A/N - revisions Aug2015: minor editing.

Chapter 10

Too Much Hope

Two days later, one of their "toy" suppliers called. Shaw listened for a few minutes then sent Letty with Ivory and the Ninja to deal with the people who were asking questions. Refusing to let her drive, the guys chose the Rover to get them across town. They pulled into the former industrial area that Letty felt at home in and spotted the toy guy in what passed for his office, two women flanking him. He was a creepy sort of douche, one of those nerds turned villain with social issues. Yet he didn't deserve the automatic weapons fire that ripped through his chest just because he was between Ivory and the strange women.

Windows blew out, brick chunks spun, dust rose, and Letty hesitated. A bullet buzzing through her hair made her rethink her leaving her gun in her waistband. She whipped it out and fired back, running forward to duck behind a pile of scrap metal. Bullets bounced off the metal, and she thought to pursue the woman hiding behind a pillar. She unloaded two more rounds, dashed closer. Chunks of the wall exploded. Once more she raised her gun and fired. It made a noise that wasn't bullets firing.

"No. No." She tried again, but it was definitely jammed, and the woman was now between her and the Rover. "Fuckin' balls in a grinder, this ain't hapennin'!" Vaguely, she remembered that the Underground was nearby, somewhere near the place's back exit. Ducking more fire, she ran. Through musty tunnels, she skidded and cursed. Heavy steps followed every turn. At least the other woman seemed to be out of ammo. If Letty could just.. There!

The caged door that let out from what she realized were maintenance tunnels to the public areas was in front of her. Her fingers eagerly lifted the latch, and she hurtled through into a crowd. Objections and curses followed as she bounced from Londoner to Londoner. Momentum lost, the woman caught Letty's jacket and slammed her into a wall. Dazed, she slid to her knees. One arm was yanked up, and the dreaded song of handcuffs jangled.

Handcuffs meant bounty hunter or cop. Both options really sucked. She blinked up at the woman, finally recognized her square jaw. Hobb's little bitch. One bracelet clicked. In the cop bitch's face, Letty pictured all her pain, her anger at the shit that life was constantly dumping on her, and threw a rage-packed punch at her knee. There was a solid crack, a whuff of coughed up pain, and a second later, Letty was back on her feet, twisting in the woman's continued hold, and jamming her face into the tiles.

Cop-bitch recovered faster than she could escape, catching her in the side with a kick. She whirled away before a follow-up and swung the other handcuff up, catching it, turning it into an impromptu brass-knuckle. They clashed again, fists and knees and foreheads in a way that Shannon would have sighed at. She would have said something about wasted energy, probably would've been done with the fight twenty moves ago. Huffing, Letty moaned about not letting Shannon teach her more. Bitch knew a thing or two about boxing and lock-holds. More than a thing or two.

Letty was losing.

So far, she was going on luck and willpower. It wasn't a match for the cop's superior skill, strength, and calm speed. Half a thought later, she was under the cop, her arm strung between iron thighs, neck caught under a knee. Crunching sounded in her shoulder. Crying out, she flopped, threw her other arm, but only got a thigh in her face. She bit into it. A throaty scream, and Letty was able to get to her knees only to be kicked hard enough to land a couple yards away.

She got to her feet same time as the cop. Blood pumping, Letty saw a stupid chance and took it. Yelling, she barreled toward the cop, jumped, let herself be caught, and took them both tumbling down the stairs. She got up first, lunged to wrap her bracelet chain around a neck, but the tough bitch just would not go down! Slammed into another wall, Letty saw the train taking on passengers. The door chimes went off. She kicked at the cop's knee and ran, slipping past the closing doors. Too far behind, the cop's lips moved in what was probably thick curses as the train made off with Letty. Breath hard, pain waking up everywhere, she hastily shoved her handcuff into her pocket before someone questioned it and her bloody face.

"Ivory's dead."

"Thanks," was Shaw's disinterested response.

Not expecting more, Letty took her abused body to her car. Another teammate lost. He had been just another asshole, but a good teammate and sometimes nice company. In another life, he might've been a friend. She worked on forgetting her various pains by cleaning out the Jensen's air filter, then checking the belts, greasing joints...

There was a post-it note on the driver window when she came out of the fog of mechanic work.

Street race tonight. Shan's handwriting. It even told her where.

"She's fond of you." Shaw's tone was between amused and suspicious. "For all of your fighting, your rude behavior, hateful attitude, she still takes the time to let you know about your favorite hobby."

Letty was glad her face was hidden under a fall of hair. Her tense shoulders were probably giving her away though. "Dyke keeps hoping I'll switch teams."

"Possibly. However, your strange protectiveness of her could be sending the wrong signals." Shaw tucked back her long hair. She flinched as his fingers grazed an injury. "I don't understand your relationship. I don't care to, but if it causes any disruptions, if you make any mistakes..."

