"What the hell happened?" Mari asked as she looked around the burger shop. The glass windows were shattered in the front of the store. She joined Athena who was talking to the guy who threw the initial chair.
"Make it make sense, Jim," Athena demanded.
"It's Larry!" he exclaimed.
"Ok, Larry. Now tell me why you did this."
"The fire chief of the LAFD called and told me we had a gas leak and that the whole place could go up! He told me to break all the windows to let the gas out. I just did what he told me! He said he was the fire chief," Larry explained.
"He give you a name?" Athena asked.
"He sounded very official," he insisted.
Mariana rolled her eyes. "I'll be sure to write that in the report."
"Did you even ask any questions?!"
"All clear, no gas leak." Bobby and Buck joined the two women. "However, the gas is gonna remain shut down until further investigation."
"I'm gonna get canned. Twenty years of customer service up in smoke or gas."
"Actually, there wasn't any of either, Jim."
"Actually, there wasn't any of either, Jim," Buck added.
"It's still Larry!"
Athena and Mariana turned to Buck and Bobby. "Caller said he was a fire chief."
"Someone else pretending to be LAFD?" Bobby asked.
"What do you mean, someone else?" Mari retorted. "What's going on?"
Bobby looked over their heads and his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Maybe the same someone."
They all turned to see a tall man in the back of the crowd. Once he noticed the attention focused on him, he started to turn in preparation to bolt. Mariana wasn't a judge, but she would say that's a sign of guilt.
"Hey! I got him, Cap!" Buck yelled. "Hey!" The ever faithful golden retriever sprinted after the guy. They could hear him shouting as he rounded the building and Athena looked to her daughter.
"I only run once a day and my quota is filled," Mari said dryly. The sound of the truck revving caused her to immediately straighten up and head towards where she parked the engine. As they turned the corner, the truck drove past them as Buck tried to open the door to no avail.
"Mari!" Athena called. The brunette was already stripping off her turnout coat and handing it to Bobby. She raised her hand and easily caught the keys that Athena tossed to her. The older woman climbed into the passenger seat as Mariana hopped into the driver's seat.
"How fast can I go?" she asked.
"Consider this is an encore from retirement," Athena ordered.
Mariana made sure to buckle before she pulled the gear shift into drive and pressed down on the gas. The biggest issue for her wouldn't be catching up to the truck, it would be stopping the two ton engine with the smaller vehicle she was driving.
"Dispatch, please inform all units that Boulevard Babe has emerged from retirement and is aiding the LAPD in 727-L-30."
"All units be advised. Boulevard Babe is on scene. Steer clear of 727-L-30. Do not engage."
A small smile quirked up on the brunette's lips as she turned the corner of the street, the wheel sliding under her fingers and spinning as she drifted the car onto the next street. Her hand easily slid the gear shift into D3 and she slammed down on the gas. Her dark eyes darted back and forth rapidly across the street, spying movement from pedestrians and other cars. The nose of the patrol car pulled just ahead of the back of the truck when she had to fall back to avoid hitting a car.
"Engine 118, pull over now!" Athena yelled over the speakers. "There is a professional street racer in this vehicle and she can and will continue this pursuit until you are unable to."
Mariana wouldn't lie. The feel of the wheel under her fingers, the adrenaline pumping through her veins, and the smell of burning rubber felt good. It had been ten years since she had last raced. Ten years since Athena arrested her. And here they were, in Athena's patrol car, chasing down the engine truck that was her usual ride.
"Engine 118, this is your last warning. Pull over now!" Athena ordered.
Mariana pulled the car up alongside the cab window but the hijacker just drove the truck to the side and through a bunch of cones. Mari swore under her breath as she swerved the car to avoid the rubber.
"No one has been hurt yet. We can keep it that way if you could just stop!"
He took a wide turn and Mariana yanked the wheel to the side, neatly winding around the corner and matching alongside the truck. Everytime he gained speed, she gained speed. Everytime he turned, she turned.
"Dispatch, suspect vehicle is heading north on Hill Street and not slowing down."
The speedometer climbed higher from sixty to eighty in seconds. Mariana focused on the street and keeping out of the way of cars.
"Push him off to the right!" Air support ordered over the radio. "NOW!"
Mariana twisted the wheel with a smooth flick of her wrist and the engine truck turned to avoid her, pushing into cars that went up in flames. The brunette winced at that. Usually starting fires was the antithesis of her job. But it backed him in a corner and trapped him between two walls of cop cars.
"He's not going to stop," Mari muttered. "When you're backed into a corner like this, you don't want to give up."
