Chapter 25
10 minutes later and the Toretto gang, minus Mia, left the house and headed for their cars. Dom was in Brian's car with him, and everybody else drove their own. The drive down to 'The Strip' lasted a mere 5 minutes. Dom had been determined to get a place near the racing action when he moved down there. The gates were pulled open by two heavy guys wearing black t-shirts with 'SECURITY' scrawled across the front of it. "Jeez" Brian exclaimed. "Didn't think it would be so big!" He said as he looked over the crowds. "Yeah" Dom agreed. "It's not bad. Neither's the competition." Dom looked out of his window and to his relief, didn't see Tyler's cars parked where they always were. He didn't say anything to Brian though. "What's your buy-in rate?" he asked looking over to Brian. "I'm not sure. Thought about 8large, at least. What you think?" "Sounds good. No pink slips though, right?" Dom joked. Brian laughed. "Sure". Brian's car was hidden behind Leon and Vince's cars which were out front in a V-formation, with Letty coming up behind them. The crowds started to separate into two rows, each turning at the sight and sound of the team's cars. Leon and Vince slowed down and pulled to the side, allowing Brian to drive through them, and Letty filled the space between Vince and Leon. They all got out of their cars and stood out front of the Eclipse. As they walked, they heard one racer say, "Tyler kicked his ass for sure" and the others around him laughed. Another shouted directly at him, "Toretto, your not driving??" he teased. Dom stopped and looked at him. Brian saw the anger in his face and as Dom started to turn for the guy, Brian grabbed his arm. Dom looked at him and Brian shook his head. "Were here to race" he reminded him. Dom looked at the floor and leaned against the car, waiting on his friends. He saw them pushing their way through the crowds. "Dominic, dude!" he called out as he reached the team. The guy was obviously from California as he had a Californian twang and appearance. "Josh! What's up?" Dom replied as they hugged. "I got a guy willing to race at 9g. That OK with you?" Dom shrugged his shoulders. "It's not up to me. He's racing!" he nodded over in Brian's direction. "Josh meet Brian. Brian meet Josh" he introduced them. "Brian's a close friend." He told Josh. Brian and Josh shook hands. "This yours?" he asked. "Yeah!" Brian replied as they crowd looked over the car. "Pop the hood Brian!" Dom encouraged with a smile. Brian knew he was keen for the racers to see what they were up against. Brian smiled then unclipped the hood, and propped it up. "Holy shit Brian! You got one of everythin' in there I think" Josh approved.
After many "Oooohhs" and "Ahhhhssss", a tall Mexican guy walked over. "Yo Josh, this the guy I'm racing?" he asked as he made his way through the people crowding around the Eclipse. Josh looked over.
"Yeah Waquin. Over here" he directed. The guy stood next to Letty. "Danng baby! You want to play with my gear stick?" he drew her a turned-on look as he fiddled with his crotch area. Letty was about to say something when Dom stepped in. "The hell she does!" he hollered. Waquin turned round and saw the source of the deep voice. One look at his bulking form was enough to tell him not to mess with him. "Hey sorry man! I didn't know. My bad" he stammered. "Yeah your bad alright!" he shouted. "Stay the fuck away from her" he shoved his finger in his face. "Hey Dom" Letty interrupted. "Chill. It's not his fault he cant get any" Letty laughed in his face.
"Fuck you bitch!" he shouted back at Letty. Letty lifted her arm and right- hooked him straight in the face. "JESUS.CHRIST" he swore. Letty walked over to Dom, and he hung his arm around her shoulder. "Hey hey hey?" Josh shouted. We gonna race or not?" he asked raising his hands in the air. Waquin nodded and wiped a sliver of blood away from his nose. Then he nodded. "Waquin. Your cash?" Josh asked, holding out his hand. Waquin whipped the money out of his back pocket and shoved it into Josh's hand. He turned to Brian, who also put the money in his hand.
"Good, let's get this race goin' then. God!" he groaned. The crowd cheered and headed towards the strip or runway at the other end of the parkway. "Brian" Dom shouted before Brian got into his car.
"Yeah?" "Smoke this guy!" Dom called. Brian gave him a thumbs-up and got into his car.
