Part 36
When I awoke, I was lying on the biggest bed I'd ever been on in my entire life. I looked around and saw the cream colored walls with various painting and pictures with mirros all over the place. I saw a shiny dresser with two cell phones occupying the space along with a TV. I looked to my right and saw Leon laying next to me with his eyes closed.
"You went through my wallet," I said, my voice hoarse. Leon chuckled.
"You're a liar," he said. I smiled and lifted my eyebrows as I sat up.
"You're a thief," I said. Leon smiled and nodded as he opened his beautiful sea-green eyes to look at me.
"Ya ok?" he asked, sounding very concerned.
"I'll live," I nodded. We stayed silent for a minute before I realized we were alone. "Where is everyone?"
"Vince is downstairs looking for an alcoholic beverage, Dom and Letty are in their room, and Mia and Brian are in theirs... well, they should be," he explained.
"Dom and Letty have their own room?" I asked. Leon looked at me and I guess he remembered Dom and my sister being together.
"Yeah," he slowly answered. I rolled my eyes and nodded... boy was he gonna hear it from me later. Just then, one of the phones rang.
"You or me?" I asked, referring to which phone was ringing.
"I believe that's you. You have that dainty, girly ring," he answered. I laughed.
"And what kinda ring do you have?" I asked.
"A manly one," he replied with a squeak in his voice. I got up and answered my phone.
"Yeah?"
"Mercedes?" came my sister's voice. It was weak and low, I knew something was wrong.
"Zoraida where are you?" I asked with deep concern.
"I don't have very long, but I'm in a code red for g.t.a. 911," she said just before hanging up. That was our code... code red was prison, g.t.a was grand theft auto, and 911 was pretty much code for 'get me the hell outta here'. I hung up and looked at Leon.
"Where's Z?" he asked. I couldn't answer him, I was so angry. He and Dom made me leave. It was our fault Z was in jail.
"Goddamn it!" I screamed, throwing my cell phone at the wall and watching it bust into a thousand pieces. I screamed once more while stomping toward the open windows that led to the balcony. I grabbed onto the metal rail and squeezed as hard as I possibly could. I looked at my white knuckles and that's when I noticed they were clean of the blood from the cop and I wasn't even wearing my shirt, I was wearing Leon's faded blue button-up.
"What happened?" he asked from behind me.
"My sister," I breathed, turning to him. "Is in prison. We gotta get her out."
"Shit," Leon sighed. "Well, we can always..."
"No, we can't. There's no time," I cut him off, knowing he was gonna suggest we steal cars and sell them or race.
"What do you mean 'not enough time'?"
"We've gotta get her out tonight," I said, already finished formulating my plan.
"And how do you propose we do that?" I looked at him, smiling. "That's never a good thing," he said, referring to my smiling.
A few minutes later, I had everyone in my room and I was ready to explain my idea. I knew it would be hell getting these people to risk their lives for my sister, but I sure as hell was gonna try.
"We're gettin her out," I said.
"We know that," Leon said. "How?"
"We're goin to jail," I smiled.
I explained my plan: since Vince was the craziest, he was to get on a harness and climb up the side of the wall of the prison to my sister's window and let her know the plan. Letty would be positioned outside with binoculars to see if the guards call back up. Brian would be with Leon and Dom. He would use his old cop i.d to get Z out of her cell to be transported to another holding area. Leon and Dom would be the guards that escorted her out. I would wait outside the prison in case of emergency. And Mia would be our getaway because neither Dom nor Brian would let her do anything else. It was the perfect plan and it would work, it had to.
"This is absoutely fuckin crazy," Dom said, voicing his opinion as usual.
"It's crazy, but it could work," Brian said, causing everyone to look at him.
"Either you're in or you're out, right now," I said. I looked at Leon.
"I'm in," he said, placing a toothpick in his mouth. There was no doubt in my mind that he would say yes, but I still smiled. I looked at Letty.
"I'm in," she said. I looked at Brian.
"I'm in."
"I'm in," Mia said. I finally came to Dom. We looked at each other for a minute until he finally nodded.
"Ok, let's do this," I said, standing. I instructed everyone out to the Hemi Cuda. Once everyone was out, Leon stopped me.
"Wait a minute," he said.
"What is it?" I asked, knowing we had no time to lose.
"I wanna marry you," he blurted out. My eyes widened and I stopped breathing.
"What?" I quietly asked.
"I wa..." he breathed. "Need to marry you. I have to be with you."
"Leon why are you doing this now?" I asked.
"In case somethin happens, I wanna know that you agreed to marry me." I looked at him and knew I wanted to say yes, but I couldn't remember how to pronounce it. Then I looked in his eyes and everything came to me.
"Yes," I said, smiling brightly. "And I will marry you. Even if it's in some cheap chapel where the preacher has a criminal record." We laughed and shared a quick kiss.
"Come on guys, we don't have all day," Brian interrupted us.
"One second," Leon said. Brian left and I turned back to Leon. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his silver ring. It had the yarn wrapped on one side and I smiled.
"Let's pray," he said as he took my hand. He slowly slid the silver band down my left ring finger... it fit perfectly. He must've wrapped it when I was asleep.
"Come on!" Dom yelled from the hallway. Leon and I sighed together and walked down the hall, got in the elevator, and walked out to my car.
"I gotta question," Vince said, raising his hand.
"What?" I asked.
"Where do you plan on getting a harness or did you want me to just fly up the side of the building?" I smiled.
"Smartass," I said. I got in the trunk of my car and looked at all my supplies: two harnesses, two sets of binoculars, two sets of folding tables with various tools for locks... I basically had two of everything; I was always prepared.
"Oh," Vince said.
"Got a police badge in there?" Brian joked.
"I do actually," I said, tossing things out of my way in search of the badge. I finally came to it under my red wig and tossed it at him along with a tan trench coat just so he looked the part. I handed Letty a pair of binoculars with night vision. Vince strapped on the harness and I pulled out five microphones and attached them to everyone's shirt along with the battery pack behind them in their pants. I gave them all an ear piece and we were set.
"Everyone good?" I asked.
"I got another question," Vince said, once again raising his hand.
"I'm not your teacher Vince, what?!" I yelled.
"How do you suppose we all fit in this perty red car?" he asked.
"We put you in the trunk," Letty suggested.
"See that lovely white van over there?" I said, pointing to it in another parking lot. They all looked then returned their gaze to me. "We're borrowin it."
"Well, I have a question," Dom said. I looked at him with evil eyes cuz I just knew he would have something smart to say.
"What?" I sighed.
"Say we're in there, everything's goin fine, then the guards give us a little trouble and say... one of us gets taken hostage by one of the guards. What do you do?" he asked. I thought about it for a minute, looking at everyone.
"Shoot the hostage," I answered. Dom shook his head once, then again as he stared down at me.
"Come again?" he asked.
"Shoot the hostage. Go for the good wound and the guard can't get away with them."
"You're crazy," he said.
"That would be affirmative," I said. Everyone laughed as they headed over to the white van. I grabbed my padded, black, leather vest and black hair tie, then I shut the hood and jogged to everyone else.
"Alright, alright, alright," I said as I approached. "Time for the song and dance." Then, the awful smell hit me. "What is that smell?" I asked, annoyed. Everyone looked at Vince as did I.
"Was that you?" I asked. His face turned red and he looked down. "Oh Jesus, get away, get away," I said, swatting at him. "Everyone ready?" I asked smiling.
"Now why are you smilin?" Dom asked. I didn't answer him. I put my vest on and pulled my hair up into a tight ponytail on the top of my head. We all got in the van and headed to the prison where Z was. When we got there, Mia parked us in a lot a few yards from the prison.
"Wait, there's a problem," Leon said once we'd all gotten out. Everyone, including myself, looked at him.
"What?" I asked.
"How're we gonna find Z's cell?"
"Oh shit," I said, hitting myself in the head. "Letty will you go grab the computer that's in the front seat?" She nodded and ran back to the van.
"A computer is gonna find her cell?" Dom asked. I narrowed my eyes, raised my eyebrows, and looked at him. Letty came back and handed me the laptop. I set it on the ground, opened it, and opened the only file on the desktop. I typed several different codes and a window popped up with a face that had female features... she was my friend.
"Good morning Mercedes," she said with a computerized voice.
"Jewlz, find Zoraida's cell," I demanded.
"Aim toward target, please," Jewlz said. I held up the computer and aimed it at the prison. The lid had a built in camera. "Zoraida Bonita Moreno, age 26, location: level three, holding cell 112."
"Thank you Jewlz," I said.
"You're welcome, Mercedes. Good luck." I closed the laptop and looked at everyone. Their mouths were open wide and their eyes were even bigger.
"How much did that cost?" Leon asked.
"Nothing," I answered, standing. "I designed her." Leon looked at me for a minute and I didn't why he was giving me such a strange look. Did I really appear to be that stupid to him? I handed the computer to Letty.
"Alright let's roll," I said. "Everyone hear me ok?" I asked into the microphone. I got a yes and we headed toward the prison.
I told Mia to keep her ear piece in in case of an emergency. I showed Letty where to stand right next to the driveway where cop cars would come in. Dom, Leon, Vince, and I stood before the barbed wire fence.
"Great," Vince said. "Now there's a fuckin fence blockin our way."
"No matter," Brian said. He pressed the buzzer on the control panel outside the gates.
"Identify yourself," came a voice.
"Detective Brian Spilner here to transport a prisoner," he said in his 'cop tone'.
"In the middle of the night?" the man asked. Brian looked at me.
"Well sir, it was a long drive," he covered himself.
"Ok, we'll open the gate."
"May I ask a favor, sir?" Brian asked.
"What is it?"
"I'll need at least two guards greeting me at the front to help escort the prisoner."
"Of course, Mr. Spilner," the man said, obviously quite irritated.
"Thank you," Brian said, matter-of-factly. We waited silently until the gate began to open loudly. I smiled at Brian.
