Disclaimer: I don't own Fast and the Furious.
Rating: Very Strong T
Warnings: Language (but not too colorful) and Lots of flashbacks
A/N: Thank you for reading, reviewing, following, adding this to your alerts and favorites. It's been long I know but this chapter was killer to write, but I hope it doesn't feel too disjointed. Right, onwards…
Chapter Thirteen: Of Grand Gestures and Apologies
"How much will it cost?" Rayne finally asked after a long tense silence, eyes not leaving the vandalized car for even a moment, but completely aware of the five pairs of eyes on her. The twinge in her hand became more painful than uncomfortable, forcing her to release the clench of her fist.
Dom's eyes couldn't help stray to her bandaged hand even if he tried, but he didn't miss her question when he was asked. "Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it." It just didn't seem right to ask for payment for something like this, besides the guys were probably more than happy to work on the car with no money –Maya was family.
"Dom, I'll pay, it's no problem," Don't get her wrong, she understood what he was saying and the sentiments behind it, but he was running a business and BMW parts and the upholstery was worth a pretty penny not to mention the work needed.
The tension was getting thicker by the minute, but the others couldn't help watch in fascination as Rayne boldly contradicted Dom. Usually, when the guy said something it was final, no one really questioned it. But, Rayne was Rayne and she was never scared to call people out, even if she was at the top of their shit lists.
Was this chick for real or just deaf? "I didn't ask for your money, Rayne." Maya meant just as much to them, as she did to her so it was rather insulting to have her throw money at him, especially after he'd told her clearly that he would take care of it without asking for any payment. He was going to walk past her to put a definite end to the conversation; however Rayne was Rayne and never did things the way other women did it.
"Dom, I know you're still angry at me," she began, getting a chuckle in response as he paused at the door. The rest of the guys staying silent, shifting slightly obviously anticipating a blow out between them, "and I understand why." That didn't seem to be any better, because he turned around looking at her with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. She wasn't going to get forgiveness anytime soon –if ever –but, she wouldn't back down on this. "I can't tell you how sorry I am, but this is a business not charity. Look, I know why you're saying it, and it's for Maya but, the car is going to set you back at least 10 grand."
Vince had to give it to the woman, chick had big ones not backing down, but it definitely wasn't the thing to say to Dom. But, the hell kind of weak-ass apology was that?
Dom was well aware that she was speaking from a rational point of view, but there was something so frigging aggravating about her words; Business not charity? "Tell me, you're messing with me, because it can't be that you didn't hear me."
"Okay, I'll just buy the parts then," she negotiated, not ready to let things go. It was obvious to her that he was frustrated, and she was being a nuisance but she just could let him risk his business because of nobility.
Rome eyes easily slide to the brawny racer, awaiting his reaction because the woman's persistence couldn't be good on his last nerve. He liked the girl, but she should have let this one go.
It was obvious he was talking to a wall, or frustrating him was thrilling or something. "Maya probably needs to get home, and she's the only reason you're back. I think it's time you leave."
Tej looked at Rayne hoping she took the blatant brush off and just walked away, but there she was opening that pretty mouth of her to say something.
"The parts will be delivered tomorrow," Rayne insisted knowing she was being dismissed, even if it was much more subtle than she'd expected. "Break them, throw them away or returning them, it's up to you." Over staying her welcome and insisting would likely make the forgiving process that much harder, because he was the type of guy that expected people to do as ordered, but she would risk it –even if they all viewed it as petty.
While ordinarily a girl being insistent and not backing down would be a deal breaker, Brian had to say it wasn't the case. Sure, Dom would be pissed as he was now, but the fact that she was ready to stand her ground was always an attractive quality to the guy –that is, if he ever let go of his pride.
Did she really expect him to throw a tantrum? "Will agreeing get you out of my shop faster?" his eyebrow rose in challenge, brown eyes fixed her with an unimpressed stare and his tone cold.
"Don't worry I'm gone," it hurt to hear him say that, but what did she expect? That all would be forgiven, more so after she'd gone on a stubborn crusade to get him to agree to her terms –especially out of frustration. "Message received," walking past him, and not looking back.
