Chapter 13
"Johnny's been planning this for a while now, but never had the opportunity. And then when the shit went down between you and Letty, he said that it would be just that much sweeter when he took you out. He's never been one to play second best to anyone and he thinks that if he takes you out of the picture, he'd be on top."
Dom looked at him coldly.
"Haven't you ever wondered what happened to his older brother? His father did everything for him and Johnny never got a thing. He saw how it was in their family and he wanted what the first born son's had. So he killed him, or rather, he had him killed. It looked like an accident but it didn't matter. He was gone and Johnny slid into his place in the family."
That's exactly what Dom had figured. Tran wanted to be on top and was trying to remove him from the picture. Dom laughed at the irony of it all. He had decided that this was his last weekend of illegal racing and here Tran was trying to take him out. Once his decision became public knowledge, Tran would have moved into the number one spot anyway. Too bad he had to go through all of this, Dom thought.
"What about them busting into the garage? Was that part of his plan?"
"No, that was Letty's doing. She wanted to get you back for what you did," he said. "Now that I've told you what you wanted to know, let me go."
Dom turned to Hector. "Do what you want with him. I'm outta here," he said.
As Dom walked to the car with Leon, he heard a gunshot. Bastard got off easy, Dom thought to himself. But if they had let him go, Tran would have ended up doing the same thing.
The guys pulled up to the trailers and Liz ran over to Dom.
"Please tell me its over," she said.
Dom pulled her into his embrace. "I hope so. Once everyone hears about my plans, things will settle down."
"What plans?" Mia asked.
Everyone gathered around the picnic tables and Dom told them.
"This was going to be my last weekend out. From here on out, I'm going legit. No more worrying about getting busted. I've been talking to Hector about getting into NIRA and doing it legally," he said, gently hugging Liz in the process.
"Has anyone seen Tran or Letty since the race?" Liz asked.
Nobody had seen them and that was probably a good thing. They didn't want to be around when things went down.
"Do you want to stay and watch or are you ready to go back home?" Dom asked Liz.
"Whatever you want to do, Dom. It's your call," she answered, knowing that he was torn between the two.
Deciding that he wanted to stay, they went back out to the canopies and watched the remaining races. People came around to see how he was doing and asking questions about what had happened. All Dom told them was that something had hit the windshield, causing it to shatter and in turn, causing him to lose control. He hated that part of it because he didn't want people talking behind his back. But now, since he was leaving, he didn't care. He was off to something bigger and better, and legal.
Later that night, while everyone was gathered around the trailers, Dom spotted Tran.
"I'll be right back," he told Liz.
"Where are you going?"
When Liz saw where he was headed, she got worried.
"Dom, please don't. You don't know what he'll do."
"He's not going to do a fucking thing, Liz."
Liz watched as Dom walked over to where Tran was standing with some of his guys.
"Well, well, well," Tran said. "Miracles do happen, hey Dom?"
Dom walked up to Tran and stood toe to toe with him. When Tran's guys gathered around, he waived them off. This was between him and Dom.
"I just wanted you to know that I know it was you who tried to take me out."
Feigning innocence, Tran smiled. "What are you talking about, Toretto?"
"But don't worry though. You're secret is safe with me."
Tran stood there, hatred running through him.
"Here's how things are going to be. You fuck with me, you fuck with my family, my friends, I'm gonna be the one after YOU. You got that? Oh, and the little fuck you sent to do the job, we took care of him .. AFTER he talked. But I knew it was you long before that. You've never liked taking a back seat to me. Couldn't stand the fact that I'm better than you. Too bad I'm getting out of it. I would've loved to stayed around for a little while longer and whipped your ass a few more times," Dom said before turning to walk off and leaving Tran standing alone.
Letty saw the exchange and when Dom left, she went over and talked to Tran. When he told her what Dom had said about getting out, Letty couldn't believe it. Racing was his life and he was giving it up.
For her, she thought.
Don had just arrived back at the trailers when Letty showed up.
"You son of a bitch!" she yelled. "You're nothing but a loser and you fucking know it! You and every god-damned one of your little team," she said.
Then she turned to Liz. "Especially YOU," she said venomously.
Liz looked up at Dom and smiled. "Now?" she asked.
"Please," was the only thing that he said.
