***
"They said to look for a red RX-7," Dom ordered through his cell phone. Like normal they were driving up in a back, except instead of Letty and Vince at his wing it was Brian and Mia.
Dom had found it easier to forgive Brian than Mia, in his mind Brian O' Conner had died the day he'd handed the keys to the Supra over to Dom and gone to face the music by himself. He was Brian Spillner to him, the guy he'd become friends with as they worked on an old Supra.
"Dom, how do we know it's not the federales waiting to haul our asses back to face the music?" Leon asked terror lacing his voice.
"We don't. We see any sign off cops we book the hell out of this place and don't look back," Dom growled tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. His gut was telling him he needed to be at this place at this time.
"Dom, you sure you're not confusing the chick on this team with..."
"Can it Jesse!" Dom ordered before spotting the car sitting just over the next hill. "And there's the RX-7, looks like it's just one guy all by himself."
"What is this guy crazy? He comes out to race and doesn't even bring his mechanic?" Brian laughed his blue eyes twinkling in the sunlight.
Dom threw his car into park and stepped out, for just a minute he felt like he was back on the streets of LA waiting to smoke the rest of the scene.
"Toretto?" The guy asked, holding out a greasy hand.
"Yeah, and you are? And don't tell me Julio Rodriguz, you might be part hispanic, but you're definitly not Mexican," Dom had no tolerance for bullshit today, this race was starting to freak him out. Well that and those green eyes. They were her eyes.
"I'm Justin," the guy laughed pulling his hand back. "We're gonna have to wait a second for my sister, you know how chicks are always running late."
"What makes you think I want to wait for your sister?"
"Let's just say your patience will be rewarded, she should be here any minute," Justin smiled.
"Your accent sounds familiar, southern?" Brian asked, wrapping an arm around Mia.
"Yeah, Kentucky."
For a second the entire world stopped moving for Dominic. Kentucky, no there was no fucking way. Beth didn't have a brother, she would've told him if she had a brother.
"Listen what's this proposition you have for me?" Dom demanded shaking himself out of his stupor.
"The usual, one race, quarter of a mile, winner take all," Justin stated matter of factly.
"What're we racing for?" Leon piped in.
"We win, you let us in, we lose, you get both our cars, and my sister's services for a year. Word on the street is you're looking for another mechanic."
"What makes you think I want your sister anywhere under my hood? I've only seen two chicks in this world who I'd even let touch one of my cars, and as far as I know neither of 'em are your sister," Dom leaned up against his car knowing with his size he was intimidating as hell.
"Just wait and see, like I said she's coming," Justin smirked, watching the hills for his sister.
"Sure, whatever, you've got ten minutes then our asses are outta here."
"I'll only need two. See that mustang coming over the hill, that's her," Justin smiled starting at a slow run towards his sister.
"That's her huh? Well that proves this sister of yours does exist, but honestly what makes you even think you can beat me in a race?" Dom muttered never taking his eyes from the car. There was something familiar about the way this chick drove. His father always said you could tell the measure of a man by the way he drives his car, and this girl as far as he could tell drove like a pro.
Justin paused for a moment until Beth had parked her car and was getting ready to get out before springing the surprise on them, "Cause I'm not driving...she is."
"Holy shit Dom, is that who I think it is?" Mia whispered quietly.
Dom didn't say a word, just watched as Beth walked towards him. She'd changed in the last two years, filled out in all the right places, but she was still the Beth he remembered.
"Dom, earth to Dom!" Jesse shouted running his hand across the face of the man who'd been like an older brother to him for as long as he could remember.
"Yeah Jess, that's her," Dom muttered, as he started slowly towards the mustang.
"I take it this is the illustrious Beth we're not supposed to mention?" Brian asked softly, figuring no one could hear him anyway.
"Yep, that's her," Leon replied before doing as he always did and following Dom.
"Dominic, nice to see you, last I heard you almost died trying to get away from the cops for jacking trucks," Beth tried to keep the worry out of her voice, hearing about Dom's wreck had caused her to go into labor.
"Last I heard you'd headed back for Kentucky, what the hell are you doing down here?"
"Let's just say same thing as you," Beth replied shoving a hand through her long brunette hair.
"You were jacking trucks?" Jesse's voice was filled with amazment.
"No, high end cars, still just about the same thing," Beth smiled at Jesse. She'd been relieved when she'd heard through the grapevine that Jesse was going to survive being shot by that asshole Tran.
"No shit, what the hell were you thinking chica?" Mia asked, pulling her one time friend into a hug.