She could barely breathe.

"You know how much I dislike mistakes. They get people killed. Like Ivory today."

"Good thing it's not a problem." Affecting unconcern took every ounce of courage she had. She dropped the car hood back down. "I'm going out tonight."

He didn't deny her, and she took it as permission.

Car exhaust, skank scent, heavy bass, and dancing lights filled the air. Taking in a deep lungful, Letty relaxed. This was where she belonged, among the gearheads, fuel-for-blood racers, and bouncy-boobed whores. Although the overall price tag of these rides were a couple G's higher than what she grew up with, the atmosphere was the same. She found herself a race, returned, found another one.

A couple more, and the locals didn't want to keep losing their reps and pounds to a foreigner. She sighed, resigned to watching when a sleek piece of American muscle rumbled in. Her ears recognized the sound of a big block engine before she even saw it. Intrigued, her eyes followed as it eased past. Its front end reminded her of a masked crusader, all swooping lines and sharp edges. Caught on the imagery, her brain took a little while to name the year and model. Eventually, Dodge Charger Daytona flitted across her tongue. She couldn't place the exact year, but she guessed the sixties. Classic, powerful, rare.

She wanted it.

Passing skanks interrupted her view of the driver. Tugging her jacket a little closer, she let her eyes wander over the under-dressed women who were following some douche weighed down with too much gold. How the hell weren't they freezing their tits off? Locals, Letty snorted. Rain-bred freaks.

Shivers traced her spine. She wanted hot cider and a blanket or six. Yet being stuck in that hellhole with Shaw and the others was even less appetizing an idea than letting her frozen nipples cut holes through her jacket. Resigned to the cold, grateful that at least it wasn't actively raining, she leaned back on her hood. The rumble of that American model drew close. "You look like you could use a race."

Letty's attention shot to the driver and his sex-voice. Dom. Her eyes flit around, checking for Shaw or the ninja or Shannon...

"Yeah. I could." Why the fuck not? If she was being watched, Shaw could watch her do what she loved. Race. Then she would go find some beer and trudge back to the hideout, plus or minus a car. "You might lose your car though."

His laugh took her heart back to hot L.A. nights.

Their cars growled at the starting line while a local chick readied the race. Something like happiness swelled inside as her hand curled around the shifter. British hands dropped, and they were off, flitting through the damp streets, dodging cars, pedestrians, running lights, catching and losing jacks. Letty blinked at her internal lingo. Dom pulled her attention back with a dipshit move, doing a one-eighty, driving backwards, grinning like the adrenaline junky he always would be. Always showing off, the crazy bald muscle-head. Just like old times. She laughed at him.

He won, and they pulled off to a quiet stretch along the river so Letty could give him her pink slip.

"V-eight. Never could resist American muscle." He crooned.

There was a time that was true. Now, though... she glanced at the city lights across the river. His magnetism just wasn't what it used to be. She felt a pull toward him, but it was for her past, her family.

"Nice car." Dom was part of it, not all of it. American muscle was gorgeous, but she seemed to be developing a taste for international builds. "Never could keep yourself out of trouble either."

"Seems to follow me, except when I want it to."

Her response visibly cut him. "We thought you were dead, Let."

What?

"There was a funeral and everything!" His arms flew out, showing his inner turmoil. "I honored your memory by taking out Fenix and giving Braga to O'Connor to lock up. We were living our lives again when Hobbs shows up with a picture of you, tells us that you've been alive this whole damn time. I'm here to bring you home."

The team hadn't abandoned her. Every horrible thought, all those months of... The sound of another set of wheels approaching rerouted her thoughts. Shannon's MINI drove up. Dom had a gun out and pointed at the Aussie almost as fast as Letty dove to put her body between them. The gun was slow to lower.

A window motor whirred. "Letty, Shaw sent me to get you."

"Fuck off." Just because she didn't want Dom to kill Shannon didn't mean Letty wanted to hear anything she had to say, especially if it was orders from their boss. She and Dom had important shit to talk about!

"Letty." Snapping, like a whip, Shannon's voice bit at her. "He gave me an hour to get you back. It's already been longer than that. We have to go."

"Carajo!"The keys in her hand cut into her palm at the thought of what Shaw would do if he caught her there with Dom. She pictured Shaw's neck with a nice tight neck choker made out of razor wire, him gasping for breath, blood dripping down his chest.

"Now." Slightly high, stretched too thin. Shannon was scared, and it shocked Letty into motion.

The Jensen's keys were tossed at her former lover. "Get out of here, Dom."

"I'm not leaving without you." Forehead crinkled, Dom's eyes were full of the same kind of pain in her heart. Broken family. But if she didn't leave now, it'd be a dead family.

