CH.13

Next day Bryan and Mia didn't came to work. Annie was at her place at the bar and felt physically and emotionally destroyed. She was still nervous, afraid that Dom could discover her. He'd asked her about Mia and Bryan and she'd evasively replied that maybe they'd been tired and had remained to sleep or had taken a day of holiday. Dom had stared at her for a long while, with an inquiring look in which she'd had been near to explode, then he'd relaxed grumbling something not nice about Bryan and had gone to work.

Now, she was alone in the bar so lost in her problems that when the telephone rang, she started, imprecating with herself. I have to calm down absolutely, she thought. "Annie?" said Jesse on the other side of the line.

"Yes?" said Annie surprised that he was calling her.

"Could you come here?" He asked her a bit embarrassed.

"Why? Is that something wrong?" asked worried Annie.

"No, no, it's only that . . . we need you for something - " He replied evasively.

"Ok, but . . . how do I do with the bar?" asked Annie.

"Dom says to close and come here." answered Jesse more uncomfortable.

"Ok . . . I'm coming" said Annie a bit surprised and hanged up.

Half an hour later she arrived at the garage. She found all the guys appeared before her, arms crossed on their chests. Only Letty was on one side, not so happy to see her as usual. "So? What's the problem?" asked Annie without understanding: "I did something wrong again?" she dared to ask with a worried look.

"Ok guys, you can move" said a deep husky voice coming from back to her shoulders. She swiftly turned. It was Dom, reaching her very quietly, still cleaning his hands. She turned to the guys again they moved, discovering her car all modified and ready to race. It looked completely new and amazing.

"Is that my car?" Asked Annie widening her eyes astonished opened mouth: "Is that the same car I gave you a week ago?" asked Annie in disbelief.

"Yeah" said chuckling Leon.

"What did you do it?" Asked Annie, slowly approaching to it, looking like a child who had just received the most beautiful, precious and wanted toy. The guys looked at her reaction silently with a satisfied classic proud male smile on their lips. She reached the car and caressed it softly, as only her touch could spoil it. It had been lowered and only for this, it looked more aggressive. On both sides, there had been represented a gold jaguar in the act of attacking.

Dom looked amused at her but also flattered. It happened so rarely that people reacted in such this open way to his work because they were to toughs to tell it or too ignorant to notice it. "We worked on the head, increased the valves, put a Motec system exhaust and - " had started to say Dom when Jesse interrupted him and continued: "We worked on the aerodynamic profile, changed the cammes shafts, changed the turbine and placed a Garret T15, it has a stand alone fuel management system, Oh! The rim of 19, we put imprinted pistons and - " Dom continued: " Changed the breaking system using a Brembo 8 pistons, we worked on the set -up, changed the springs of the shock absorber and two, three more things" ended Dom haughtily with the arrogance given by the certainty of being the no.1 in his work.

He waited silently for Annie's reaction. She looked so excited.

"Open it!" said Jesse not able to hide his excitement.

"Shall I?" asked intimidated Annie.

"It's yours!" said laughing Leon.

She opened the door and got inside. "Great!" she muttered watching the cockpit amazed.

"You have also a presetting NOS fogger system, but you won't use it, at least not for now." He paused: "You first have to show me your ability" he ended grinning but she didn't answer, too taken by the car. "Annie? . . . Annie! Are you listening to me?" Dom called her loudly, frowning as Annie was searching for something, touching the dashboard. "Well, but . . . what are you doing?"

"Yeah, yeah, but - " she paused concentrating herself in her research: "Where is the button for that small coloured light under the car?" she asked hopefully, her eyes shining of excitement, finally looking at Dom.

She told him that in such an innocent, spontaneous and unexpected way that he was suddenly speechless while all the guys started to laugh out loudly. Dom shook his head in disbelief and grinned ironically amused. "Chicks!" he said: "Yeah!! There!" said Dom raising his tone in a fake resentful and irritated tone, indicating her a small control level.

"Start it up" then he told her.

"Shall I?" she asked once again still embarrassed.

"Start it up!!" he ordered her.

"Ok, Ok!" she turned the key and the car's engine started.

It made a low, dull sound like the growl of a tiger. "Wow!" was all Annie was able to say, too amazed by it. Her eyes shinning, her excitement irrepressible. Dom looked at her fascinated. It had been a long time he didn't feel so proud and satisfied of his work. Annie could well not understand all the technical particularities, but she appreciated it; her reaction was sincere and genuine.she wasn't there to impress him, not to try to enter in his good graces.

"Do you understand that you car now worth 15000$ more?" he told her.