"You're good," I said. He shrugged.
"Well, what can I say?" he said. I laughed and turned to Vince.
"Ready?" He nodded slowly as we headed down the walk. I asked Letty to find out the coordinates of Z's cell. When we got them, I pointed exactly where it was.
"How do you know all this?" Vince asked. I only looked at him. What was I supposed to say, that I've been in and out of this prison my whole life? I think not.
Vince headed to the side of the building, twirled the wire and hook above his head, and threw it up to the barred window. The prison was quite old fashioned, still having the barred windows; after all, it was Mexico. He quickly climbed up after having practice from all the trucks they'd jacked. That's the last I saw Brian, Dom, and Leon... they headed into the building. I pressed the ear piece into my ear so I could hear everything.
"What's going on here?" I heard someone ask. They didn't answer. There was punching.
"Nice," Dom and Leon said at the same time. They laughed as they took the guards' uniforms and put them over their clothes. They headed up the stairs and down the long corridor to Z's cell where they followed a cop with the keys. They stood in front of Z's cell.
"Thanks," Brian said. The cop left and Dom and Leon took Z.
"You really are crazy," Z said.
"Thanks, now shut up," Dom commanded. They followed Brian down the hall.
"We got trouble," I heard Letty say. "Cops have just pulled up the driveway. Get outta there!" she said. I turned to see two cops running toward the front door.
"Oh shit," I whispered, jumping behind a bush. There was lots of commotion in my ear piece once the cops were inside.
"They got Leon!" Dom yelled. "We need some help in here!"
"I'm goin in!" I said before thinking. I loved Leon... I had to try and help him.
"No!" Leon yelled in my ear. I ignored him. I ran into the front lobby where one cop was on the ground and the other held Leon hostage with a gun to his head. Brian had a gun pointed at the cop and Dom did the same from behind. I grabbed a gun from the cop that was down and pointed it to the cop that held Leon. Z was nowhere to be found.
"You got a shot?" I asked Dom.
"I got a shot!" he yelled.
"Take it!" I said.
"I'm takin it," Dom warned.
"You got nothin!" the cop yelled. I looked at Leon.
"Shoot the hostage," he whispered. I ground my teeth as I winced. I dropped the gun to his leg and pulled the trigger. I shot him just above his kneecap and off to the left. He yelled just before falling to the ground, holding his leg.
"Jesus Christ," he breathed. I shrugged and raised my eyebrows. I looked back at the cop just as he was raising his gun toward Brian. Dom shot him down. My breath escaped my lips and I couldn't get it back. I was just about over seeing dead people. We located Z and Dom and Brian helped Leon out as quick as possible.
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Part 37
We rode in silence. Everyone was crammed into a white van, and there was not a word spoken. We finally reached a hotel, and I was led to a room that held Leon and my sister's stuff. We walked in and immediately, Mercedes fell back onto a bed. I looked around, and the whole place seemed surreal to me. Air hung thick around the room, and I could barely breathe. Seconds ticked by slowly, the sound emitted from some unseen clock. I couldn't think, my head was pounding. I'd just escaped from prison. Granted, it was a Mexican facility, so it wasn't hard at all for them to get me out, but the idea just wouldn't leave.
"I'm a fugitive," I said softly. Luckily, no one heard me. I was sure that Mercedes was asleep, and Leon had made his way into the bathroom to tend his wound. I needed air.
The night was hot and muggy, which made it just as hard to concentrate outside as it had be while I was in the room. I gripped the cast iron railing of the hotel's balcony. I looked to my left because I'd heard noises coming from the room. I tried to listen, but the blood pounding in my head was too loud.
The door opened and I could hear shouting, but couldn't distinguish voices or decipher whta they were saying. They sounded angry, but I never could've proved it. "Women," I heard. Finally, my invalueable senses were returning.
"Oh Jesus," I said pointedly as the infamous Dominic Toretto stood beside me on the balcony. I rolled my eyes and turned my head away from him, then moved my body a few feet away. I wished I could've taken him into my arms right then and there, made up for the time we'd lost since the arrival of Letty, but I couldn't. Letty. What the fuck kinda name is that?
"It's kinda nice out tonight, huh?" Dom said softly. I watched him look down at his hands, which were folded. He took a deep breath, then put his head back, rolling it from shoulder to shoulder. I could hear the bones popping as he straightened himself out. He stared straight ahead, not looking at me or anything else, just staring. His eyes closed after a moment, and he went back to leaning onto the railing. We were both silent.
"Dom, can I ask you a question?" I said after a long deliberation. He turned to me and raised his eyebrows.
"Go on," he nearly ordered. I was slightly taken aback, but shrugged it off and continued.
"I've been doin some thinkin and... Well, I'm trying to find out what happened with us? I mean, first it's me, then it's you-" I was motioning with my hands, but he grabbed them.
"Whoa, whoa," he interrupted, "Slow it down. Back up. When was it ever me?" His eyes were on fire, and his voice was strong. He threw my hands back to me and took a step backward. He'd learned about grabbing me.
"Shit, Dom, when hasn't it been you? I mean, you just come into my life outta fuckin nowhere, then when I finally start warming up to you, you become this big asshole!" By then, I was really excited and nearly jumping with anger. With every 'you,' I pushed his chest, causing him to stumble, but only slightly.
"I think you need to chill the fuck out," he said harshly.
"Chill the fuck out? Okay, fine, I'll chill the fuck out. Whatever Dom, fuck you." And with that, I stormed back into my sister's room and slammed the door, then I flopped onto the bed.
"Whoa, hold the fuckin phone here," Dom yelled, bursting into the room. Leon had started hobbling out of the bathroom when I came in, and was almost completely out when Dom came in. "I risked my ass for you tonight, don't that mean anything? No, I forgot," he said, throwing his arms up, "you don't give a fuck, right? Yeah, I know, you don't care about anything except yourself and keepin tabs on your sister. Oh, newsflash, Z, she and Leon are gettin married." I sat up and looked at him, then at Leon, who was busy trying to get back into the bathroom. I looked at Dom again. "Yeah, that's right. See the ring on her hand? Yeah, you're pissed, huh? Mad that she made a decision without your permission. You're fuckin hot, aren't ya?" he was talking with a harsh, low whisper that made my skin prickle.
"Get out," I growled. He stood straight and crossed his arms.
"Nothin doin," he teased. He was flirting with disaster.
"Get the fuck out of here right now, or I swear to God I'll fucking kill you," I said in the most evil tone I'd ever heard myself use. He showed little sign of change, but started to open the door.
"Don't be pissed at me because you're a spoiled fuckin brat," he said, closing the door behind him. I could feel tears in my eyes, but they wouldn't fall. I grabbed my shoes and took off, slamming the door behind me. I ran and ran, but I didn't have a destination. I kept running. Down the stairs. Around the corner. Past the office. I kept on and on until something obstructed my path and tripped me. Then, the weight of the world seemed to crash down on top of me. As my skin connected with rough gravel, I deduced that I was in the parking lot and must've been running in circles. I could feel my entire body shaking as I began crying. It wasn't until that moment that I realized what a wreck I was emotionally.
I cried and cried. Cried over Dom, cried over my parents, hell, I cried over just about everything. The more I tried to stop, the harder and more painful my sobs became. Soon, there was someone lifting me up and turning me toward them. I just slunk against the body and continued crying. I felt myself being moved into another pair of arms and could just barely feel a sensation of weightlessness. Then I fell asleep, and continued to cry.
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Part 38
"You have pissed me off... far beyond," I laughed as I stared at Dom. He stood there, staring at the ceiling. "Stay away from me, stay away from my sister... or I'll shoot you," I said softly and completely serious.
"And she's serious there too... Dom," Leon called from the other side of the room. Dom glared at him. "Sorry," he quickly apologized.
"Fine," Dom replied roughly. He walked across the room and sat in the chair.
"I wish he would get hit by a bus," I said to Leon.
"Oh rub a lamp," he said. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You are so cute," I told him. He smiled.
"I'm sitting here... wounded... and all you can say is 'you are so cute'? You shot me!"
"Leon... you told me to," I whispered. He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the chair. I looked at his leg, wrapped in towels, and it was almost unbelievable. It was practically gushing blood... the whiteness of the towel was being overcome slowly by bright red then dark brown.
"Babe..." I said, looking back up to Leon's face.
"What?" he asked.
"You're goin to the hospital," I told him.
"No, I'm not goin anywhere," he refused.
"You're gonna bleed to death." His eyes fluttered open and they immediately went to his leg.
"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed. I called Vince and Dom over and they picked him up.
"You're comin right?" he yelled to me.
"Baby I can't," I said sadly. He demanded Dom and Vince stop and turn him around to face me.
"Why not?" he asked. I smiled a sad smile and looked at him. He eventually understood that cops were probably searching the hospital and I would probably get recognized. That's why Dom was gonna stay in the car while Vince took Leon inside.
"I love you," he said. I smiled again and took a deep breath.
"I love you." They turned him around and carried him out the door. "I love you," I whispered. I turned and looked at Z who was completely passed out on one of the beds. I didn't feel like staying in the room so I took a walk. I walked down the long corridor of our floor, took the elevator to the floor below, walked that hallway, then took the elevator to the lobby. I walked around, looking at the paintings and posh furniture.
"Mercedes," I heard someone say. I turned around.
"Hi Hector," I said plainly, then turned back around. Hector?! Hector?! I spun around again and my saw my brother standing next to a very pretty African American woman. "Hector!" I screamed just before jumping on him and wrapping my arms around his neck. I felt him laugh as he spun me around.
"What're you doing here?!" I yelped once he put me down.
"Came to tell you I got married!" he exclaimed. My eyes widened and I looked at the woman again. "Mercedes," he started. "This is La'Desta, La'Desta... my sister Mercedes." I shook her hand nervously.
"It's nice to meet you," I said.
"You too," she replied.
