Chapter 58 - He Really Does Love Her
Harry picked her up at 10 sharp the next day.
"So did you call over to Uncle Dave's house to make sure they'd be home?" She asked him as soon as they were underway.
"No, I didn't want them to find out about me over the phone." Harry sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair.
"I understand. Do you have a cell phone? Would you like me to call them and just make sure they're going to be around?" She asked. There was no sense going if no one was going to be home.
"Sure." He handed her his phone. She dialled her uncle's number. It rang three times and then Brad's voice came across the line.
"Hello?"
"Hi!" Torrie answered.
"Torrie, how are you?"
"Never better Uncle D. You gonna be home for the next while?"
"Sure Torrie, what's up?"
"I have some good news that I don't want to give you over the phone. I'm in the car on my way over. Is anyone else home?"
"No, Jean's at work and Brad got a summer job at some corner store. I'm all alone. You know how it is to be a teacher in summer." Dave laughed.
"I hear ya. Don't go anywhere though. I'll be there soon. It's a good surprise."
"Ok princess, can't wait."
"Bye." She hung up. "Dave'll be home. Jean and Brad are gone out." She glanced at her father. "Are you gonna be ok?"
"I'll be fine princess. This has been one hell of a week." Harry sighed.
"Oh Daddy. I know it must be tough. But you'll get through it."
"I know I will. How could I not with you by my side." Harry took her hand and glanced at her.
"I'm here for you daddy." Harry smiled at her. They pulled up to Dave's house.
"Here goes nothing." Harry said and stood up out of the car. Torrie got up and walked around to her father and took his hand.
"Lets do this." She said and smiled. Then she half dragged her dad up the back steps and knocked on the door, then let herself in. "Hello?"
"I'll be right there Torrie." Her uncle called from somewhere in the house.
"Ok." Torrie called back and sat at the table. "Do you think you should go wait in the living room till I prepare him or do you just want to sit here and hope for the best?" Torrie asked Harry.
"Why don't you stop him at the door and just try to prepare him a little." Harry said after a moment of reflection.
"Ok." Torrie got up and walked over to the door of the kitchen. Her uncle came down from upstairs and Torrie stopped him at the kitchen door. "We need to talk."
"That sounds ominous Torrie, what's on your mind?" Dave asked. He could tell Torrie was agitated.
"Well, I have to tell you something and it's kind of strange. I don't know how to explain it at all so just like my friends had to just tell me I just have to tell you."
"Ok Torrie. No need to get upset. I'm sure that we can handle it. You're not in some sort of trouble are you? Your young man is still treating you well?"
"Dom? Oh yeah, Dom couldn't be better. Nope, this has nothing to do with Dom. You know how they never really found anything inside Daddy's car?"
"Yeah Tor, what of it."
"Well, he wasn't in his car. He's not dead."
"Oh Torrie. I know how much you'd like your dad to still be alive but he died in that crash sweetie. I thought you'd accepted that."
"I had uncle Dave, but I mean he's really not dead. It's not something I'd like to have happen. It's not a theory I have. Daddy's sitting in the kitchen. He came to Dom's to see me the other day and I was as shocked as your about to be. But he's alive. I'll let him tell you the rest of the story." With that Torrie moved out of the way and Dave saw his older brother who he'd thought was dead sitting at his kitchen table.
"What the hell happened? Where were you if you weren't dead?" Dave was torn between being mad and being happy to have his only brother back.
"I had to leave the country and while I was gone it seems someone faked my death." Harry knew that his brother was figuring that he'd faked his death just like everyone else had figured the same thing.
"Who'd do that?" Dave asked.
"That is the million dollar question." Torrie interjected. Everyone sighed. Dave and Harry started to catch up and Torrie was feeling out of place.
"I'm going to call Dominic to come get me so I can get to work and you two can continue catching up." Torrie said with a smile. Harry thought that was a great idea. He wanted to talk to his brother about things he didn't want to talk about in front of Torrie. He didn't want to worry her but he had to talk to someone about the attempts on his life.