Liz walked over to where Letty was standing. "You don't know fuck about what's going on Letty, so I'd suggest you take your skanky little ass back over to Tran and his guys, or have you gone through all of them already?"
Noticing that Letty's control was slipping, she continued on.
"How about taking on Hector's crew?" Liz taunted. "Oh wait," she said. "They won't touch you because you tried to have Dom killed. Hmmm, wonder which other group would take you?" Liz asked, looking around, giving Letty the chance to make a move.
Letty lunged for Liz's neck, catching her ponytail in her hand. She yanked on Liz's hair, causing her head to snap back. Liz spun around and popped Letty in the ribs a couple of times, causing her to let go of her hair. Letty went right back after Liz. Except this time Liz stepped to the side and grabbed Letty in a chokehold, bending her over and punching her in the face a few times.
Liz let go and as Letty staggered back, she spun around on her right leg, bringing her left leg around, catching Letty across the chest with the back of her leg, sending her sprawling onto the ground.
Dom stood and watched as Liz put Letty in her place. Finally, someone had the courage to stand up to her. And not only was Liz standing up to her, she was taking her down.
Each time Letty got up, Liz knocked her back down. Letty managed to get in a few good punches, but they didn't affect Liz. She was trained in martial arts and knew how to take a punch so that it didn't hurt. Letty came from the streets and all she knew was balls to the wall.
Liz had to give it to her . Letty was taking everything she was administering. They fought for a few minutes and Liz had had enough. She jumped up and gave Letty a spinning back kick across her face, sending her to the ground for the last time.
Letty looked up at Liz, bloodied and bruised, and spit at her. "This ain't over bitch," she said.
Liz walked over and punched her square in the nose, sending her backwards and knocking her out in the process.
She stood over Letty's body. "I'd say that it's over now," Liz commented and then turned to walk back to where Dom was.
"Remind me to NEVER piss you off. I don't want you coming at me with that shit," he said before pulling her against him. "You ok?" he asked.
"Couldn't be better," she said.
Dom leaned down and whispered, "I think you could be," he said before gently kissing her. "How about a shower and back rub?" he offered.
"Mmmm, I could definitely go for that," she said. "As long as you join me."
"The shower's not big enough for both of us," Dom said.
"It is if we're in the right position," she said before pulling his lips to hers again.
That night while he and Liz lay in bed, Dom started laughing.
"What's that for?" Liz asked.
"You know, I think I've finally figured everything out," Dom said.
"Yeah? What do you think you've figured out?"
"I know I said that I wanted a different life, but you know what? While some things changed, some things stayed the same. Sure, I'm living in a nice place and I have new friends, but I still have my old friends and I'm still racing. Well, I will be once I get my car fixed."
Liz smiled at him.
"And I have you to thank for all of it. You've shown me that what I had isn't all that bad; I just needed to make some adjustments."
"So, you planning on moving back to your house?" she asked.
"Not unless you're tired of me living with you. I like the peace and quiet I have at your place. I like coming home to a clean house and not having to hunt for the remote control. I like knowing that you'll be there waiting for me," he said before leaning down and kissing her.
When they finally came up for air, Liz took a deep breath and asked him a question. "Dom, what was the last thing going through your mind when you lost control of the car?"
He had been trying to figure out a way to approach the subject and was glad that Liz had brought it up.
"That I hadn't told you how I feel about you, about us," he said.
"Funny, that's the same thing that was going through mine."
"Wanna go first?" Dom asked, hoping that she would.
"No, I asked you. You go first."
Taking a deep breath, Dom finally told her how he felt. "I love you, Liz. I just wish I had told you sooner. I don't know if this will work between us, but I want to try. I know that at first we were together because of the sex, but over the past few months, it's changed. We're friends. We talk and laugh and have a good time. I've never had that with someone other than the guys and I like it. I like how I feel when I'm with you, when we're together."
Tears ran down Liz's face and she gently brushed her lips against his.
"I love you too Dom. I have for a while now but I was too scared to say anything because I didn't want you to think that it was a ploy to get you to stay with me. The night I picked you up after the race and we went back to my place, I knew that something was different."
"So, what do we do now?" Dom asked.
Liz pulled him down for a deep kiss.
"Mmmm," Dom growled. "I like the way you think," he said before covering her lips with his again.
