Chapter Five

'Shit.' That was the only thought running through Antoinette's mind other than 'How the hell am I supposed to get outta this.' She was still in shock that he had actually carried her to his car like she was a toddler. That made her madder than she already was. Seeing Brian coming closer to the driver's side door only made her think more frantically of a way to get herself out of the mess she was in. As he went to open the door she did the only thing she could think of at the moment, she turned to the door and hit the 'lock' button. Shaking his head he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door, and again went to open, but Antoinette hit the lock button again the second he had pulled his keys out of the door.
"C'mon Antoinette, stop playing these damn games!" Brian said already getting irritated. He wanted to talk and he was just as stubborn as she was when he wanted to be. Leaning over to the driver's side panel she rolled down the window about an inch. Then looking at him through the window she said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, and in all honesty it probably was,
"If you'd give me my keys and let me be on my merry little way I'd let you in your fucking car."
"We both now that's not gonna happen, even if hell were to freeze over this very minute." Pissed that her little blackmailing process hadn't worked she turned and looked out the windshield. She didn't notice that he'd pulled his keys back out.
"Fine then, I guess that I'm not gon-" Before the rest of the word had even left her mouth he had the door open and was sitting in the driver's seat.
"You wanna finish that sentence or not?" Brian asked with a smug look on his face.
"Fuck you Brian!" She replied glaring at him. She couldn't believe that she'd paid so little attention to what he was doing. She knew that sooner or later he would have finally given up and handed over her keys. Plus she would have gotten the added bonus of irritating the hell out of him.
Now we're gonna talk." He said looking at her. This only caused her to glare more fiercely at him. 'He wants to talk,' she thought, 'Fine we're gonna talk. I hope he likes what I have to say to his sorry ass.'
"About what Brian, huh? How bout the fact that you left me?"
"It's not like I had a choice. It was my job. What did you expect me to say 'Gee sorry I can't my girlfriend might get mad at me'. I could see that going over really well."
"You could have come back, called, done something to let me know where the hell you were! But no you just up and leave not letting anyone know where you were going!"
"I couldn't come back! I was on the run from the cops! I couldn't drag you into that mess!" He said starting to yell. Brian realized his mistake too late. The tears in Antoinette's eyes were starting to form. She had never liked yelling, especially when it was directed at her, and she really hated it when Brian yelled. It completely freaked her out; he was usually so calm and collected. Seeing him lose that composure was scary.
"You still could have called or wrote a damn letter. It's not like you didn't have the number or the address." She said quieter but with the same edge.
"I know and trust me I'm sorry that I didn't. I guess I got caught up and everything that was going on with the case."
"I don't care Brian! You left me and to top it off, you left me alone and pregnant!" The minute those words flew out of her mouth she regretted them. She hadn't wanted him to find out like this. She'd never intended on hiding the fact that he was a father, but she'd hoped that when they crossed each other's paths again she could have told him in a calm manner over dinner or something. She hadn't wanted to blurt it out while she was really upset like she just had.
"Pregnant?" Brian asked trying comprehend what she had just said. "You mean the little girl you had with you? She's my daughter?" He asked still in total shock.
"Do the math Brian. She was born twenty-two months ago, and you left two and a half years ago. I'm so sorry you found out like this though. You've gotta believe me I pictured telling you soo differently."
"You mean I've had a daughter and no one's bothered to let me know" He said getting angry. "That's fucking bullshit Antoinette! And to think Rome knew and didn't tell me!"

"You know it's not my fault I couldn't call you! First of all you told me not to try and get a hold of you, or do you not remember that note you left on the counter? And secondly I tried to call you and it said that you damn cell had been disconnected. As for Rome not telling you, I'm glad he didn't Brian. It wasn't, and still isn't, his place. It's mine and nobody else's!" She said getting just as upset. "You know I didn't even tell anyone you were gone for two months hoping you'd come back! Do you know how hard it was for me to lie to my family and friends? I finally got sick of waiting for you, and I promised myself never to get that caught up in a man again. I've got my daughter to take care of now and she's the most important thing in my life!"
"She's my daughter too, Antoinette!"
"I know Brian! Okay it's not like it's something I could forget!"
"I'm sorry." Brian said, calming himself back down. He knew that they were both in the wrong, and that if he was going to be totally honest with himself it was probably more his fault than hers. "I know what I did was wrong, but I at least want to be a part of my daughter's life. I've missed way more than I should have already."
"Brian I don't want to keep you from Thalia and I never have. I just couldn't find you, and sorry but I wasn't going to drag my child around the just to find you." She said looking at him with eyes filled with nothing but sincerity about what she had just said.