"That's a great idea Torrie." Harry answered. He hated to send her willingly anywhere with Dom Toretto but he didn't see that he had any choice. He really wanted to talk to his brother in private. He'd needed Torrie's support to break the news to Dave, but now the two men had a lot to discuss.
Torrie called Dom. "Can you come get me? My dad and his brother want to talk and I feel like I'm just in the way. I can tell that Dad wants to talk about something he doesn't want to share with me."
"Sure I'll come princess. See you soon." Dom answered her. He was glad to get her back. Something was going to have to be done. He didn't want to worry every time her dad and she got together that Harry was brainwashing her with stories of things he'd done in his youth. He knew a lot of the stories would be true, but he was different now and not to mention he didn't want Torrie to know.
Torrie went back into the kitchen. "Dom's on his way." She smiled. "You two have fun catching up."
"We will." They made small talk while they waited for Dom. When he honked outside she stood up.
"See you." She waved good bye and then got into the Mazda with Dom. "Thanks for coming to get me baby."
"No problem. How'd it go?" Dom wondered if Torrie's uncle had been as shocked as Torrie.
"Good. They want to talk guy stuff and I could tell I was in the way so I decided to leave. How's it goin at work?"
"It's not too busy really." Dom glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Good. I'm tired." Torrie leaned back in the seat. She found she was tired. The stressful morning had taken quite a bit out of her and she was still not totally over the flu.
"Why don't you just go home then? We could get by without you. Plus you're all dressed up and your hair isn't done for working at the shop."
"Well, we could just go home long enough for me to change and do my hair, then you can just give me easy jobs for the rest of the day." Torrie didn't want to stay at home alone.
"Ok. Sounds good." Dom pulled into the house. Then he followed her into the house. She got changed then they headed back to the shop. After an hour he went looking for Torrie and couldn't find her anywhere.
Harry and Dave talked about a lot of stuff. Then Harry brought up the issue of the person who'd tried to kill him in Italy. Dave didn't know what to think of it but he was nervous for his brother's safety. Harry was mentioning that he had no idea who would have faked his death at all. Dave pondered that for a second.
"When they thought you were dead, the store was mortgaged in such a way that the mortgage wasn't paid off right?"
"Right, I didn't have the right insurance on it. It went to Torrie but she still had to pay off the mortgage."
"Well, if she couldn't pay it back who got the store? That person had the most to gain if you died." Dave pointed out.
"You're right. The bank appointed some manager according to Torrie. I guess if she couldn't pay the mortgage the bank would find someone to buy it and in that case the guy managing it would likely be the most likely guy to buy it. He must have gotten into our office, Torrie and mine, and found the note that I'd left her telling her I was leaving the country, gotten rid of it, faked my death, then tried to really have me killed while I was away."
"It makes the most sense out of anything else I could think of." Dave answered.
"Don't talk to Torrie about this stuff, Ok? She doesn't know a think about it and I don't want to worry her."
"Ok, did you hear what that manager Ken tried to do to Torrie?"
"No." Harry answered with a frown. Dave proceeded to fill Harry in. When he was done Harry was livid. He was going to find that man, and if Ken was behind all the stuff that had gone wrong Ken was going to find himself in very hot water. The two men agreed to start using their contacts to start to try and locate Ken.
"What about Torrie and Dom. You've met him. What do you think?" Harry asked.
"About what?" Dave didn't understand.
"About Torrie and Dom. I don't really like him. I think he's using her." Harry almost snarled out.
"No way Harry. You should have seen them together the night we had them over to dinner. They were the perfect couple. He was very nice to her, looked out for her and all that. I think they make a nice couple." Dave was obviously serious.
"When I dropped her off at his garage yesterday I realized that I'd forgotten to ask her something and I went back. She'd been there for 5 minutes and they were already in his office..And I think you know what I interrupted." Harry was still looking pissed off.
