Thanks for the reviews.

Chapter 37

(Letty)

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" Dom's gravelly voice asked.

"When I came here, to L.A., I didn't come alone."

After those words left his mouth, I shut my eyes tightly. I knew exactly what he meant. Ryan was here. In California. After me. I tried hard to control my trembling body as thoughts of what he would do Rylan ran through my head. There was no doubt in my mind that he would hurt my daughter for my abandoning him. Rylan, after all, was the reason we were in Los Angeles anyway. He wasn't gonna let her take away his family and get away with it. He was too devious for that.

"Where is he?" I asked softly, my eyes rolling to the sky. I was trying to keep my emotions in check for the sake of the situation. Wasn't any point in getting upset and pissy now. Now I had to take action to keep my family safe. Crying wasn't gonna help.

"All will be revealed, Miss Letty," Brian replied, just as his cell phone rang. "Speak of the devil..." he smirked, flipping the phone open. "Yeah, Boss, they're here … No she's not with them … Yeah, Arletta is here … Will do," We all watched in disgust as Brian sat with a smug smile on his face while he talked on the phone. He shut it quickly, tightening his grip on the gun that was still pointed at Dom's head.

"Sorry to cut our little meeting short, but we have to be heading out. Letty includes you Letty," Brian said, his grip on Denise's arm tight.

"They aren't going anywhere, O'Connor," Dominic stepped up. I was secretly thankful that he wasn't trying to deal Denise for our safety like V had. He was such a bonehead sometimes.

"Who's gonna stop me Dom?" Brian asked, getting the courage to step in Dom's face. "I sure hope that Superman suit you love to wear so much is bullet-proof. You're gonna need it," he smirked, reaching behind him and grabbing the door handle. "Take this one. And watch it, she's feisty," he shoved me to one of the bulkier guards. I yanked away from the guard and walked, deciding it was in Rylan's best nature if I play good girl. For now.

"O'Connor!" I heard Dom's voice roar clear down the hall as we boarded the elevator. I looked over at Denise, who was visibly shaken by the whole situation. She really thought that Brian wouldn't catch up to her. He was a cop, he would always find her.

Unless he was dead.

"So where we goin'?" I asked in the dead silent elevator. If he was going to kidnap me, I wouldn't make it easy on him.

"You'll see," he said, pushing me out of the elevator and towards the front lobby doors. There were a group of squad cars parked in front of the hospital, the drivers chatting with other hospital patrons.

"Hold up buddy," one said, stepping in front of Brian. Brian kept the gun in the middle of my back with one hand and the other holding Denise's adamantly. The cop noticed Brian's Manhattan police badge and gave him a strange eyebrow. "You're a long way from home, aren't ya Dorothy?"

"Just came to pick my girlfriend and her friend up. They took a little vacation and their car broke down. Needed a ride," he replied quickly. Brian's wits were always a good thing, I give him that much.

The cop eyed me closely, trying to take a read on Brian's story. As much as I wanted to blurt that Brian was full of shit, I wanted to be alive to find my little girl.

"Is that so?" I looked away, wanting to get away from the situation. I was starting to hate cops more and more. They were dumber than a box of rocks. "Well we got a call of a disturbance happening on the second floor. There are witnesses saying they heard a lot of commotion coming from one of the rooms. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Brian put on his best smile, which would work on any moron. "No sir. Just came to retrieve the girls."

Brian hurried us to his squad car, shoving us both in the back. I wanted to choke the living hell out of Brian O'Connor, but that damn wire cage separated my hands from his neck.

"Sit back ladies. We're gonna go visit some friends."

-X-

It was nearly half an hour later that we were being shoved into the entrance of a gentleman's club. It was clear that the place had been abandoned for some time, with the wallpaper being peeled and discolored. The place was well lit at the moment, with slow Sinatra playing from overhead. It was a large establishment, with the name 'Parker's Palace' hanging high in lights. I let my mind wander at the name as I thought of New York.

Ryan took "business" trips a lot. He was out of town for many weeks at a time, but never disclosed his locations or what type of business it was.

I suddenly felt betrayed that my future ex-husband had been running a fuckin' strip joint and leaving me with three unruly children to take care of alone. He never mentioned a strip club, or even ever being to California.

No reason in crying over spilled milk now that it's dry and sticky, I thought as we were lead to a back room, which looked much like an office. There was a man sitting in a large leather chair, smoke from his cigar puffing into the air. It was the one man I hoped I wouldn't have to ever see again.

"Parker, got what you wanted," Brian said, pushing me into the room.

The chair swiveled around, my husband's pretty face appearing from behind a cloud of smoke.