-~*+*~-:-Fast and Furious-:-~*+*~-
Nicole's call for peace between herself and Rayne, after their epic confrontation during the week about keeping the incident with Maya's car from her, came in the form of a night out on the town. Not surprising since the blonde rarely made official apologies, simply offering a truce as an unspoken sorry. Nix had told them he'd try joining them at some point during the night, but didn't make any concrete promises. Maya was spending some quality time with Kane, so he wasn't going to join them, there was also the fact that Rayne and he were still on the outs. So all they had as clubbing companions was Fox who was always down for fun that included drinks, dancing and hot women, Ethan who Rayne had somehow convince to come with and Picasso who was bored and needed to release some steam.
"This is the racers district, isn't it?" Nicole commented, seeing the many spruced up cars lining the street outside the club.
Rayne laughed at the blonde's expression, "You were the one who begged escape from high society and corporate LA. Beggars can't be choosers, sweetheart," slamming the door shut and taking in the establishment. It wasn't the high end clubs they frequented when they went out, but it was decent either way.
"At this point in time, I'd rather street racers than corporate perverts," Nicole conceded, so not in her nature but what could she do. She got dressed up, for a night of fun with her sister and friends and hell or high water, she would have it. With the black short shorts one piece, blaring white blazer and stilettos, blonde locks wild and free, she planned to tease but not to please so to speak.
Rayne smiled brightly, skipping over to the blond, "that's the spirit. Now let's go shake things up," looping an arm through Nicole's and pulling her toward the club. The bouncer didn't even bother trying to stop them, just stepped aside at the sight of playful smiles and let them through.
Among all the clubs she'd frequented with Nix, Fox and Dom's crew, Hidden Agenda was one of the calmer ones. Racers who were looking for a much tamer time, with decent music and actual breathing space came to Hidden Agenda for it. "Not what I expected, when you brought me here," Nicole admitted, impressed by the much tamer atmosphere than she'd imagined. "Me like a lot."
"You're such a snob at times, you know that," Rayne tsked, wrapping an arm round the blonde's waist and leading her to the bar for a drink. "So what will you have, I'm buying?"
"Ray, are you actually offering to booze me up?" Nicole asked surprised by the offer, but not exactly turning it down, ordering an Apple Sour Martini. "So how are things with your new street racer friends, now that the cat is out of the bag?"
Accepting her Cranberry and Club, she sighed. "Really want to discuss this? Last time I checked, you're opinions on anything racer related wasn't all that favorable," hoping to avoid all discussion of her non-existent relationship with Dom and his crew. Heck, she might have managed to screw it up even further by being bone headed.
"I'm at a bar surrounded with racers tonight and as mellow and receptive as I will ever be about your association with them, so start talking."
Nicole was right about something, she was never receptive about everything that happened and Rayne needed to talk about it she guessed, since it was still a rather sensitive topic with both Nix and Fox at the moment. "Well to put it mildly, shit hit the proverbial fan."
"They are working on May's car so it couldn't be all that bad," the blonde pointed out the obvious. If they were pissed to high heaven about Rayne's lie of omission, they wouldn't associate with anything Cassidy related. Yet, they were fixing up the car free of charge.
It was easy to look at it like that from an outsider's perspective, but it wasn't as clear cut as that, "Maya is sixteen and adorable, what they are doing is all for her with no consideration for me," she clarified. "I practically had throw parts at Dom, for him to accept them." Internally cringing as she recalled what that served to do.
"Okay fine, May is a squishy lovable marshmallow so maybe you're right," it wasn't a concession, but an agreement. Her little sister was annoyingly likeable and it wouldn't surprise her that she softened the hardest hearts, heck she was probably the only one who ever managed to make Kane smile. "So, you and Dom… It's over?" Please, she was blonde but little got past her, and once she'd managed to work it out she'd realized that Dom was just Rayne's type, rough around the edges, but definitely what the woman was attracted to.
One thing she'd never admitted to the blonde was her attraction to Dom and she wasn't going to admit it then. "What are you talking about?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about Ray so don't feign ignorance," It wasn't even a good lie on the woman's part, please that was the biggest bunch of bullshit she'd heard in a long time, including her own lie about her supposed break up with Luke. "If the reason you're telling me really crappy lies, is because you think I'm still holding on to the hope of a Rayne-Kane reunion, then just stop. I accepted it a long time ago, and if there's someone new then I'm okay with that even if he's a street racer."