"Well, you know she's 22 Harry, and you know how kids in love act. It's not like she's underage. I think they're really in love Harry. Try to get use to the idea of them together. I hope you don't have plans on trying to drive them apart or anything crazy like that."
"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought of breaking them up. But I guess she really does love him. Do you think that he really loves her?" That was Harry's main worry about the whole thing. That Dom was using his daughter for a good time and Torrie was falling for Dom with all she was.
"I think so Harry. Not only are they really in love but you have to let Tor make her own mistakes. Not that I think Dom is one of them, but you can't keep her under wraps forever. She has to be allowed to grow up and live her life sometime. Losing you from her life forced it to happen in a hurry but it had to happen sometime."
"You're right. How is it you're the younger one but you have more wisdom?" Harry laughed.
"I can look at this issue a small amount more detached then you." Dave laughed.
"Tell me this, does she street race with him?" Harry wanted confirmation. Dave didn't want to lie.
"Far as I know, yes she does." Harry got up with that, said goodbye and headed for home.
Dom was still looking for Torrie. He didn't know where she could be. He hadn't seen her leave. Neither had Vince, Leon, Jesse or Letty. She had to be in the shop somewhere. The last car she'd been working on had been an oil change on a red Acura. He looked over at the Acura again. He thought he saw a hunk of black hair peaking out from under it. He walked over to the car and got on his knees to look under. There was Torrie, out like a light under the car. Dom smiled. He couldn't help it. She looked so cute asleep with a smudge of dirt on the tip of her nose with a wrench clutched in her hand lying on a creeper. Dom stood up.
"Vince, come see this." He called softly and Vince came over. He pointed under the car and Vince got down and looked.
"Aw. Take her home man, she's obviously tired out." Vince smiled and Dom hauled Torrie out from under the car. He picked her up, carried her to the Mazda then drove her home and crawled into bed with her. He still had the oh so cute picture of her asleep under a car in his head as he drifted off with her in bed in the middle of the day.
Harry picked her up at 10 sharp the next day.
"So did you call over to Uncle Dave's house to make sure they'd be home?" She asked him as soon as they were underway.
"No, I didn't want them to find out about me over the phone." Harry sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair.
"I understand. Do you have a cell phone? Would you like me to call them and just make sure they're going to be around?" She asked. There was no sense going if no one was going to be home.
"Sure." He handed her his phone. She dialled her uncle's number. It rang three times and then Brad's voice came across the line.
"Hello?"
"Hi!" Torrie answered.
"Torrie, how are you?"
"Never better Uncle D. You gonna be home for the next while?"
"Sure Torrie, what's up?"
"I have some good news that I don't want to give you over the phone. I'm in the car on my way over. Is anyone else home?"
"No, Jean's at work and Brad got a summer job at some corner store. I'm all alone. You know how it is to be a teacher in summer." Dave laughed.
"I hear ya. Don't go anywhere though. I'll be there soon. It's a good surprise."
"Ok princess, can't wait."
"Bye." She hung up. "Dave'll be home. Jean and Brad are gone out." She glanced at her father. "Are you gonna be ok?"
"I'll be fine princess. This has been one hell of a week." Harry sighed.
"Oh Daddy. I know it must be tough. But you'll get through it."
"I know I will. How could I not with you by my side." Harry took her hand and glanced at her.
"I'm here for you daddy." Harry smiled at her. They pulled up to Dave's house.
"Here goes nothing." Harry said and stood up out of the car. Torrie got up and walked around to her father and took his hand.
"Lets do this." She said and smiled. Then she half dragged her dad up the back steps and knocked on the door, then let herself in. "Hello?"
"I'll be right there Torrie." Her uncle called from somewhere in the house.
"Ok." Torrie called back and sat at the table. "Do you think you should go wait in the living room till I prepare him or do you just want to sit here and hope for the best?" Torrie asked Harry.
