Alright, I know I've been neglecting this story for well over a year now. I deeply apologize for that but, I became so engrossed with life and even working on my other story, Demons Within. I never intended on leaving this story and I am dedicated on finishing this as well. With the aforementioned fiction pretty much finished, I'll be working on progressing Torque as much as possible while starting on the next project(s). While this chapter is pretty short, it's generally a jumpstart for the continuation of this story and I hope you all enjoy it.
Love you all who support and keep up with this and my other works.
NFS: Torque
Arc 2: Downtown Arc
Chapter 10: Ashes Rebirth
Trina, who couldn't stand being cooped up in the garage any longer, decided to go for a walk to clear her head. She sat up and stretched before getting off of the couch and grabbing her keys. Unfortunately, she ran into a problem named Liam, who just happened to be heading out of the room he shared with Tori.
"Ow! Trina what are you-?" he nearly yelled when he noticed her keys in one hand and her purse in the other. "Where do you think you're going?"
Rolling her eyes, Trina tried to push past him only to have a strong arm to block her path.
"Trina, where are you going?" he voice was more deathly calm at this point.
"None of your business... Now let me through!"
She once again attempted to get past Liam only to end up bouncing back. She knew she wasn't going anywhere so long as he was standing there.
"You know I can't do that. I've been given orders to-"
"To hell with those orders!" she roared in a mixture of rage and sorrow. "Let me out, Liam!"
Unknown to the curvy Latina, Tori had woken up and was watching the entire encounter unfold.
"I understand why you'd want to leave but it's too dangerous with those clowns out there!" his voice raising slightly.
In the midst of her anger, Trina failed to notice the tears that ran down her face. Her lip was quivering and her body looked to show the early signs of a breakdown.
"Please...!" she grabbed his t-shirt and sobbed bitterly into his chest. "Please let me look for him..."
As each second passed, Liam's heartfelt closer and closer to breaking as he watched Trina Vega clutch his shirt with every fiber of her being. Sighing, he surprisingly hugged the girl and let her continue to cry. Every ounce of pain and suffering poured out as Trina felt every negative in her life slowly die within her. From the small things like Jade's pestering to the major damage involving her former "relationships", the girl who felt lower than dirt failed to realize her surroundings.
"It's okay, Trina." a familiar voice whispered in her ear.
As her sobs shifted into sniffles, Trina looked up to see that she was now hugging her younger sister and behind her stood Liam who was now sporting a soft smile. The buxom girl sighs and wiped away a few stray tears as Tori motioned her to have a seat.
"Trina, you know that I love you and I would do anything to help you but..."
Trina looked at her sister who appeared to be struggling with finishing her sentence.
"What are you trying to say?"
"This thing between you and Rashad..." Liam interjected. "...while I don't like taking sides, you were wrong to confront him the way you did."
The couple watched as Trina's expression slowly turned from one of relief to one of anger once more.
"What are you saying?! I'm not the one who killed someone! He kept this a secret from me!" she retorted.
"Like how we kept our past from him and Liam?"
The sisters stared at one another with contrasting glares. In Trina's eyes was a furious flame while Tori's brown orbs flashed like a righteous storm. Finally, it was the older of the two who wound up losing as Trina let out a defeated sigh.
"Trina, he not only accepted you despite your past, he ended up loving you regardless. Even when he found out about your past with those sadists, Baron and Kaze, he still stayed by your side. He didn't ask questions or even judge you for not telling him. He stayed with you despite what you used to be but at the first sign of a flaw in his life, you transformed from his loving girlfriend to his judge, jury, and executioner! You're being a hypocrite."
Those words struck Trina like a knife in the heart. Deep in her soul, she knew that Tori was right.
"You're right.. I screwed up bad," she admitted to herself as she buried her face in her hands. "We have to find him."
But nobody would be ready for the horrifying truth that would unfold...
That day haunted Trina months with no end in sight. The moment she realized that her love for Travis truly overrode any and everything pertaining to his past. Unfortunately, she'd realize not too soon after that he was listed as dead. For the next eighteen months, she'd gotten to know Beck a little better and eventually go on to dating him in the process. While at first, she was sure that he was only using her to get back at Jade, those fears were put to rest when the big raid happened.
She could remember everything as clear as day.
Police sirens.
Helicopters.
Spike strips.
That fateful bridge.
Every detail about that day was crystal clear as she lay in the plush king-sized bed that took up most of her luxury bedroom.
On that day, she remembered being pulled into the car by none other than Beck. The significance of this moment was that he risked capture by rushing through the swarm of Rockport cops in order to rescue her. He didn't have to do that, especially when there were plenty of other members he could've chosen to help. Instead, he made what some would call a foolish gamble for her sake.