There probably would have been something if she had been more honest, but Rayne had resigned herself to accepting that nothing was going to happen. "There is nothing and there won't be anything," Rayne assured the blonde, sure of her words.
She and Rayne were similar in that respect, going for the difficult complicated guys when it would be easier to go for the easier and less complicated. From what she could see, the brunette hadn't gotten any closure. "Right…" the sarcasm lacing her voice deniable.
Rayne came to the club to forget and that was what she was going to do. For a few hours she just wanted to forget her problems and have a little fun with her sister. "Could we move onto less heavy topics like your business trip to Italy?" It was weak in terms of changing the topic, but it was all she had at the moment.
"Out of all the boring, crappy meetings I have to sit through all week, Italy is going to be heaven," Nicole admitted. It wasn't even about the country and mini vacation/business trip; it was the actual business to be transacted that was the high point. "You could still come with me. Sun and obnoxiously expensive and fast cars to test drive… it's a dream come true."
The offer was tempting, very tempting in fact, but she couldn't run from her problems like a coward. Running never made them go away, just postponed it to a later date. "Not going to work, Nic. In case you've forgotten, I have a job to save."
"Hey your loss," Nicole shrugged, knowing she could have convinced her with more prodding, but deciding it was better not to, "But enough of your sulking, sugar. We came here to enjoy ourselves and damn it, we will." Her statement punctuated with her downing the rest of her drink, and getting on her feet. "Let's dance."
Suggestion was the best thing she'd heard all day, but they had their jackets to worry about. Lucky for them the bartender was a friend of Fox's and was more than willing to keep them safe, before Nicole impatiently dragged her to the dance floor. It was somewhere in the ball park of 12 a.m. so the dance floor wasn't as packed as it should have on a Friday. Frankly speaking though, it was perfect –less chances of someone grabbing at them without invitation.
-~*+*~-:-o-:-~*+*~-
After the solid wins the team had secured that night, Ignition was a no-go zone being that it was brimming with jailbait that would be stopping at nothing to get in their beds. Rome and Vince were all for race chaser love, but even they drew a limit at teens looking for a bad boy to ride. Hidden Agenda though was stricter putting the age limit at 25, so it was impossible for masquerading teens to get through the door. The atmosphere was more reveler friendly tonight, with more bodies on the dance floor gyrating to the beats the DJ was spinning, instead of tables and booths that surrounded it, but even it was much less rowdy and more laid-back that Ignition on its slowest days.
"Finally," Rome rubbed his hands in anticipation, spying the copious amount of hot scantily clad women around for the taking, "women who won't see me behind bars the morning after," following the sway of an especially fine looking one's ass as she disappeared into the crowed.
Tej sniggered, "I wouldn't be so sure. They might have you up on home invasion when they wake up and find that they actually slept with your sorry ass," sliding into the booth and taking a much anticipated gulp of his beer. It had been a good night, but San Fran still managed to get on his nerves.
"Says the guy who will be making it with his hand tonight," Rome returned, eyeing the crowd for another potential bed partner for the night. His eyes, however, zeroed in on a familiar brunette on the dance floor with a blonde. "Yo, isn't that Rayne?"
Dom's eyes slid onto the dancefloor, easily finding her in the crowd. She was always a woman who could move and entice a man with the seductive sway of her hips, entrance with that beautiful stare of hers. He hadn't seen her since kicking her out of DT even though she'd kept her word about delivering the parts the next day, "Nicole too."
Marisol who had perched herself Dom's lap the moment they'd sat down to deter any race chasers from getting any ideas about the brawny racer tonight, but she didn't factor in the tramp. The look Dom was giving her was none too innocent as well which wasn't good for Sol. Figured the bitch would ruin things for her when they began falling into place.
"So that's Windshield-Nicole?" Rome wondered aloud, eyes remaining on the blonde who definitely knew what to do with the body she had, too bad she was dancing up on Fox instead of him. Pretty boy had all the luck, "She's hotter than I expected," understatement, the chick was smoking. Damn, how come Rayne never told him she had a sister who was legal?
Vince snorted, "and way out of your league," eyes sliding onto the blonde he'd seen once, "way beyond your league," replaying his first meeting with her.
"Anybody here?"
