After the Fire
Part 2: Going Back
AN:I was kind of surprised that I had chapter one up for only a day before getting four reviews. (That's four more than I've gotten for my last two stories so far.) Most of the reviews have been asking me to continue the story, so here we go:
----------
"Who's Jesse?" asked Steve.
"Jesse, he's a guy I ran into when I started racing." said Leon. "After I lost my first race, he took a look at my engine and explained that it wasn't set up right. I don't remember the specifics, but he helped me work it out. When I joined up with Dominic's team, Jesse came with me. He's the team tuning expert now. He's got Attention Deficit Disorder and flunked out of high school, so we're all kind of protective of him."
"Who do you think shot him?" asked Steve.
"I don't know." said Leon. "Wait, I think I do know. This guy named Johnny Tran. He raced Jesse at Race Wars for pink slips. Jesse lost. Oh God, it's my fault! He told me he was racing Tran and put up the title on his Jetta. He asked me for advice. I should've told him not to do it. But what did I tell him? 'Visualize your win.' Damn, I'm stupid!"
"Relax." said Steve. "You should be there for him. Go."
"Alright." said Leon. "I'll see you."
"Wait." said Steve. "Why did you bring the Civic all the way here?"
"It's got my fingerprints in it." said Leon. "If the police trace it to the thefts, I'm toast."
"And you're gonna bring it back to L.A?" asked Steve. "You're gonna take it back to where the police can find it easily? I've got a better car for you."
A couple of minutes later, Leon was using the keys Steve had given him to unlock the door of an '81 Datsun 280ZX. The sun reflected off the silver hood of the otherwise blue sports machine.
"You remember how to drive this thing?" asked Steve as Leon climbed in.
"I learned to drive in this car. Remember?" replied Leon. He turned the key and the turbocharged straight-six engine roared to life. "I'll see ya!"
Leon pulled out of the driveway and drove back to the highway. "I can't believe I'm making the same trip twice in one day." he thought.
Shortly after he got back on the highway, a station wagon pulled alongside him. A young boy in the backseat rolled down his window and yelled "Nice car!"
"Thanks!" replied Leon.
Almost an hour later, Leon checked his rearview to find another police cruiser behind him. He carefully reduced his speed to keep it within the speed limit. The police cruiser passed him a second later without giving him a second look. Once again, he let out a sigh of relief. "I have to stop living like this." he muttered.
An hour later, Leon reached L.A. He navigated the city streets until he found the hospital where Jesse was. He pulled into the parking lot, found a space and shut down the engine.
Leon walked into the lobby and went up to the front desk. "May I help you?" asked the nurse.
"Yes, I'm looking for Jesse Kalish's room." said Leon.
"One moment, please." said the nurse.
"Hey, you made it." said a voice. Leon turned to see Hector.
"Hector, didn't think I'd see you so soon." said Leon.
"I was kinda hoping you wouldn't." said Hector. "With everything that's going on, you really can't be here."
"Have you seen Jesse?" asked Leon.
"Yeah, he's pretty bad." said Hector. "But I think he'll be okay. He was concious when I last saw him."
"Was it Johnny Tran?" asked Leon.
"That obvious, huh?" said Hector. "Yeah, it was him. Lance too."
"I'm gonna kill him." said Leon.
"Little late for that." said Hector.
"What?" asked Leon.
"Your friend Brian beat you to it." explained Hector. "Tran's dead, man. Lance is in custody."
"How do you know this?" asked Leon.
"On the street, words move as fast as cars." explained Hector. "It's a tight community."
"Sir?" asked the nurse. "Jesse Kalish is in room three-eighteen."
"Thanks." said Leon. "Catch ya later." He told Hector as he walked towards the elevator.
"Tell Jesse to get better." said Hector.
Leon took the elevator to the third floor. He stepped out and immediately saw a pair of police officers. He quickly ran into a side hallway.
Leon peered around the corner at the cops and noticed they were talking to a young woman. A second later, Leon recognzed the woman. It was Mia.
The cops finished talking to her and walked away. Leon stepped back as they walked by. When they had left, he walked around the corner and whispered "Mia!"
Mia looked around to figure out who was talking to her. She spotted Leon and whispered "Leon, what are you doing here?"
"I was at my brother's in Bakersfield when Hector told me about Jesse." explained Leon. "I just got back. How is he?"
"Better than he was this morning." said Mia. "He's lost a lot of blood. He took two hits, one to the stomach and one to the arm."
"Hector said it was Johnny Tran." said Leon.
"It was. I saw him myself." said Mia. "The police told me Tran's dead."
"I know, Hector told me." said Leon.
"What did you tell him?" asked Mia.
"Everything." said Leon. "I think he's a little shocked, but he seems alright."
"Did you tell him about Brian?" asked Mia.