"Can't believe you got married bro," I said, nudging Hector with my shoulder. He laughed and put his arm around my shoulders as we headed to the elevator.
"Me either," he said. We got in the elevator, arrived on the third floor, and headed to my room. I unlocked the door and we went in.
"Z!" I yelled, running and jumping on the bed she was still lying on. She slowly woke up and looked at me with tired eyes.
"What the fuck do you want?" she asked.
"Hector's here!" I screamed.
"Wonder-fuckin-ful," she said, letting her head drop to the pillow again. I rolled my eyes and looked at Hector.
"She's a little worn out. She just escaped from prison, ya know how that is," I explained.
"Where's Dom and everybody?" Hector asked.
"He and Vince took Leon to the hospital."
"What happened?"
"Oh, I shot him... yeah," I simply answered, nodding.
"What he do to you?" Hector asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Oh he told me to!" I quickly defended myself. "But we're gettin married," I said smiling. He looked at me, his expression fading to nothing.
"Come again?!" he said, turning his head. Oh God... What had I done? Gone and opened my big mouth.... What was Hector gonna do to Leon?
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Part 39
"Leon and I are, uh, gettin married," she repeated. I couldn't see him, but I was sure that Hector was pissed and ready to tell her about it.
"Hector, bro!" I said sternly. I turned my head to look at him, "You just got married, right? Why you wanna run your new wife all into our family problems right away? Give her a little adjustment time. Oh, by the way," I said to the girl standing beside him, "I'm Zoraida, the bitchy, overprotective older sister. Call me Z. Nice to meetcha." Then I rolled my head back to face the ceiling. I laid and arm over my eyes and fell asleep again, to the sounds of my siblings and their rivalry.
"Z! Z! Z, wake up!" I heard someone hiss in my ear.
"Go away," I groaned, turning onto my side. The person grabbed me and flipped me onto my back.
"No, come on, get up," the voice repeated. I rolled onto my stomach and tried to ignore the sleep intruder.
"No, come on, leave me the hell alone," I said as I became more irritated. The figure, which sounded male, flipped me onto my back again and sat across my hips, immobilizing any movement I'd thought about making. I kept an arm over my eyes as I used my other hand to reach behind me for a pillow. When I'd grabbed one, I placed it over my face and tried to go back to sleep.
"Ahh, come on, be a sport," the man said as he took my wrists and placed them on the bed above my body. I sighed and continued trying to sleep. I felt hands on my sides as they made their way under my shirt.
"What the fuck?" I asked, sitting up. The pillow fell to the floor as I came face to face with my archenemy, the one and only, Dominic Toretto.
"Hey sleepin beauty," he chirpped. He leaned toward me and kissed me softly. I was shocked. When I didn't stop him, he kissed me again.
The third time, I pushed him away. "What the hell are you doin?" I asked, holding him at arm's length. He put his hands on the sides of my head and stroked my hair softly.
"You're so beautiful," he said slowly, staring straight into my eyes. His hands rested on the back of my neck and he tried to pull himself to me again.
"Whoa!" I nearly yelled. I locked my arms in place and held him away. "Stop."
"Oh, come on Z! Jesus Christ!"
"What? Come on?! Dom, we just had a huge fucking blow out! I threatened to kill you! What the hell do you mean 'come on'?" I looked at him with my head tilted to the side. He didn't look anywhere but in my eyes.
"Z, I know we've been havin a rough time lately-"
"A rough time? No Dom, escaping from prison was a rough time. Finding out that Ron died while I was naked in front of him was a rough time. Fucking his son to get that damn car for my sister, that was a rough time! I don't think what we've had can be classified so much as a rough time, then as a fuckin nuclear war!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Dom only chuckled.
"Well, ok then... Let me make it up to you," he said. My jaw dropped.
"Have you been smokin with Vince again? Are you drunk?" I asked pointedly. He smiled and looked at me.
"No, I haven't been drinkin or smokin or anything... Just thinkin. I've thought a lot tonight," he told me. I rolled my eyes and smiled.
"Bet that must hurt, huh? Haven't been doin it much lately, have ya?" I asked, laughing softly. He laughed with me. I relaxed my arms and he pulled me closer to him.
"Come on," he coaxed, moving his face to mine, "Just give me the chance to make it up to ya..." His lips brushed across mine as he spoke... What was I supposed to say to that? I opened my mouth to talk, but he laid his lips onto mine. I groaned because I knew what was coming next, and I knew I couldn't stop myself.
I laid back slowly as Dom pulled my shirt over my head, "No bra," he whispered against my skin.
"You're very observant," I noted, breathing awkwardly. My skin tickled as he moved himself off of my legs and onto the side of the bed so that he could continue kissing my stomach. I could feel my pulse quicken as he slid one hand into the waistline of my jeans. I could feel him travelling down, over my skin, past the elastic band of the cotton bikinis I'd been issued at the prison, under the cloth, reaching the most sensitive spot on my entire body.
"Jesus Christ, Dom," I whispered at he felt around. I started taking quick, deep breaths to counteract the loss of oxygen, but I only became more and more lightheaded. He started kissing my neck and shoulders as he continued his manual labor. I draped my leg over both of his to allow him better access and my body started moving in synch with his hand. His lips continued moving around my upper body until I just couldn't take it anymore.
I sat up and pulled him up with me. He moved his hand and I took his shirt off without warning, then pushed him back onto the bed. I pulled at the button and zipper on his pants and yanked them off just as quickly. His boxers and my pants were the only things in our way. I sat astride his hips and managed to get my pants off, then it was just us in our skivvies. I sat straight up on my knees and looked down at him.
"I threatened to kill you, you know," I said, unsure of what was going to happen afterward if we went ahead and had sex.
"I know," he said softly, "Kinda turned me on." He winked and smiled at me. I laughed and leaned down to kiss him. It was soft and sweet, and over way too soon.
"So, are we really gonna do this?" I asked. I was sure he wanted to, but I didn't know how the situation would end up. He smiled and put his hands on my hips. I watched him nod. I could feel a smile run over my face and I laid on top of him. Sometime between my lying down and our actually having the best sex of our complicated relationship, I'd ended up on the bottom and we were both completely naked.
"I've really been kicking myself lately," Dom told me as we lay together. He wrapped his arm tight around my waist. I pulled the sheet over our heads and turned to face him.
"Why?" I asked.
"Well, because you really mean a lot to me, but I've been this big asshole and I haven't been noticing." He kissed my nose, then my lips. I smiled as we kissed and I could feel him doing the same. I realized that we had to be alone, and wondered aloud what had happened to my sister and Leon.
"They're hangin with Hector and La'Desta," he informed me, kissing me softly. I smiled, sighed, and laid back. I relaxed against the bed and was almost asleep when I felt Dom stand up.
"Aww, where ya goin?" I asked sleepily. I opened one eye and caught a glimpse of him as he yanked his pants up.
"I gotta get back to my room before anyone finds me in here," he said, leaning down to kiss me, "They might think you were makin good on your promise to kill me." I laughed and sat up so I could watch as he finished dressing.
"We'll hafta try this again," I said sweetly. He agreed and kissed me once more, then he left. I laid back against the headboard. I sat there for a while, just reflecting about what had just happened.
"Aright, I need a shower," I said to no one. I laughed at myself and jumped up, discarding the sheet as I quickly ran into the bathroom. I stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. I moaned as the water soothed my muscles and cleaned the sweat from my body. I continued thinking about Dom and I and replayed the entire scene in my head over and over again.
I stepped out humming a made-up tune, but I was rudely interrupted by the sound of a headboard banging against the wall of the next room. I knew that it was either Vince or Letty's and I laughed as I heard her screaming.
"Well you go girl," I commented, laughing. "And go Vince." I found some clothes of my sister's and pulled them on, then climbed back into bed. It was nearly 10 AM, but I was worn out.
"Z! Z! Z, wake the fuck up!" I heard Mercedes order. I laughed and opened my eyes.
"What the hell do you want?" I asked, laughing. "I wanna sleep, leave me alone!"
"No, come on, it's fuckin 7:30 already! Get up! We're all gonna go have dinner," she said. I reluctantly allowed her to pull me out of bed and help me find something else of hers to wear. We were ready to go by 8 and we met up with everyone else in the lobby.
"Aright, we've got reservations for 8:30," Brian explained. Leon thanked him for making the plans, then we tried to decide who would ride together.
"Well," Mia explained, "I've got it all figured out. Brian, Leon, Mercedes and I will all ride in the Hemi Cuda, Vince, Letty, Dom and Z, you guys can go in the other car, and Hector and La'Desta will take their car." She smiled triumphantly. Brian kissed her cheek and smiled at us all.
"Sounds like a plan," I said, looking at Dom. He smiled quickly and asked Mia for the keys. "Yeah, give em here," I ordered after she'd given them to him. He sighed and handed them to me. We all piled into our cars and Hector led the way, followed by Mercedes and the gang, with the four of us coming in last. Letty and Dom sat in the back, and Vince was beside me. I turned the car on and stepped on the gas.
Over an hour later, we were all finished with dinner and chatting over drinks. Brian was telling some really uninteresting cop joke, and Mercedes and Leon were whispering in one another's ears.
"Jesus, get a room," Letty quipped as she playfully punched Leon's shoulder.
"Yeah, if you didn't already have one, I coulda told you that today!" Mercedes joked. Letty's face turned a little red, but she was over it quickly.
"Hey, what can I say? Sometimes, ya just gotta get laid!" A raucous laughter erupted and everyone was a part of it, even me.
"Yeah, I don't think I ever heard anyone scream that loud with Dom, girl," my sister said, laughing, "Not even Z!" I laughed along with everyone else, but I quickly realized what she said and did a double-take.
"Wait, wait... With Dom?" I asked, looking in his direction with wide eyes.
"Yeah," Mercedes said. I could tell she was more than a little drunk, because there was no light that clicked on... No realization.