The day had been slow with zero cars coming in and the ones they had were half way done and almost ready to go. Dom, Rome and O'Conner were out picking up a few cars to bring them over to the shop and Letty was out on a break, leaving Vince alone to watch things until they got back. He hadn't expected any walk-ins until the blonde. Usually he liked brunette, but the blonde was something else. Jeans tight encasing century long legs like a dream, her curves and ass weren't bad either. She was definitely stacked, but not in an obnoxious way to be fake. Decent lips and brilliant blue eyes were more than worth his time.
"Need you car checked out?" he asked, after giving her a slow, deliberate once over not even trying to be discreet about it.
Nicole could tell she'd just been mind-raped by the guy and he wasn't even attempting to be discreet about it. "You know, it's rude to stare," the blonde told, raising a sassy eyebrow to force him to look away, but he probably wouldn't even if she glared to the fiery pit of hell at him.
Vince smirked, "That's what they all say, but we both know you like the attention." It was arrogant, but there was a certain something in those blue depths that hinted at mild interest on her part. Besides he wasn't one to be dressed down. "Besides, it's hard not to when you're a walking invitation."
Taking the chance to give him a once over, she had to admit that he was good looking in the roguish sense, and she definitely liked the ink. The guy had guts too, and the confidence to back it up making him even more appealing than first glance. "No bullshit and the balls to back it up, I like it," she confessed, not one to hold back what she thought.
"I bet you do," giving her another once over.
Raising an eyebrow, she chuckled, "Well, I'm looking for Dominic Toretto, you know where he is?" Getting to the purpose of being there, so far guy-without-a-name seemed to be a decent guy. Lecherous sure, but she doubted he'd be laying eyes on her sister any day soon.
"Not here," Vince deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest. "But, you can wait if you want." Her eyes, the shape and color of them were familiar, but he just couldn't place where he'd seen another just like them.
"I'll wait."
Rome chuckled, "She isn't in yours either, stupid is a repellant." Please, he could get a girl like her if he put his mind to it. Fine she was loaded, but money wasn't everything, was it?
Letty laughed because it was like a pot calling the kettle black, but what was even amusing was the annoyance playing on Marisol's face because Dom wasn't glancing at her even if she was the one occupying his lap instead of Rayne. Yes, she had her issue with the brunette too, but if she had to choose who she disliked less, it would be Rayne hands down.
"Come on Dom, let's dance," Marisol prompted, because the only way to nip the situation in the bud, was to deter Rayne instead since Dom still obviously felt something for the brunette, despite her not being the one in his bed.
Dom wasn't a dancer, but it was something to do he guessed. It was a slower R&B track playing, being that it was deep into the night leaning closer to the morning. Most couples on the dance floor slowing into a gratuitous bump-and-grind. It shouldn't have disturbed him that she was dancing so closely with someone else, even if it wasn't a grind like the rest, but hell it did.
Rayne would admit seeing Marisol, of all people, grinding all up on Dom paces away from her wasn't something she wanted to see. Any woman would sting, but Marisol just annoyed her. It didn't help that the hateful tramp that was Sol was giving her a victorious smirk.
-~*+*~-:-Fast and Furious-:-~*+*~-
The wins over the weekend had assured them a busy week, as car after car came in wanting what Dom and his crew were running under the hood. Busy, but they weren't complaining since work meant money which paid the bills. Only problem was Briggs breathing down Dom's neck, wanting a commitment to continue enjoying the discounts and perks the greedy bastard was giving them. They needed an alternative which Han and Gisele had been working on.
"I've got a solution for your parts problem," Han spoke up, knowing Briggs was being less than subtle lately about getting his peace from Dom. No one needed the greedy bastard controlling things. "But, you might not like it."
Dom took a sip of his beer, leaning back further in the seat, "I'm listening."
"Might be slightly more pricy, but I'm betting if we're frequent customers they would be willing to negotiate lower like they do for their exclusive customers," Han went on, as usual popping peanuts into his mouth. "Michelangelo, SHINHWA and Cass use them, and according to Kris and Lee Joon they never pull the crap Briggs pulls. C&C Auto."
It sounded all good until he made the last statement, "C&C?" The reason he never used C&C was their pricelist. Sure, their prices weren't the highest in the LA area, but in the end it was still spending more money in the long run. Negotiation for a discount was only possible if you bought above 20 of multiple parts, and they never needed that much even on their best days. "You do realize trying to talk them down a cent will be like talking to a wall, right?"