She turned away. "Take your new car and go home. Tell Mia I said hi."

"Letty, wait!" Desperate heartbreak stalled her, twisted her neck to look back. Dom was holding a gleaming bit of silver in his outstretched hand. The familiar piece reached out with ghost hands to claw at her soul. "This is yours."

Her brother's cross slithered into her open palm.

"Letty!" Shannon's voice peaked into a harsh cry, pulled Letty away.

Ass in the passenger seat, her eyes were fastened on his. Go home, she mouthed. Don't get everyone killed over me, you bastard. Fiery pain slipped from her eyes, made tracks to her jaw.

"Fasten your belt," ordered Shannon as she put the car in reverse. The moment it clicked, she fed the engine gas and flew through the gears, weaving around corners, then traffic, only stopping at clogged intersections.

"I did the same thing to you he did, didn't I?"

Words spoken in that low of a tone shouldn't have struck Letty as though Shannon had screamed in her ear. Shaking, scrambling to regain control of her lungs, she stared at the dash.

"I abandoned you to pursue my own goals, to do what I thought was right." Exactly. That is exactly what it had felt like, being abandoned all over again. "I'm such a fucking cunt." She hissed at herself. "You have every right to be cheezed off at me."

Letty started to look up at Shannon, but the sight of a familiar face in the car beside them stalled her. Veggie sneered at her, spoke into a phone. Unhappy at whatever the other person said, she scowled. Shaw had probably told her not to kill his favorite fucktoy and recon woman, to just follow them, make sure they didn't make any detours. That fucking asshat would know that she'd raced Dom, would interrogate her the moment he saw her. He would stare, speak quietly, wait for her to slip up somehow.

When he did, he would go after her old family. The MINI was in motion again, and she finally glanced at Shannon, who Shaw might also kill if he thought she was part of Letty's rebellion. Around her eyes, her makeup looked slightly messy, like she'd put on another layer after crying. For one eternity of a second, Shannon met her gaze, then moved on to acknowledge their teammate. Veggie glared back.

Shannon sighed. "I was the only one who followed you after your race, but Shaw still has access to the city's surveillance."

That was why Letty had chosen the private waterfront, where the cameras didn't talk to Big Brother. Shaw might not know it was Dom behind the wheel of that car. She clenched the silver cross. Wait a bloody minute. Shannon had followed them? Either she had plugged the Jensen with a GPS tracker or she'd actually followed in their NOS exhaust.

"Did you put a bug in my car?" She wasn't worried that Shaw would have tracked her that way. It wasn't his style. His drones either did their jobs right, or they died.

Pale fingers tightened on the shifter, their summer tan long lost. "No."

She could believe her or not. Did she trust the woman enough? Was Shannon even good enough as a driver to have followed that race? Letty felt her rebel streak shake hands with her need to know. Veggie would be pissed. "Make Veggie work to stay on your tail."

Disbelieving, a smile was thrown at her.

"Prove that you didn't need a bug to follow me and Dom."

They were sitting at another red light. Shannon's regard was heavy, but Letty refused to back down. Prove to me that I can trust you again. She silently pleaded. The MINI's tweaked engine revved. Green flared, and wheels squealed on the damp road. Rubber caught traction, and Letty was pushed into her seat.

When swirling lights appeared in the rearview, Letty grinned. Veggie was nowhere to be seen. It was just her and Shannon, racing through the night, daring the world to catch up to them. Unbidden, chuckles grew in Letty's chest, sprouted as true laughter after a narrow miss with a double-decker bus. She was alive!

They hit a turnaround, and the MINI drifted at breakneck speed. Shannon whipped off it, taking the same road they'd entered on. Letty blew the gaping cops kisses, almost bit her tongue at the sharp turn the MINI took to avoid the cars that swerved to block the path. Her phone's annoying ringtone cut through her laughs.

"What?"

Veggie was seething. "What the fuck are you two doing?"

Letty grinned, imagining the twisted features of the woman's fury. "Getting there before you."

"You have half of London's police following you!"

"Yep."

"Shaw will-"

Already done with the conversation, the phone was shoved back into its pocket. Leveling a half-scowl at Shannon, she grumbled. "Veggie had a point. You gonna lose the cops anytime soon?"

Dom would have grinned lazily, given her a look that promised an encore adrenaline rush in bed later. Shannon's grin was all wild pleasure, and she replied, "I suppose it's time."

Both of them had indomitable personalities, were powerful and sensual. They were alike and different in a million different ways, neither really better than the other. Emotional baggage, dark past, uncertain future, and broken family described both. And Letty had suffered from each of their selfish motives. Everyone ended up hurting her somehow. Her thumb stroked the cross, reacquainting itself with its edges. Light reflected from the mirrored surfaces. She looked for the cops, but their flashing lights weren't to be seen.

