***
"Toretto, when do you want to take delivery on the cars?" Justin asked, after his sister had headed back to the house.
"You keep the cars, I just hold the pinks and make fifty percent off whatever you get racing," Dom explained, then asked a question that had been bugging him since he'd seen Beth step out of the car, "Where were you two years ago?"
"Virginia State Reformatory, doing four years for Robbery," Justin muttered.
"Ah, well here's something you should've learned in jail, but apparently didn't," Dom rammed his fist into the other man's stomach with a satisfying thud, "Never bet what you can't afford to lose."
Dom walked away, making the motion for the team to follow him before turning around, writing a number down on a piece of paper, and handing it to Justin. "My number, have your sister call me for directions to the shop."
Justin understood where Dom was coming from, and realized that he must really still love Beth to be so willing to kill for her.
And he had no doubt Dominic Toretto would kill for his sister.
***
Dom was most at peace when in the middle of a neck and neck race. When the world was blurred out and the only thing between him and the finish line was two other cars.
But a close second to that was when he was covered in grease and surrounded by the insides of a car. For the first time in his life however even a transmission rebuild couldn't calm him down, all he could think of was the hurt that seemed to live just below the smile in Beth's eyes.
And knowing he'd put that hurt there was unacceptable.
Two years ago he'd met the woman he'd known was going to be his end all be all. He hadn't known how to handle it. Beth had made him forget about playing it safe, she'd helped him move past all the shit in his life. It was a wonder she hadn't ended up pregnant as many times as they'd forgotten themselves and went without birth control.
Then Letty had walked back into his life, said she wanted to get back together and that had been that. He'd left Beth because she scared the shit out of him, and went with what he knew, what was safe.
Well damn it he was done playing it safe, he wanted his woman back, and he'd die before he let anything, even the woman herself stop him.
With his mind made up, Dom set about cleaning up the mess, he'd get the tranny working tomorrow. The phone rang, and Dom bolted to pick it up, he knew who it was.
"Yeah?" He smiled, keeping his voice even.
"My brother said you wanted me to call you?" Beth sounded wary.
"That's right. You'll start paying your debt at eight tomorrow morning. I live just off of Montigo street," Dom ordered.
"Sure Dom, house number?"
"Do you think I'm stupid? Just look for the Mia's car," Dom smirked.
"Whatever Dom, I'll see you at nine," Beth replied.
"I said eight, I mean eight."
"Dom, I call home every morning at eight in the morning. I'll see you at nine. I'm bringing in the RX-7, the tranny's about shot on it, and I can't get the bolts all the way down here in bumfuck," Beth grumbled before hanging up the phone.
"She calls home every morning at eight?" Dom shook his head "That's just anal."
***
Beth's hands shook as she made her daily call home to the kids, there'd been so much she'd missed since she'd fled down to Mexico six months ago. Their first birthday, Angel taking her first steps, Devlin finally speaking his first word.
At sixteen months old her babies were growing like weeds.
"Hey Momma," Beth whispered, leaning her head against the wall.
"Hey babygirl, how're you doing?"
"Not good Mom, I work for him now," Beth sighed, her tears falling slowly down her face.
"Oh good baby, you okay?" Barbara Penick didn't have to ask who her daughter was working for she knew.
"Not really Mom, I'm stuck with him a year. I don't know if I can wait another year to see my babies," Beth sobbed letting her emotions go.
"Maybe it's time you told him Beth. He has a right to know."
"No Mom, Dominic Toretto has no fucking right to my kids, and I'll burn in hell before I even think about telling him," Beth growled vehimately, "I'll just find another way to get them here."
"Calm down, it was only a suggestion," Barbara admonished. "Now talk to your kids."
Beth let a smile come to her face as she waited for her mom to put the kids on the phone, this was the best part of her day.
"Momma?" Angel's precious little voice piped through the skittish connection.
"Hey baby, how're you feeling today?"