"Well, well. If it isn't Letty Gonzales," my body tensed, "What? Isn't that what you call your self?"

"Nice to see you again. Though, I can't say I'm glad to see your little 'stunt' failed," I couldn't help but running off at the mouth. It was what I was good at.

"You always were the mouthy one, you know," he replied, stubbing his cigar out. I rolled my eyes. "That's why I had to keep you in check all the time. I wished that worked with our little girl. She just doesn't know when to shut up."

I tensed up at the mention of Rylan. He still had no idea that Rylan wasn't his.

"Where is she?" I knew what kind of damage he could do and I wasn't sure Rylan could take it for as long as I did.

"Don't worry about that. Let's go catch up," he grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the group.

(No POV)

Back at Brick's apartment, Jesse was downing his third beer with worry. It had been an hour and there was still no call from Dominic.

"They've been gone for a long time," Stacy acknowledged from her spot by the window. "I'm getting worried."

"Call her cell," Jesse exclaimed from the kitchen. He hadn't even realized how long the two had been gone.

Cece pulled out her phone, frantically dialing the number. When it went straight to voice-mail, she began to panic.

"It's going straight to voice-mail. Call Toby," she exclaimed, trying Rylan's phone again.

Jesse dialed Toby's phone, but got no answer. He tried three more times, still getting the same result.

"Stacy, stay here with the boys. Cece, let's go," Jesse said, running for the door. "Call Dominic Stace!"

The two bolted out the house and down the stairs, running around to the Jetta. His tires burned into the gravel as he sped off down the road.

"What the hell was I thinking, letting her go out at night," Jesse panicked. He knew Dom and Letty were gonna rip him a new one if they didn't find Rylan.

"Hey, relax. We could be overreacting," Cece replied, more so to convince herself that her best friend wasn't somewhere hurt.

Just as the words left her mouth, they noticed a body laying slumped on the sidewalk. Jesse screeched the Jetta to a stop, both passenger's running over to the body.

"Oh my god, it's Toby!" Cece exclaimed, immediately thinking the worst had happened.

"Come on T, wake up man," Jesse frantically slapped the young boy's face, hoping he would come to. After a few moments, Toby's eyes fluttered open. He winced as a pain shot through the back of his head, but managed to stand to his feet. "What happened to you Kid? Where's Rylan?"

Toby's eyes glazed over as he tried to get out of Jesse's grip. He spun around dazedly, trying to put together the events that lead to him being unconscious.

"I gotta find Rylan," he whispered in angst, pushing Jesse out of his way as he started to stumble down the street. The two ran to him, hoping to get some information out of him. He ignored Jesse's calls as he continued down the road, though he had no idea where he was going. It was pitch black out and the nearest highway was nearly ten miles away. Cece ran to him, her panic turning into paranoia.

She put her hands on his chest, stopping him in his tracks. "Look, you need to stop and listen to me. Rylan is out there somewhere, and we need to find her before something happens to her. So snap the fuck out of it and get it together."

Toby was taken aback by her ferocious bark, but tried to clear his head to remember the previous twenty minutes.

He started with a stutter, "I-I just remember arguing with her. The next second, a car pulled up and yelled for her to get in the car. When I pulled out my cell to call the cops, somebody must'a knocked me out 'cause I don't remember much past then. For some reason, my fuckin' ribs ache," he mumbled, rubbing his quickly-bruising abdomen.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Jesse yelled, slapping his palm against his forehead several times. He knew he was going to be in deep shit for letting Rylan get kidnapped. He had no idea where she could be or who would want her. He didn't even know where to start.

Cece rolled her eyes, walking over to Jesse. She was usually the one to keep her calm during the strangest of situations, and now wasn't any different. She had to take control and take cautious steps to help get her friend back.

After watching his run his hands through his hair several times, she gave him a tough slap in the face. Just hard enough to bring him back to reality.

"You back on Earth?" she asked firmly. He swallowed hard and nodded. "Good. Now who had problems with Rylan?"

"Just a few guys that she pissed off. Most recently was his brother."

"Okay. Then why are we just standing here? T, where would your brother be right now?" Cece asked, surprised how composed she was being.

Turbo hesitated for a moment, "I have no idea. Sundays he's usually with the Team all day working on their cars."

"Then let's go," she yelled, running to the Jetta and jumping the driver's seat.

"What the hell are you thinkin'?! You are not driving my car!" Jesse yelled from near the front bumper.

"Jesse, if we get pulled over for speeding, do you want DUI charges added onto that?" When he didn't reply, she continued. "That's what I thought. I drive fine. Now get in the fuckin' car!"

Jesse clenched his jaw, trying to control his rage as he ran over to the passenger side, jumping in.

