. She kissed his cheek and then said, "I love you daddy." The kitchen light was turned off and they both went to bed.

TO BE CONTINUED...