"What?" asked Leon.
"Did you tell him Brian's a cop?" asked Mia.
"It wasn't relevant." said Leon. Mia groaned and Leon told her "Mia, he saved Vince's life!"
"And where is he now?" asked Mia. "He probably took Dom in. That could be why we haven't seen either of them."
"If Dom was arrested, don't you think those cops would've told you?" asked Leon.
Mia just turned and walked away. "Hell hath no fury..." said Leon as he turned to Jesse's room and walked in. He knocked on the door and said "Hey, Jess. Can I come in?"
"Hey, Leon." creeked Jesse. "Sure, come in."
"How you feeling?" asked Leon.
"Hurts like hell." groaned Jesse. "Doctor says I could've been hurt worse if the car wasn't in the way."
"It was Johnny Tran?" asked Leon.
"Yeah." said Jesse. "What's his deal? He shoots someone over a Volkswagen?"
"He's dead." said Leon.
"Huh?" replied Jesse.
"Hector says Brian got him." said Leon.
"Johnny Tran dead." said an astonished Jesse.
"Did Mia say anything about Brian?" asked Leon.
"Yeah, she told me everything." said Jesse. "I guess Vince was right all along."
"It's kind of ironic, that Brian blew his cover to save Vince's life." said Leon.
"I guess we should have expected this." said Jesse. "I was never really comfortable with the heists."
"Jess, I'm sorry." said Leon. "I never should've let you race Tran."
"Would I have listened?" asked Jesse.
"Good point." said Leon.
Just then, a police officer walked in with a man in handcuffs. The man kind of looked like Jesse, but older.
"Oh my God!" said the man. "Jesse!"
"Dad!" replied Jesse.
"Marty, I'm sorry." said Leon to Jesse's dad. "I shouldn't have let him race the guy."
"Don't worry about it." said Marty. "Can we have some time alone?"
"Sure." said Leon. Before leaving, he asked Jesse "Can I get you anything?"
"You can check by the house and see if any of my magazines have come in." said Jesse.
"I'll do that." said Leon. "Hang in there, buddy."
"See ya." said Jesse.
Leon left Jesse's room and started for the elevator. Before he got there, a man said "Wagner!"
Leon stopped and turned around to see the man coming at him.
"Leon Wagner?" asked the man as he flashed his badge. "Detective Muse, LAPD. I have a few questions to ask."
"Go ahead." said Leon. He knew that acting guilty would arouse suspicion, so he did his best to comply.
"You are a member of Dominic Toretto's street racing team, aren't you?" asked Muse.
"I am, but I'm not sure if there is a team anymore." said Leon.
"Why is that?" asked Muse.
"Yesterday, Dominic told us to split up and run." said Leon. "Something bad must've happened."
"You wouldn't happen to know Mr. Toretto's wherabouts by any chance?" asked Muse.
"He didn't say where he was going." said Leon. "And judging from what you're implying, I think he had reason to."
"We're also looking for a Leticia Martinez." said Muse. "I don't suppose you know her current location, do you?"
"No, she didn't say where she was going either." said Leon.
"I suppose you can't tell us where to find Brian O'Conner too." said Muse.
This surprised Leon. He didn't think Brian had any reason to run. "No, I don't know where he is either. What is this about?"
"I don't know if you've heard of a series of truck heists." said Muse. "Bandits in a trio of Honda Civic street racers have been raiding transfer trucks full of electronic equipment."
"Oh yeah, I've heard of those." said Leon.
"Well, there was another one yesterday morning which went sideways." explained Muse. "The driver of the truck identified Mr. Toretto, Mr. O'Conner, and a Vincent Castellano as being the bandits. We found two wrecked Civics at the scene. One had Mr. Toretto's and Mr. Castellano's fingerprints inside and the other had Ms. Martinez's prints inside."
"What about Mr. Kalish?" asked Leon.
"We have nothing linking him to the heists." said Muse.
"What about me?" asked Leon.
"Should we have something?" asked Muse.
"Are you accusing me?" asked Leon. "If you're not, I suggest you try to work with me."
"I'm not accusing you." said Muse. "I just find it odd that four members of a street racing team are involved with a series of heists, but the other two are not."
"Is there anything else you have to ask me?" asked Leon.
"No, that's all." said Muse. "However, we're watching you."
Muse walked away and left Leon looking scared.
AN:A-ha, the plot thickens. Please, read and review.
Speaking of reviews, I'd like to thank those of you who did so.
To greenglowchassis: That's a good point and one I will address in a future chapter.
To cruel-capricorn:Thanks for reviewing. By the way, I don't get the yellow ball joke in "Out of Control". Am I missing something? Also, was "Out of Control" named after the Rancid song in "NFS:Underground"?