"Oh, how interesting," I growled, shooting another death stare at Dom. For the rest of the night, if I so much as looked his way, I felt the insatiable urge to vomit. Luckily for me, we left soon after. I chose to ride with my brother back to the hotel. The thought of being in the same room with Dom and Letty was enough to make me hurl, I didn't even want to think about driving them around.
When we arrived, I thanked Hector and La'Desta, then I said goodnight to them both and started up the stairs to my room. I could hear feet pounding on the stairs behind me and I heard Dom's voice.
"Z!" he cried. I ignored him and ran faster. He called out again, "Z, please!" I kept running. I stopped in front of my door and yanked the key out of the small back pocket of my pants and let myself in, then slammed the door as soon as he reached it. "Z!" he screamed, "Let me in!"
"Fuck you Dom! Fuck you!" I screamed as loud as I could. I was insanely pissed, and even more jealous and hurt. I swore to myself that I wouldn't let him do it to me again. The bastard.
----------------
Part 40
I woke up the next morning with a headache I knew all too well: the infamous hangover headache. I was lying at the foot of my bed with my arm hanging off the side. I felt something on my back and thought it was Leon. I raised my head and looked behind me to find Vince's head using my back as a pillow.
"Get offa me ya goddamn ogor!" I growled, throwing him off.
"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled. I sat up, rubbed my eyes and looked around the room. Z was sitting out on the balcony, Leon was on the other bed, Vince was now sitting up with his eyes closed, and Letty was on the floor.
"Aright, everybody up!" I yelled, causing everyone to jump. "Who's got the hangover medicine?"
"I got it," Vince said, digging in his pocket. He pulled out a beautifully wrapped joint.
"Light it up," everyone in the room said at different times. He lit it and we passed it around for a while, then we got into a deep conversation started by Vince.
"So if you're from America you're American, you're from Mexico you're Mexican, Africa you're African... but what if you're from Anarctica? Are you Anarctican?" he asked.
"What about Sweden?" Letty asked.
"That's easy," Vince said. "You're Swedian."
"No Vince, you're Swedish," Z called from the balcony.
"So then if you're from Anarctica you're Anarcticish?" Vince asked. We all sat for a moment, thinking about it. It was quite mind-boggling. I grabbed what was left of our joint and went out on the balcony.
"You're missin out," I said, sitting next to Z.
"S'okay," she said. "I don't care."
"What's wrong?" I asked. "What happened last night?"
"Let's just say Dom got his last night," she replied.
"Yeah from Letty," I laughed. Z looked at me. It took me a few minutes before finally figuring it all out.
"He didn't," I said. Z smiled and nodded. I looked around, thinking where Dom could be. I jumped outta my chair and stormed through the hotel room, stepping over Letty and a bunch of beer bottles. I opened the door, shut it behind me, and looked down the hall. There was Dom heading toward the elevator.
"Hey Dom!" I yelled as nice as possible. He stopped and turned around. I caught up with him.
"How was your night last night, Dom?" I asked smiling.
"Fine," he said.
"D'ya have fun?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Yeah, I mean, I guess you would considering you fucked two different girls." He sighed heavily and his head dropped.
"So you know," he said.
"What the hell are you doin?" I asked, my voice low and lips barely moving.
"I don't know," he answered, putting his hand on his head.
"You don't know?" I asked. "Well you better figure it out. Better yet, don't talk to my sister again."
"Why?" Dom asked. It almost seemed like he cared... he was a good actor.
"Why?!" I stammered. I stepped up closer to him and the intense hatred between us was so thick, I almost fell back. "Because you're a disease... a plague. The only reason you're alive right now is because I didn't kill you." He rolled his eyes.
"You couldn't kill me and you won't kill me. You won't because you know there's consequences," he said. "You don't have the balls."
"That hurts my feelings," I said. "You know I'm capable of it and that's what scares you."
"Nothing scares me," Dom said sternly.
"Dear, sweet Dominic Toretto," I said, running my finger down his chest, stomach, and passed his belt buckle. I snatched his family jewels in my hand and twisted them. He howled in pain and his hand found the side of my face. He gripped my hair in his hand, but didn't pull it, which confused the hell outta me.
"Keep your dick in your pants or I'll cut an inch outta the middle," I warned, still holding tight and still twisting. His face was red and his eyes were watering. His whole body was shaking from the pain and I was loving every minute of it. I slowly let him go and he quickly fell to his knees, holding himself.
"Think I'm scarred for life," he said. I raised an eyebrow.
"Good," I said. He looked up and a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"Who are you?" he asked. My face softened from the hard, evil look I had plastered on Dom. Who had I become? I'd become my sister, something I never thought possible.
"I'm sorry," I said very quietly. I didn't want him to hear me, but he did. "But all this is your fault," I said through clenched teeth and pointing at him.
"How do you figure?" Dom asked, still holding himself and now rocking back and forth. The tear that was now on his chin was really aggravating me. I quickly wiped it away and resumed my standing position.
"You came here and ruined our lives. You got with my sister, then threw her away. She's not a knock down, drag it out, lick it up, do it again kinda girl, ok?" I was now yelling and I couldn't help it. "And I won't stand to see her hurt anymore. I'm getting married," I stammered, pointing to myself and for the first time noticing my hand was shaking. "And I refuse to worry about you for the rest of my life."
"You won't have to worry about me the rest of your life. You're marrying Leon, not me," he said. I smiled at his incredible stupidity.
"Everywhere we go, everything we do, you'll be right there."
"Says who?"
"Me. You don't have anyone, Dominic," I said. I was finally saying what was on my mind. I'd wanted to this to him ever since the first time he hurt Z.
"What're you talkin about? I got Mia."
"Who has Brian."
"Letty."
"Not anymore," I said, shaking my head. "She knows about you and Z." Dom's breathing quickened.
"I have Vince," he said. I smiled.
"You do. Hold on to him, he's all you've got." And with that, I headed back to my room. My head was pounding from the pot I'd just smoked, from yelling at Dom, from all the shaking I went through. I was physically and mentally exhausted... I needed some sun and, of course, I didn't have a bathing suit. I grabbed Leon's wife beater and I was already wearing shorts, so I headed out the door. I stopped and turned around to look at everyone in the room. Z had fallen asleep on a chair out on the balcony, Vince had passed out and was hanging off the side of the bed, Letty was asleep on the floor again, and Leon was lying on the other bed... he'd never moved. I smiled in his direction. I stepped over Letty and sat on the bed next to him. I ran my fingers through his soft hair causing him to stir a bit. He slowly opened his eyes, found mine, and smiled.
"What're you doin?" he asked roughly.
"Staring," I answered. Leon chuckled and nodded as he slowly sat up, his leg was still causing him some problems. I felt terrible about that leg, but I kept telling myself that he told me to do it. "Come with me," I said.
"Where?" Leon asked.
"To the pool." He nodded and very slowly put his legs over the side of the bed. The doctor told him to use his crutches, but Leon refused to. He could walk, but he had a slight limp. It didn't bother me helping him out the door. We started down the hall to the elevator to find Dom in the same position I'd left him in. I was gonna tell Leon we should take the stairs, but then I remembered his leg. I rolled my eyes as we walked toward Dominic.
"Dom, what're you doin?" Leon asked. Dom looked up and I knew he'd been crying. I wanted to say something so bad, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was becoming Mercedes Moreno again, I was becoming me... not Zoraida.
"You got a great girl, Leon," Dom said, blinking slowly as if he hadn't slept in days, which he probably hadn't. "Don't you let her go." I didn't let Leon answer as I pulled him into the elevator.
"What was that all about?" he asked.
"Don't know," I lied. "But who cares?"
We arrived in the lobby and headed for the pool. We were lucky enough to be the only ones there. We claimed two lounge chairs right on the side of the pool and sat down. Leon pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his shirt pocket before discarding the shirt. He was a god, my god.
"I can't wait to marry you," I said, looking at him. He smiled and turned his head toward me.
"Me either," he said sweetly. We shared a light kiss and I laid back on my lounge chair. "Mercedes, there's a uh... there's a slight problem," he stumbled over his words. I looked at him. 'This can't be good' I thought to myself.
"What is it?"
"There's a slight poblem with... cash flow." He looked at me. "I can't give you a big wedding." I smiled.
"I don't need a big wedding, as long as I marry you, it doesn't matter," I told him. He put his legs on the side of the chair and sat up, then took his sunglasses off to look me in the eyes.
"I'm tryin to give you everything I can, but... I don't have anything."
"Oh yes you do," I reassured him.
"What?"
"You got the love," I said. He just looked at me as if he didn't believe what I was saying. I leaned in closer to him. "And you're kinda cute," I said, brushing my finger under his chin. He laughed quietly and looked down. "Now don't you go worryin about not havin any money. We'll figure somethin out." After that, we laid in silence for a while just enjoying the sun and the water.
"Let's swim," I said, sitting up.
"Swim in what?" Leon asked. I smiled.
"Our clothes, come on!" I threw my sunglasses of, took Leon's off his head, and tossed them on the chair with mine. I pulled him up and knowing he had to take the stairs into the pool, I dove right in. When I surfaced Leon was already in. I swam to him and put my arms around his neck and legs around his waist. I kissed him roughly then hugged him. I placed my chin on his shoulder next to his neck and closed my eyes, enjoying the moment. His tightened his grip around my waist and pulled me closer. He began spinning in the water as fast as he could and I laughed. Despite his leg, which must have hurt, he made me laugh. I pulled my head back and pressed my forehead to his.
"I'm sorry I shot you," I said. He chuckled.
"I'm sorry you shot me too," he said nodding. I laughed and kissed him. I suddenly pulled away from him, but left my legs wrapped around him.
I put my arms in the air and screamed, "I love you!"
"I love you too baby," Leon said, only nowhere near as loud as me.
"We're gettin married," I said, putting my arms around his neck again.
"Yes we are," he replied.
