Chapter 24
Allie's POV
Dom fell back in his seat. "Oh, great."
"What?" Brian asked.
"It's gonna be a long ass night that's what," Dom answered. "Did you do something to Lee-lee this week?" He asked me.
"Yeah, I breathed," I answered. "Don't look at me, you started this fight. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, we're in Little Saigon."
"I noticed. I was just making sure you weren't in trouble again."
Lance Tran pulled up next to Brian's window and tapped on it with a gun. "Follow us."
Well, duh. You have very large guns pointed at us and are driving Ninja's. Do you really believe we are stupid enough to try and outrun you?
They led us to a restaurant they own.
Before we got out, Papi caught my hand. "Hey, it's going to be all right. They won't hurt you. They just like to talk big."
I nodded, then got out beside Brian. So much fro staying near Papi, but he was the one who put me back there and it wasn't exactly like I could climb over the NOS tanks.
"I thought we had an agreement," Johnny said. "I stay away, you stay away, every one stays happy."
"We got lost," Papi replied. "I mean, what do you want me to tell you, Johnny?"
"Who's 'we"?" Johnny asked.
"My new mechanic. Brian, meet Johnny Tran. The guy in the snakeskin pants, that's his cousin, Lance." He answered. "When are you going to give me a shot at that Honda 2000 of yours?"
Johnny was walking around Brian's car, looking at it, wantonly, almost hungrily. "This your car?"
"It was," Brain answered. "It's his now."
That must have been the wrong thing to say, because immediately Papi said, "No, it's not. I haven't taken delivery yet."
"Then it's nobodies car," Johnny concluded. "Somebody put in the wrench time. What do you think, Lance?"
"It's an amazing machine," Lance answered.
That's when I noticed Lee-Lee. She was standing by Johnny's motorcycle, looking so sad. Almost like, she wished she could stop all this, but just didn't know how. She smiled at me, weakly, apologetically. Then she looked at Lance, then at Johnny, then down at the ground.
I realized, then, that for all her fronting like they're so hot and all, that she's not proud of them. She's ashamed of them.
"Yes, indeed," Johnny replied. He stopped and looked at me. "Well, now, who do we have here?"
Before, I go any further, let me explain something's about the Toretto's and the Tran's. You see, when I was little, Papi and Johnny were friends. Good friends. Almost as good of friends as Papi and Vince. Then, when I was about ten, Papi got involved in a race with Johnny. Johnny wasn't racing though. He paid Papi to lose, purposely so that Lance would win and some man from Japan would believe they were really better than they were, so he would back them going into the NIRA circuit.
Only, Papi couldn't, wouldn't cheat. Not with me there, watching him. He gave Johnny back the money and told him to find someone else, to race Hector or someone else, not quite so good. Unfortunately the backer wanted to see them beat the best there was to beat. Papi. So, they're still just streetracers, just like us. That was just the start of the end of their friendship, though.
Johnny has a sister, a twin, Cami, and Cami just added more fuel to the fire.
She and Papi got involved, and he even left Letty for her. (Which made me hate her all the more.) She was two faced, big time. She would be real sweet to me, in front of Papi, then as soon as his back was turned, she made mine, and Mia's, lives miserable.
This went on for months, until one day in the shop, Letty stopped by to see me. She had already told Papi straight out that she was going to stay in my life, because he couldn't give me to her to love, then take me back just because he wanted a road leach.
When Letty came in, I had been 'helping' by putting bottles of Coke in the cooler, and I dropped one. Of course, the glass bottle shattered, spraying both Cami and myself with the dark sticky liquid. As Cami looked down at her ruined white blouse, I knew she was pissed. I started backing up, saying something about going to get something to clean it up with. Then she slapped me. I had never been hit before, by anyone. I had never even been spanked. I was so shocked I just stood there.
"You're so stupid and clumsy." I remember her yelling. Then she jerked me towards the counter by my hair. I lost my balance and fell. She started to pull me back up, her hands still in my hair. That's when I heard Letty.
"Let her go."
"What?" Cami turned towards her.
"I said, let her go, bitch." Letty repeated. "Or I'll be the one snatching you around by that nappy hair of yours."
"She ain't nothing to you anymore, remember? Dominic's mine, now," Cami replied.
"I couldn't care less who Dominic belongs to. Allie is my baby though and this is the last time, I'm going to tell you to let her go." Letty was ready to fight, hands on her hips, eyes fiery, fist clenched.