"Yeah you woulda gone all over the country looking for me too. We me on the run and everything I was never in one spot long."
"Brian I want some answers right now. First, why the hell were you running from the cops when you are one?"
"I'm not a cop anymore, haven't been ever since I let Dom and the team go."
"What are you talking about Brian? What the hell did they do that got them in trouble, other than street racing?" Antoinette asked, she was having secrets kept from her and she didn't like it, especially since it concerned the only family she had left other than Thalia and her aunt and uncle.
"You don't know? I woulda thought that Dom would have told you."
"Told me what?"
"I really don't think I should be the one to tell you. It's just not my place, you should ask Dom about it when you get back to the house."
This just served to get on her nerves. She had felt like something was being kept from her while she was there, and after finding out about the car had thought that was it. She now knew that wasn't the whole story. She'd wondered why Dom and Brian had been running from cops in the first place, and now she was hell bent and determined to get her questions answered. She was sick of beating around the bush.
"No I think you're the perfect person to tell me what happened. I'm tired of people keeping secrets from me. I want to know what happened, and I wanna know right now."
"Fine, I'll tell you but don't shoot the messenger." And with that he started what had gone on while he was undercover. As he talked he watched her reaction, and watched her tears fall when he said that Jesse and Vince had almost died. Brian couldn't help but feel bad and think that he should have let Dom tell her. When he'd told Antoinette this she'd shook her head and told him that she was glad he had otherwise she wouldn't have been able to get the whole story. As she sat there trying to dry her tears he couldn't help but think she was still as beautiful as she had been when he'd last seen her. She still looked the same only her hair was longer. Her eyes were still a little puffy from the crying she'd done that day. As he stared at her Antoinette caught a glimpse of her keys dangling out of his front pocket. She suddenly was hit with an idea that she hoped would work and that she'd be able to pull off without any problems.
Seeing that he was still totally wrapped up in staring at her, she shifted in her seat so that she could reach the lock, she manually unlocked the door so that it didn't make any noise and Brian wouldn't notice. After succeeding in that she slowly and with extreme caution inched her hand over the center counsel and towards his pocket. She pulled her keys, as slowly as she possibly could, out of his pocket and slipped them behind her back. As she found the remote and hit the right button she thought, 'Thank god for whoever invented these handy dandy little remotes.' Which was then followed by 'God Talli's watch Blue's Clues way too much; it's starting to rub off on me.' Turning back around in her seat she yanked on the door handle, pushed the door open quickly, and took off for her car.
Brain was snapped out of his moment of déjà vu by the sound of his passenger side door slamming shut. As he looked up he saw Antoinette running to her car and jump in it. 'What the hell?' he thought, 'I know I locked that door and I have her keys in my-' Brian stopped when he reached down in his pocket and didn't find her keys inside. 'Shit!' He thought as he dialed Dom's cell number as fast as he could, while starting up his car and trying to follow Antoinette all at the same time.
"Hello," Brain heard Dom's voice say through the phone.
"Dom its Brian. I found Anni at 'The Racer's Edge'." He told his friend.
"Are you guys still there?"
"No I had her keys but," He paused, feeling embarrassed about having to tell them how she'd gotten her keys back, "I wasn't paying attention and she got them out of my pocket."
"How the hell do you not notice a woman reaching in your pocket?" Dom asked, completely amazed that a guy wouldn't notice that and a little pissed off that he'd lost his little sister. "Damn it, where are you guys?"
"We're headed south on... holy shit!"
"What the hell's happening?" Dom asked, but it was more of a statement.
"Your sister is crazy! She just pulled a big ass u-turn in the middle of an intersection! Damn it... I don't know how the hell I could miss a hot pink car, but I don't see her anywhere."
"Look around for a bit and meet me back at Harry's in fifteen minutes."
"Alright, I'll meet you there. Bye."
"Bye."
After losing Brian, which she wouldn't lie, had been a little difficult, Antoinette pulled into a small do it yourself carwash. Turning the car off, she got out of her car and took off the top to her car. She knew it was unlikely for her car not to be noticed. But she knew that was mostly her fault, it's not like there were that many hot pink cars on the street. She had always joked with Rome and her other male friends that that's how she could tell if a man was comfortable with his masculinity. Whether on not they would get into her car and drive around. So far only Rome and another friend from Barstow had passed that test. She had yet to give the boys of Team DT a chance to prove themselves, but she knew that none of them would have a problem with it. After getting everything in order and where it belonged she got back into her car, and pulling her gray tinted sunglasses over her eyes. Starting her car, she pulled out of the parking lot, and started driving around aimlessly. Stopped a red light she turned on the radio and started flipping through the stations. She finally found a song that she like but it was near the end. As the next song came on she nearly screamed, it was 'Toxic' by Britney Spears, hitting the scan button immediately, she couldn't find anything she wanted to listen to so she popped in one of her cds. She quickly relaxed as one of her favorite songs, 'Wasn't man enough for me' by Toni Braxton blasted through the speakers and began to sing along. Soon she was stopped at another red light, and still singing she didn't notice the car that had pulled up next to her.