When I awoke, I was lying on the biggest bed I'd ever been on in my entire life. I looked around and saw the cream colored walls with various painting and pictures with mirros all over the place. I saw a shiny dresser with two cell phones occupying the space along with a TV. I looked to my right and saw Leon laying next to me with his eyes closed.
"You went through my wallet," I said, my voice hoarse. Leon chuckled.
"You're a liar," he said. I smiled and lifted my eyebrows as I sat up.
"You're a thief," I said. Leon smiled and nodded as he opened his beautiful sea-green eyes to look at me.
"Ya ok?" he asked, sounding very concerned.
"I'll live," I nodded. We stayed silent for a minute before I realized we were alone. "Where is everyone?"
"Vince is downstairs looking for an alcoholic beverage, Dom and Letty are in their room, and Mia and Brian are in theirs... well, they should be," he explained.
"Dom and Letty have their own room?" I asked. Leon looked at me and I guess he remembered Dom and my sister being together.
"Yeah," he slowly answered. I rolled my eyes and nodded... boy was he gonna hear it from me later. Just then, one of the phones rang.
"You or me?" I asked, referring to which phone was ringing.
"I believe that's you. You have that dainty, girly ring," he answered. I laughed.
"And what kinda ring do you have?" I asked.
"A manly one," he replied with a squeak in his voice. I got up and answered my phone.
"Yeah?"
"Mercedes?" came my sister's voice. It was weak and low, I knew something was wrong.
"Zoraida where are you?" I asked with deep concern.
"I don't have very long, but I'm in a code red for g.t.a. 911," she said just before hanging up. That was our code... code red was prison, g.t.a was grand theft auto, and 911 was pretty much code for 'get me the hell outta here'. I hung up and looked at Leon.
"Where's Z?" he asked. I couldn't answer him, I was so angry. He and Dom made me leave. It was our fault Z was in jail.
"Goddamn it!" I screamed, throwing my cell phone at the wall and watching it bust into a thousand pieces. I screamed once more while stomping toward the open windows that led to the balcony. I grabbed onto the metal rail and squeezed as hard as I possibly could. I looked at my white knuckles and that's when I noticed they were clean of the blood from the cop and I wasn't even wearing my shirt, I was wearing Leon's faded blue button-up.
"What happened?" he asked from behind me.
"My sister," I breathed, turning to him. "Is in prison. We gotta get her out."
"Shit," Leon sighed. "Well, we can always..."
"No, we can't. There's no time," I cut him off, knowing he was gonna suggest we steal cars and sell them or race.
"What do you mean 'not enough time'?"
"We've gotta get her out tonight," I said, already finished formulating my plan.
"And how do you propose we do that?" I looked at him, smiling. "That's never a good thing," he said, referring to my smiling.
A few minutes later, I had everyone in my room and I was ready to explain my idea. I knew it would be hell getting these people to risk their lives for my sister, but I sure as hell was gonna try.
"We're gettin her out," I said.
"We know that," Leon said. "How?"
"We're goin to jail," I smiled.
I explained my plan: since Vince was the craziest, he was to get on a harness and climb up the side of the wall of the prison to my sister's window and let her know the plan. Letty would be positioned outside with binoculars to see if the guards call back up. Brian would be with Leon and Dom. He would use his old cop i.d to get Z out of her cell to be transported to another holding area. Leon and Dom would be the guards that escorted her out. I would wait outside the prison in case of emergency. And Mia would be our getaway because neither Dom nor Brian would let her do anything else. It was the perfect plan and it would work, it had to.
"This is absoutely fuckin crazy," Dom said, voicing his opinion as usual.
"It's crazy, but it could work," Brian said, causing everyone to look at him.
"Either you're in or you're out, right now," I said. I looked at Leon.
"I'm in," he said, placing a toothpick in his mouth. There was no doubt in my mind that he would say yes, but I still smiled. I looked at Letty.
"I'm in," she said. I looked at Brian.
"I'm in."
"I'm in," Mia said. I finally came to Dom. We looked at each other for a minute until he finally nodded.
"Ok, let's do this," I said, standing. I instructed everyone out to the Hemi Cuda. Once everyone was out, Leon stopped me.
"Wait a minute," he said.
"What is it?" I asked, knowing we had no time to lose.
"I wanna marry you," he blurted out. My eyes widened and I stopped breathing.
"What?" I quietly asked.
"I wa..." he breathed. "Need to marry you. I have to be with you."
"Leon why are you doing this now?" I asked.
"In case somethin happens, I wanna know that you agreed to marry me." I looked at him and knew I wanted to say yes, but I couldn't remember how to pronounce it. Then I looked in his eyes and everything came to me.
"Yes," I said, smiling brightly. "And I will marry you. Even if it's in some cheap chapel where the preacher has a criminal record." We laughed and shared a quick kiss.
"Come on guys, we don't have all day," Brian interrupted us.
"One second," Leon said. Brian left and I turned back to Leon. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his silver ring. It had the yarn wrapped on one side and I smiled.
"Let's pray," he said as he took my hand. He slowly slid the silver band down my left ring finger... it fit perfectly. He must've wrapped it when I was asleep.
"Come on!" Dom yelled from the hallway. Leon and I sighed together and walked down the hall, got in the elevator, and walked out to my car.
"I gotta question," Vince said, raising his hand.
"What?" I asked.
"Where do you plan on getting a harness or did you want me to just fly up the side of the building?" I smiled.
"Smartass," I said. I got in the trunk of my car and looked at all my supplies: two harnesses, two sets of binoculars, two sets of folding tables with various tools for locks... I basically had two of everything; I was always prepared.
"Oh," Vince said.
"Got a police badge in there?" Brian joked.
"I do actually," I said, tossing things out of my way in search of the badge. I finally came to it under my red wig and tossed it at him along with a tan trench coat just so he looked the part. I handed Letty a pair of binoculars with night vision. Vince strapped on the harness and I pulled out five microphones and attached them to everyone's shirt along with the battery pack behind them in their pants. I gave them all an ear piece and we were set.
"Everyone good?" I asked.
"I got another question," Vince said, once again raising his hand.
"I'm not your teacher Vince, what?!" I yelled.
"How do you suppose we all fit in this perty red car?" he asked.
"We put you in the trunk," Letty suggested.
"See that lovely white van over there?" I said, pointing to it in another parking lot. They all looked then returned their gaze to me. "We're borrowin it."
"Well, I have a question," Dom said. I looked at him with evil eyes cuz I just knew he would have something smart to say.
"What?" I sighed.
"Say we're in there, everything's goin fine, then the guards give us a little trouble and say... one of us gets taken hostage by one of the guards. What do you do?" he asked. I thought about it for a minute, looking at everyone.
"Shoot the hostage," I answered. Dom shook his head once, then again as he stared down at me.
"Come again?" he asked.
"Shoot the hostage. Go for the good wound and the guard can't get away with them."
"You're crazy," he said.
"That would be affirmative," I said. Everyone laughed as they headed over to the white van. I grabbed my padded, black, leather vest and black hair tie, then I shut the hood and jogged to everyone else.
"Alright, alright, alright," I said as I approached. "Time for the song and dance." Then, the awful smell hit me. "What is that smell?" I asked, annoyed. Everyone looked at Vince as did I.
"Was that you?" I asked. His face turned red and he looked down. "Oh Jesus, get away, get away," I said, swatting at him. "Everyone ready?" I asked smiling.
"Now why are you smilin?" Dom asked. I didn't answer him. I put my vest on and pulled my hair up into a tight ponytail on the top of my head. We all got in the van and headed to the prison where Z was. When we got there, Mia parked us in a lot a few yards from the prison.
"Wait, there's a problem," Leon said once we'd all gotten out. Everyone, including myself, looked at him.
"What?" I asked.
"How're we gonna find Z's cell?"
"Oh shit," I said, hitting myself in the head. "Letty will you go grab the computer that's in the front seat?" She nodded and ran back to the van.
"A computer is gonna find her cell?" Dom asked. I narrowed my eyes, raised my eyebrows, and looked at him. Letty came back and handed me the laptop. I set it on the ground, opened it, and opened the only file on the desktop. I typed several different codes and a window popped up with a face that had female features... she was my friend.
"Good morning Mercedes," she said with a computerized voice.
"Jewlz, find Zoraida's cell," I demanded.
"Aim toward target, please," Jewlz said. I held up the computer and aimed it at the prison. The lid had a built in camera. "Zoraida Bonita Moreno, age 26, location: level three, holding cell 112."
"Thank you Jewlz," I said.
"You're welcome, Mercedes. Good luck." I closed the laptop and looked at everyone. Their mouths were open wide and their eyes were even bigger.
"How much did that cost?" Leon asked.
"Nothing," I answered, standing. "I designed her." Leon looked at me for a minute and I didn't why he was giving me such a strange look. Did I really appear to be that stupid to him? I handed the computer to Letty.
"Alright let's roll," I said. "Everyone hear me ok?" I asked into the microphone. I got a yes and we headed toward the prison.
I told Mia to keep her ear piece in in case of an emergency. I showed Letty where to stand right next to the driveway where cop cars would come in. Dom, Leon, Vince, and I stood before the barbed wire fence.
"Great," Vince said. "Now there's a fuckin fence blockin our way."
"No matter," Brian said. He pressed the buzzer on the control panel outside the gates.
"Identify yourself," came a voice.
"Detective Brian Spilner here to transport a prisoner," he said in his 'cop tone'.
"In the middle of the night?" the man asked. Brian looked at me.
"Well sir, it was a long drive," he covered himself.
"Ok, we'll open the gate."
"May I ask a favor, sir?" Brian asked.
"What is it?"
"I'll need at least two guards greeting me at the front to help escort the prisoner."
"Of course, Mr. Spilner," the man said, obviously quite irritated.
"Thank you," Brian said, matter-of-factly. We waited silently until the gate began to open loudly. I smiled at Brian.