She nodded still watching at her jewel. Then she finally looked at him: he was observing her: "I understand that I'll have to work for the rest of my life here, to pay my debt!" she replied ironically.

Dom smiled at her answer. He liked her sense of humour. "Let's go for the first drive lesson" he suddenly told her.

She looked at him excited :"already?" He nodded.

"Yeah, better you learn pizza girl how to drive, or you could be dangerous with that car!" said acid Letty. She'd approached. Her eyes were tough and angry her tone sharp.

"What did you mean by that?" answered Annie with the same tough tone raising her chin in a provocative pose. She wasn't no more disposed to accept that tone.

"What I just said" snarled Letty slowly approaching.

"Are you looking for-" was saying Annie ready to spring.

"Nothing" said Dom toughly, stopping their quarrel and giving Letty a dagger look.

"Why don't you give her a break?" said Leon to Letty.

"Why don't you shut your fucking mouth?" She replied angrily.

Dom gave her a withering glance. "Let's go" he said decisive to Annie, jumping in her car. The conversation had ended. She drove out of the garage.

"She hates me" said Annie after a while, almost thinking at loud voice, driving through the traffic. "And for what I can't stand her, I can't blame her for it" She ended in a low tone. Since that afternoon with him, she'd felt so sinful that she could barely watch herself in the mirror at the morning and Letty resentment made her feel worst.

"She doesn't hate you, but me" he replied thoughtfully: "and uses you to arrive to me" he added looking forward.

"Well - " she said smiling : " looks like she pretends not to notice very well!" said Annie ironically.

"Drive" he ordered sharply ending their conversation. Letty was an heavy problem, but he would have think about her later.

"Wanna try this car or not?" he suddenly said chasing away those thoughts.

"What am I doing up to you?" she replied while running on the street nearby the beach.

"When I say - try-, I mean: Try it!" said Dom and pushed firmly with his hand on her thigh, so that she pressed on the accelerator with her feet. "Aah!" she was surprised by it. But suddenly her car made almost a jump forward. Annie widened her eyes in surprise and following his advice speeded up. Her car ran wild along the street.

After a long while Annie lowered her speed: "That's - that's a monster!" she commented all excited glancing at him. "I mean, it's like . . . yeah: like a jaguar!" she continued enraptured.

He nodded and grinned: "Yeah, and you'll have to learn to drive and control it." He told her.

""I don't know if I'm up to it, I mean and if I wasn't ready for her?" she said most to herself, suddenly hesitantly.

" Don't worry, you'll be. You'll be soon" he replied quietly. Annie glanced at him and breathed deeply. She hoped he was right, she loved that car.

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Two hours later, they were back. Annie got out of her car slamming furiously the door of it and so did Dom. "You - you are a stubborn girl! You know?" he yelled against her looking exasperated.

"You are a bully male chauvinist, arrogant,!" she cried back to him, pointing her finger against him, half closing her eyes.

"MMMH!!!!!! Get this damn chick out of my way, or I'll kill her!!!" he roared to the team clenching his fists to underline his words, but she was already gone.

"You're not exaggerating a little with her?" said Mia knowing her brother meticulousness too well. She and Bryan had arrived meanwhile and her boyfriend looked very tired.

"You stay out of this!" admonished her Dom.

"What happened?" asked Bryan chuckling.

"That chick - " he started to say breathing deeply: "Drives me nut!" He ended exasperated, enough loudly so that even Annie could hear him.

Letty smiled satisfied: "Told ya! She is not able. Clean and clear!"

"Got nothing better to do now?" Dom asked her acid. He wasn't in the mood for that now.

"No" She said smiling satisfied: "I like to stay here" she told him defiantly. "Well, find something to do. Now!" he yelled.

"Right!" She replied acidly and went outside.

Dom sit on a chair, taking a deep breath, his look lost in the emptiness, passing a hand on his head.

"You fine man?" Bryan asked sitting nearby him. He nodded.

"What happened?".

"You know...I feel she's a good one. I know it, I can feel it and I'm sure about that."

"With what part of your body are you talking?" Bryan teased him ironically but Dom gave him a warning look.

"Ok, ok" said Bryan grinning, motioning in a surrender gesture.

"It's like. if she's got stuck by something, kind of an invisible barrier" he ended thoughtfully, shaking his head, staring far at an imaginary point.

"So? What will you do" asked Bryan.

Dom sighed and straightened up, his determined gaze back in his eyes as he looked at Bryan.

" Easy. Gonna break that line" said Dom finally calmed down, to his friend.

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