"They are trying to support the local SMEs or some shit," he relayed the info whether Dom bit was up to him. "Look it's worth a shot to get Briggs off your back."
"I guess it is," Dom conceded, catching Marisol who'd just arrived making her way to him, before turning his attention back on Han, "It's worth looking into… anything else?"
With a few clicks of the keyboard, he opened a page turning the laptop around so Dom could have a look. "Race Wars in the desert and for people like us it will be easy money. Heard internationals are coming in as well and Japanese racers love dropping money."
"Yeah, saw it this morning," a lot of auto dealer reps went to the Race Wars events after discovering how lucrative the street racer market was and could be a less expensive alternative to C&C. "We've got a month to get our cards ready. Should I count you and Gisele in?"
Han smirked, "You know me, always down to make some money," getting up to leave knowing how greedy Marisol was with Dom's attention. Besides, there was just something about her that rubbed him the wrong way and he was rarely wrong on things.
-~*+*~-:-Fast and Furious-:-~*+*~-
"This is what I don't get about cool people like you, it's like it's physically impossible to put yourselves out there –you know cast your pride aside for a minute or two, and gain something that could possibly be worth it," Ethan concluded after listening to her vague but honest account as to why she didn't submit her assignment and the whatever-you-call-it issue between her and Dominic.
She sniggered, "It's not as easy as you think," it was a weak defense but, she believed it completely. Pride for people like her and Dom was a big deal, it was the last thing they sacrificed or gave up for anything. So laying it down…?
"It is," he countered determined. "Look, I'll tell you my experience. My girl and I had been together for 4 years. Lived together, met the family the whole shebang. Anyway, she got a job offer across country, big deal, offer of a lifetime. I wasn't ready to move for her, but I wasn't daring enough to ask her to stay, so I kept my mouth shut and watched her slip away from me inch by inch. A month to the move, I pushed my pride aside, got on one knee and asked her to marry me."
"Judging from your ring-less finger she said no," her sharp eyes noting the lack of a wedding band.
He nodded in agreement, "She did. She moved across the country and is now married to rancher in Texas expecting her first child."
"So you laid it down for nothing then?" For all the pomp and grand gesture, he'd lost his girl and it was all for nothing.
He sighed, pulling his chair closer to hers to look her dead in the eye. "That's not the point, Cassidy. The point is there are no 'what if's' left afterwards. I put it all in and I don't regret it, because I don't have to look back on it and wonder if I could have done something different."
"Hall –"
He cut her off, still determined to get his point across. "I'm not asking you to make a grand gesture like what I did, just make a gesture so when you look back on this situation you never have to have to ask yourself what if."
"I get what you're saying, but the last person Dom wants to see is me, and he isn't the type to taken by grand gestures."
"I may not know much about Toretto, but what I do know is his eyes were on you the other night and not the hot Latina he was dancing with."
Rayne didn't know why Ethan's words resonated so strongly with her, but they did compelling her into her current situation–gathering up the nerve to do what she was about to do. Taking a breath she pushed off the car and walked into DT with all the cockiness and swagger she could muster. She wasn't at all surprised that everyone was watching her in silence as she sauntered over to Dom, who looked put out by her presence.
"I thought we agreed you wouldn't come around here," Dom informed her, his tone flat with no emotion. It was like the woman was determined to annoy him to high hell.
It stung to be dismissed, especially with an all too smug Marisol watching, had she became some sort of permanent fixture? But, she was too stubborn and determined to see it through after garnering enough nerve to do it. "I'm here to honor a promise. I'm challenging you to a race."
"What?" he sure as hell didn't hear her right, eyes piercing hers only to have her look back at him with fire and determination that said she was dead serious?
"You and me, one on one," she stepped closer, eyes not leaving his for a minute. "'70 Dodge Charger against '67 Chevy Impala," the challenge emphasized by the arms crossed over her chest, and hip tipped to the side in defiance. She was back to being the 15 year old girl spoiling for a race to get her adrenaline fix, only this time it was in aid of her own version of a grand gesture. "If I win, you get dinner and I get a conversation. If you win, you can get anything except my car –name your wage."