Waquin drew his blue Viper up next to Brian's Eclipse. Brian quickly eyed him, then turned his attention back to the race. He reached behind him, turned the gauge on the NOS bottles, altered the settings for the Stand Alone Fuel Management System, cranked up the volume on his CD Player, the gripped the steering wheel firmly and looked at the road ahead. Josh stood in the middle of the two cars, he raised his arms, then dropped them to his side. Brian's foot hit the accelerator hard, and pushed it to the floor. He was first off the starting line and couldn't see the Viper to either the left or the right of him. Brian could feel the car accelerating all the time, and knew that this race was his to him there and then. People and buildings were smeared into streaks of colour, and continued to fly by. He was sucked back into his seat by the speed, and his arms were fighting to keep hold of the steering wheel. But the car never faltered once. It ran perfectly. Brian could fast see the finish line approaching, and there was still no sight of Waquin. "Easy money" he thought to himself.
As he pulled back up to the crowds, he could hear them cheering even above the sound of his music. He took the keys out of the ignition and got out. Everyone whistled, cheered, and congratulated him. There were shouts of: "Check that car" and "Way to go" and "Fuck Me". Dom, Letty, Leon, and Vince came over. "How much easier could that have been?" Dom shouted, excitement spilling over. He hugged Brian. "Jesus Brian. That's some car" Letty put in as she went to check that no damage had been done to the engine. "Yeah, I know" he agreed with all of them. He collected the money from Josh and spent a while talking with the racers that Dom knew. But only he and the team knew the exact specification of the car. Half an hour later, he was dying for a drink and managed to pull Dom away from his conversation with another racer. "Dom, we goin'? I'm dying for a beer man!" "Yeah lets go party!" Letty shouted. Dom grinned. "Sure, party at our place" he announced to everyone. The team and the majority of racers headed for their cars, making their way to Toretto's. "Brian, I'm gonna ride with Letty" he told him. "Fine with me. Lets just get outta here". Just then this chick wearing the shortest skirt ever, and a bikini top came over to Brian. "So, am I gonna ride with you?" she asked, rubbing her hands all over him. "Sorry, but I don't think so!" he said slowly, then got into his car. Dom had watched all of this and thought to himself, "If only I could say 'no' like Brian does". When he got in, Letty was smiling at him. "What?" he grinned. "Haven't seen you this happy since you lost the cars. That's all" she explained with a shrug. "Well, that Eclipse is some very hot shit. Plus, I'll have my cars back before long" he told her. But Letty knew the real reason was that he was happy to have Brian back, and that finally, Mia was getting back to her old self. The cars pulled out of 'The Strip' in single file and headed for the party.
10 minutes later and the Toretto gang, minus Mia, left the house and headed for their cars. Dom was in Brian's car with him, and everybody else drove their own. The drive down to 'The Strip' lasted a mere 5 minutes. Dom had been determined to get a place near the racing action when he moved down there. The gates were pulled open by two heavy guys wearing black t-shirts with 'SECURITY' scrawled across the front of it. "Jeez" Brian exclaimed. "Didn't think it would be so big!" He said as he looked over the crowds. "Yeah" Dom agreed. "It's not bad. Neither's the competition." Dom looked out of his window and to his relief, didn't see Tyler's cars parked where they always were. He didn't say anything to Brian though. "What's your buy-in rate?" he asked looking over to Brian. "I'm not sure. Thought about 8large, at least. What you think?" "Sounds good. No pink slips though, right?" Dom joked. Brian laughed. "Sure". Brian's car was hidden behind Leon and Vince's cars which were out front in a V-formation, with Letty coming up behind them. The crowds started to separate into two rows, each turning at the sight and sound of the team's cars. Leon and Vince slowed down and pulled to the side, allowing Brian to drive through them, and Letty filled the space between Vince and Leon. They all got out of their cars and stood out front of the Eclipse. As they walked, they heard one racer say, "Tyler kicked his ass for sure" and the others around him laughed. Another shouted directly at him, "Toretto, your not driving??" he teased. Dom stopped and looked at him. Brian saw the anger in his face and as Dom started to turn for the guy, Brian grabbed his arm. Dom looked at him and Brian shook his head. "Were here to race" he reminded him. Dom looked at the floor and leaned against the car, waiting on his friends. He saw them pushing their way through the crowds. "Dominic, dude!" he called out as he reached the team. The guy was obviously from California as he had a Californian twang and appearance. "Josh! What's up?" Dom replied as they hugged. "I got a guy willing to race at 9g. That OK with you?" Dom shrugged his shoulders. "It's not up to me. He's racing!" he nodded over in Brian's direction. "Josh meet Brian. Brian meet Josh" he introduced them. "Brian's a close friend." He told Josh. Brian and Josh shook hands. "This yours?" he asked. "Yeah!" Brian replied as they crowd looked over the car. "Pop the hood Brian!" Dom encouraged with a smile. Brian knew he was keen for the racers to see what they were up against. Brian smiled then unclipped the hood, and propped it up. "Holy shit Brian! You got one of everythin' in there I think" Josh approved.