"Good, I love you mommy," Angel's voice started quivering.
"I love you too baby, now put bubby on the line so Mommy can head to work," Beth loved these little moments with her kids, the calls were sending her into the poor house, but she'd be damned if her babies didn't know her.
"Mommy!" Devlin squealed, "I wuv you mommy."
"I love you too Devlin. I miss you and your sister," Beth imagined Devlin, a carbon copy of Dom sitting impatiently on his grandmothers lap, fidgeting every other second.
"We miss you."
A few minutes later Beth closed off the connection. She could never stay on the phone for very long just in case the feds had a tap on her mom's line.
"Hey, how were the kids?" Justin asked, stumbling into the kitchen bleary eyed.
"Good, Mom took 'em to the Zoo yesterday and all Devlin wanted to talk about was the bears," Beth informed him as she sat down across from him at the table.
"You want me to come with ya today? I can afford to take a couple of days off from the store," Justin asked taking his sisters hand into his own, "I got you into this mess after all."
"No, I'm good Justin. I've got to face Dom by myself one of these days, it might as well be today. Besides The rest of the team is going to be there so it's not like we're exactly alone," Beth muttered. She'd forgiven her brother as soon as he walked in the door last night looking for all the world like someone had just killed his best friend.
"Well if you need me call me, worse comes to worse we can be out of here in ten minutes," Justin offered. They'd had an escape route in place just in case the Mexican government decided it was time to quit harboring criminals.
"I will...And I've got to do this, put Dom out of my heart once and for all. Besides, Letty'll be there today, and that should put an end to any and all thoughts I might have about Dominic and I getting back together," Beth sighed shoving her fingers through her hair.
"Well like I said, you need me call," Justin demanded as Beth got up, grabbed a set of coveralls and headed out of the house.
"I'm leaving the mustang with you. I'm hoping to get your car running right today before we do anything," Beth called out before grabbing the keys off the hook and disappearing for a long days work.
Work...yeah right, more like torture.
***
"Toretto, when do you want to take delivery on the cars?" Justin asked, after his sister had headed back to the house.
"You keep the cars, I just hold the pinks and make fifty percent off whatever you get racing," Dom explained, then asked a question that had been bugging him since he'd seen Beth step out of the car, "Where were you two years ago?"
"Virginia State Reformatory, doing four years for Robbery," Justin muttered.
"Ah, well here's something you should've learned in jail, but apparently didn't," Dom rammed his fist into the other man's stomach with a satisfying thud, "Never bet what you can't afford to lose."
Dom walked away, making the motion for the team to follow him before turning around, writing a number down on a piece of paper, and handing it to Justin. "My number, have your sister call me for directions to the shop."
Justin understood where Dom was coming from, and realized that he must really still love Beth to be so willing to kill for her.
And he had no doubt Dominic Toretto would kill for his sister.
***
Dom was most at peace when in the middle of a neck and neck race. When the world was blurred out and the only thing between him and the finish line was two other cars.
But a close second to that was when he was covered in grease and surrounded by the insides of a car. For the first time in his life however even a transmission rebuild couldn't calm him down, all he could think of was the hurt that seemed to live just below the smile in Beth's eyes.
And knowing he'd put that hurt there was unacceptable.
Two years ago he'd met the woman he'd known was going to be his end all be all. He hadn't known how to handle it. Beth had made him forget about playing it safe, she'd helped him move past all the shit in his life. It was a wonder she hadn't ended up pregnant as many times as they'd forgotten themselves and went without birth control.
Then Letty had walked back into his life, said she wanted to get back together and that had been that. He'd left Beth because she scared the shit out of him, and went with what he knew, what was safe.
Well damn it he was done playing it safe, he wanted his woman back, and he'd die before he let anything, even the woman herself stop him.
With his mind made up, Dom set about cleaning up the mess, he'd get the tranny working tomorrow. The phone rang, and Dom bolted to pick it up, he knew who it was.