He mimicked her stance, not sure whether to be amused or annoyed, eyebrow raised. "You're serious? You want to race me?" She was a good racer he'd give her that, but the cockiness she was presenting was one someone put out when they were sure they'd win.
"Well, I didn't stutter," she shrugged nonchalantly, spying what had to be the slightest bit amusement in his eyes before it was stifled by a stoic straight stare. "I don't challenge unless I plan on stepping up, and let's face it, we are both curious about which beast is going to win this one –Chevy or Dodge," smirk tugging at her lips, hoping she was getting to him.
It was both the most irritating but also the sexiest thing he'd ever seen, and that wasn't going to work in his favor. "Just remember you wanted this," he warned her, "I win; I don't see you around here–Ever."
The tension in the air was thick, and a rather interesting mix of unresolved sexual tension and plain old tension as both refused to back down, the brunette staring Dom down like they were on the same level in muscle mass. Chick had balls of steel and Han, despite having Gisele, had to admit it was hot as hell.
"Like I said, whatever you want," her tone not dimming despite the blow, this was a prerequisite and hopefully it didn't blow up in her face before the main event, "We racing or what?" rubbing her hands together in anticipation.
-~*+*~-:-Fast and Furious-:-~*+*~-
It wasn't a typical race night so scrounging up a track was a challenge. But, Tej and his never ending connections managed to find a place that was relatively abandoned late in the night. Tej, Mia and Brian were at the make shift starting point, cars blocking the road incase any car came their way. There was a junction a third of the way, which had both ends block by Han and Gisele on one end, and Fox and Nix –who had arrived as Rayne had requested earlier in the night –on the other. Marisol, Letty, Rome and Vince were at the finish line to verify the winner as well as block out access to the road.
Unlike other races that had spectator at different points of the track, with music blaring into to the night at the starting line. This was a private showdown with only a select few were allowed to watch.
Seeing Rayne leaning up against her midnight black '67 Chevy Impala, brought Dom back to the first time he'd seen the car.
He'd expected the '70 Chevy Camero, when Rayne rolled up at around two in the afternoon, but was pleasantly surprised when she instead rode in a shiny black '67 Chevy Impala. The black paint gleaming in the afternoon sunlight, with no blemish in sight, silver grills and wheel caps twinkling, not a dent in sight. All in all, the classic was well maintained, even its rev was that untainted, distinct deep purr only a Chevy could have. It was a beautiful car.
"Thought I'd take her out for a spin," Rayne called his attention to her, getting out of the car. "You like?" It was clear in his eyes that he did, very much in fact, so her query was more of a rhetorical question. Even if he was a 'boy that enjoys all types of bodies, despite the make', classic muscle was an obvious favorite for him.
He smirked, "the car," casting a finally glance on the beautiful, black beast of a machine, to the equally enticing female that owned it. "Or you?" Her in those shorts were definitely calling him. Don't even get him started on how sexy she looked up against that car, with her trademark smile, a raised eyebrow and glint in her eye.
"Whatever you like," she shrugged; determine not to make the mistake of approaching him. It was well known to her now that her body reacted rather dangerously to his proximity, distance was key to keeping a level head. "But, just for clarification I was talking about the car."
Dom bit his lip, assessing the machine once again itching to get behind the wheel. It was just one of those cars that called to be driven to fully evaluate it. If he remembered correctly, a '67 Chevy Impala was the car of her dreams. He couldn't blame her either; it was not only a powerful machine but a very beautiful one to boot. "The one that gets your blood racing?" his eyebrow rose in question.
"Let's just say if this car was male and human, I'd jump it," lowering her tone to emphasize it deep, and slightly raspy quality further, her eyes none to innocent, looking him dead in the eye.
He laughed, she definitely wasn't as innocent as she seemed. The seductive glint in her eye alone, spoke of the less than saintly side she had to her, and once again he couldn't deny he liked it. He enjoyed watching her turn form mildly flirtatious to sinfully seductive in a minute. It was hypnotizing to watch. "Why wish for the impossible when you've got so many possibilities right in front of you?" he dared, knowing he was being even more forward than he usually was with her.
It was words like those that made her nervous, they teetered toward a dangerous territory that she wasn't sure was best for them. Even if she was itching to shift from foot to foot under his gaze and tear her eyes from his to run for the nearest exit, her stubborn streak couldn't let her do that. But, damn it, she needed an out before things got too heavy.