After many "Oooohhs" and "Ahhhhssss", a tall Mexican guy walked over. "Yo Josh, this the guy I'm racing?" he asked as he made his way through the people crowding around the Eclipse. Josh looked over.
"Yeah Waquin. Over here" he directed. The guy stood next to Letty. "Danng baby! You want to play with my gear stick?" he drew her a turned-on look as he fiddled with his crotch area. Letty was about to say something when Dom stepped in. "The hell she does!" he hollered. Waquin turned round and saw the source of the deep voice. One look at his bulking form was enough to tell him not to mess with him. "Hey sorry man! I didn't know. My bad" he stammered. "Yeah your bad alright!" he shouted. "Stay the fuck away from her" he shoved his finger in his face. "Hey Dom" Letty interrupted. "Chill. It's not his fault he cant get any" Letty laughed in his face.
"Fuck you bitch!" he shouted back at Letty. Letty lifted her arm and right- hooked him straight in the face. "JESUS.CHRIST" he swore. Letty walked over to Dom, and he hung his arm around her shoulder. "Hey hey hey?" Josh shouted. We gonna race or not?" he asked raising his hands in the air. Waquin nodded and wiped a sliver of blood away from his nose. Then he nodded. "Waquin. Your cash?" Josh asked, holding out his hand. Waquin whipped the money out of his back pocket and shoved it into Josh's hand. He turned to Brian, who also put the money in his hand.
"Good, let's get this race goin' then. God!" he groaned. The crowd cheered and headed towards the strip or runway at the other end of the parkway. "Brian" Dom shouted before Brian got into his car.
"Yeah?" "Smoke this guy!" Dom called. Brian gave him a thumbs-up and got into his car.
Waquin drew his blue Viper up next to Brian's Eclipse. Brian quickly eyed him, then turned his attention back to the race. He reached behind him, turned the gauge on the NOS bottles, altered the settings for the Stand Alone Fuel Management System, cranked up the volume on his CD Player, the gripped the steering wheel firmly and looked at the road ahead. Josh stood in the middle of the two cars, he raised his arms, then dropped them to his side. Brian's foot hit the accelerator hard, and pushed it to the floor. He was first off the starting line and couldn't see the Viper to either the left or the right of him. Brian could feel the car accelerating all the time, and knew that this race was his to him there and then. People and buildings were smeared into streaks of colour, and continued to fly by. He was sucked back into his seat by the speed, and his arms were fighting to keep hold of the steering wheel. But the car never faltered once. It ran perfectly. Brian could fast see the finish line approaching, and there was still no sight of Waquin. "Easy money" he thought to himself.
As he pulled back up to the crowds, he could hear them cheering even above the sound of his music. He took the keys out of the ignition and got out. Everyone whistled, cheered, and congratulated him. There were shouts of: "Check that car" and "Way to go" and "Fuck Me". Dom, Letty, Leon, and Vince came over. "How much easier could that have been?" Dom shouted, excitement spilling over. He hugged Brian. "Jesus Brian. That's some car" Letty put in as she went to check that no damage had been done to the engine. "Yeah, I know" he agreed with all of them. He collected the money from Josh and spent a while talking with the racers that Dom knew. But only he and the team knew the exact specification of the car. Half an hour later, he was dying for a drink and managed to pull Dom away from his conversation with another racer. "Dom, we goin'? I'm dying for a beer man!" "Yeah lets go party!" Letty shouted. Dom grinned. "Sure, party at our place" he announced to everyone. The team and the majority of racers headed for their cars, making their way to Toretto's. "Brian, I'm gonna ride with Letty" he told him. "Fine with me. Lets just get outta here". Just then this chick wearing the shortest skirt ever, and a bikini top came over to Brian. "So, am I gonna ride with you?" she asked, rubbing her hands all over him. "Sorry, but I don't think so!" he said slowly, then got into his car. Dom had watched all of this and thought to himself, "If only I could say 'no' like Brian does". When he got in, Letty was smiling at him. "What?" he grinned. "Haven't seen you this happy since you lost the cars. That's all" she explained with a shrug. "Well, that Eclipse is some very hot shit. Plus, I'll have my cars back before long" he told her. But Letty knew the real reason was that he was happy to have Brian back, and that finally, Mia was getting back to her old self. The cars pulled out of 'The Strip' in single file and headed for the party.
