CH.16 Later that night

Seven cars ran in the night, arrived at a street full of people. "Here they are," Edwin said to Hector.

Dom was the first to arrive, his car roaring loudly through the crowd. A sign, by which he announced to the others he was there. He was the one. The racer they were waiting for. As he got off his car he was immediately surrounded by the other team leaders. Meanwhile Vince, Letty, Leon, Bryan, Mia, Jesse and Anastasia stopped behind him. Anastasia was the last one.

"Hey Dom." "Edwin, Hector, Henry," Dom greeted the others.

"What do we do?" one of the guys asked.

"A race. But I got a new one who will run tonight," Dom explained.

"You've enlarged your racing team?" Johnny Tran asked coming between them. Dom snorted silently and tightened his lips. It didn't take that.

"Johnny."

"Dom." Both guys greeted each other weighing with their eyes.

"Who is this new purchase?" Johnny asked. "Him?" indicating Bryan with an ironic grin.

Dom looked at Johnny undecidedly. He didn't want to present Anastasia to him. Not tonight. But he had no choice.

"Anastasia!" Dom called.

She made her own way through the crowd, feeling all the eyes on her. You're tough, you're cool, she repeated mentally. She walked slowly, shoulders upright, trying to feel sure of herself in her large low raider black pants, with black combat boots and a very mini blue top that heightened her breast, with a little chain around her waist, her hair tied up and wearing rounded earrings. Dom looked at her and grinned proudly.

"Shit," Edwin muttered.

"Wow Anastasia you are-" Hector said speechless, with an admiring look. "Different," she ended for him very quietly, feeling more and more uneasy under all those eyes watching and judging her. She breathed deeply, trying to give the others a sense of strength that she was far from feeling and raised her chin defiantly. Dom seemed to read her feelings and silently came to stand nearby her as if to give her courage.

"It's- her?" Tran asked incredulously. "A girl??"

"Yeah, looks like until now . . . " Annie replied ironically and all the guys laughed at that.

"If she runs half as well as she kicks . . . " said Hector leaving his words in the air and smiled, exchanging a knowing look with her.

"Dom," Edwin started hesitantly, "race with a girl . . . you know-" "She is a good one," Dom declared sharply. He knew this would be the hardest part: convincing the others to race against a girl.

"Girls are girls," another guy said, implying that she wasn't up to their level.

"What are you saying???" Letty said menacingly approaching the guy.

"Ok, Ok." Dom said to calm everybody down. "Ok. Let's do like this: She will race against other girls." He wanted to persuade the others of her skills: "Tran, your sister here?"

"You stay away from my sister," Tran said suddenly with a warning tone.

Dom snorted: "I want her to race against Anastasia."

Tran grinned. "You're kidding me right? She will decimate your racer so much that she'll remember it for the rest of her life," Tran ended laughing sarcastically.

"Wanna bet?" Dom insisted.

"You serious," Tran said fascinated. "Hell, yeah! I'll make some good money tonight." Tran looked at Anastasia with contempt. She swallowed. She didn't like that man, for some unknown reason he made her feel uneasy.

"How much?" Tran asked looking at Dom.

"As usual, 2Gs buy in winner takes all but also if she wins, . . . . she'll race against guys."

"Ok but let's make 'em 4Gs. I'm pretty sure of the victory" Tran replied arrogantly.

"Done."

All the guys bet on Tran's sister except for Dom who backed Anastasia. "You brave," Hector said to Dom.

"No, I'm sure about her" Dom replied looking at Anastasia who now looked really nervous and uncertain. Feeling all the weight of the responsibilities on her. What am I going to do? she asked herself. Why did I want to race? I must be crazy!

"Let's go," Tran announced. "Good luck guys," Dom said and all the guys went to their cars, curious to witness this new race.

"Dom?" Anastasia called him softly.

He turned to her and read all her anxiety in her eyes.

"Calm down," he told her firmly staring in her eyes trying to infuse her the right concentration. He knew what she was feeling. He remembered he'd felt the same his first time. She breathed deeply.