Cami shrugged and shoved me towards her. "Take her. I don't want her anyway. She's nothing but a damn nuisance."
Letty picked me up and hugged me. "Are you okay, baby sister?"
I nodded, then laid my head on her shoulder.
"You can tell her brother that she'll be at my house when he decides that he wants to be her brother and not your servant." Letty told her, then left with me. Little did we know, Dom had been watching the whole thing.
We didn't get to the door before Papi called out, "Wait, Letty. You're not leaving. Cami is."
Cami whirled around on him. He was standing in the office. "What?" She screeched.
"You heard me," he replied. "You're leaving, right now. Either on your own or I'll put you out." He had walked out of the office and was standing nearly on top of her. "And if you ever even look at my baby again, I'll make sure you get in so much trouble that even all your Daddy's money won't be able to buy you out of."
She snatched up her bag and left, yelling that she would make him sorry. But it ended up her, who was sorry.
She told everybody that she was pregnant with Papi's baby and that's why he dumped her. Because he didn't want take the responsibility for it. Pretty much trying to ruin any respect he had earned in the community since coming back from Lompoc. But she wasn't pregnant at all, and her Father was so embarrassed by her lies that he sent her back to Japan and married her off to some old man. They haven't seen her since. Johnny blames Papi for her having to leave. I guess it's easier to blame Papi than to admit that his sister was wrong, and his father is an unfeeling SOB.
In any case, Johnny Tran knows exactly who I am. He knows so much about our family, it's scary.
He walked over to me. "Looks like little Allie's all grown up, now." He was looking at me, almost like he had been looking at Brian's car. I found myself wanting to back up. But I didn't move. I wasn't going to let him back me into a corner. Papi looked like he wanted to grab Johnny but with three automatic weapons pointed at him and Brian, and me, I prayed he wouldn't move, no matter what Johnny did.
Johnny stopped about two steps in front of me and smiled. He ran both of his hands through my hair. "She's beautiful, Toretto."
"Johnny, stop it. Leave her alone. She's only fifteen, like me." Lee-Lee said. Lance glared at her and she looked down again.
Lee-Lee was defending me? Or trying to at least? Why?
If Johnny heard her, he didn't acknowledge it. He never turned away from me, but spoke to Papi. "Maybe I should even our score?"
"Back off her, Johnny," Papi answered. "Your fights with me not her."
"What do you say, Allessandra?" He moved his hands down to my hips and pulled me against. Papi moved towards us only to have a gun put in his face. "Or does your big brother do all your talking?"
A million answers ran through my mind. But I didn't say a thing. I smiled at him sweetly as I knew how. Then did the one thing I thought about his proposal. I spit in his face. "I'd die before I would sleep with you."
A murderous fire shot through his eyes, the same look Cami gave me the day I drenched her in coke. I prepared myself for the worse, but he just laughed, and whispered in my ear. "You've got fire, little one. I like that. Come and see me when you're really all grown up. I'll show you what a man can do then." Then he let go of me, stepped back and wiped his face. "You need to teach this one some manners, Toretto," He said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Let's go." He patted Papi on the arm. "Don't worry, Dominic. 'I' don't mess with jailbait. See you in the desert next month."
"You're gonna need something better than that crotch rocket," Papi shot back trying to act normal.
"I've got something for you," he answered.
Lee-lee caught my eye. "I'm sorry," she mouthed. "I'm so sorry."
I nodded slightly. She put her helmet on and got on Johnny's motor cycle, holding onto his waist. Her eyes were so sad. How come I've never seen that before?
"What was that all about?" Brian asked.
"Long story," Papi replied. "I'll tell you later." He looked at me. "Damn it, Allie. I'm so sorry. Are you all right?"
I nodded. "I'm fine. Let's just go." All I wanted was to see my Jesse."
"Let's get out of here," Papi agreed.
Before we could get in the car, Johnny and Lance were back. They pulled out guns and started shooting up Brian's car. We took off out of the way. When the car was burning, they left.
We stood there for half a second, watching them, wondering if they were coming back again when Papi yelled, "NOS!"
We ran, but as the car exploded, something hot and sharp hit my leg. It hurt like hell and I almost fell, except, Brian caught me around the waist and pulled me in front of him, protecting me from any other debris.
Damn, my leg felt like it was on fire.
(Thanks to Junior's Princess and Samanthasev for all thier help and patiencces. Love you girls.)