"You really know the way to a guy's heart, Ray," Tej interrupted the charged air, circling the car admiring it condition.
Rayne smirked, "You know me. I aim to please," relieved at the Race Runner's interruption. The others soon trickled out after. The driving arrangements to Rei's beach house were made rather civilly and quickly. Since Vince and Rome would likely kill each other if left in a confined space for too long, it was easily decided that Vince would travel with Fox, and Rome with Tej, who seemed the only one willing to ride with the 'fast metabolism' racer. Letty riding with Nix was a given, as was Mia riding with Brian and Gisele with Han. Leaving her to ride with Dom in the lead car; not an ideal situation but she would make it work.
"How come you don't race her?" Dom asked, after a long silent ride. With the car's beauty, the stereo system was old school and busted forcing them into companionable silence.
Smiling, she run a hand through her hair, "I do, or did," she admitted, feeling her walls slipping from her but thankful for the Aviator's sunglasses that hid her eyes. "When I was 16, and you didn't require Nitrous Oxide upgrades."
"Didn't want to touch her?" he queried, wanting to know more so he could be that much closer to understanding her.
Glancing briefly in his direction, she changed gears. Thinking of an appropriate answer, "When I was younger I kind of was a problem child," confessing wasn't her strong suit, but he'd talked about his father, so she felt safe enough to share. "And problem child is putting it lightly. Anyway, when I was about eleven, my dad –ex marine –was finally at end of his rope on what to do with me, short of dropping me off at military school and never looking back. So one day, I skipped school and I knew he'd found out cause Fox warned me beforehand to watch for fireworks. There I was with all my bratty sass, waiting for him to yell me a new one but, he just kept on working on his car not minding me. Eventually, I caved and asked him what he was doing and he began teaching me about cars." The memory fresh in her mind, "So, in exchange for working on the car and learning something new, I had to continue keeping my grades up and stay out of trouble. Car took longer than it should've to get fixed, but we eventually got it running together."
His Charger held the same sentimental value as her '67 Impala. He wished he could look in her eyes to confirm it wasn't an elaborate lie to gain his trust, but she kept her eyes firm on the road behind tinted Aviator sunglasses, her tone of voice though spoke of genuineness.
"It's the first car I ever worked on," she went on to confide. "I just can't bring myself to changing anything about her." His eyes were burning holes on the side of her head, probably trying to gage whether she was talking out of her ass or being honest. It was as easy as sliding off the shades and looking him in the eye, but her walls were already down and she didn't need him reading her too closely. "Tell you what though," she smiled, glancing at him. "If your game and finally get the '70 Dodge Charger R/T, we'll race just you, me and a quarter mile –no NOS."
"You want to race me?" he asked, allowing her to move the conversation in another direction other than the path it was heading down. Besides, he was amused at her guts.
She bit her lip pulling up to the driveway with their other cars stopping close behind, "Hell yes I want to race you," killing the engine, she stepped out of the car assuming Dom would follow.
Tej didn't like that he had to oversee this particular race, because despite all the shit that went down he still considered Rayne as a friend, and he wasn't sure Dom really wanted her gone as he said. But, they were both determined and too stubborn to back down. "Alright, you guys want to straighten out the details while I check your cars over?" It was customary to do.
"Other than no Nitrous Oxide, I think we're good, right?" Rayne voiced, since Dom seemed less inclined to speak. "May the best racers win," she held out a hand in a show of good sportsmanship, which she hoped he would take.
He didn't hesitate to take her hand, "You're something else," he couldn't help say out loud, because she had way too much self assurance to be right.
"And you haven't seen me drive yet," she countered with a daring wink releasing his hand, when Tej and Brian gave the okay on both cars, aware of his eyes on her as she walked away.
The race was a drag, quarter mile of road with no curves to take advantage of and only skill and reflexes to rely on. Both were good racers there was no denying that, but in this case Dom had a slight edge over Rayne and the brunette wasn't ignorant of it having seen him race before, but there was something that Mia had to wonder about –would Dom throw the race? Because even if he had Marisol and other women warming his bed lately, the way he still looked at Rayne told her that he was still on her no matter how betrayed he felt by her.