"I needed to make ends meet, at the time it seemed like a good idea. Justin and I even had one of our old running buddies, D, I think I told ya'll about him, helping out, until it turned out he was a fucking Narc," Beth's eyes were shadowed by betrayel, it was then she spotted the surfer blond standing behind Mia. She'd never seen him before. "And who, might I ask the hell are you?"
"A friend," Dom bit off before Brian could even reply. If he ever found this D person he was going to draw and quarter him for putting that look into Beth's eyes.
"I didn't ask you, Toretto, I asked your friend. Forgive me if I don't quite trust newcomers," Beth, growled leaning on her brother's shoulder for support.
"Brian Spillner, I hooked up with Dom and the team a couple of years ago," Brian edged, if undercover work had taught him anything it was how to read people, and he had the distinct feeling that if Beth found out he used to be a cop she'd bolt and Dom would kill him.
"Okay, we gonna race or stand around here gabbing our asses off the rest of the day?" Justin demanded.
"Let's race. Justin, since you're the only one I don't know, your ass is in the sidelines. Mia, paint the line, Brian you're starting us," Dom ordered heading towards the Supra.
"Fine with me," Justin replied leading his sister towards the car, "You know what to do little sister, wait til close to the finish to hit the hell out of the NOS, don't get yourself killed, and for gods sake keep your mind on the race."
"Justin, I believe it was me who taught you how to drive, now get your ass out of my way," Beth opened her car door and strapped herself in, lifting the seat to turn on her NOS tanks up to full throttle, then blasting Metallica's S&M, the only music she ever raced too.
"Hey Beth, 10 seconds or less, and your pretty little car is mine," Dom tuanted adjusting his own car.
"No, 10 seconds or less, and I prove to you once and for all just who the hell is the better driver," Beth shot back.
Brian took his place in between the two cars, holding his shirt as a sort of flag, and then with the drop of the shirt they were off.
Beth focused all of her energies on the race, letting everything else around her just dissapear. Double clutch, shift into third, double clutch hit of NOS. Yet even as much as she tried, she couldn't focus completely on the race.
And as a result Dominic came in ahead of her by just a hair.
And like Dom always said, it doesn't matter if it's an inch or a mile winning's winning.
"SHIT!" She screamed banging her head against her steering wheel. She'd just fucked everything up, all of her hopes and dreams shot down the toilet with one stupid mistake.
Thinking of the competition while she was racing.
***
"Well there we go, for the next year, your ass is mine Beth," Dom smirked, even though inside his gut was twisted. Maybe this was his chance to make things right for the way things ended two years ago.
"Excuse me, I didn't say anything about my ass, you just get my fucking car," Beth growled, slamming the car door.
"Um...Beth, I kinda forgot to tell you the other part of the deal to get Toretto to race. I told him you'd work on his cars for a year," Justin muttered into his sisters ear, before scurrying off to escape her wrath.
"DAMN IT JUSTIN!" Beth screamed racing off to kill her brother.
"Well that went over really well I think," Leon stated softly going for the cheap laugh.
"Yeah, I think so too," Brian laughed, watching the pretty girl with almond shaped eyes beating on her brother.
Mia just pulled Dom aside, "Do you really want to do this Dom? You know what happened to her, maybe now's the time to just let things go."
"Listen Mia, this is my buisness. Her brother shot his mouth, now she has to pay the price," Dom shrugged.
"Pay the price! Dominic Angelo Toretto, you used to at least care about this girl, why are you being such an ass?" Mia demanded, stalking away before Dom could reply.
Dom didn't want to tell Mia he was doing this for Beth's own good. At least on his team he could look out for her, make sure nothing happened to her, as it seemed Justin could care less what happened to his sister as long as she helped him win races.
"Dom, I'm not saying it won't be great working with Beth again. She's even better under a hood than Letty was, but jesus do you have to do it this way?" Jesse demanded before walking off to check on his friend.
Shit it seemed like he was turning his own team against him.
"I know what you're doing Dom. You might be able to fool the rest of 'em but I see right through you. You still care about this chick. You wanna make sure her damned fool brother doesn't get her into any more trouble don't you?" Brian smiled.
"How the hell is it you can read me better than people I've known my whole life?" Dom groaned.
"Cops eyes, we're trained to see all, know all."
"Well use your cop's eyes for something useful for a change. Run a background on Elizabeth and Justin Penick, find out whatever you can about 'em," Dom demanded. He should've thought of this months ago.
"Sure thing boss, you want me to keep it on the DL?"
"Yeah, and while you're at it, find out who the hell the Narc was that sold 'em down the river," Dom cracked his knuckles at the thought of it. Justin might not mean shit to him at the moment, but no one messed with his woman and got away with it.
And Beth might not know it yet, but once you're with Dominic Toretto, you stayed with Dominic Toretto. Like Mia had told Brian, he owned you.
