The cab pulled up outside the bar about ten minutes later. Laura followed Dom into the dark, crowded room and straight over to a booth at the back. Letty, Vince and Jesse were sitting, beers in hand and looking pretty pissed off. Dom sat beside Letty and Laura chose to squeeze in beside Vince and Jesse on the opposite side of the table.
"Where the fuck have you been! We've been worried sick Dom!" Letty yelled over the music and drunken voices.
She looked over at Laura, her eyes full of suspicion. It was then that Laura understood why Letty was so paranoid when it came to Dom being around other girls; he was a complete man whore!
"Sorry baby… we didn't know where you were…it took us a while to get to the house and then find the note…clever thinkin' by the way." Dom leaned over and kissed Letty rough and needy, not just surprising her, but the whole table.
In the end Vince had to clear his throat loudly and when that failed he banged the table with his fist,
"Hey man! This is not the time… what's happened with Mia and Brian? They weren't at the house when we got there dawg!"
Dom let go of Letty and leant back on the bench, rubbing his hand over his head,
"They're Ok man. Hector took them to his place along the coast. We've to go meet them. We should go now… they're bound to be goin' crazy."
They all nodded and as Laura got up ready to go she caught sight of two police officers at the bar. They were talking to the barman, asking questions. She pushed Vince back into the booth and turned her back to the bar. Panic set in, she looked around for any way they could escape without being noticed. Dom noticed straight away what had worried her and started looking around for an exit they could use. All sorts ran through her head. Had they found the car? Had they found Mia and Brian…held them for questioning? Were they even here for them? Vince nudged her and she realised Dom was talking,
"You get that Laura?" Dom was looking expectant. Had he said something?
"Uh no…sorry. What?"
He sighed impatiently, "Once the cops turn their backs I'll give a signal and we'll run for that fire exit." He pointed at an exit near the back of the bar.
"Ok got it."
They sat for a few seconds and then Dom nodded his head and made a run for it. The cops may have been there for a completely different reason but they could take no chances. They all made it outside without being seen and they stopped running when they got a few hundred yards up the highway. Jesse took a while to catch up, Vince trying his best to help him along.
"Hectors apartment is only a 15 minute walk from here…we'll hike it." Dom said as he put his arm around Letty and took the lead.
Laura could only think about how much of an asshole Dom was. He hadn't even acknowledged Jesse's injury! Vince helped him along, and it didn't look like he was losing much or any blood but Jesse was still limping and obviously in a lot of pain. Laura ran up to Jesse's other side and put his arm over her shoulder,
"Hey Jess, you Ok man. You losing any blood?" She asked, her voice full of concern.
"No I'm Ok. Letty stopped the bleeding…it just hurts a lot. The bullet only skimmed me…so there's no entry wound. It's not that bad."
"K." she smiled down at him and looked at Vince.
Vince's jaw was twitching as he watched Dom up ahead. He was obviously thinking the same as her. Dom really could be completely selfish at times. She caught Vinces' glance and he shook his head. She rolled her eyes, then looked back down at Jesse as he groaned.
"Come on Jess…only a few more minutes…we'll be there soon." Laura didn't actually know when they'd be there but Jessie obviously needed some encouragement.
It took nearly half an hour to get to Hectors place. By then Dom and Letty had realised Jesse needed a bit more help and had taken him off Laura and Vinces hands for a while. Lauras' shoulders and back screamed out. Even with two of them holding Jesse up he was still, surprisingly, a tonne weight. Hector buzzed them up and greeted them at the door as if nothing had happened. Laura looked around the apartment for Mia and Brian. Hector sensed she was anxious to see them,
"They're in tha sittin' room chica…I'd watch it though…Brian's on the war path. Especially with Dom."