Allie's POV
Dom fell back in his seat. "Oh, great."
"What?" Brian asked.
"It's gonna be a long ass night that's what," Dom answered. "Did you do something to Lee-lee this week?" He asked me.
"Yeah, I breathed," I answered. "Don't look at me, you started this fight. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, we're in Little Saigon."
"I noticed. I was just making sure you weren't in trouble again."
Lance Tran pulled up next to Brian's window and tapped on it with a gun. "Follow us."
Well, duh. You have very large guns pointed at us and are driving Ninja's. Do you really believe we are stupid enough to try and outrun you?
They led us to a restaurant they own.
Before we got out, Papi caught my hand. "Hey, it's going to be all right. They won't hurt you. They just like to talk big."
I nodded, then got out beside Brian. So much fro staying near Papi, but he was the one who put me back there and it wasn't exactly like I could climb over the NOS tanks.
"I thought we had an agreement," Johnny said. "I stay away, you stay away, every one stays happy."
"We got lost," Papi replied. "I mean, what do you want me to tell you, Johnny?"
"Who's 'we"?" Johnny asked.
"My new mechanic. Brian, meet Johnny Tran. The guy in the snakeskin pants, that's his cousin, Lance." He answered. "When are you going to give me a shot at that Honda 2000 of yours?"
Johnny was walking around Brian's car, looking at it, wantonly, almost hungrily. "This your car?"
"It was," Brain answered. "It's his now."
That must have been the wrong thing to say, because immediately Papi said, "No, it's not. I haven't taken delivery yet."
"Then it's nobodies car," Johnny concluded. "Somebody put in the wrench time. What do you think, Lance?"
"It's an amazing machine," Lance answered.
That's when I noticed Lee-Lee. She was standing by Johnny's motorcycle, looking so sad. Almost like, she wished she could stop all this, but just didn't know how. She smiled at me, weakly, apologetically. Then she looked at Lance, then at Johnny, then down at the ground.
I realized, then, that for all her fronting like they're so hot and all, that she's not proud of them. She's ashamed of them.
"Yes, indeed," Johnny replied. He stopped and looked at me. "Well, now, who do we have here?"
Before, I go any further, let me explain something's about the Toretto's and the Tran's. You see, when I was little, Papi and Johnny were friends. Good friends. Almost as good of friends as Papi and Vince. Then, when I was about ten, Papi got involved in a race with Johnny. Johnny wasn't racing though. He paid Papi to lose, purposely so that Lance would win and some man from Japan would believe they were really better than they were, so he would back them going into the NIRA circuit.
Only, Papi couldn't, wouldn't cheat. Not with me there, watching him. He gave Johnny back the money and told him to find someone else, to race Hector or someone else, not quite so good. Unfortunately the backer wanted to see them beat the best there was to beat. Papi. So, they're still just streetracers, just like us. That was just the start of the end of their friendship, though.
Johnny has a sister, a twin, Cami, and Cami just added more fuel to the fire.
She and Papi got involved, and he even left Letty for her. (Which made me hate her all the more.) She was two faced, big time. She would be real sweet to me, in front of Papi, then as soon as his back was turned, she made mine, and Mia's, lives miserable.
This went on for months, until one day in the shop, Letty stopped by to see me. She had already told Papi straight out that she was going to stay in my life, because he couldn't give me to her to love, then take me back just because he wanted a road leach.
When Letty came in, I had been 'helping' by putting bottles of Coke in the cooler, and I dropped one. Of course, the glass bottle shattered, spraying both Cami and myself with the dark sticky liquid. As Cami looked down at her ruined white blouse, I knew she was pissed. I started backing up, saying something about going to get something to clean it up with. Then she slapped me. I had never been hit before, by anyone. I had never even been spanked. I was so shocked I just stood there.
"You're so stupid and clumsy." I remember her yelling. Then she jerked me towards the counter by my hair. I lost my balance and fell. She started to pull me back up, her hands still in my hair. That's when I heard Letty.
"Let her go."
"What?" Cami turned towards her.
"I said, let her go, bitch." Letty repeated. "Or I'll be the one snatching you around by that nappy hair of yours."
"She ain't nothing to you anymore, remember? Dominic's mine, now," Cami replied.
"I couldn't care less who Dominic belongs to. Allie is my baby though and this is the last time, I'm going to tell you to let her go." Letty was ready to fight, hands on her hips, eyes fiery, fist clenched.