***
"They said to look for a red RX-7," Dom ordered through his cell phone. Like normal they were driving up in a back, except instead of Letty and Vince at his wing it was Brian and Mia.
Dom had found it easier to forgive Brian than Mia, in his mind Brian O' Conner had died the day he'd handed the keys to the Supra over to Dom and gone to face the music by himself. He was Brian Spillner to him, the guy he'd become friends with as they worked on an old Supra.
"Dom, how do we know it's not the federales waiting to haul our asses back to face the music?" Leon asked terror lacing his voice.
"We don't. We see any sign off cops we book the hell out of this place and don't look back," Dom growled tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. His gut was telling him he needed to be at this place at this time.
"Dom, you sure you're not confusing the chick on this team with..."
"Can it Jesse!" Dom ordered before spotting the car sitting just over the next hill. "And there's the RX-7, looks like it's just one guy all by himself."
"What is this guy crazy? He comes out to race and doesn't even bring his mechanic?" Brian laughed his blue eyes twinkling in the sunlight.
Dom threw his car into park and stepped out, for just a minute he felt like he was back on the streets of LA waiting to smoke the rest of the scene.
"Toretto?" The guy asked, holding out a greasy hand.
"Yeah, and you are? And don't tell me Julio Rodriguz, you might be part hispanic, but you're definitly not Mexican," Dom had no tolerance for bullshit today, this race was starting to freak him out. Well that and those green eyes. They were her eyes.
"I'm Justin," the guy laughed pulling his hand back. "We're gonna have to wait a second for my sister, you know how chicks are always running late."
"What makes you think I want to wait for your sister?"
"Let's just say your patience will be rewarded, she should be here any minute," Justin smiled.
"Your accent sounds familiar, southern?" Brian asked, wrapping an arm around Mia.
"Yeah, Kentucky."
For a second the entire world stopped moving for Dominic. Kentucky, no there was no fucking way. Beth didn't have a brother, she would've told him if she had a brother.
"Listen what's this proposition you have for me?" Dom demanded shaking himself out of his stupor.
"The usual, one race, quarter of a mile, winner take all," Justin stated matter of factly.
"What're we racing for?" Leon piped in.
"We win, you let us in, we lose, you get both our cars, and my sister's services for a year. Word on the street is you're looking for another mechanic."
"What makes you think I want your sister anywhere under my hood? I've only seen two chicks in this world who I'd even let touch one of my cars, and as far as I know neither of 'em are your sister," Dom leaned up against his car knowing with his size he was intimidating as hell.
"Just wait and see, like I said she's coming," Justin smirked, watching the hills for his sister.
"Sure, whatever, you've got ten minutes then our asses are outta here."
"I'll only need two. See that mustang coming over the hill, that's her," Justin smiled starting at a slow run towards his sister.
"That's her huh? Well that proves this sister of yours does exist, but honestly what makes you even think you can beat me in a race?" Dom muttered never taking his eyes from the car. There was something familiar about the way this chick drove. His father always said you could tell the measure of a man by the way he drives his car, and this girl as far as he could tell drove like a pro.
Justin paused for a moment until Beth had parked her car and was getting ready to get out before springing the surprise on them, "Cause I'm not driving...she is."
"Holy shit Dom, is that who I think it is?" Mia whispered quietly.
Dom didn't say a word, just watched as Beth walked towards him. She'd changed in the last two years, filled out in all the right places, but she was still the Beth he remembered.
"Dom, earth to Dom!" Jesse shouted running his hand across the face of the man who'd been like an older brother to him for as long as he could remember.
"Yeah Jess, that's her," Dom muttered, as he started slowly towards the mustang.
"I take it this is the illustrious Beth we're not supposed to mention?" Brian asked softly, figuring no one could hear him anyway.
"Yep, that's her," Leon replied before doing as he always did and following Dom.
"Dominic, nice to see you, last I heard you almost died trying to get away from the cops for jacking trucks," Beth tried to keep the worry out of her voice, hearing about Dom's wreck had caused her to go into labor.
"Last I heard you'd headed back for Kentucky, what the hell are you doing down here?"
"Let's just say same thing as you," Beth replied shoving a hand through her long brunette hair.
"You were jacking trucks?" Jesse's voice was filled with amazment.
"No, high end cars, still just about the same thing," Beth smiled at Jesse. She'd been relieved when she'd heard through the grapevine that Jesse was going to survive being shot by that asshole Tran.
"No shit, what the hell were you thinking chica?" Mia asked, pulling her one time friend into a hug.