There's more to come.
Part 2: Going Back
AN:I was kind of surprised that I had chapter one up for only a day before getting four reviews. (That's four more than I've gotten for my last two stories so far.) Most of the reviews have been asking me to continue the story, so here we go:
----------
"Who's Jesse?" asked Steve.
"Jesse, he's a guy I ran into when I started racing." said Leon. "After I lost my first race, he took a look at my engine and explained that it wasn't set up right. I don't remember the specifics, but he helped me work it out. When I joined up with Dominic's team, Jesse came with me. He's the team tuning expert now. He's got Attention Deficit Disorder and flunked out of high school, so we're all kind of protective of him."
"Who do you think shot him?" asked Steve.
"I don't know." said Leon. "Wait, I think I do know. This guy named Johnny Tran. He raced Jesse at Race Wars for pink slips. Jesse lost. Oh God, it's my fault! He told me he was racing Tran and put up the title on his Jetta. He asked me for advice. I should've told him not to do it. But what did I tell him? 'Visualize your win.' Damn, I'm stupid!"
"Relax." said Steve. "You should be there for him. Go."
"Alright." said Leon. "I'll see you."
"Wait." said Steve. "Why did you bring the Civic all the way here?"
"It's got my fingerprints in it." said Leon. "If the police trace it to the thefts, I'm toast."
"And you're gonna bring it back to L.A?" asked Steve. "You're gonna take it back to where the police can find it easily? I've got a better car for you."
A couple of minutes later, Leon was using the keys Steve had given him to unlock the door of an '81 Datsun 280ZX. The sun reflected off the silver hood of the otherwise blue sports machine.
"You remember how to drive this thing?" asked Steve as Leon climbed in.
"I learned to drive in this car. Remember?" replied Leon. He turned the key and the turbocharged straight-six engine roared to life. "I'll see ya!"
Leon pulled out of the driveway and drove back to the highway. "I can't believe I'm making the same trip twice in one day." he thought.
Shortly after he got back on the highway, a station wagon pulled alongside him. A young boy in the backseat rolled down his window and yelled "Nice car!"
"Thanks!" replied Leon.
Almost an hour later, Leon checked his rearview to find another police cruiser behind him. He carefully reduced his speed to keep it within the speed limit. The police cruiser passed him a second later without giving him a second look. Once again, he let out a sigh of relief. "I have to stop living like this." he muttered.
An hour later, Leon reached L.A. He navigated the city streets until he found the hospital where Jesse was. He pulled into the parking lot, found a space and shut down the engine.
Leon walked into the lobby and went up to the front desk. "May I help you?" asked the nurse.
"Yes, I'm looking for Jesse Kalish's room." said Leon.
"One moment, please." said the nurse.
"Hey, you made it." said a voice. Leon turned to see Hector.
"Hector, didn't think I'd see you so soon." said Leon.
"I was kinda hoping you wouldn't." said Hector. "With everything that's going on, you really can't be here."
"Have you seen Jesse?" asked Leon.
"Yeah, he's pretty bad." said Hector. "But I think he'll be okay. He was concious when I last saw him."
"Was it Johnny Tran?" asked Leon.
"That obvious, huh?" said Hector. "Yeah, it was him. Lance too."
"I'm gonna kill him." said Leon.
"Little late for that." said Hector.
"What?" asked Leon.
"Your friend Brian beat you to it." explained Hector. "Tran's dead, man. Lance is in custody."
"How do you know this?" asked Leon.
"On the street, words move as fast as cars." explained Hector. "It's a tight community."
"Sir?" asked the nurse. "Jesse Kalish is in room three-eighteen."
"Thanks." said Leon. "Catch ya later." He told Hector as he walked towards the elevator.
"Tell Jesse to get better." said Hector.
Leon took the elevator to the third floor. He stepped out and immediately saw a pair of police officers. He quickly ran into a side hallway.
Leon peered around the corner at the cops and noticed they were talking to a young woman. A second later, Leon recognzed the woman. It was Mia.
The cops finished talking to her and walked away. Leon stepped back as they walked by. When they had left, he walked around the corner and whispered "Mia!"
Mia looked around to figure out who was talking to her. She spotted Leon and whispered "Leon, what are you doing here?"
"I was at my brother's in Bakersfield when Hector told me about Jesse." explained Leon. "I just got back. How is he?"
"Better than he was this morning." said Mia. "He's lost a lot of blood. He took two hits, one to the stomach and one to the arm."
"Hector said it was Johnny Tran." said Leon.
"It was. I saw him myself." said Mia. "The police told me Tran's dead."
"I know, Hector told me." said Leon.
"What did you tell him?" asked Mia.
"Everything." said Leon. "I think he's a little shocked, but he seems alright."
"Did you tell him about Brian?" asked Mia.