Taking his spot between the two cars, Tej raised his hand to signal for both to start their engines. Once both beasts roared to life, he pointed to Rayne, "Ready?" her response was giving her purring engine a rave of acknowledgement. Asking the same of Dom, got him a roar of his engine signaling he was more than ready to go. He waited a beat, watching the two share a passing glance before returning their eyes to him and the road ahead, with that he dropped his arm and the cars took off down the street –Rayne a beat faster than Dom, but not enough to give her any type of comfortable lead.
The changes between gears were smooth and her speed well maintained as they tore down the street at the breakneck speed. Dominic had to give it to her, she wasn't letting an inch and neither was he but, none of them were putting peddle to the metal, milking the engine for all it was worth. Part of him wondered if he was doing it on purpose to let her win or maybe give her a fighting chance, but when she threatened to blaze ahead he stopped stalling pushed the engine to its limit cruising slightly ahead by the nose, since she'd anticipated the move and had done the same.
In the end as the crossed the finish line, it was Dom who came ahead by more than half a car. She'd lost, not by much, but she'd still lost and that was all that mattered really. Drifting cleanly she came to a halt, Dom as well doing the same. The others had driven up to join them at the finish line, but remained at a distance giving them a semblance of privacy as they watched on.
"Can't believe I lost to a Dodge," she grouched playfully as she joined him at his car, earning a tiny twitch of a smile that he seemed to be fighting. He may not completely detest her, but his forgiveness was probably not something she had, "but I remain a Chevy girl either way."
"You got smoked and your still talking," Dom wondered how she could do that, make him want to smile despite his pride urging a scowl.
She clicked, "Smoked would be leaving me in the wind, I almost had you in the last stretch," she liked the guy, but the racer in her wouldn't let her admit to getting beat badly when it wasn't that horrible of a loss. He was making it seem like he'd left her by miles, when it was mere inches, "But, a wins a win so yeah."
He only raised an amused eyebrow, wondering how she still managed to remain so deeply under his skin without even trying so hard. "Whatever you need to believe," pulling open his door ready to leave, but she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Dom," Rayne called, placing a hand on his shoulder knowing she had nothing to lose and he deserved it. "Since we won't be seeing other, think you can spare me a moment? Just a moment and I'll be out, I promise."
Pushing the door shut, he leaned against it patiently waiting for her to continue. Listening wouldn't cost him anything.
"I realize I haven't properly apologized to you about everything," she began earnestly, her mood much sober than it was moments ago. "And I really owe you one after what I pulled, which is the whole point of tonight. Even if it started as an assignment, things changed and I should have told you long before things had changed between us. I owed you that much, but my ability to screw people over unintentionally or not, definitely reared its ugly head. Anyway what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry, really truly sorry for making you question things because I couldn't be honest with you despite giving me every possibility to just tell you."
Throughout her speech her eyes hadn't left his, like she was determined to show him that she was being sincere. It was all in those hazel-green eyes that she meant every single word, but he wasn't one to let himself get screwed over more than once, because part of him had began trusting her back then even though her secrets warned him off. "I don't know what you want me to say about this."
"Nothing," she answered his rhetorical question stepping closer. "I didn't apologize because I expect absolution or forgiveness, I did it because I owed it to you and you deserved one." Okay, a small, tiny part of her had hoped for even the slightest bit of forgiveness, but the large part had done it with no expectations. She wasn't going to get forgiveness; his eyes told her as much even if he wasn't as pissed about it as he was back then. "Well, thanks for your time," was the only thing she could think to say, walking away releasing the bated breath she'd been holding.
It would have been better for him if he just let her go with that, but he just couldn't. "Rayne," he called out, just as she was about to slide into her car, halting her movement and returning those eyes gorgeous eyes of hers on him. "You almost had me –good race."
"Yeah," she chuckled, understanding the underlying meaning behind the words, but knowing it changed absolutely nothing for them. That was the closure she'd come for she supposed, "Goodbye, Dominic."
TBC
A/N: Hope it didn't disappoint. I will be replying to reviews eventually, so please don't think I'm ungrateful if I haven't. For a small reveal, in case I take too long to upload the next chapter, the article Rayne wrote but didn't submit will be featured. As always...
Reviews would be lovely, helps me know what you think. Constructive Criticisms is welcomed, because it helps me improve. Flames …"to each, his own".