"Why don't you stop him at the door and just try to prepare him a little." Harry said after a moment of reflection.
"Ok." Torrie got up and walked over to the door of the kitchen. Her uncle came down from upstairs and Torrie stopped him at the kitchen door. "We need to talk."
"That sounds ominous Torrie, what's on your mind?" Dave asked. He could tell Torrie was agitated.
"Well, I have to tell you something and it's kind of strange. I don't know how to explain it at all so just like my friends had to just tell me I just have to tell you."
"Ok Torrie. No need to get upset. I'm sure that we can handle it. You're not in some sort of trouble are you? Your young man is still treating you well?"
"Dom? Oh yeah, Dom couldn't be better. Nope, this has nothing to do with Dom. You know how they never really found anything inside Daddy's car?"
"Yeah Tor, what of it."
"Well, he wasn't in his car. He's not dead."
"Oh Torrie. I know how much you'd like your dad to still be alive but he died in that crash sweetie. I thought you'd accepted that."
"I had uncle Dave, but I mean he's really not dead. It's not something I'd like to have happen. It's not a theory I have. Daddy's sitting in the kitchen. He came to Dom's to see me the other day and I was as shocked as your about to be. But he's alive. I'll let him tell you the rest of the story." With that Torrie moved out of the way and Dave saw his older brother who he'd thought was dead sitting at his kitchen table.
"What the hell happened? Where were you if you weren't dead?" Dave was torn between being mad and being happy to have his only brother back.
"I had to leave the country and while I was gone it seems someone faked my death." Harry knew that his brother was figuring that he'd faked his death just like everyone else had figured the same thing.
"Who'd do that?" Dave asked.
"That is the million dollar question." Torrie interjected. Everyone sighed. Dave and Harry started to catch up and Torrie was feeling out of place.
"I'm going to call Dominic to come get me so I can get to work and you two can continue catching up." Torrie said with a smile. Harry thought that was a great idea. He wanted to talk to his brother about things he didn't want to talk about in front of Torrie. He didn't want to worry her but he had to talk to someone about the attempts on his life.
"That's a great idea Torrie." Harry answered. He hated to send her willingly anywhere with Dom Toretto but he didn't see that he had any choice. He really wanted to talk to his brother in private. He'd needed Torrie's support to break the news to Dave, but now the two men had a lot to discuss.
Torrie called Dom. "Can you come get me? My dad and his brother want to talk and I feel like I'm just in the way. I can tell that Dad wants to talk about something he doesn't want to share with me."
"Sure I'll come princess. See you soon." Dom answered her. He was glad to get her back. Something was going to have to be done. He didn't want to worry every time her dad and she got together that Harry was brainwashing her with stories of things he'd done in his youth. He knew a lot of the stories would be true, but he was different now and not to mention he didn't want Torrie to know.
Torrie went back into the kitchen. "Dom's on his way." She smiled. "You two have fun catching up."
"We will." They made small talk while they waited for Dom. When he honked outside she stood up.
"See you." She waved good bye and then got into the Mazda with Dom. "Thanks for coming to get me baby."
"No problem. How'd it go?" Dom wondered if Torrie's uncle had been as shocked as Torrie.
"Good. They want to talk guy stuff and I could tell I was in the way so I decided to leave. How's it goin at work?"
"It's not too busy really." Dom glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Good. I'm tired." Torrie leaned back in the seat. She found she was tired. The stressful morning had taken quite a bit out of her and she was still not totally over the flu.
"Why don't you just go home then? We could get by without you. Plus you're all dressed up and your hair isn't done for working at the shop."
"Well, we could just go home long enough for me to change and do my hair, then you can just give me easy jobs for the rest of the day." Torrie didn't want to stay at home alone.
"Ok. Sounds good." Dom pulled into the house. Then he followed her into the house. She got changed then they headed back to the shop. After an hour he went looking for Torrie and couldn't find her anywhere.