Cami shrugged and shoved me towards her. "Take her. I don't want her anyway. She's nothing but a damn nuisance."
Letty picked me up and hugged me. "Are you okay, baby sister?"
I nodded, then laid my head on her shoulder.
"You can tell her brother that she'll be at my house when he decides that he wants to be her brother and not your servant." Letty told her, then left with me. Little did we know, Dom had been watching the whole thing.
We didn't get to the door before Papi called out, "Wait, Letty. You're not leaving. Cami is."
Cami whirled around on him. He was standing in the office. "What?" She screeched.
"You heard me," he replied. "You're leaving, right now. Either on your own or I'll put you out." He had walked out of the office and was standing nearly on top of her. "And if you ever even look at my baby again, I'll make sure you get in so much trouble that even all your Daddy's money won't be able to buy you out of."
She snatched up her bag and left, yelling that she would make him sorry. But it ended up her, who was sorry.
She told everybody that she was pregnant with Papi's baby and that's why he dumped her. Because he didn't want take the responsibility for it. Pretty much trying to ruin any respect he had earned in the community since coming back from Lompoc. But she wasn't pregnant at all, and her Father was so embarrassed by her lies that he sent her back to Japan and married her off to some old man. They haven't seen her since. Johnny blames Papi for her having to leave. I guess it's easier to blame Papi than to admit that his sister was wrong, and his father is an unfeeling SOB.
In any case, Johnny Tran knows exactly who I am. He knows so much about our family, it's scary.
He walked over to me. "Looks like little Allie's all grown up, now." He was looking at me, almost like he had been looking at Brian's car. I found myself wanting to back up. But I didn't move. I wasn't going to let him back me into a corner. Papi looked like he wanted to grab Johnny but with three automatic weapons pointed at him and Brian, and me, I prayed he wouldn't move, no matter what Johnny did.
Johnny stopped about two steps in front of me and smiled. He ran both of his hands through my hair. "She's beautiful, Toretto."
"Johnny, stop it. Leave her alone. She's only fifteen, like me." Lee-Lee said. Lance glared at her and she looked down again.
Lee-Lee was defending me? Or trying to at least? Why?
If Johnny heard her, he didn't acknowledge it. He never turned away from me, but spoke to Papi. "Maybe I should even our score?"
"Back off her, Johnny," Papi answered. "Your fights with me not her."
"What do you say, Allessandra?" He moved his hands down to my hips and pulled me against. Papi moved towards us only to have a gun put in his face. "Or does your big brother do all your talking?"
A million answers ran through my mind. But I didn't say a thing. I smiled at him sweetly as I knew how. Then did the one thing I thought about his proposal. I spit in his face. "I'd die before I would sleep with you."
A murderous fire shot through his eyes, the same look Cami gave me the day I drenched her in coke. I prepared myself for the worse, but he just laughed, and whispered in my ear. "You've got fire, little one. I like that. Come and see me when you're really all grown up. I'll show you what a man can do then." Then he let go of me, stepped back and wiped his face. "You need to teach this one some manners, Toretto," He said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Let's go." He patted Papi on the arm. "Don't worry, Dominic. 'I' don't mess with jailbait. See you in the desert next month."
"You're gonna need something better than that crotch rocket," Papi shot back trying to act normal.
"I've got something for you," he answered.
Lee-lee caught my eye. "I'm sorry," she mouthed. "I'm so sorry."
I nodded slightly. She put her helmet on and got on Johnny's motor cycle, holding onto his waist. Her eyes were so sad. How come I've never seen that before?
"What was that all about?" Brian asked.
"Long story," Papi replied. "I'll tell you later." He looked at me. "Damn it, Allie. I'm so sorry. Are you all right?"
I nodded. "I'm fine. Let's just go." All I wanted was to see my Jesse."
"Let's get out of here," Papi agreed.
Before we could get in the car, Johnny and Lance were back. They pulled out guns and started shooting up Brian's car. We took off out of the way. When the car was burning, they left.
We stood there for half a second, watching them, wondering if they were coming back again when Papi yelled, "NOS!"
We ran, but as the car exploded, something hot and sharp hit my leg. It hurt like hell and I almost fell, except, Brian caught me around the waist and pulled me in front of him, protecting me from any other debris.
Damn, my leg felt like it was on fire.
(Thanks to Junior's Princess and Samanthasev for all thier help and patiencces. Love you girls.)