"You sure are pushy," he muttered.

She quickly tossed her red hair up in a messy bun and turned to him with a smile. "You know, you aren't the first to tell me. I wonder what that's all about."

She shrugged and sped off.

-X-

Rylan licked her lips as she could taste the crimson blood that was now pouring out of her mouth.

It was the third time he had back-handed her in the last ten minutes, and she was starting to get annoyed.

The first time was when she realized who her kidnapper's had been. The second time was when she said their names aloud, receiving another smack from the man in the passenger seat. The last time was when she threatened to "bash your fuckin' skull in" when she got free. After they sped off from the curb, the driver led them to a dark alleyway, where the passenger yanked Rylan out and tossed her to the ground.

"You think you're so fucking funny don't you?!" he yelled, clenching his fist tight and dropping it down on Rylan's jaw.

She bit her lip to hold back the yelp that threaten to come out. That one was definitely gonna leave a bruise, she thought as her face began to sting.

"Not as funny as that picture. You shoulda seen my dad's face," Rylan laughed again. She knew it was pressing their buttons, and quite frankly, she didn't give a shit.

Neiko went to hit her again, when his partner spoke up.

"Hit her again, and I'm gonna hit you," he threatened, his voice exasperated. He wanted to get Rylan to their destination, get his money, and get the hell out of California. "Here, tie her up," he tossed Neiko a bundle of rope and leaned against the Civic, watching as the teenager struggled to get Rylan to comply. After Rylan gave Neiko a swift kick to the family jewels, Reese threw his hands up, finally having enough.

Reese yanked his pistol out of the holster and put it to Rylan's head.

"Listen, sweetheart. You're getting on my nerves. So unless you want your head blown off, I suggest you sit still," Reese warned, pointing the gun to Rylan's head as Neiko bounded her hands and feet together.

"You are really gonna regret this when my Dad takes that gun and gives you another whole to breathe out of," she hissed.

"For fuck's sake tape her mouth shut," Reese sighed, tossing duct tape to Neiko. After giving Neiko a nice size wound between his index finger and thumb, her mouth was taped and her body was tossed in the trunk of the Civic.

After her captor's were in the car and back on the road, Neiko turned to Reese nervously. "You think she really meant that?" Reese looked at him in confusion. "You think Dom will kill us if she gets away?"

Reese thought for a moment, then turned to him. "Well we better make sure she doesn't get away, huh?"

(Dom)

I paced the hospital room frantically as I tried to control my anger. I could not believe that Brian O'Connor had the audacity to come to my town and fuck with my family – again. He got away with it once, but I promised myself that this time … Brian O'Connor won't make it out of California alive.

"What the fuck just happened? Where the hell are they going with Denise and Letty?" Brick asked angrily as he entered the room, Leon hot on his heels.

"I wish I had the answers, Brick. But I don't," I said simply, shrugging as I flopped down in a seat. I had to figure out how to get our women back and make sure my kids were okay.

"Well you need to find some, because if something happens to them, I will fuck you up!" Brick snapped, stepping in my face. I jumped up quickly, ready to defend myself. Brick was a big boy, and although we hadn't physically fought as of today, I knew his emotions would make him twice the beast he usually was.

"Everybody just relax!" Lisa's voice of reason cut in. "You aren't gonna get them back standing here pissed at each other. If you wanna argue, take it out there!" she yelled, pointing to the door. I gave Brick one last scowl before moving outside the room.

"You need to step down off your high horse for a second. In case you missed it, he took my girls too. I wanna kill this fucker too, but I think it's way deeper than that," I whispered angrily to him.

"Gentlemen, is there a problem here?" a voice – one that could only belong to authority – called from behind us. I turned to find two uniform officers standing behind me.

"No problem, Officer. Just having a little disagreement," I lied, waiving them off.

"Well we got a disturbance call. The clerk directed us to this room, said someone might be in trouble up here," the other cop replied.

"No sir. We'll try to keep it down," Leon backed me up. The officers gave us another lasting glance, then continued down the hall.

Brick waited until they were out of earshot until he spoke again, "Why did you lie? They could help us."

"No matter what, we don't fuck with cops. Ain't nothing but crooked police in L.A. Had to find that out the hard way," I replied, freezing up at the memory of twenty years ago.

"Then how the hell do you plan on getting them back?" Brick questioned. "If that cop ends up dead, we're lookin' at a shitload of jail time. For all of us."

I only nodded and re-entered Mia's room.

"You done?" Mia quirked an eyebrow at me, something she only did when she was angry. She was holding one of the twins and I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I was happy that she finally had someone of her own to nurture and take care of, instead of six dysfunctional adults.

"Yeah. We gotta think of a plan."