"Free your mind. You're ready. Don't think of anything else except your car." Dom told her and she nodded. Jesse joined them.

"You have to feel it like a part of yourself" he continued.

"When you start, measure out the accelerate, try to be progressive and not abrupt so that the tires won't slide," Jesse suggested. "Don't change your trajectory. Maybe you'll be forced to by the big starting push, but hold the wheel strongly and look straight on," Jesse continued.

"Don't look at the others, just in front of you and don't look at the speedometers," Dom said.

Annie nodded trying to memorize all their advices.

"It's gonna be fast and speed . . . . just 10 seconds" Dom ended.

"What are my odds?" Annie asked him suddenly. "I mean - honestly," she added. She needed him to trust her.

Dom breathed deeply: "Listen, you're ready. I saw you. You can do it. Then - it's up to you . . . . . I can tell you everything, but after that - it's just you and your car . . . . " She nodded. "But you can do it," he added.

"Unless she got NOS," Annie said. "I would have need it," she added thoughtfully shaking her head.

"You have it," Jesse told her suddenly.

"What?" Annie asked surprised looking alternatively to both of the guys.

"Ok," Dom breathed then continued, "I didn't want you to use it yet, because you're not ready for it, but- I put a little quantity of NOS in your system . . . . It's a very small one. You'll be able to control it and the other will be scared by that, thinking that you have more". The other cars started to move making a big noise.

"Fast, tell me how it works, what I have to do!" Anastasia asked in a hurry.

"It will give you a very small push. So you'll have to use cunning. This is -not- the solution, just . . . . something more" Dom told her.

"You have a small button on your wheel, it will give you a push of 20 km for less than 30 meters. You'll have to be very near to the finish line," Jesse explained her.

"So you'll have to be at least in line with the other and then push it," Dom continued.

"Once you push it, hold the wheel strongly or you might veer," Jesse said.

"Ok, ok, ok." Annie felt the adrenaline growing inside her.

"It's time to go," Dom said looking around.

"Is that all?" Anastasia asked.

He looked at her one last long time.

"Show me if you're worthy. I'll wait for you at the finish line." He told her determined. She nodded. Then everybody jumped in their cars and got to their places.

Annie stopped her car just before the starting line. She closed her eyes trying to focus on all the advices Dom and Jesse had given her. Outside the crowd shouted excitedly. The girl nearby her made her car growl loudly. Annie opened her eyes, looked at the girl then looked straight on. She didn't hear any more noise, like if she was suddenly alone. She made her car roar noisily, too. Hector gave the sign and both girls pushed down the accelerator.

The wheels squealed but those of Annie less and even if the other girl took the leading of the race, thanks to her good start, Annie was immediately nearby her. Her car growled under her touch: "Let's see what you can do," Annie thought and accelerated. The other girl was tough and a very good driver too. After a short moment where Annie had taken the lead, now the other girl had joined her again using some part of her NOS and for a long while they ran side by side.

"Come on," Dom muttered watching the race from the finish line. "Come on!"

"Shit! They are fast!" Edwin said astonished.

The other girl went toward her, she'd had to use some more NOS. Annie smirked. "Little bitchy aren't you?" She didn't have to let the other girl go on or she would have lost. She stepped on the accelerator and again caught up with the other girl. "Just a 10 seconds race," she breathed, "let's go" and finally she pushed her NOS button. Her car gave a jump forward literally, like a feline one. Annie tightened the hold on her wheel, and the world seemed to dissolve around her, now there was only the street. Soon she was near the other girl and overtook her car just in time to cross the finish line first and win the race. "WOOOW!" Annie shouted of joy.

Slowly she throttled back until she reached a normal speed and then slowed down again until she stopped completely. She was still breathing hard trying to control the excitement, shaking badly still not understanding on what she'd just done.

Jesse and Vince ran toward her. Jesse checked for the car while Vince literally took her off it to congratulate. It was like if he'd awoken her from a trance.

"You won!" Vince said laughing happy in disbelief and then Bryan and Mia arrived.

