Chapter Six

Jocelyn watched as Letty disappeared.

'Showtime,' she thought.

She slowly descended the stairs. Each step she took made her more nervous. Thoughts of Vince's expectations ran wild in her mind. She quickly silenced them as the team came in view.

Vince stood watching anxiously as Jocelyn came down the stairs. His breath caught in his throat. She looked beautiful. He smiled slightly when he noticed that she was watching the steps and not looking up at anyone. Her hair fell over her shoulders. Vince felt his heart speed up, and it scared him.

Jocelyn reached the end of the stairs and looked around the room. Letty walked up to her and put her arm through Jocelyn's.

"All right, this is the driving arrangement. Brian and Mia, you two are together. Leon and Jesse can drive together. I want V and Jocelyn to go together. Letty and I will be together. Everybody got it?"

Everyone agreed. Vince chuckled slightly when he realized that Dom was treating the night out just like he would a street race.

'Wait a minute...did he put me with Jocelyn?'

Jocelyn's heart fluttered when she heard Dom put her and Vince together. Everyone started to walk out of the house. She looked at him and noticed what he was wearing. He was wearing a pair of khakis with a white button-up shirt. The first two buttons had been unbuttoned.

Vince walked up to her as Letty walked out of the house with Dom.

"You look beautiful," he said.

She blushed slightly.

"Thanks," Jocelyn replied.

"May I?" Vince asked as he stuck an arm out for her.

Jocelyn nodded and looped her arm through his. They walked out to his Maxima. He held the door open for her.

"Thank you," she said as she climbed in.

Vince shut the door and jogged around to the driver's side. He climbed in and started the car. He then waited patiently for Leon to pull out of the driveway.

Dom sat in the driver's seat talking to Letty. They were on their way to Cha Cha Cha.

"I still don't think that you should have put them together."

Dom sighed. "Well it was either with him or Leon and Jesse. It just worked out this way."

"I don't want them getting together," Letty said as she looked out the window.

"And why not?" Dom asked curiously.

"He'll hurt her. I know it," Letty replied.

Dom chuckled. "You can't protect her from the world, Letty. Let her live her life and make mistakes."

Letty glared at him. "Dom, she has been through more shit that you and I combined. She had to deal with her mom's drug addiction all through her childhood. Her brother died, when she was eight, of cancer. She had to pay for her mom's rehab, bail her out when she got arrested for being drunk and disorderly, and find her mom a place to live all throughout college. Then you add her dad remarrying to my mom and Carter's death. She's had a very rough life. I want to make it as simple as I can from here on out," Letty said as she continued to stare out of the window.

Dom patted Letty's leg briefly. "I haven't seen you act this way towards anybody."

Letty nodded. "She's my best friend. It killed me when she moved back to Atlanta. Now that she's back...I just want her to be happy, that's all."

"V can make her happy."

Letty looked over at Dom like he was crazy.

"He's not always the 'ol Coyote. Remember when he and Taylor dated a couple of months back? He's a nice guy when he's with the right girl. And I think...no I know, that Jocelyn is just what he needs. Trust me, baby," Dom said.

"I'm trying," Letty said, sighing. "It's just so hard knowing his past. What if he hooks up with a skank while they're dating? That would crush her. She's not tough like me. She doesn't handle emotional situations easily. Especially after Carter's death."

"What happened to him?" Dom asked.

Letty shrugged. "From what I've heard, a person put a bomb in their house. It was set to go off when the front door was opened. The police believed that the bomb was meant for both of them, but luckily she forgot her purse and went back for it."

"Why would someone want to plant a bomb in their house?" Dom asked.

"Carter was a police officer. The Atlanta PD had recently had a huge drug bust and it involved several mob members. The APD believe that the bombing was revenge for sending several mob members to jail. Retaliation basically."

"Well, what about Jocelyn? If it was meant to kill her too, then why haven't they come after her?"

"I don't know. She was in Protective Services for a while, but the government could only keep her in there for so long."

Dom nodded and pulled into the parking lot of Cha Cha Cha. He turned to Letty and said, "I'm sorry if I upset you. I just thought that it would be good for both of them."

Letty nodded and smiled. "That's fine. Let's not worry about it and try to have a good time."

"All right," Dom said as they both climbed out of the car.