"What?" asked Leon.
"Did you tell him Brian's a cop?" asked Mia.
"It wasn't relevant." said Leon. Mia groaned and Leon told her "Mia, he saved Vince's life!"
"And where is he now?" asked Mia. "He probably took Dom in. That could be why we haven't seen either of them."
"If Dom was arrested, don't you think those cops would've told you?" asked Leon.
Mia just turned and walked away. "Hell hath no fury..." said Leon as he turned to Jesse's room and walked in. He knocked on the door and said "Hey, Jess. Can I come in?"
"Hey, Leon." creeked Jesse. "Sure, come in."
"How you feeling?" asked Leon.
"Hurts like hell." groaned Jesse. "Doctor says I could've been hurt worse if the car wasn't in the way."
"It was Johnny Tran?" asked Leon.
"Yeah." said Jesse. "What's his deal? He shoots someone over a Volkswagen?"
"He's dead." said Leon.
"Huh?" replied Jesse.
"Hector says Brian got him." said Leon.
"Johnny Tran dead." said an astonished Jesse.
"Did Mia say anything about Brian?" asked Leon.
"Yeah, she told me everything." said Jesse. "I guess Vince was right all along."
"It's kind of ironic, that Brian blew his cover to save Vince's life." said Leon.
"I guess we should have expected this." said Jesse. "I was never really comfortable with the heists."
"Jess, I'm sorry." said Leon. "I never should've let you race Tran."
"Would I have listened?" asked Jesse.
"Good point." said Leon.
Just then, a police officer walked in with a man in handcuffs. The man kind of looked like Jesse, but older.
"Oh my God!" said the man. "Jesse!"
"Dad!" replied Jesse.
"Marty, I'm sorry." said Leon to Jesse's dad. "I shouldn't have let him race the guy."
"Don't worry about it." said Marty. "Can we have some time alone?"
"Sure." said Leon. Before leaving, he asked Jesse "Can I get you anything?"
"You can check by the house and see if any of my magazines have come in." said Jesse.
"I'll do that." said Leon. "Hang in there, buddy."
"See ya." said Jesse.
Leon left Jesse's room and started for the elevator. Before he got there, a man said "Wagner!"
Leon stopped and turned around to see the man coming at him.
"Leon Wagner?" asked the man as he flashed his badge. "Detective Muse, LAPD. I have a few questions to ask."
"Go ahead." said Leon. He knew that acting guilty would arouse suspicion, so he did his best to comply.
"You are a member of Dominic Toretto's street racing team, aren't you?" asked Muse.
"I am, but I'm not sure if there is a team anymore." said Leon.
"Why is that?" asked Muse.
"Yesterday, Dominic told us to split up and run." said Leon. "Something bad must've happened."
"You wouldn't happen to know Mr. Toretto's wherabouts by any chance?" asked Muse.
"He didn't say where he was going." said Leon. "And judging from what you're implying, I think he had reason to."
"We're also looking for a Leticia Martinez." said Muse. "I don't suppose you know her current location, do you?"
"No, she didn't say where she was going either." said Leon.
"I suppose you can't tell us where to find Brian O'Conner too." said Muse.
This surprised Leon. He didn't think Brian had any reason to run. "No, I don't know where he is either. What is this about?"
"I don't know if you've heard of a series of truck heists." said Muse. "Bandits in a trio of Honda Civic street racers have been raiding transfer trucks full of electronic equipment."
"Oh yeah, I've heard of those." said Leon.
"Well, there was another one yesterday morning which went sideways." explained Muse. "The driver of the truck identified Mr. Toretto, Mr. O'Conner, and a Vincent Castellano as being the bandits. We found two wrecked Civics at the scene. One had Mr. Toretto's and Mr. Castellano's fingerprints inside and the other had Ms. Martinez's prints inside."
"What about Mr. Kalish?" asked Leon.
"We have nothing linking him to the heists." said Muse.
"What about me?" asked Leon.
"Should we have something?" asked Muse.
"Are you accusing me?" asked Leon. "If you're not, I suggest you try to work with me."
"I'm not accusing you." said Muse. "I just find it odd that four members of a street racing team are involved with a series of heists, but the other two are not."
"Is there anything else you have to ask me?" asked Leon.
"No, that's all." said Muse. "However, we're watching you."
Muse walked away and left Leon looking scared.
AN:A-ha, the plot thickens. Please, read and review.
Speaking of reviews, I'd like to thank those of you who did so.
To greenglowchassis: That's a good point and one I will address in a future chapter.
To cruel-capricorn:Thanks for reviewing. By the way, I don't get the yellow ball joke in "Out of Control". Am I missing something? Also, was "Out of Control" named after the Rancid song in "NFS:Underground"?
There's more to come.