Rome looked over to the car next to his and then down to the little girl sitting next to him in her car seat.
"Hey Tals, there's your mommy. Think we should say hi?" Looking over at the car she saw her mother, bobbing her head to the music, and looked back over to her Uncle Rome nodding her head to say yes.
"Hey there gorgeous, what are you doing?" He yelled over her music.
Antoinette not paying attention to the car next to hers only heard the comment made by the guy in it and stopped singing immediately. Getting ready to tell him off she looked over and nearly died.
"Roman Pierce would you like to live any longer? Try those lame lines on me again and see if it don't get you hit." She said trying not to laugh at him.
"Please girl you know I make even the corniest of lines sound good to the ladies."
"Your kidding yourself, you know that, right? What are you two doing out here anyway?"
"Getting ready to go shopping, you know I can't resist my Lil' Bit's puppy face."
"I'll follow you guys; I ain't got anything else to do. We headed to the mall?"
"Yeah, we'll see you there."
"You know it." And with that the three of them headed for the mall that they were closest to. When they got there they walked around and hung out, making up for lost time. By the time they were done the mall was getting ready to close and Thalia was half asleep, her head resting on Rome's shoulder. It was decided that since Rome already had her car seat in his car, he'd take her back to the house. When they got there they noticed that all the cars were back in place.
"Well you ready to face the 'lions den'? Cuz I'ma tell you now they're gonna be on us like butter on popcorn."
"They can bring it, besides I've got the baby they aren't gonna mess with me. You're the one that should be worried."
"Oh I see how it is, shielding yourself with a twenty-two month old baby. Yeah that's real manly." Antoinette said as they reached the front door. Walking in the door they were greeted with the faces of four angry men, and the worried looks of Mia, Letty, and Jesse. Looking at them, Antoinette tried to greet them with what Rome called her 'hundred watt' smile.
"Hey guys, what's up?"
"What's up?" Dom asked, trying to control his anger and keep from yelling, he didn't want to wake his niece up, "Oh I'll tell you what's up. We spent three hours looking for your ass, where were you?"
"First off, you're not my keeper. I'm a grown adult and fully capable of taking care of myself. Second, no one asked you to follow me, you did that yourself. And third, don't come bitchin' me out just because your pissed you wasted your time looking for me when you're the one who chose to do so. But to answer your question, I was at the mall with my best friend and daughter. Now do you have a problem with that?" She asked, pissed that he thought he could control her.
"Oh and you don't have a phone? You couldn't have called to let us know where you were."
"And have ya'll show up. I don't think so. Sorry but I'd rather not have a group of stalkers following me around all day."
"We were just worried okay, Ann." Mia said to prevent yet another argument today.
"Okay, I understand that, but seriously I can take care of myself."
"Fine, Dom and the rest of the guys can respect that, can't you?" Mia said looking at them and leaving no room for argument. They all nodded their heads, although it was a very reluctant nod for Dom and Vince. It was obvious that they didn't like what they had just agreed to. Antoinette could tell by the looks on their faces that they hated this arrangement and it made it even more difficult for her to say what she was about to. Looking around the room she told them that she was going to stay at a hotel that night, never making eye contact with anyone in the room.
"You're not staying in a hotel Tiny. We have room for you here." Dom said with a finality in his voice that no one had ever questioned before.
"Yes I am. You guys don't have enough room for me and Talli, and Rome and Brian. I've already booked the room so we're gonna stay there."
"Not by yourself. If you're gonna stay in a hotel then one of us is going with you."
"I told you he was gonna say that." Antoinette said looking at Rome.
"Yeah you did. Glad I didn't bet you that fifty dollars I was gonna." He answered her.
"See I know you a bit too well Bro, that's why I had Rome book the room next to mine. So that problem is solved. I'll see you all in the mornin'." And with that the three of them walked back out the door, and getting in their cars, drove for the hotel.

A/N: Well that's the end of this chappy. Aren't you proud? Two updates in two days wipes away invisible tear. No seriously tho I hope to be updating way more frequently now that I'm on summer vacation. Party!!! I was soo sick of school. Wellz I'ma go now. Talk to ya'll later. Plz read and review. I promise I'll love you forever!! Okay, I luv ya'll muchos!!!

Jess