Shannon spoke into the quiet. "He's going to offer Toretto a choice. Leave or die."

A long sigh spilled from Letty. "He won't leave." No matter how much she wanted him to.

"Any lover of yours would have to be as stubborn as you," came a soft laugh.

Ex-lover, she didn't say out loud.

"Then I guess we can work with him now since Interpol has given up on us."

"What?"

"They finally decided to believe me that they have a mole, and they're backing off until they can find it."

That explained why Shaw could always stay a few steps ahead. "It's not Hobbs." She knew with complete certainty.

"How can you know?"

"Shaw thinks he's a ponce. Dom is working with him. Before we leave this foggy piss hole, find a way to get in touch with Tej. He's a tech freak. He'll be able to find a way to keep in touch." Letty's head was taking off on plans. They weren't her strong suit, but she was pretty good at getting them started. Dom and the team would figure something out, Shannon would coordinate, and she'd kick ass.

The brick walls of the hideout appeared in front of them. Shannon eased passed them into the empty courtyard, waited while the garage door opened. She parked as another set of headlights entered.

"Vegh must have gotten lost. Losing the jacks took me too long." Shannon admitted. Adrenaline and giddiness from the crazy ride was still bright in her features, but her voice held disappointment.

Laughter returned to Letty. "It was worth it."

Hopeful brown eyes looked to her. "You're forgiving a bloody horrible mistake."

Was she? Her own eyes shifted to the cross again. Maybe it was because she wanted to be forgiven. She was pretty damn good at dishing out pain to keep others away, yet being alone was getting really old. She looked up. Shaw was approaching. He was too calm. Too composed. Panic threatened, and it made her mad. Growling, she kicked at it, beat it into submission.

She didn't have room for panic, not when her body was still singing from an evening of racing! Sex should be in her immediate future, not shitting herself. Like a cloak, she pulled the giddy laughter around as disguise. "We should do it again soon. Not the lying thing, but the racing. You've been holdin' out on me."

Shannon accepted the answer with a shake of her messy hair. "Fucking petrolhead."

They stepped out to face Shaw and his terrifying calm. "Where is your car, Letty?"

"I lost a race for pinks." A careless shrug.

"What made you think that antagonizing the police on your way back was a good idea?" His focus remained on Letty, despite knowing she hadn't driven.

"Every second of it." Arrogant and rebellious, she did stay true to herself. It also had the benefit of keeping Shaw from looking too closely at what Shannon did. Letty was going to pay for it. The vein pulsing at Shaw's temple and the black flames burning in his dark eyes promised punishment. He wasn't one to allow such flippant disobedience to go unchecked.

Realizing how exactly he would punish her made her breath hitch. Swallowing, she pushed away thoughts of bruised thighs and a raw crotch.

"We leave for Spain in the morning." Shaw said. "Get your gear ready."

Vegh followed in Shaw's wake, leaving the two rebels alone in the garage. From her jacket pocket, Letty took out the cross. If Shaw found it on her, well, he couldn't. She stepped close to the jewelry wearing woman. "Hold onto this for me," was whispered.

With a curious frown, Shannon inspected what was being pressed at her. Understanding lit her eyes and hands lifted to scoop it away. When pale touched caramel, Letty suddenly craved physical contact and tangled her fingers around Shannon's wrist.

"Letty?" Breath tickled Letty's forehead, that's how close they were. Shan's voice was barely louder than her breath.

"I'm sorry." Popped out of Letty's mouth.

"For what, love?"

Not trusting you, letting my past blind me. "For thinking all those horrible things about you. As usual, you were an easy target for my stupid anger."

Air puffed out of Shannon, her cleavage rising and falling. Goosebumps from the cold stood out almost as stiffly as the points in the front of her thin blouse.

"Why don't you ever wear a jacket?" Letty complained.

"Why are you always so bloody on and off with me? One minute you're yelling at me, then next you're worried about me being cold."

Letty didn't think that really needed an answer.

"Is it just the mistakes I've made?" Shannon swallowed heavily. "Or is it more?"

Their hands held all the answers in the world, or should, the way she let her sight dive to them.

"Letty?"

Fingers curling under, nails biting into flesh, "Because it scares me how much I care about you."

"Letty," her name was loaded with too many questions, too much hope.

Not this conversation. Not right now. She disengaged their hands. "If Interpol has a mole, does Shaw know about you?"

"You're giving me whiplash, love." Shannon groaned.

"Does he know about you?" She met her gaze again, seeing turmoil, a racing pulse, and pain. It echoed Letty's heart.

"No. If he did, I would be dead."

"Get in touch with Tej."