"I needed to make ends meet, at the time it seemed like a good idea. Justin and I even had one of our old running buddies, D, I think I told ya'll about him, helping out, until it turned out he was a fucking Narc," Beth's eyes were shadowed by betrayel, it was then she spotted the surfer blond standing behind Mia. She'd never seen him before. "And who, might I ask the hell are you?"
"A friend," Dom bit off before Brian could even reply. If he ever found this D person he was going to draw and quarter him for putting that look into Beth's eyes.
"I didn't ask you, Toretto, I asked your friend. Forgive me if I don't quite trust newcomers," Beth, growled leaning on her brother's shoulder for support.
"Brian Spillner, I hooked up with Dom and the team a couple of years ago," Brian edged, if undercover work had taught him anything it was how to read people, and he had the distinct feeling that if Beth found out he used to be a cop she'd bolt and Dom would kill him.
"Okay, we gonna race or stand around here gabbing our asses off the rest of the day?" Justin demanded.
"Let's race. Justin, since you're the only one I don't know, your ass is in the sidelines. Mia, paint the line, Brian you're starting us," Dom ordered heading towards the Supra.
"Fine with me," Justin replied leading his sister towards the car, "You know what to do little sister, wait til close to the finish to hit the hell out of the NOS, don't get yourself killed, and for gods sake keep your mind on the race."
"Justin, I believe it was me who taught you how to drive, now get your ass out of my way," Beth opened her car door and strapped herself in, lifting the seat to turn on her NOS tanks up to full throttle, then blasting Metallica's S&M, the only music she ever raced too.
"Hey Beth, 10 seconds or less, and your pretty little car is mine," Dom tuanted adjusting his own car.
"No, 10 seconds or less, and I prove to you once and for all just who the hell is the better driver," Beth shot back.
Brian took his place in between the two cars, holding his shirt as a sort of flag, and then with the drop of the shirt they were off.
Beth focused all of her energies on the race, letting everything else around her just dissapear. Double clutch, shift into third, double clutch hit of NOS. Yet even as much as she tried, she couldn't focus completely on the race.
And as a result Dominic came in ahead of her by just a hair.
And like Dom always said, it doesn't matter if it's an inch or a mile winning's winning.
"SHIT!" She screamed banging her head against her steering wheel. She'd just fucked everything up, all of her hopes and dreams shot down the toilet with one stupid mistake.
Thinking of the competition while she was racing.
***
"Well there we go, for the next year, your ass is mine Beth," Dom smirked, even though inside his gut was twisted. Maybe this was his chance to make things right for the way things ended two years ago.
"Excuse me, I didn't say anything about my ass, you just get my fucking car," Beth growled, slamming the car door.
"Um...Beth, I kinda forgot to tell you the other part of the deal to get Toretto to race. I told him you'd work on his cars for a year," Justin muttered into his sisters ear, before scurrying off to escape her wrath.
"DAMN IT JUSTIN!" Beth screamed racing off to kill her brother.
"Well that went over really well I think," Leon stated softly going for the cheap laugh.
"Yeah, I think so too," Brian laughed, watching the pretty girl with almond shaped eyes beating on her brother.
Mia just pulled Dom aside, "Do you really want to do this Dom? You know what happened to her, maybe now's the time to just let things go."
"Listen Mia, this is my buisness. Her brother shot his mouth, now she has to pay the price," Dom shrugged.
"Pay the price! Dominic Angelo Toretto, you used to at least care about this girl, why are you being such an ass?" Mia demanded, stalking away before Dom could reply.
Dom didn't want to tell Mia he was doing this for Beth's own good. At least on his team he could look out for her, make sure nothing happened to her, as it seemed Justin could care less what happened to his sister as long as she helped him win races.
"Dom, I'm not saying it won't be great working with Beth again. She's even better under a hood than Letty was, but jesus do you have to do it this way?" Jesse demanded before walking off to check on his friend.
Shit it seemed like he was turning his own team against him.
"I know what you're doing Dom. You might be able to fool the rest of 'em but I see right through you. You still care about this chick. You wanna make sure her damned fool brother doesn't get her into any more trouble don't you?" Brian smiled.
"How the hell is it you can read me better than people I've known my whole life?" Dom groaned.
"Cops eyes, we're trained to see all, know all."
"Well use your cop's eyes for something useful for a change. Run a background on Elizabeth and Justin Penick, find out whatever you can about 'em," Dom demanded. He should've thought of this months ago.
"Sure thing boss, you want me to keep it on the DL?"
"Yeah, and while you're at it, find out who the hell the Narc was that sold 'em down the river," Dom cracked his knuckles at the thought of it. Justin might not mean shit to him at the moment, but no one messed with his woman and got away with it.
And Beth might not know it yet, but once you're with Dominic Toretto, you stayed with Dominic Toretto. Like Mia had told Brian, he owned you.
***