"You're good," I said. He shrugged.
"Well, what can I say?" he said. I laughed and turned to Vince.
"Ready?" He nodded slowly as we headed down the walk. I asked Letty to find out the coordinates of Z's cell. When we got them, I pointed exactly where it was.
"How do you know all this?" Vince asked. I only looked at him. What was I supposed to say, that I've been in and out of this prison my whole life? I think not.
Vince headed to the side of the building, twirled the wire and hook above his head, and threw it up to the barred window. The prison was quite old fashioned, still having the barred windows; after all, it was Mexico. He quickly climbed up after having practice from all the trucks they'd jacked. That's the last I saw Brian, Dom, and Leon... they headed into the building. I pressed the ear piece into my ear so I could hear everything.
"What's going on here?" I heard someone ask. They didn't answer. There was punching.
"Nice," Dom and Leon said at the same time. They laughed as they took the guards' uniforms and put them over their clothes. They headed up the stairs and down the long corridor to Z's cell where they followed a cop with the keys. They stood in front of Z's cell.
"Thanks," Brian said. The cop left and Dom and Leon took Z.
"You really are crazy," Z said.
"Thanks, now shut up," Dom commanded. They followed Brian down the hall.
"We got trouble," I heard Letty say. "Cops have just pulled up the driveway. Get outta there!" she said. I turned to see two cops running toward the front door.
"Oh shit," I whispered, jumping behind a bush. There was lots of commotion in my ear piece once the cops were inside.
"They got Leon!" Dom yelled. "We need some help in here!"
"I'm goin in!" I said before thinking. I loved Leon... I had to try and help him.
"No!" Leon yelled in my ear. I ignored him. I ran into the front lobby where one cop was on the ground and the other held Leon hostage with a gun to his head. Brian had a gun pointed at the cop and Dom did the same from behind. I grabbed a gun from the cop that was down and pointed it to the cop that held Leon. Z was nowhere to be found.
"You got a shot?" I asked Dom.
"I got a shot!" he yelled.
"Take it!" I said.
"I'm takin it," Dom warned.
"You got nothin!" the cop yelled. I looked at Leon.
"Shoot the hostage," he whispered. I ground my teeth as I winced. I dropped the gun to his leg and pulled the trigger. I shot him just above his kneecap and off to the left. He yelled just before falling to the ground, holding his leg.
"Jesus Christ," he breathed. I shrugged and raised my eyebrows. I looked back at the cop just as he was raising his gun toward Brian. Dom shot him down. My breath escaped my lips and I couldn't get it back. I was just about over seeing dead people. We located Z and Dom and Brian helped Leon out as quick as possible.
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Part 37
We rode in silence. Everyone was crammed into a white van, and there was not a word spoken. We finally reached a hotel, and I was led to a room that held Leon and my sister's stuff. We walked in and immediately, Mercedes fell back onto a bed. I looked around, and the whole place seemed surreal to me. Air hung thick around the room, and I could barely breathe. Seconds ticked by slowly, the sound emitted from some unseen clock. I couldn't think, my head was pounding. I'd just escaped from prison. Granted, it was a Mexican facility, so it wasn't hard at all for them to get me out, but the idea just wouldn't leave.
"I'm a fugitive," I said softly. Luckily, no one heard me. I was sure that Mercedes was asleep, and Leon had made his way into the bathroom to tend his wound. I needed air.
The night was hot and muggy, which made it just as hard to concentrate outside as it had be while I was in the room. I gripped the cast iron railing of the hotel's balcony. I looked to my left because I'd heard noises coming from the room. I tried to listen, but the blood pounding in my head was too loud.
The door opened and I could hear shouting, but couldn't distinguish voices or decipher whta they were saying. They sounded angry, but I never could've proved it. "Women," I heard. Finally, my invalueable senses were returning.
"Oh Jesus," I said pointedly as the infamous Dominic Toretto stood beside me on the balcony. I rolled my eyes and turned my head away from him, then moved my body a few feet away. I wished I could've taken him into my arms right then and there, made up for the time we'd lost since the arrival of Letty, but I couldn't. Letty. What the fuck kinda name is that?
"It's kinda nice out tonight, huh?" Dom said softly. I watched him look down at his hands, which were folded. He took a deep breath, then put his head back, rolling it from shoulder to shoulder. I could hear the bones popping as he straightened himself out. He stared straight ahead, not looking at me or anything else, just staring. His eyes closed after a moment, and he went back to leaning onto the railing. We were both silent.
"Dom, can I ask you a question?" I said after a long deliberation. He turned to me and raised his eyebrows.
"Go on," he nearly ordered. I was slightly taken aback, but shrugged it off and continued.
"I've been doin some thinkin and... Well, I'm trying to find out what happened with us? I mean, first it's me, then it's you-" I was motioning with my hands, but he grabbed them.
"Whoa, whoa," he interrupted, "Slow it down. Back up. When was it ever me?" His eyes were on fire, and his voice was strong. He threw my hands back to me and took a step backward. He'd learned about grabbing me.
"Shit, Dom, when hasn't it been you? I mean, you just come into my life outta fuckin nowhere, then when I finally start warming up to you, you become this big asshole!" By then, I was really excited and nearly jumping with anger. With every 'you,' I pushed his chest, causing him to stumble, but only slightly.
"I think you need to chill the fuck out," he said harshly.
"Chill the fuck out? Okay, fine, I'll chill the fuck out. Whatever Dom, fuck you." And with that, I stormed back into my sister's room and slammed the door, then I flopped onto the bed.
"Whoa, hold the fuckin phone here," Dom yelled, bursting into the room. Leon had started hobbling out of the bathroom when I came in, and was almost completely out when Dom came in. "I risked my ass for you tonight, don't that mean anything? No, I forgot," he said, throwing his arms up, "you don't give a fuck, right? Yeah, I know, you don't care about anything except yourself and keepin tabs on your sister. Oh, newsflash, Z, she and Leon are gettin married." I sat up and looked at him, then at Leon, who was busy trying to get back into the bathroom. I looked at Dom again. "Yeah, that's right. See the ring on her hand? Yeah, you're pissed, huh? Mad that she made a decision without your permission. You're fuckin hot, aren't ya?" he was talking with a harsh, low whisper that made my skin prickle.
"Get out," I growled. He stood straight and crossed his arms.
"Nothin doin," he teased. He was flirting with disaster.
"Get the fuck out of here right now, or I swear to God I'll fucking kill you," I said in the most evil tone I'd ever heard myself use. He showed little sign of change, but started to open the door.
"Don't be pissed at me because you're a spoiled fuckin brat," he said, closing the door behind him. I could feel tears in my eyes, but they wouldn't fall. I grabbed my shoes and took off, slamming the door behind me. I ran and ran, but I didn't have a destination. I kept running. Down the stairs. Around the corner. Past the office. I kept on and on until something obstructed my path and tripped me. Then, the weight of the world seemed to crash down on top of me. As my skin connected with rough gravel, I deduced that I was in the parking lot and must've been running in circles. I could feel my entire body shaking as I began crying. It wasn't until that moment that I realized what a wreck I was emotionally.
I cried and cried. Cried over Dom, cried over my parents, hell, I cried over just about everything. The more I tried to stop, the harder and more painful my sobs became. Soon, there was someone lifting me up and turning me toward them. I just slunk against the body and continued crying. I felt myself being moved into another pair of arms and could just barely feel a sensation of weightlessness. Then I fell asleep, and continued to cry.
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Part 38
"You have pissed me off... far beyond," I laughed as I stared at Dom. He stood there, staring at the ceiling. "Stay away from me, stay away from my sister... or I'll shoot you," I said softly and completely serious.
"And she's serious there too... Dom," Leon called from the other side of the room. Dom glared at him. "Sorry," he quickly apologized.
"Fine," Dom replied roughly. He walked across the room and sat in the chair.
"I wish he would get hit by a bus," I said to Leon.
"Oh rub a lamp," he said. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You are so cute," I told him. He smiled.
"I'm sitting here... wounded... and all you can say is 'you are so cute'? You shot me!"
"Leon... you told me to," I whispered. He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the chair. I looked at his leg, wrapped in towels, and it was almost unbelievable. It was practically gushing blood... the whiteness of the towel was being overcome slowly by bright red then dark brown.
"Babe..." I said, looking back up to Leon's face.
"What?" he asked.
"You're goin to the hospital," I told him.
"No, I'm not goin anywhere," he refused.
"You're gonna bleed to death." His eyes fluttered open and they immediately went to his leg.
"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed. I called Vince and Dom over and they picked him up.
"You're comin right?" he yelled to me.
"Baby I can't," I said sadly. He demanded Dom and Vince stop and turn him around to face me.
"Why not?" he asked. I smiled a sad smile and looked at him. He eventually understood that cops were probably searching the hospital and I would probably get recognized. That's why Dom was gonna stay in the car while Vince took Leon inside.
"I love you," he said. I smiled again and took a deep breath.
"I love you." They turned him around and carried him out the door. "I love you," I whispered. I turned and looked at Z who was completely passed out on one of the beds. I didn't feel like staying in the room so I took a walk. I walked down the long corridor of our floor, took the elevator to the floor below, walked that hallway, then took the elevator to the lobby. I walked around, looking at the paintings and posh furniture.
"Mercedes," I heard someone say. I turned around.
"Hi Hector," I said plainly, then turned back around. Hector?! Hector?! I spun around again and my saw my brother standing next to a very pretty African American woman. "Hector!" I screamed just before jumping on him and wrapping my arms around his neck. I felt him laugh as he spun me around.
"What're you doing here?!" I yelped once he put me down.
"Came to tell you I got married!" he exclaimed. My eyes widened and I looked at the woman again. "Mercedes," he started. "This is La'Desta, La'Desta... my sister Mercedes." I shook her hand nervously.
"It's nice to meet you," I said.
"You too," she replied.
