II - The Race and Mingling

The night of the race came and we drove our cars to Koreatown where it'll take place. There were the typical people here like the women in skimpy outfits and people who like examining the cars. Up above there was someone playing golf with a net. He must be one of Braga's men. As I was driving, there was this woman who was walking with some men. She caught my eye because of her power, grace and beauty. She noticed I was looking at her and we looked into each other's eyes. But then I noticed Brian was walking with her group and he wasn't pleased to see me and Dom.

We parked and shortly after, that woman came up to us.

"You both here for the race?" She asked us. Her voice had a particular accent that sounded hardened and soft.

"Yeah." I said for us both and she nodded for us to follow her. We went up to where that guy was playing golf and the other racers were there, including Brian.

"You all know why you're here. Good drivers are a dime a dozen. Man, every corner's got a chingadera tuner racing for pinks." The guy playing golf told us and I found myself looking at the woman, who'd look back at me. She has truly drawn my attention.

"That's not what Braga has got me looking for." He then said as he swung at a ball.

"Braga wants two of you that would sell their abuelita to be behind the wheel." He said. Then he looked at us all.

"A couple of drivers who drive their 10 second cars not in a straight line, but to push it and make it through places no one else would take it. Real drivers." He then explained. And I know for sure that both me and Dom are real drivers.

"So what are we hauling?" Dom asked the man.

"For the money Braga's paying, you don't need to know." The man said.

"But you just said you wanted real drivers, right? They know exactly what's in their car." I said and looked at Dom. The woman smirked a little at my comment.

"Mira, real driver, nobody's forcing you to race." The guy next to Dom said to me.

"You the boss?" Dom asked him.

"Or am I talking to the boss?" Dom then asked.

"Do I look like a boss?" He questioned Dom.

"My job is to find the best drivers, period. Whoever finishes in 1st and 2nd place gets the info. We cool?" The golf man asked as the woman handed us monitors. She handed one to me and we were up close and I saw pure beauty in her face and features. And it was able to calm me down and lessen my anger and drive for revenge.

"Are we cool?" The man asked Dom who just stared down the guy next to him.

"Yeah, we're cool." Dom told him and took the monitor.

"No, we ain't cool, man. Who's closing these streets?" One of the other racers asked. The golf man chuckled.

"No one. That's the point." He told him. Alright. This will be interesting.

We got into our cars and got to the starting line and connected our monitors which turned out to be GPS's. We revved the cars up while the GPS started and showed a highlighted route.

Then it counted down. Here we go.

Ten

Nine

Eight

Seven

Me and Dom looked at Brian.

Six

Brian then looked at us.

"You sure you want to do this?" Dom asked Brian.

Five

"A lot has changed." Brian said.

"In every way." I said.

Four

Three

Two

One

GO!

And we went with me and Dom doing wheelies with our Dodge Chargers and were ahead of the others.

Right turn ahead

We all made a right turn and then we just followed the GPS as we made another right turn and into traffic. Brian was falling behind, I see he's still a buster.

We then entered into a tunnel with us all in single file. I was ahead of Brian, but he was ahead of Dom. With the added tension of traffic, this is actually something I'm used to since it makes me ready at every second and then I just met up with who I'd call Chia pet. I then made a right turn, following Dom and I saw Chia crash into a car. I looked up and saw Brian's car on the bridge, damnit!

Me and Dom had to deal with that racer who questioned about closing the streets and he thought it was a good idea to ram us. Nope.

We were right now, neck and neck with this fool and then Brian miraculously ended up behind us.

Ghetto rammed into me.

"Nice car, baby." He mocked me.

"Says the Chris Rock wannabe, punk." I mocked back and rammed into him. He then rammed into me but I saw a concrete part that can cause damage and so I waited for him to ram me and then I hit the brakes and he hit the concrete and rolled.

Loser.

I looked at Dom and he smirked at my skills. Now we both just have to deal with Brian. He managed to catch up and we made a sharp left turn and it turns out we have just a quarter mile left.

I looked at Brian with sheer determination, as did Dom. Brian gained speed. Oh no, you don't. Thankfully, we both had a trick up his sleeve and we used it right now with NOS giving us a boost, and then Brian gained a boost as well. He was about to get 1st place, but since I'm next to him, I nudged him, which made him spin out of control and now me and Dom are in 1st and 2nd.

"Still a buster. You never learn." I muttered in victory as me and Dom reached the destination and got our spots as drivers. We swerved into a park right in front of the three we met with. And that woman was still grabbing my attention. And just looking at her made me level headed. Me and Dom got out of our cars when Brian just parked.

He then walked up to us with a glare.

"At least we know you can't beat me straight up." He told us. I raised an eyebrow at this.

"We didn't know there were any rules." Dom shrugged off.

"Now that's what I call real driving." The guy Dom chatted with praised me and Dom.

"No, that's bullshit, man!" Brian whined.

"Oh just shut up you crybaby. You lost, just accept it like any respectable person should." I scolded Brian.

"Yeah, go cry to your mama, eh?" Even the guy agreed with me. And the woman grinned at me talking down to Brian.

Brian then walked off. Golf man then shook our hands.

"Well done. You two work for Braga, now." He told us

"When the GPS calls, you follow." He then said before walking away, then the other guy left with him and the woman was standing in front of us.

"Driver's license." She requested from us.

"What driver's license?" Dom asked.

"Thumb." She said and she had an electronic fingerprint scanner. We both did as requested.

"Cell phone number." She then said to me.