"I'm gonna call Jess," Leon said, stepping out of the room.

"Okay, we gotta get movin' before they get too far," Brick and I stood, moving to the door. When I noticed Vince behind us, I held my hand up. "No brother, you gotta stay with Mia on this one."

"Fuck that! That motherfucker held a gun to my head," Vince retorted.

"Well now you're even," I replied. "I need you to stay here with Mia and the twins. Protect them V. They are your responsibility now. Make sure nobody enters this room. If anyone asks, say Denise had a family emergency," I could tell Vince wanted to argue the situation, but I wouldn't budge when it came to my sister's safety. "I'm serious V. Stay here."

After a moment of hesitation, he finally complied with a nod. He grabbed my hand and brought me in for a tough hug. "Be careful bro. Come back in one piece."

At that moment, Leon came barging into the room, his face holding a look of pure distraught.

"I just got off the phone with Jesse. Dom, somebody took Rylan."

My vision instantly clouded and it became increasingly difficult to see. Pressure in my brain began to build up and I felt slightly dizzy. I quickly placed my hand on a nearby wall to keep my balance. There was no way what Leon was saying was true.

"What do you mean somebody took Rylan?" my voice was so low that I was unsure if I had even spoken.

"Jesse said that he took the kids back to Brick's place. Turbo and Ry went for a walk, but never came back. When they went to find them, they only found Toby lying on the sidewalk. Somebody knocked him out and forced Rylan in a car. Somebody has your little girl, D."

Tears glistened in my eyes as his words repeated in my head, over and over. Somebody has your little girl. I clenched and unclenched my jaw repeatedly, trying to muster up the strength to even breath. As soon as the pain came, it left. It was replaced with pure, unadulterated wrath. I felt like one pissed off bull ready to be released from the stable, ready to pounce on anything that stood in my way.

Everything around me began to dissipate immensely. I didn't hear the cries of the twins start, I didn't notice Leon's hand waving in front of my face. I only barely heard Mia's panicked voice yelling for me.

"D, please don't do anything that'll lead you back to Lompoc. Get our girls, and for God's sake, be careful big brother."

I honestly had no idea if I could control myself when I caught up to Brian and the guy who had my daughter. I couldn't make any promises.

But I made one to myself years ago. I'd die before I go back to Lompoc.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she held her hand up before I could. "I don't wanna hear it D. Just bring my family back."

Without further talk, we all raced out of the hospital and down to the parking lot. I noticed the clerk, Sharon, standing around with a few other nurses.

"What car and which way?" I barked to her as I fumbled with the keys.

"Black squad car and a black SUV. They flew off like a bat outta hell that way," Sharon's shaky voice replied as she pointed right, towards what Leon called the "Night Life District". Our cars sped off after Letty's captor's. I hoped to God that we could catch them before anything happened.

After about twenty minutes of driving, I was starting to lose hope. Just as I picked up the talkie to call the boys off, it beeped before I could speak.

"Dom, right there! A black Suburban," Brick's voice called over the talkie. I peered through traffic, noticing a black Suburban driving at intense speeds for such a heavy car. It had to be them.

"Okay guys, follow them. Don't lose them," I ordered as I shifted gears, pushing the Charger harder, quickly maneuvering in and out of traffic. I nearly T-boned a Honda that happened to be running a red light at the same time that we were breaking every traffic law. Thankfully, the advanced handling my Charger had made it able for me to barely avoid the tail end of the Prelude and keep control of the muscle car. We continued following the SUV until it made a sharp right, pulling into the parking lot of what looked like an abandoned strip club.

We parked on the curb outside the establishment, not wanting to be seen. It could lead to something happening to our girls, and that was something that we wouldn't risk, regardless of the situation.

I reached into the compartment beneath my seat and opened it, revealing my vast collection of handguns. I knew it was probably the dumbest thing to carry five concealed illegal handguns in your car, but with the enemies I kept, I never knew when I might need one. I grabbed my favorite of the group, my Smith & Wesson .45 and two extra clips, shoving them in my pocket. I exited and locked up the car, walking behind to meet the other. Apparently, great minds think alike, for Leon was tucking his weapon in the back of his jeans and Brick was carrying his 20-gauge Nova pump shotgun.

"You aren't going back to Lompoc," Brick said, pointing the gun at me. I instinctively duck, reminding him how much I hated when he did that. He gave me an apologetic look. "You got too much going for you to go back to jail. So whatever happens in there, get the girls and get the fuck outta there. Don't hang around for us, we can handle ourselves."

I nodded at him, shaking his hand. I bumped knuckles with Leon and lead the boys to the entrance of the building.

Well this oughta be fun, I thought to myself.