"This car is a monster," Jesse exclaimed in awe and Letty, who'd joined him, agreed. Incredible! She looked almost like happy of what had happened.

Anastasia didn't really understand what was happening around her. Everything was going too fast for her strained nerves. Dom materialized in front of her. He just stared at her silently as if to check for her status. Anastasia still looked excited, confused and shaken. He knew what she was feeling, and discreetly took her hands. "No!" she whispered trying to free herself blushing. "I'm sweated"

"I know," he replied very quietly, not caring about it. There was no irony in his voice. She was still trembling badly and her hands were cold.

"So? How was it?" he asked her quietly.

"Terrible and scary-" she paused and breathed deeply. He waited, already knowing what she was going to say. "and exciting," she admitted in a whisper.

He grinned satisfied and nodded.

"But I did a terrible start," she continued seriously.

"It's ok for the first time. We'll work on that. Now let's go collect your winnings," Dom said, gently grabbing her elbow and pushing her through the acclaiming crowd.

"You're someone," Hector said sincerely admiring her.

"One day I'll teach you something," Edwin said in a superior tone.

"Yeah . . . . maybe" Anastasia granted smiling satisfied.

All the guys paid for the bet. Johnny Tran still looked incredulous. "You've been lucky," he said shaking his head while paying, then suddenly his tone changed. "You know-" he started more accommodating. "You could race for me, I'd treat you better than him," he ended with a seducing smile.

Anastasia was going to answer but Dom spoke. "-She- races for -me-" he stated underlining certain words and placing his hands on her shoulders marking his property.

"Whenever you want," Tran insisted raising an eyebrow shrugging as if Dom wasn't there. He stared directly at Annie and smiled.

Dom tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"Thank you. It's very kind and generous of you, but I'm fine here, for now," Annie replied diplomatically.

Tran smiled and nodded: "See you soon Toretto" he ended turning and going away.

"Yeah" Dom said softly through his teeth.



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Three days later, at the garage.

"I still can't believe it," Jesse said astonished: "She won against Tran's sister in her first race!" he continued thinking at loud voice.

"She's really good," Vince said.

"She's been lucky," Letty replied.

"Maybe something more than lucky, since she had almost no NOS," Bryan commented.

"Oh, c'mon everyone could do that!" Letty became unnerved at the way the team seemed to worship Annie.

"Not a girl at her first race," Leon admitted.

"Why don't you shut your fucking mouth?" Letty said loosing her patience.

"Why you're so angry with her?" Dom asked frowning.

"You should start to reason a little," Letty said heatedly.

"Why?" he asked quietly. He hated when she talked to him in that way.

"Listen! You know nothing about her! Even Jesse hasn't found a word about her past on the net! And one day here she comes: you give her work, you make her sleep in your home and she wants nothing back. A little bit bizarre don't you think?" Letty made him notice.

"She hasn't done anything wrong. She follows the rules and she made me do some money," he said shrugging and the other guys nodded.

"Oh! Come on! Only because she raced and won against Tran, you come here telling me she's clean! She's done nothing yet!" said Letty.

Dom knew what Letty was feeling. She feels menaced in her female leading role, that's why she talks like that, he thought. "Also with the bar she's doing a fine job. Tomorrow she'll have to pay me," Dom continued quietly.

"Why don't you try to think with your brain for one time?" Letty said acidly.

"Why don't you tell me -your- problem Letty? What's up, uh?" Dom asked loosing his temper, staring at her defiantly. She was infuriated and glared at him with a hostile look. Was she still his Letty? Dom didn't recognize her.

"Wanna talk to you privately," she suddenly told him going to his office followed by him, who closed the door behind him.

The rest of the team heard them shouting and yelling at each other furiously for a long time, then she got out and yelled at him: "Fuck you! I told you how is she, don't say I didn't warn you" Letty ended shouting, walking outside.

"Chicks!" Vince said in an attempt to calm Dom down.

"What happened?" Bryan asked.

"We just split up," Dom told him sharply, still upset. I've waited too long, he thought sadly, I should have done this earlier.



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