"The print is for Campos. The number is for me." She told us. The golf guy must be Campos.

I then gave her my number.


Following Night

After last night, I can't get that woman out of my head. I mean, I'm mostly focused on getting revenge for Letty but she ends up being something I think about, and whenever I do think of her, I don't feel driven for revenge. She must be like incense for people to calm their senses.

Campos had invited racers to a party in some abandoned warehouse. The music was blaring and people were grinding on each other as we walked further in and up some stairs.

I was ahead of Dom and so when to my surprise I saw Brian here, playing some pool I nudged Dom and pointed at Brian. We walked away and to where the drinks are served and we both ordered Corona. Brian then came up next to us.

"That's too bad about Dwight. Having the Feds raid your house the same night you make the team. So unfortunate." Brian said. Hmm… He must've somehow got Dwight out of the picture so that he can get in.

"You know, it's not even that surprising to see you here." I said to him as I took a sip of Corona that the bartender just gave me.

"What's to stop someone from telling them you're a cop?" Dom asked him.

"Probably the same thing that's keeping me from telling them why you're really here." Brian replied. Then suddenly Campos came up at us from behind, grasping mine and Dom's shoulders.

"What's up, fellows?" He greeted us.

"Hey, how you doing?" Brian greeted him

"Great. You having a good time?" Campos asked him.

"Yeah, a great time." Brian answered.

"Come on, let's have a better time." He told us three and we followed him.

"How's your car? It took a nasty bump." Campos asked Brian.

"It'll be ready." He told him as we all sat down.

"I also heard you just got out of County." He pointed out to Brian.

"Yeah." We replied.

"You know a guy named Jim Garcia?" Dom asked him.

"Nah. Big place. Lots of names, lots of faces." Brian answered and I just drank some more of my beer.

"And you two, you're wanted by a lot of people, homies." Campos said to me and Dom.

"Yeah, that kind of heat can't be good for business." Brian said, trying to make us seem like a problem.

"But that will depend on how you look at things." I suggested.

"Yeah, we go down, we do time. We do real time." Dom said.

"And we don't know for sure about your other drivers, but when we see flashing lights in our mirrors, we just don't stop. We're made to drive." I explained. Then everyone was quiet.

"Do you three know each other?" Campos asked us.

"He used to date my sister." Dom shot after a bit of awkward silence.

"I see." Campos said.

"You're a lucky man." He told Brian.

"How's that?" Brian asked.

"You're still breathing." Campos said. And he was right as me and Dom chuckled. He then filled a shot glass for himself and we raised our drinks.

"To the ladies we've loved and the ladies we've lost." He toasted and we took a sip.

"So what's Braga about?" Brian asked.

"You know, he's just one of us. Came up from the streets. Down for el barrio. Now he's a shot caller. The boss of bosses. See all these cats in here? Any one of them would die for Braga." Campos explained. He sounds akin to a cult leader with that last bit.

"Does that include you?" I asked him.

"Especially me." He said. And then some woman walked up to him and whispered something to him.

"Enjoy the party, fellows. Club's yours. Whatever you want, booze, broads, it's all good." He told us as he walked away.

"Braga's mine." Brian said.

"I'm taking the whole house down." He then said as he walked away. I got up as well and walked around and then I saw some kind of entry way by the dance floor.

I had managed to enter through it and found that it was some kind of elevator that led me into a garage.

I looked and I saw a green car. It made me think of the green Torino that is linked with Letty's death. I frowned upon seeing it since it made me think of my best friend's death.

"Something interests you about this car?" The woman I think about asked from behind me.

"Just examining the body work." I told her, hiding my pain.

"Are you one of those boys who prefer cars to women?" She asked as she stood next to me, wearing a casual white shirt that made her look appealing in a normal way.

"I'm a boy that admires a fine body, whether it's a car or a woman. Though, mostly women." I answered with honesty as I found myself lost in looking at her.

"Is this your car?" I asked her, surprisingly hopeful she wasn't involved with Letty's killing. I saw her shake her head in the corner of my eye.

"It's Fenix's car. You'll meet him at the rendezvous. He'll be leading you." She told me. Is Fenix that guy who Dom was staring at and the one that mocked Brian at the race.

"So now that I know your taste in cars, tell me, what about your women?" She asked me.

"Well, I've never had a special woman before in my life. But if I did, the first thing to start with are the eyes. The kind of eyes that can see the truth and see through bullshit and even the good in someone, even if they don't know it." I answered. She seemed a bit surprised at my answer.

"I'd say 50% angel, 50% devil. A bit down to earth. Someone who doesn't care about dirt in their fingernails. But also, someone who knows they're beautiful yet they don't give a damn." I then expressed. She then got right into my face.

"That sounds a bit like me actually." She told me.

"I know. Because you've been all I've thought about since the previous night. You actually make me feel calm, which is rare for me now." I said.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because the loss of someone I cared for has made me want revenge, and you actually bring back the person I was before this." I answered.

"And what kind of person are you?" She grew curious.

"Caring, loyal, brave and selfless." I whispered. Looking into her eyes, I see someone who's been through a lot of action has been hardened by it.

"What is your name, by the way?" I asked.

"I'm Gisele." She said her name.

"I'll see you later, Gisele." I told her and left. I swear, I think I'm actually falling for her. I might be in love with her.


And there we go, here is where Gisele and David meet. And if you've seen the film, you'll know that some of the stuff David does in this race, Dom did in the film. I just wanted showcase how good David is since we've only heard of how good he is.