"Can't believe you got married bro," I said, nudging Hector with my shoulder. He laughed and put his arm around my shoulders as we headed to the elevator.
"Me either," he said. We got in the elevator, arrived on the third floor, and headed to my room. I unlocked the door and we went in.
"Z!" I yelled, running and jumping on the bed she was still lying on. She slowly woke up and looked at me with tired eyes.
"What the fuck do you want?" she asked.
"Hector's here!" I screamed.
"Wonder-fuckin-ful," she said, letting her head drop to the pillow again. I rolled my eyes and looked at Hector.
"She's a little worn out. She just escaped from prison, ya know how that is," I explained.
"Where's Dom and everybody?" Hector asked.
"He and Vince took Leon to the hospital."
"What happened?"
"Oh, I shot him... yeah," I simply answered, nodding.
"What he do to you?" Hector asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Oh he told me to!" I quickly defended myself. "But we're gettin married," I said smiling. He looked at me, his expression fading to nothing.
"Come again?!" he said, turning his head. Oh God... What had I done? Gone and opened my big mouth.... What was Hector gonna do to Leon?
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Part 39
"Leon and I are, uh, gettin married," she repeated. I couldn't see him, but I was sure that Hector was pissed and ready to tell her about it.
"Hector, bro!" I said sternly. I turned my head to look at him, "You just got married, right? Why you wanna run your new wife all into our family problems right away? Give her a little adjustment time. Oh, by the way," I said to the girl standing beside him, "I'm Zoraida, the bitchy, overprotective older sister. Call me Z. Nice to meetcha." Then I rolled my head back to face the ceiling. I laid and arm over my eyes and fell asleep again, to the sounds of my siblings and their rivalry.
"Z! Z! Z, wake up!" I heard someone hiss in my ear.
"Go away," I groaned, turning onto my side. The person grabbed me and flipped me onto my back.
"No, come on, get up," the voice repeated. I rolled onto my stomach and tried to ignore the sleep intruder.
"No, come on, leave me the hell alone," I said as I became more irritated. The figure, which sounded male, flipped me onto my back again and sat across my hips, immobilizing any movement I'd thought about making. I kept an arm over my eyes as I used my other hand to reach behind me for a pillow. When I'd grabbed one, I placed it over my face and tried to go back to sleep.
"Ahh, come on, be a sport," the man said as he took my wrists and placed them on the bed above my body. I sighed and continued trying to sleep. I felt hands on my sides as they made their way under my shirt.
"What the fuck?" I asked, sitting up. The pillow fell to the floor as I came face to face with my archenemy, the one and only, Dominic Toretto.
"Hey sleepin beauty," he chirpped. He leaned toward me and kissed me softly. I was shocked. When I didn't stop him, he kissed me again.
The third time, I pushed him away. "What the hell are you doin?" I asked, holding him at arm's length. He put his hands on the sides of my head and stroked my hair softly.
"You're so beautiful," he said slowly, staring straight into my eyes. His hands rested on the back of my neck and he tried to pull himself to me again.
"Whoa!" I nearly yelled. I locked my arms in place and held him away. "Stop."
"Oh, come on Z! Jesus Christ!"
"What? Come on?! Dom, we just had a huge fucking blow out! I threatened to kill you! What the hell do you mean 'come on'?" I looked at him with my head tilted to the side. He didn't look anywhere but in my eyes.
"Z, I know we've been havin a rough time lately-"
"A rough time? No Dom, escaping from prison was a rough time. Finding out that Ron died while I was naked in front of him was a rough time. Fucking his son to get that damn car for my sister, that was a rough time! I don't think what we've had can be classified so much as a rough time, then as a fuckin nuclear war!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Dom only chuckled.
"Well, ok then... Let me make it up to you," he said. My jaw dropped.
"Have you been smokin with Vince again? Are you drunk?" I asked pointedly. He smiled and looked at me.
"No, I haven't been drinkin or smokin or anything... Just thinkin. I've thought a lot tonight," he told me. I rolled my eyes and smiled.
"Bet that must hurt, huh? Haven't been doin it much lately, have ya?" I asked, laughing softly. He laughed with me. I relaxed my arms and he pulled me closer to him.
"Come on," he coaxed, moving his face to mine, "Just give me the chance to make it up to ya..." His lips brushed across mine as he spoke... What was I supposed to say to that? I opened my mouth to talk, but he laid his lips onto mine. I groaned because I knew what was coming next, and I knew I couldn't stop myself.
I laid back slowly as Dom pulled my shirt over my head, "No bra," he whispered against my skin.
"You're very observant," I noted, breathing awkwardly. My skin tickled as he moved himself off of my legs and onto the side of the bed so that he could continue kissing my stomach. I could feel my pulse quicken as he slid one hand into the waistline of my jeans. I could feel him travelling down, over my skin, past the elastic band of the cotton bikinis I'd been issued at the prison, under the cloth, reaching the most sensitive spot on my entire body.
"Jesus Christ, Dom," I whispered at he felt around. I started taking quick, deep breaths to counteract the loss of oxygen, but I only became more and more lightheaded. He started kissing my neck and shoulders as he continued his manual labor. I draped my leg over both of his to allow him better access and my body started moving in synch with his hand. His lips continued moving around my upper body until I just couldn't take it anymore.
I sat up and pulled him up with me. He moved his hand and I took his shirt off without warning, then pushed him back onto the bed. I pulled at the button and zipper on his pants and yanked them off just as quickly. His boxers and my pants were the only things in our way. I sat astride his hips and managed to get my pants off, then it was just us in our skivvies. I sat straight up on my knees and looked down at him.
"I threatened to kill you, you know," I said, unsure of what was going to happen afterward if we went ahead and had sex.
"I know," he said softly, "Kinda turned me on." He winked and smiled at me. I laughed and leaned down to kiss him. It was soft and sweet, and over way too soon.
"So, are we really gonna do this?" I asked. I was sure he wanted to, but I didn't know how the situation would end up. He smiled and put his hands on my hips. I watched him nod. I could feel a smile run over my face and I laid on top of him. Sometime between my lying down and our actually having the best sex of our complicated relationship, I'd ended up on the bottom and we were both completely naked.
"I've really been kicking myself lately," Dom told me as we lay together. He wrapped his arm tight around my waist. I pulled the sheet over our heads and turned to face him.
"Why?" I asked.
"Well, because you really mean a lot to me, but I've been this big asshole and I haven't been noticing." He kissed my nose, then my lips. I smiled as we kissed and I could feel him doing the same. I realized that we had to be alone, and wondered aloud what had happened to my sister and Leon.
"They're hangin with Hector and La'Desta," he informed me, kissing me softly. I smiled, sighed, and laid back. I relaxed against the bed and was almost asleep when I felt Dom stand up.
"Aww, where ya goin?" I asked sleepily. I opened one eye and caught a glimpse of him as he yanked his pants up.
"I gotta get back to my room before anyone finds me in here," he said, leaning down to kiss me, "They might think you were makin good on your promise to kill me." I laughed and sat up so I could watch as he finished dressing.
"We'll hafta try this again," I said sweetly. He agreed and kissed me once more, then he left. I laid back against the headboard. I sat there for a while, just reflecting about what had just happened.
"Aright, I need a shower," I said to no one. I laughed at myself and jumped up, discarding the sheet as I quickly ran into the bathroom. I stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. I moaned as the water soothed my muscles and cleaned the sweat from my body. I continued thinking about Dom and I and replayed the entire scene in my head over and over again.
I stepped out humming a made-up tune, but I was rudely interrupted by the sound of a headboard banging against the wall of the next room. I knew that it was either Vince or Letty's and I laughed as I heard her screaming.
"Well you go girl," I commented, laughing. "And go Vince." I found some clothes of my sister's and pulled them on, then climbed back into bed. It was nearly 10 AM, but I was worn out.
"Z! Z! Z, wake the fuck up!" I heard Mercedes order. I laughed and opened my eyes.
"What the hell do you want?" I asked, laughing. "I wanna sleep, leave me alone!"
"No, come on, it's fuckin 7:30 already! Get up! We're all gonna go have dinner," she said. I reluctantly allowed her to pull me out of bed and help me find something else of hers to wear. We were ready to go by 8 and we met up with everyone else in the lobby.
"Aright, we've got reservations for 8:30," Brian explained. Leon thanked him for making the plans, then we tried to decide who would ride together.
"Well," Mia explained, "I've got it all figured out. Brian, Leon, Mercedes and I will all ride in the Hemi Cuda, Vince, Letty, Dom and Z, you guys can go in the other car, and Hector and La'Desta will take their car." She smiled triumphantly. Brian kissed her cheek and smiled at us all.
"Sounds like a plan," I said, looking at Dom. He smiled quickly and asked Mia for the keys. "Yeah, give em here," I ordered after she'd given them to him. He sighed and handed them to me. We all piled into our cars and Hector led the way, followed by Mercedes and the gang, with the four of us coming in last. Letty and Dom sat in the back, and Vince was beside me. I turned the car on and stepped on the gas.
Over an hour later, we were all finished with dinner and chatting over drinks. Brian was telling some really uninteresting cop joke, and Mercedes and Leon were whispering in one another's ears.
"Jesus, get a room," Letty quipped as she playfully punched Leon's shoulder.
"Yeah, if you didn't already have one, I coulda told you that today!" Mercedes joked. Letty's face turned a little red, but she was over it quickly.
"Hey, what can I say? Sometimes, ya just gotta get laid!" A raucous laughter erupted and everyone was a part of it, even me.
"Yeah, I don't think I ever heard anyone scream that loud with Dom, girl," my sister said, laughing, "Not even Z!" I laughed along with everyone else, but I quickly realized what she said and did a double-take.
"Wait, wait... With Dom?" I asked, looking in his direction with wide eyes.
"Yeah," Mercedes said. I could tell she was more than a little drunk, because there was no light that clicked on... No realization.