Harry and Dave talked about a lot of stuff. Then Harry brought up the issue of the person who'd tried to kill him in Italy. Dave didn't know what to think of it but he was nervous for his brother's safety. Harry was mentioning that he had no idea who would have faked his death at all. Dave pondered that for a second.
"When they thought you were dead, the store was mortgaged in such a way that the mortgage wasn't paid off right?"
"Right, I didn't have the right insurance on it. It went to Torrie but she still had to pay off the mortgage."
"Well, if she couldn't pay it back who got the store? That person had the most to gain if you died." Dave pointed out.
"You're right. The bank appointed some manager according to Torrie. I guess if she couldn't pay the mortgage the bank would find someone to buy it and in that case the guy managing it would likely be the most likely guy to buy it. He must have gotten into our office, Torrie and mine, and found the note that I'd left her telling her I was leaving the country, gotten rid of it, faked my death, then tried to really have me killed while I was away."
"It makes the most sense out of anything else I could think of." Dave answered.
"Don't talk to Torrie about this stuff, Ok? She doesn't know a think about it and I don't want to worry her."
"Ok, did you hear what that manager Ken tried to do to Torrie?"
"No." Harry answered with a frown. Dave proceeded to fill Harry in. When he was done Harry was livid. He was going to find that man, and if Ken was behind all the stuff that had gone wrong Ken was going to find himself in very hot water. The two men agreed to start using their contacts to start to try and locate Ken.
"What about Torrie and Dom. You've met him. What do you think?" Harry asked.
"About what?" Dave didn't understand.
"About Torrie and Dom. I don't really like him. I think he's using her." Harry almost snarled out.
"No way Harry. You should have seen them together the night we had them over to dinner. They were the perfect couple. He was very nice to her, looked out for her and all that. I think they make a nice couple." Dave was obviously serious.
"When I dropped her off at his garage yesterday I realized that I'd forgotten to ask her something and I went back. She'd been there for 5 minutes and they were already in his office..And I think you know what I interrupted." Harry was still looking pissed off.
"Well, you know she's 22 Harry, and you know how kids in love act. It's not like she's underage. I think they're really in love Harry. Try to get use to the idea of them together. I hope you don't have plans on trying to drive them apart or anything crazy like that."
"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought of breaking them up. But I guess she really does love him. Do you think that he really loves her?" That was Harry's main worry about the whole thing. That Dom was using his daughter for a good time and Torrie was falling for Dom with all she was.
"I think so Harry. Not only are they really in love but you have to let Tor make her own mistakes. Not that I think Dom is one of them, but you can't keep her under wraps forever. She has to be allowed to grow up and live her life sometime. Losing you from her life forced it to happen in a hurry but it had to happen sometime."
"You're right. How is it you're the younger one but you have more wisdom?" Harry laughed.
"I can look at this issue a small amount more detached then you." Dave laughed.
"Tell me this, does she street race with him?" Harry wanted confirmation. Dave didn't want to lie.
"Far as I know, yes she does." Harry got up with that, said goodbye and headed for home.
Dom was still looking for Torrie. He didn't know where she could be. He hadn't seen her leave. Neither had Vince, Leon, Jesse or Letty. She had to be in the shop somewhere. The last car she'd been working on had been an oil change on a red Acura. He looked over at the Acura again. He thought he saw a hunk of black hair peaking out from under it. He walked over to the car and got on his knees to look under. There was Torrie, out like a light under the car. Dom smiled. He couldn't help it. She looked so cute asleep with a smudge of dirt on the tip of her nose with a wrench clutched in her hand lying on a creeper. Dom stood up.
"Vince, come see this." He called softly and Vince came over. He pointed under the car and Vince got down and looked.
"Aw. Take her home man, she's obviously tired out." Vince smiled and Dom hauled Torrie out from under the car. He picked her up, carried her to the Mazda then drove her home and crawled into bed with her. He still had the oh so cute picture of her asleep under a car in his head as he drifted off with her in bed in the middle of the day.