Once inside, she was greeted with a hard crash of his lips onto her own that numbed her brain for the duration of their escape; this caused a faint grin to appear on her features. After escaping over the disconnected bridge successfully, she didn't hesitate to solidify their relationship by moving in with the pretty boy after arriving in Palmont City. He would then begin showering her with gifts and even a new vehicle that she absolutely adored. Everything was perfect for her...
...Until he came back...
Gone now was the ghost of a smile, replaced now with a soft frown that threatened to harden with every second that passed. Her life up to this point had been so simple, full of elegance and treasured memories that normally would set her heart aflutter but... but HE just had to return from the grave and show his face after the truth was spilled.; a truth that only she and Beck knew about.
She swiftly sat up, her features now bathed in the glow of the full moon above the city. She remained in this position for a little longer before tossing off the satin sheets in her quest to leave the dreadful loneliness that filled her bedroom.
Her first stop was to the bathroom where she tried, unsuccessfully, to hurl up the sour feeling that taunted her stomach. The sounds of dry heaving echoed throughout as attempt after attempt failed. No matter what she did, Trina just couldn't release the horrible feeling swimming inside her.
'Why?' she silently cursed, clutching her sternum. 'Why did you have to come back?'
Her eyes welled with tears as she begrudgingly accepted her body refusal to cooperation, pulling herself up slowly in the process. By now, her normally well-done hair had become matted against her face thanks to the copious amount of sweat. Terra firma stared off as she found herself leaning against the door frame for support.
"Travis..." even the mere whisper of his name plagued her insides.
She managed to hold onto her sanity, quickly washing her face, and soon, she hurried to change out of her pajamas once she felt she could trust her legs to hold up. She wasted little time in throwing something together for fear of her stomach's desire for a second round with the toilet. She decided on a simple Hello Kitty t-shirt and some designer jeans that hugged her hips perfectly before slipping into a pair of no name (but comfortable) gym shoes. The final item on her list would be her cell phone and purse, the latter holding something both near and dear to her heart.
As she stepped outside, she couldn't have been more grateful for the smell of fresh air that hit her nose.
The cool breeze kissed her cheeks, caressing soft olive skin with its gentle fingers as she headed towards her car, making it clear that she was intent on getting away from the haunting locale for a bit. She needed to clear her mind while also doing some soul searching. Putting the keys in the ignition, Trina took a moment to spare a glance at the fancy apartment building only to have that familiar rotten sensation begin to stir up within once more. That was all the motivation she needed as she started her candy red Mazda 328 DXi and sped off into the night, letting one final question drift off into the wind.
Why did Travis still haunt her... even after death?
San Juan District
After a few days, Travis, Liam, and Jade arrived in town, making a bee-line for the neutral district of Palmont. The plan was simple, they would create some waves in the districts, just enough to get a little notoriety with the minor crews while avoiding Beck and his Stacked Deck crew. While it wasn't their first option, (Jade preferred to make a big splash and wreck everything for her former boyfriend), it was deemed the best for everyone involved.
The night sky set a tranquil scene, a complete contrast to the trio.
The vehicles went down the winding roads in search of lodging, preferably for Liam who was against rooming with Travis' sister and her boyfriend. In his view, it would be too big of a risk for them to just suddenly appear out of the blue, especially if a certain pretty boy was still lurking. To say that he was on edge would be an understatement as his own sense of paranoia oozed out of him like a water.
Avoiding an argument, the three settled on a simple motel on the far east end of the borough where they quickly set up shop; the couple getting their own room separate from Liam, who was content with this decision. In truth, he had his own mission that didn't include the pair's involvement...
"Are you two alright with this place?" Both nodded, much to his satisfaction. "Alright, I suggest you two get comfortable. We'll be hitting the streets in a couple of nights and we'll all need to be at the top of our game."
"What about you?" Travis called out to his departing brother-in-arms. "Where are you off to?"
Liam stopped just short of the parking lot entrance, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "Just going for a walk; stretching my legs, that's all..."
Knowing this answer wouldn't satisfy his friend, Liam resumed his travel, waving without another word until he disappeared behind the wooden gate.
"Sometimes I wonder about that guy..." Travis shook his head, running his fingers through thick locs only to feel himself being pulled into a deep kiss by his gothic beau.
"You SHOULD be wondering about what I have in store for you tonight, tiger," her words tickled his ear, a weakness of his.
"And just what are you planning?" he lowered his tone several octaves, sending tingles throughout her body.
She bit her lip, sizing up the young man with her azure crystals. "Come inside and you'll find out."
Pulling away just as Travis leaned in closer, Jade made her way to the motel room, curvy hips swaying with each deliberate step. She opened the door, peering over her shoulder with a wanting behind her orbs. Despite obviously noticing this, Travis didn't jump at the bait right away, instead, following behind with a normal pace, albeit his signature grin well documented on his lips.
"You don't play fair..." he chuckled before finding himself being pulled into the room.
"Do I ever?"