I hadn't seen Rey in a few years. I guess that's why is presence shocked
me. He was, of course, my older brother, but he had changed so much.
"Paso adentro, Leticia." Step inside. He kept his dark eyes trained on mine as he stepped away from the metal screen door, leaving me to open it. I swung the door outward and crossed over the broken threshold, nearly killing myself as I tripped over it. Rey's dark gaze finally left mine as he turned to walk behind his counter. I must have looked like a fool standing there with my duffel bag and my cell phone. I glanced down at them warily.
"You can put your things down," Rey told me as he extinguished the roach that was squeezed between his pinkie and his thumb into an already filled- up ashtray. He walked over to the stereo that was in the corner by the counter and turned the volume down much lower. He sniffed loudly and leaned on his counter, glaring darkly at me again, probably wondering where all of the cuts and bruises that littered the upper half of my body came from. I was so uncomfortable that I quietly placed my bag on the floor next to me and jammed the chunky cell phone into the pocket of my baggy jeans. Rey continued to glare at me, though it wasn't a mean glare, just sort of a "what the hell can I expect from you?" glare.
"So you gonna tell me why the fuck you're here?" Rey spat out. But I was prepared for his reaction. I breathed in a shaky breath and took off my shades.
"There was an accident."
Rey's glare began to take on curiosity. "Oh, yeah? Who got hurt?"
"All of us did, eventually."
"This have something to do with Toretto? What, you finally get smart and leave his bald ass?" Rey asked, a knowing look on his face. I nodded.
"Yeah." I looked down at my dusty black boots. "I don't know if I should be tellin' you this, bro, but whatever."
"Ey. You in Puerto Rico now, baby! Ain't nobody gonna say nuttin'!" Rey's dark glare softened into a cocky smile. I sadly smiled back.
"Rey, I'm serious. All of us could be put in the slammer if you shoot off your big ass mouth to Niño, Joel, Paco, R.J., Angel, Ramón, whoever." I gave him a serious look.
"Ven aqui, Leticia. I wanna show you somethin'." Rey ducked behind his counter and emerged with a picture in a frame. Curious, I quietly and slowly joined him behind the counter. He held the picture frame up for me to see it. Inside was a photo of my mother and I, before she died when I was seventeen. For some reason, my chest knotted up and I couldn't speak.
"Why didn't you come back here with me, Leticia?" Rey asked softly. "After Mom died?"
I didn't answer. I knew that I had hurt Rey when I refused to move back here with him after our mother passed away. He left our house with his stuff and I never heard from him again. I didn't call him; he didn't call me. That's how it was. I couldn't leave LA, I couldn't leave racing, I couldn't leave the Team, and I couldn't leave Dominic.
"You know why, Rey."
"Yeah. I do." Rey carefully replaced the picture frame under the counter and leaned on his arms again. "You gonna tell me why you're here now?"
"Let's just say that I got into a car accident."
"So, you came here because you got into an accident?" Rey asked.
"To make a long story short, we're all running from the cops."
"Now that I think about it, I don't wanna know." Rey made a face and sighed. "Lemme call Damaris and have her take you to my house."
"You still with that bitch?" I asked, smiling.
"Ey. That bitch takes care of me."
"And it's a sad day, indeed."
"Paso adentro, Leticia." Step inside. He kept his dark eyes trained on mine as he stepped away from the metal screen door, leaving me to open it. I swung the door outward and crossed over the broken threshold, nearly killing myself as I tripped over it. Rey's dark gaze finally left mine as he turned to walk behind his counter. I must have looked like a fool standing there with my duffel bag and my cell phone. I glanced down at them warily.
"You can put your things down," Rey told me as he extinguished the roach that was squeezed between his pinkie and his thumb into an already filled- up ashtray. He walked over to the stereo that was in the corner by the counter and turned the volume down much lower. He sniffed loudly and leaned on his counter, glaring darkly at me again, probably wondering where all of the cuts and bruises that littered the upper half of my body came from. I was so uncomfortable that I quietly placed my bag on the floor next to me and jammed the chunky cell phone into the pocket of my baggy jeans. Rey continued to glare at me, though it wasn't a mean glare, just sort of a "what the hell can I expect from you?" glare.
"So you gonna tell me why the fuck you're here?" Rey spat out. But I was prepared for his reaction. I breathed in a shaky breath and took off my shades.
"There was an accident."
Rey's glare began to take on curiosity. "Oh, yeah? Who got hurt?"
"All of us did, eventually."
"This have something to do with Toretto? What, you finally get smart and leave his bald ass?" Rey asked, a knowing look on his face. I nodded.
"Yeah." I looked down at my dusty black boots. "I don't know if I should be tellin' you this, bro, but whatever."
"Ey. You in Puerto Rico now, baby! Ain't nobody gonna say nuttin'!" Rey's dark glare softened into a cocky smile. I sadly smiled back.
"Rey, I'm serious. All of us could be put in the slammer if you shoot off your big ass mouth to Niño, Joel, Paco, R.J., Angel, Ramón, whoever." I gave him a serious look.
"Ven aqui, Leticia. I wanna show you somethin'." Rey ducked behind his counter and emerged with a picture in a frame. Curious, I quietly and slowly joined him behind the counter. He held the picture frame up for me to see it. Inside was a photo of my mother and I, before she died when I was seventeen. For some reason, my chest knotted up and I couldn't speak.
"Why didn't you come back here with me, Leticia?" Rey asked softly. "After Mom died?"
I didn't answer. I knew that I had hurt Rey when I refused to move back here with him after our mother passed away. He left our house with his stuff and I never heard from him again. I didn't call him; he didn't call me. That's how it was. I couldn't leave LA, I couldn't leave racing, I couldn't leave the Team, and I couldn't leave Dominic.
"You know why, Rey."
"Yeah. I do." Rey carefully replaced the picture frame under the counter and leaned on his arms again. "You gonna tell me why you're here now?"
"Let's just say that I got into a car accident."
"So, you came here because you got into an accident?" Rey asked.
"To make a long story short, we're all running from the cops."
"Now that I think about it, I don't wanna know." Rey made a face and sighed. "Lemme call Damaris and have her take you to my house."
"You still with that bitch?" I asked, smiling.
"Ey. That bitch takes care of me."
"And it's a sad day, indeed."