Niema stayed close to Dom all the way. When he rolled up into the driveway of a house, she pulled up right behind him. It seemed that others had arrived first if the music blasting out of the open windows was any indication. She got out and looked at him. "C'mon in and have a beer, Niema. You earned it," Dom invited, waving at her to follow him. "Sounds good to me," she laughed, walking faster to catch up to him.
They walked into the house and were met with cheers. Dom raised an eyebrow and smiled at her as he walked away from her to get two beers. Jesse came up to her. "You weren't kidding about that modification!" he exclaimed happily, "You've got to show me how you hooked it up. It was awesome." She smiled at him. "I'd be glad to." That said, she followed Jesse over to the couch where Leon was trying to beat a young blonde man at a video game.
With a grin, Jesse tilted his bottle and let a few drops of Corona dribble down the back of Leon's neck. "Ahh, fuck!" he shouted, dropping the controller and jumping up from the couch. The other man laughed. "Way to go, Jess. He was cheating anyway," he said as he shut off the game and put his controller on top of it. Leon turned to look at Jesse, his eyes wide. "What was that for, brother? I was winning," he demanded, picking up his controller and tossing it on top of the game system. "Me and Niema need to talk some business. Besides, you weren't busy; you were just cheating at Grand Theft Auto, man," Jesse answered, a smile tugging at his lips. Leon shook his head and started laughing. "Next time, just tell me to move, man. Don't waste good beer." "Ah, it was only a few drops, Leon. Ain't like I poured the whole bottle," Jesse shot back. "Yeah. Behave yourself, young man. Niema, don't let him offer to show you his 'engine'. That could scar you for life," Leon teased, his eyes twinkling. Jesse snorted as Leon turned and walked away. The two of them sat down and immediately started to talk about engines.
Across the room, Vince was watching her. His eyes darkened slightly when he thought of what she'd said to Dom. Only one other person had ever talked to him like that and gotten away with it. It had been Letty. Letty had never backed down from Dom and had no problem speaking her mind. From the looks of things, Niema was the same way. For a moment, he felt an ache in his heart. The whole team missed Letty but he wondered if Dom missed her at all. Sighing heavily, he took his Corona and made his way through the crowded living room and out onto the front porch. He needed some quiet.
Niema caught a glimpse of the dark-haired man watching her. "Jesse, who is he?" she said, nodding in his direction. Jesse's wide smile faltered slightly. "That's Vince. He's sort of Dom's second, you know?" She nodded. "Why is he staring at me?" Jesse shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe because you beat Dom. That's why most of the people here are staring at you." Niema smiled slightly. "You act like that never happens," she commented, smiling as Dom returned with a cold Corona. "It doesn't," Jesse murmured, grinning up at Dom. Dom handed the beer to Niema and gestured around the room. "Make yourself at home. Everyone else does," he laughed before he headed toward the kitchen. Niema smiled slightly. "Thanks, Dom."
She couldn't help but laugh softly. "What?" asked Jesse, giving her a curious look. "He's not fitting the stories I've heard about him. He doesn't seem like so much of a hardass," she explained, still watching Dom's retreating back. "He used to be. But people change, you know," the young man murmured, his eyes visibly darkened by something akin to pain. From the look in his eyes, Niema realized that he was thinking of something painful and she didn't want to see that look. She preferred to see him smile.
"Does the team have a car that's compatible with the Pattern 4 set up?" she asked, changing the subject. Jesse brightened immediately. "Yeah. My car," he laughed, grinning broadly. She thought for a moment. "The Jetta?" He nodded. Smiling, she replied, "It would be a cinch to install it. Probably wouldn't take more than 30 minutes." "That's great. Would you still help me get it in?" Niema smiled, her green eyes twinkling. "I'd be glad to, Jesse." To her surprise, the younger man bounced happily. She was glad that he was as enamored with cars as she was.
In the kitchen
Mia watched her brother watching Niema Cross. "Stare any harder and you'll burn a hole right through her," she teased as she sliced a ripe tomato. "There's something about her, Mia. I don't know just what it is but it keeps hitting me real good," he told her, giving her a smile that she hadn't seen in over a year.
"She reminds me of Letty," Mia stated, glancing at her brother before continuing, "Especially that pussy remark. No one but Letty could ever talk to you like that without getting popped." Dom's face hardened. "I thought I said not to talk about her. She's gone and there's no reason to bring her up again," he rumbled, his voice betraying the slightest quiver. Mia stared at her brother. "You still can't say it, can you, Dom? Letty is dead. She's dead, Dom. Just like Mom and Dad," she told him, reaching out to touch his shoulder.
He jerked away from her. "I know that, Mia," he ground out, anger visible in his dark eyes, "I know it better than you do. I was there, remember? I had to stand there and watch her die because I couldn't save her."