"Johnny's been planning this for a while now, but never had the opportunity. And then when the shit went down between you and Letty, he said that it would be just that much sweeter when he took you out. He's never been one to play second best to anyone and he thinks that if he takes you out of the picture, he'd be on top."
Dom looked at him coldly.
"Haven't you ever wondered what happened to his older brother? His father did everything for him and Johnny never got a thing. He saw how it was in their family and he wanted what the first born son's had. So he killed him, or rather, he had him killed. It looked like an accident but it didn't matter. He was gone and Johnny slid into his place in the family."
That's exactly what Dom had figured. Tran wanted to be on top and was trying to remove him from the picture. Dom laughed at the irony of it all. He had decided that this was his last weekend of illegal racing and here Tran was trying to take him out. Once his decision became public knowledge, Tran would have moved into the number one spot anyway. Too bad he had to go through all of this, Dom thought.
"What about them busting into the garage? Was that part of his plan?"
"No, that was Letty's doing. She wanted to get you back for what you did," he said. "Now that I've told you what you wanted to know, let me go."
Dom turned to Hector. "Do what you want with him. I'm outta here," he said.
As Dom walked to the car with Leon, he heard a gunshot. Bastard got off easy, Dom thought to himself. But if they had let him go, Tran would have ended up doing the same thing.
The guys pulled up to the trailers and Liz ran over to Dom.
"Please tell me its over," she said.
Dom pulled her into his embrace. "I hope so. Once everyone hears about my plans, things will settle down."
"What plans?" Mia asked.
Everyone gathered around the picnic tables and Dom told them.
"This was going to be my last weekend out. From here on out, I'm going legit. No more worrying about getting busted. I've been talking to Hector about getting into NIRA and doing it legally," he said, gently hugging Liz in the process.
"Has anyone seen Tran or Letty since the race?" Liz asked.
Nobody had seen them and that was probably a good thing. They didn't want to be around when things went down.
"Do you want to stay and watch or are you ready to go back home?" Dom asked Liz.
"Whatever you want to do, Dom. It's your call," she answered, knowing that he was torn between the two.
Deciding that he wanted to stay, they went back out to the canopies and watched the remaining races. People came around to see how he was doing and asking questions about what had happened. All Dom told them was that something had hit the windshield, causing it to shatter and in turn, causing him to lose control. He hated that part of it because he didn't want people talking behind his back. But now, since he was leaving, he didn't care. He was off to something bigger and better, and legal.
Later that night, while everyone was gathered around the trailers, Dom spotted Tran.
"I'll be right back," he told Liz.
"Where are you going?"
When Liz saw where he was headed, she got worried.
"Dom, please don't. You don't know what he'll do."
"He's not going to do a fucking thing, Liz."
Liz watched as Dom walked over to where Tran was standing with some of his guys.
"Well, well, well," Tran said. "Miracles do happen, hey Dom?"
Dom walked up to Tran and stood toe to toe with him. When Tran's guys gathered around, he waived them off. This was between him and Dom.
"I just wanted you to know that I know it was you who tried to take me out."
Feigning innocence, Tran smiled. "What are you talking about, Toretto?"
"But don't worry though. You're secret is safe with me."
Tran stood there, hatred running through him.
"Here's how things are going to be. You fuck with me, you fuck with my family, my friends, I'm gonna be the one after YOU. You got that? Oh, and the little fuck you sent to do the job, we took care of him .. AFTER he talked. But I knew it was you long before that. You've never liked taking a back seat to me. Couldn't stand the fact that I'm better than you. Too bad I'm getting out of it. I would've loved to stayed around for a little while longer and whipped your ass a few more times," Dom said before turning to walk off and leaving Tran standing alone.
Letty saw the exchange and when Dom left, she went over and talked to Tran. When he told her what Dom had said about getting out, Letty couldn't believe it. Racing was his life and he was giving it up.
For her, she thought.
Don had just arrived back at the trailers when Letty showed up.
"You son of a bitch!" she yelled. "You're nothing but a loser and you fucking know it! You and every god-damned one of your little team," she said.
Then she turned to Liz. "Especially YOU," she said venomously.
Liz looked up at Dom and smiled. "Now?" she asked.
"Please," was the only thing that he said.