"Yeah?" He smiled, keeping his voice even.
"My brother said you wanted me to call you?" Beth sounded wary.
"That's right. You'll start paying your debt at eight tomorrow morning. I live just off of Montigo street," Dom ordered.
"Sure Dom, house number?"
"Do you think I'm stupid? Just look for the Mia's car," Dom smirked.
"Whatever Dom, I'll see you at nine," Beth replied.
"I said eight, I mean eight."
"Dom, I call home every morning at eight in the morning. I'll see you at nine. I'm bringing in the RX-7, the tranny's about shot on it, and I can't get the bolts all the way down here in bumfuck," Beth grumbled before hanging up the phone.
"She calls home every morning at eight?" Dom shook his head "That's just anal."
***
Beth's hands shook as she made her daily call home to the kids, there'd been so much she'd missed since she'd fled down to Mexico six months ago. Their first birthday, Angel taking her first steps, Devlin finally speaking his first word.
At sixteen months old her babies were growing like weeds.
"Hey Momma," Beth whispered, leaning her head against the wall.
"Hey babygirl, how're you doing?"
"Not good Mom, I work for him now," Beth sighed, her tears falling slowly down her face.
"Oh good baby, you okay?" Barbara Penick didn't have to ask who her daughter was working for she knew.
"Not really Mom, I'm stuck with him a year. I don't know if I can wait another year to see my babies," Beth sobbed letting her emotions go.
"Maybe it's time you told him Beth. He has a right to know."
"No Mom, Dominic Toretto has no fucking right to my kids, and I'll burn in hell before I even think about telling him," Beth growled vehimately, "I'll just find another way to get them here."
"Calm down, it was only a suggestion," Barbara admonished. "Now talk to your kids."
Beth let a smile come to her face as she waited for her mom to put the kids on the phone, this was the best part of her day.
"Momma?" Angel's precious little voice piped through the skittish connection.
"Hey baby, how're you feeling today?"
"Good, I love you mommy," Angel's voice started quivering.
"I love you too baby, now put bubby on the line so Mommy can head to work," Beth loved these little moments with her kids, the calls were sending her into the poor house, but she'd be damned if her babies didn't know her.
"Mommy!" Devlin squealed, "I wuv you mommy."
"I love you too Devlin. I miss you and your sister," Beth imagined Devlin, a carbon copy of Dom sitting impatiently on his grandmothers lap, fidgeting every other second.
"We miss you."
A few minutes later Beth closed off the connection. She could never stay on the phone for very long just in case the feds had a tap on her mom's line.
"Hey, how were the kids?" Justin asked, stumbling into the kitchen bleary eyed.
"Good, Mom took 'em to the Zoo yesterday and all Devlin wanted to talk about was the bears," Beth informed him as she sat down across from him at the table.
"You want me to come with ya today? I can afford to take a couple of days off from the store," Justin asked taking his sisters hand into his own, "I got you into this mess after all."
"No, I'm good Justin. I've got to face Dom by myself one of these days, it might as well be today. Besides The rest of the team is going to be there so it's not like we're exactly alone," Beth muttered. She'd forgiven her brother as soon as he walked in the door last night looking for all the world like someone had just killed his best friend.
"Well if you need me call me, worse comes to worse we can be out of here in ten minutes," Justin offered. They'd had an escape route in place just in case the Mexican government decided it was time to quit harboring criminals.
"I will...And I've got to do this, put Dom out of my heart once and for all. Besides, Letty'll be there today, and that should put an end to any and all thoughts I might have about Dominic and I getting back together," Beth sighed shoving her fingers through her hair.
"Well like I said, you need me call," Justin demanded as Beth got up, grabbed a set of coveralls and headed out of the house.
"I'm leaving the mustang with you. I'm hoping to get your car running right today before we do anything," Beth called out before grabbing the keys off the hook and disappearing for a long days work.
Work...yeah right, more like torture.
***