She was fairly sure the blood that covered her hands wasn't hers, but she was shaking too much to truly focus. The teen stared at the two totaled vehicles in front of her. Paramedics surrounded a gurney and shouted out orders as they worked to prep the guy for transportation.
"Is he going to live?" she asked quietly.
The older woman next to her sighed. "The paramedics said that if you didn't act as quickly as you did, he wouldn't be alive right now. They think he'll make it."
Mariana nodded, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders and down her back. Heavy eye makeup and thick red lipstick made her appear years older than the nineteen years she truly held. The biggest indication of her age was the pure fear in her eyes.
"I wanted out. I told Elliot I was done and he made me do one last race," she bit out.
"Elliot Nayers?" Athena asked as she sat next to the girl. She shut her eyes and nodded before she looked over at the officer.
"You have to arrest me, don't you?"
"I do. But I think I might be able to help you. Can you tell me your name?"
"Mariana. Mariana Ramirez. But Elliot makes me race under Boulevard Babe."
"Well, Mariana, let's consider this an early retirement."
Right as ever, mainly from her experience running from the cops, Mariana backed up to give the truck space to move out of the alley. She trailed behind him to ensure she didn't lose visual just as her radio crackled on her shoulder.
"All available units report to 539 North Hill Street," dispatch announced. "Five-alarm fire. I repeat, all available units to 530 North Hill Street. Five-alarm fire."
It was strange. Years sitting behind the wheel of a car and going over the speed limit was usually coupled with her being chased BY police. Not being in a patrol car and chasing a suspect. They were approaching one hundred and ten mph and Mariana frankly was too tired to deal with this. Before she could do anything drastic, her radio clicked on again.
"Brian, it's Eddie. Diaz. You there?"
"What the hell is your husband doing?" Athena hissed.
"Hell if I know!"
"Hey Brian. If you're there, key the radio so I know you're listening."
Mariana shook her head in exasperation. There was no way the truck thief was going to listen to her husband, no matter how well-meaning he may be.
Until she was proven wrong by the sound of a radio key coming over the line.
"I just wanted to say thank you for helping us out at the garage fire," Eddie continued. "I needed your help. We needed your help. You were there."
Static filled the radio before Brian responded. "That's it. All I ever wanted was to help people."
"I know that's what you had planned when you put on that uniform. Things don't always turn out the way we planned. Sucks, I know. Can't let yourself get stuck. All you can do is let go, move on. Sounds scary, but I know you can do it. Because at the end of the day, you will find what you've always wanted in something you never expected."
"No!" Brian cried. "I'm...I'm not brave. I want to be, but I'm not a hero like you."
"You wanna be a hero? There's a five-alarm fire right now. We need your help. People's lives depend on you."
"Oh you smart son of a bitch," Mariana muttered. "There's a reason I married you."
"No one's ever given me the chance," Brian exclaimed.
"Here's your chance."
At Eddie's declaration, Mariana cut off from the pack of patrol cars and turned into a tight alley, pushing ahead to cut off the truck and get ahead. She jumped onto the highway and geared up to one hundred and thirty, flying across the pavement as cars moved out of the way for her. Athena gripped the handle on the roof of the car and shut her eyes to try and stave off her nausea.
She whipped the car onto Hill Street and slammed on the breaks just as the engine rolled up around the corner. Athena bolted out of the car to grab Brian, leaving Mariana to collect her breath for a moment. The brunette climbed out of the car on shaky legs and leaned back against the driver's side door.
"Hey, hey." A familiar touch enveloped her and she leaned into Eddie in relief. "Are you hurt? What's wrong?"
"That was just a hell of an adrenaline rush," she gasped out. "You did some smooth talking back there?"
"Not as good as your driving," he retorted. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Positive. C'mon, let's go put this fire out before I crash."
/
Mariana raised an eyebrow as Eddie pulled out the chair for her. She regarded him with a curious expression and he brushed it off, focusing on the menu. Mariana pulled off her mask and set it in her purse, sanitizing her hands and wordlessly putting some hand sanitizer on Eddie's hands as well.
"What's all this about?" she finally asked.
"How about we order and then we can talk about it?"
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion and clasped her hands together, leaning forward. "What are you hiding, Edmundo?"
"More like what are you hiding, Boulevard Babe?"
Her mouth dropped open in shock just in time for the waitress to come to their table. Eddie grinned up at the woman and handed her their menus.
"I'll have the five egg omelet with a side of bacon. She'll have your fried egg sandwich with the breakfast potatoes and some bacon," he ordered for them. Mariana's mouth opened and shut as if she couldn't think of the words to say.
"And anything to drink? A mimosa?" the waitress asked.