Liz walked over to where Letty was standing. "You don't know fuck about what's going on Letty, so I'd suggest you take your skanky little ass back over to Tran and his guys, or have you gone through all of them already?"
Noticing that Letty's control was slipping, she continued on.
"How about taking on Hector's crew?" Liz taunted. "Oh wait," she said. "They won't touch you because you tried to have Dom killed. Hmmm, wonder which other group would take you?" Liz asked, looking around, giving Letty the chance to make a move.
Letty lunged for Liz's neck, catching her ponytail in her hand. She yanked on Liz's hair, causing her head to snap back. Liz spun around and popped Letty in the ribs a couple of times, causing her to let go of her hair. Letty went right back after Liz. Except this time Liz stepped to the side and grabbed Letty in a chokehold, bending her over and punching her in the face a few times.
Liz let go and as Letty staggered back, she spun around on her right leg, bringing her left leg around, catching Letty across the chest with the back of her leg, sending her sprawling onto the ground.
Dom stood and watched as Liz put Letty in her place. Finally, someone had the courage to stand up to her. And not only was Liz standing up to her, she was taking her down.
Each time Letty got up, Liz knocked her back down. Letty managed to get in a few good punches, but they didn't affect Liz. She was trained in martial arts and knew how to take a punch so that it didn't hurt. Letty came from the streets and all she knew was balls to the wall.
Liz had to give it to her . Letty was taking everything she was administering. They fought for a few minutes and Liz had had enough. She jumped up and gave Letty a spinning back kick across her face, sending her to the ground for the last time.
Letty looked up at Liz, bloodied and bruised, and spit at her. "This ain't over bitch," she said.
Liz walked over and punched her square in the nose, sending her backwards and knocking her out in the process.
She stood over Letty's body. "I'd say that it's over now," Liz commented and then turned to walk back to where Dom was.
"Remind me to NEVER piss you off. I don't want you coming at me with that shit," he said before pulling her against him. "You ok?" he asked.
"Couldn't be better," she said.
Dom leaned down and whispered, "I think you could be," he said before gently kissing her. "How about a shower and back rub?" he offered.
"Mmmm, I could definitely go for that," she said. "As long as you join me."
"The shower's not big enough for both of us," Dom said.
"It is if we're in the right position," she said before pulling his lips to hers again.
That night while he and Liz lay in bed, Dom started laughing.
"What's that for?" Liz asked.
"You know, I think I've finally figured everything out," Dom said.
"Yeah? What do you think you've figured out?"
"I know I said that I wanted a different life, but you know what? While some things changed, some things stayed the same. Sure, I'm living in a nice place and I have new friends, but I still have my old friends and I'm still racing. Well, I will be once I get my car fixed."
Liz smiled at him.
"And I have you to thank for all of it. You've shown me that what I had isn't all that bad; I just needed to make some adjustments."
"So, you planning on moving back to your house?" she asked.
"Not unless you're tired of me living with you. I like the peace and quiet I have at your place. I like coming home to a clean house and not having to hunt for the remote control. I like knowing that you'll be there waiting for me," he said before leaning down and kissing her.
When they finally came up for air, Liz took a deep breath and asked him a question. "Dom, what was the last thing going through your mind when you lost control of the car?"
He had been trying to figure out a way to approach the subject and was glad that Liz had brought it up.
"That I hadn't told you how I feel about you, about us," he said.
"Funny, that's the same thing that was going through mine."
"Wanna go first?" Dom asked, hoping that she would.
"No, I asked you. You go first."
Taking a deep breath, Dom finally told her how he felt. "I love you, Liz. I just wish I had told you sooner. I don't know if this will work between us, but I want to try. I know that at first we were together because of the sex, but over the past few months, it's changed. We're friends. We talk and laugh and have a good time. I've never had that with someone other than the guys and I like it. I like how I feel when I'm with you, when we're together."
Tears ran down Liz's face and she gently brushed her lips against his.
"I love you too Dom. I have for a while now but I was too scared to say anything because I didn't want you to think that it was a ploy to get you to stay with me. The night I picked you up after the race and we went back to my place, I knew that something was different."
"So, what do we do now?" Dom asked.
Liz pulled him down for a deep kiss.
"Mmmm," Dom growled. "I like the way you think," he said before covering her lips with his again.