"Oh, how interesting," I growled, shooting another death stare at Dom. For the rest of the night, if I so much as looked his way, I felt the insatiable urge to vomit. Luckily for me, we left soon after. I chose to ride with my brother back to the hotel. The thought of being in the same room with Dom and Letty was enough to make me hurl, I didn't even want to think about driving them around.
When we arrived, I thanked Hector and La'Desta, then I said goodnight to them both and started up the stairs to my room. I could hear feet pounding on the stairs behind me and I heard Dom's voice.
"Z!" he cried. I ignored him and ran faster. He called out again, "Z, please!" I kept running. I stopped in front of my door and yanked the key out of the small back pocket of my pants and let myself in, then slammed the door as soon as he reached it. "Z!" he screamed, "Let me in!"
"Fuck you Dom! Fuck you!" I screamed as loud as I could. I was insanely pissed, and even more jealous and hurt. I swore to myself that I wouldn't let him do it to me again. The bastard.
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Part 40
I woke up the next morning with a headache I knew all too well: the infamous hangover headache. I was lying at the foot of my bed with my arm hanging off the side. I felt something on my back and thought it was Leon. I raised my head and looked behind me to find Vince's head using my back as a pillow.
"Get offa me ya goddamn ogor!" I growled, throwing him off.
"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled. I sat up, rubbed my eyes and looked around the room. Z was sitting out on the balcony, Leon was on the other bed, Vince was now sitting up with his eyes closed, and Letty was on the floor.
"Aright, everybody up!" I yelled, causing everyone to jump. "Who's got the hangover medicine?"
"I got it," Vince said, digging in his pocket. He pulled out a beautifully wrapped joint.
"Light it up," everyone in the room said at different times. He lit it and we passed it around for a while, then we got into a deep conversation started by Vince.
"So if you're from America you're American, you're from Mexico you're Mexican, Africa you're African... but what if you're from Anarctica? Are you Anarctican?" he asked.
"What about Sweden?" Letty asked.
"That's easy," Vince said. "You're Swedian."
"No Vince, you're Swedish," Z called from the balcony.
"So then if you're from Anarctica you're Anarcticish?" Vince asked. We all sat for a moment, thinking about it. It was quite mind-boggling. I grabbed what was left of our joint and went out on the balcony.
"You're missin out," I said, sitting next to Z.
"S'okay," she said. "I don't care."
"What's wrong?" I asked. "What happened last night?"
"Let's just say Dom got his last night," she replied.
"Yeah from Letty," I laughed. Z looked at me. It took me a few minutes before finally figuring it all out.
"He didn't," I said. Z smiled and nodded. I looked around, thinking where Dom could be. I jumped outta my chair and stormed through the hotel room, stepping over Letty and a bunch of beer bottles. I opened the door, shut it behind me, and looked down the hall. There was Dom heading toward the elevator.
"Hey Dom!" I yelled as nice as possible. He stopped and turned around. I caught up with him.
"How was your night last night, Dom?" I asked smiling.
"Fine," he said.
"D'ya have fun?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Yeah, I mean, I guess you would considering you fucked two different girls." He sighed heavily and his head dropped.
"So you know," he said.
"What the hell are you doin?" I asked, my voice low and lips barely moving.
"I don't know," he answered, putting his hand on his head.
"You don't know?" I asked. "Well you better figure it out. Better yet, don't talk to my sister again."
"Why?" Dom asked. It almost seemed like he cared... he was a good actor.
"Why?!" I stammered. I stepped up closer to him and the intense hatred between us was so thick, I almost fell back. "Because you're a disease... a plague. The only reason you're alive right now is because I didn't kill you." He rolled his eyes.
"You couldn't kill me and you won't kill me. You won't because you know there's consequences," he said. "You don't have the balls."
"That hurts my feelings," I said. "You know I'm capable of it and that's what scares you."
"Nothing scares me," Dom said sternly.
"Dear, sweet Dominic Toretto," I said, running my finger down his chest, stomach, and passed his belt buckle. I snatched his family jewels in my hand and twisted them. He howled in pain and his hand found the side of my face. He gripped my hair in his hand, but didn't pull it, which confused the hell outta me.
"Keep your dick in your pants or I'll cut an inch outta the middle," I warned, still holding tight and still twisting. His face was red and his eyes were watering. His whole body was shaking from the pain and I was loving every minute of it. I slowly let him go and he quickly fell to his knees, holding himself.
"Think I'm scarred for life," he said. I raised an eyebrow.
"Good," I said. He looked up and a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"Who are you?" he asked. My face softened from the hard, evil look I had plastered on Dom. Who had I become? I'd become my sister, something I never thought possible.
"I'm sorry," I said very quietly. I didn't want him to hear me, but he did. "But all this is your fault," I said through clenched teeth and pointing at him.
"How do you figure?" Dom asked, still holding himself and now rocking back and forth. The tear that was now on his chin was really aggravating me. I quickly wiped it away and resumed my standing position.
"You came here and ruined our lives. You got with my sister, then threw her away. She's not a knock down, drag it out, lick it up, do it again kinda girl, ok?" I was now yelling and I couldn't help it. "And I won't stand to see her hurt anymore. I'm getting married," I stammered, pointing to myself and for the first time noticing my hand was shaking. "And I refuse to worry about you for the rest of my life."
"You won't have to worry about me the rest of your life. You're marrying Leon, not me," he said. I smiled at his incredible stupidity.
"Everywhere we go, everything we do, you'll be right there."
"Says who?"
"Me. You don't have anyone, Dominic," I said. I was finally saying what was on my mind. I'd wanted to this to him ever since the first time he hurt Z.
"What're you talkin about? I got Mia."
"Who has Brian."
"Letty."
"Not anymore," I said, shaking my head. "She knows about you and Z." Dom's breathing quickened.
"I have Vince," he said. I smiled.
"You do. Hold on to him, he's all you've got." And with that, I headed back to my room. My head was pounding from the pot I'd just smoked, from yelling at Dom, from all the shaking I went through. I was physically and mentally exhausted... I needed some sun and, of course, I didn't have a bathing suit. I grabbed Leon's wife beater and I was already wearing shorts, so I headed out the door. I stopped and turned around to look at everyone in the room. Z had fallen asleep on a chair out on the balcony, Vince had passed out and was hanging off the side of the bed, Letty was asleep on the floor again, and Leon was lying on the other bed... he'd never moved. I smiled in his direction. I stepped over Letty and sat on the bed next to him. I ran my fingers through his soft hair causing him to stir a bit. He slowly opened his eyes, found mine, and smiled.
"What're you doin?" he asked roughly.
"Staring," I answered. Leon chuckled and nodded as he slowly sat up, his leg was still causing him some problems. I felt terrible about that leg, but I kept telling myself that he told me to do it. "Come with me," I said.
"Where?" Leon asked.
"To the pool." He nodded and very slowly put his legs over the side of the bed. The doctor told him to use his crutches, but Leon refused to. He could walk, but he had a slight limp. It didn't bother me helping him out the door. We started down the hall to the elevator to find Dom in the same position I'd left him in. I was gonna tell Leon we should take the stairs, but then I remembered his leg. I rolled my eyes as we walked toward Dominic.
"Dom, what're you doin?" Leon asked. Dom looked up and I knew he'd been crying. I wanted to say something so bad, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was becoming Mercedes Moreno again, I was becoming me... not Zoraida.
"You got a great girl, Leon," Dom said, blinking slowly as if he hadn't slept in days, which he probably hadn't. "Don't you let her go." I didn't let Leon answer as I pulled him into the elevator.
"What was that all about?" he asked.
"Don't know," I lied. "But who cares?"
We arrived in the lobby and headed for the pool. We were lucky enough to be the only ones there. We claimed two lounge chairs right on the side of the pool and sat down. Leon pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his shirt pocket before discarding the shirt. He was a god, my god.
"I can't wait to marry you," I said, looking at him. He smiled and turned his head toward me.
"Me either," he said sweetly. We shared a light kiss and I laid back on my lounge chair. "Mercedes, there's a uh... there's a slight problem," he stumbled over his words. I looked at him. 'This can't be good' I thought to myself.
"What is it?"
"There's a slight poblem with... cash flow." He looked at me. "I can't give you a big wedding." I smiled.
"I don't need a big wedding, as long as I marry you, it doesn't matter," I told him. He put his legs on the side of the chair and sat up, then took his sunglasses off to look me in the eyes.
"I'm tryin to give you everything I can, but... I don't have anything."
"Oh yes you do," I reassured him.
"What?"
"You got the love," I said. He just looked at me as if he didn't believe what I was saying. I leaned in closer to him. "And you're kinda cute," I said, brushing my finger under his chin. He laughed quietly and looked down. "Now don't you go worryin about not havin any money. We'll figure somethin out." After that, we laid in silence for a while just enjoying the sun and the water.
"Let's swim," I said, sitting up.
"Swim in what?" Leon asked. I smiled.
"Our clothes, come on!" I threw my sunglasses of, took Leon's off his head, and tossed them on the chair with mine. I pulled him up and knowing he had to take the stairs into the pool, I dove right in. When I surfaced Leon was already in. I swam to him and put my arms around his neck and legs around his waist. I kissed him roughly then hugged him. I placed my chin on his shoulder next to his neck and closed my eyes, enjoying the moment. His tightened his grip around my waist and pulled me closer. He began spinning in the water as fast as he could and I laughed. Despite his leg, which must have hurt, he made me laugh. I pulled my head back and pressed my forehead to his.
"I'm sorry I shot you," I said. He chuckled.
"I'm sorry you shot me too," he said nodding. I laughed and kissed him. I suddenly pulled away from him, but left my legs wrapped around him.
I put my arms in the air and screamed, "I love you!"
"I love you too baby," Leon said, only nowhere near as loud as me.
"We're gettin married," I said, putting my arms around his neck again.
"Yes we are," he replied.