"Just a black coffee for me and iced tea for her."
The waitress nodded and left to give their order to the kitchen, leaving Eddie in the path of his wife who had a murderous look in her eyes.
"Okay, first of all, just because you know me at a scary level, you don't order for me," she hissed.
"Was I wrong?"
"...No. But still! It's the matter of principle."
"I'm supposed to know you. What's the second thing?" He reached across the table to grab her hand, his thumb running over the silver band on her finger. Mariana sighed, her eyes darting out to look at the street.
"I didn't...I wasn't trying to hide that from you on purpose. I'm just...ashamed of that part of my life. The name is so fucking stupid and I didn't come up with it."
"You were fifteen when you started racing. I figured you were put up to it."
"But the flyer…"
"Is just more proof that marrying you was the best choice I've ever made."
Heat rushed to her cheeks and she shook her head, her dark curls bouncing at the movement. She avoided his gaze by studying the silverware on the table. Eddie pressed his thumb in the center of her palm to pull her head up to look at him.
"I'm sorry, Mariana."
She frowned and tilted her head to the side, confusion written on her face. "What are you apologizing for? I don't remember you doing anything. Unless you did something and I'm just now finding out about this."
"No. Definitely not. I'm apologizing for what I haven't done. I haven't treated you the way you deserve."
"You are the most amazing wife and mother and friend. You put so much love and energy into our family and I have barely given you any back."
"That's bullshit," she said bluntly. "If I felt unloved, I would tell you."
"Mari, you deserved to be taken out on dates. I didn't even take you on a proper first date and now we're married and I was so worried about making the same mistakes that I completely forgot to do the right stuff. You don't deserve that. You deserve flowers and date nights and help with chores."
"I'm not a flowers and chocolate kind of girl and you split the chores with me," she argued.
"What is your love language?"
"Huh?"
"Your love language. That book that Buck was reading."
Mariana pursed her lips and furrowed her brow in thought before she shrugged. "I've never thought about it."
"I never did until Buck asked. I just was so settled in what we have that I never thought about actually making an effort. I kept waiting for you to ask for help when I should have been looking for ways to help without you needing to ask."
"Eddie, you are the first man I've been with...ever. I don't know how to be a wife. I don't…I don't know what makes a good husband. But you have never made me feel unloved or disrespected. We're going to have bumps in the road and issues that we just have to work through together. At the end of the day, I know three things to be true. I love you, I love Christopher, and I love Diego. That will never change." A warm smile spread across her lips as she spoke and she tapped his ring. "I didn't make this decision lightly. I married you because I love you."
"I don't deserve you."
"You really don't," she teased. "But now that you've pointed it out, I see what you mean. I guess I have been taking a lot on because I thought that's what you're supposed to do. I struggle asking for help because I've been taking care of myself for so long. I'll make an effort to ask for help."
"I think it's time for me to make an effort helping with online school. You might have to help me learn some stuff."
"I'm not doing some student/teacher kinky bullshit with you. Like, am I the only one who thinks it's kinda weird? They're minors. Even if they aren't minors, there's still a power imbalance the-"
"No. Nope. Just teach me math." Eddie grinned at her little rant. "But teaching reminds me...at the risk of sounding vain, are you ever jealous?"
She narrowed her eyes at him and then sighed, her shoulders deflating and turning inwards, making herself seem smaller. "Sometimes. It's not that I don't trust you, I do. I just...there's a ton of women out there who are pretty and smart and don't have baggage. Women who wouldn't doubt if they could be a mom. Women who...who would be open to you and make you not doubt yourself."
"You, Mariana Diaz, are crazy if you think that I would choose anyone but you. There is no one else in the world that I would want to be my wife. There is nothing about you that I would change. Absolutely nothing."
She bit her lip and shrugged. "Easier said than done."
Eddie sighed and stopped the waitress as she passed by. "I'm sorry, can we get our food to go?"
"What are you doing?" Mariana hissed as the waitress went off to box up the food. He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.
"Pepa has the boys until three. It's currently eight. I'm taking my wife home and showing her exactly what I think about her."
A startled laughed spilled past her lips as he stood, tossing cash onto the table and gratefully taking the two takeout boxes out of the waitress' hand as she passed by the table. He tangled his free hand with his wife's and pulled her along towards the car. The second they were shadowed from view of the public, Eddie pulled her into a searing kiss that ended with her dissolving into laughter.
"What has gotten into you?" she exclaimed.
"Is it a crime to admire my incredibly hot, super smart, really fucking amazing wife?"
She grinned and kissed him once more before grabbing the take out boxes from his hand. "Take me home, Edmundo."