Dom's ears picked this up and he scorned. Laura walked into the sitting room to find Mia asleep on a chair and Brian standing at the window. She saw his back tense as she made her way over to him. Suddenly, her emotions caught up with her and she broke down in tears,
"I'm so sorry Brian. I know I promised you I wouldn't go looking for trouble but I had to… I couldn't let them get away with it…"
She stood for a lifetime, tears running down her cheeks, waiting for a response from Brian. He stood still staring out the window, as if there was something amazing going on outside. Finally he turned round to face her. As soon as he saw the state she was in, the tear-streaked face, the lost eyes, he melted. Laura could see the pain fill his eyes as he wiped a tear from her face. He sighed and hugged her. He stood holding her as she cried… cried for the trust she had lost in him, cried for the foolish girl she had proved herself to be, cried for the mistake they had just made, for the mess they were all in now. He led her into a bedroom and closed the door, setting her on the bed,
"Laura… I was so worried. Why did you go…? You knew I didn't want you to…did you not know why?"
She looked at him as he sat beside her, her tears blurring her vision and she shrugged,
"I don't know. I needed… I needed to get back at them Brain…for hurting you so bad, and I guess I needed to prove myself too. I needed the team to know I could take care of myself…but it was so foolish, I get that now. I'd do anything to take it all back."
He nodded his head, "I know. I knew you'd go anyway. Nothing can hold you down. I just wish you would let me take care of you, instead of you doing stupid things that could get you killed... I wish I coulda seen you though…"
Laura was surprised when he said this and she looked at him only to find him grinning,
"I bet you kicked ass. It's a pity I couldn't have been there with you… I can only imagine what it was like. I heard they chased you…intense!"
Laura laughed, but it was a tired laugh, "It was exhilarating at the time I guess. But now when I think of it all…it wasn't worth it. I got so much pleasure from beatin' the crap outa them…but it means we are all in a whole load of shit now. I mean…what are we gunna do? We need to go back and get the car… now we probably have the cops after us as well as the Trans."
"Don't worry about it. Dom will figure somethin' out… we might take a trip down to Mexico for a while or I was thinkin' we could all go to…Ireland, what do ya think?"
She looked at Brain, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not. She would like to go back to see her friends but the thought of running into her family or worse, Jerry, scared her,
"I dunno Brian…Mexico, sure. But not Ireland…I don't think I could go back."
He nodded his head, "It was only a suggestion. Mexico's easier to get to anyway."
They both sat in a comfortable silence for a while, thinking about what obviously had to happen next. Laura's dream of living in Cali seemed impossible right now… none of them could stay here. Someone knocked the door and Dom poked his head into the room,
"We need to talk Brian… in the kitchen."
Brian nodded and Dom left, frowning at something. Laura made her way into the kitchen followed by Brian who, seeing Dom's stare, put his arm around her.
"Ok. I think it's pretty fuckin' obvious shit got heavy today…a little too heavy. The best think we can do is leave for Mexico…stay down there for a few months until this all blows over. The cops may be after us but the Tran's definitely are and I don't think it's a good idea for us to hang around and wait for someone to get killed. Everyone down with that?"
Dom looked around the group and settled his gaze on Laura and Brian. He shifted his footing a little as he caught Laura's gaze, she wanted to make him uncomfortable and it worked. He looked at his hands and then back up at Mia, who seemed a little upset,
"Dom…I can't do this again. I can't run from this shit all my life…"
"Mia, I swear to you I'll sort this out…somehow. And then no more fuck-ups. We just need to lay low for a while…and we have friends in Mexico that can set us up." Dom tried to reassure her but she didn't look convinced.
"I think it's the best we can do with a bad situation man, " Letty said sighing, "we need to split for Mexico as soon as possible though cuz Tran won't take long to find us and you can be sure he'd send a fuckin' army after us."
Dom nodded, "We should all go tonight…go to the house, pick up some essentials, the cars and go. Vince, we'll go with the tow truck to get your ride and take it too. It'll give us somethin' to work on down there…"
They all nodded and stood in silence. No one wanted to run…least of all Laura, she was sick of running, but they couldn't risk staying in LA. She knew that for sure.
"Hector man, it's been a pleasure as usual. Thanks for everythin' and if anyone comes lookin'…"
"Yeah man I know…I haven't seen you."
The whole team made their way out of Hectors apartment and down onto the street. Mia waved two cabs down and they all squeezed in. Laura and Brian were the last to get into the second cab. She hugged Hector,
"You should race on Friday man…now that Dom won't be there."
Hector laughed, "Maybe I will. Stay safe chica…"
She nodded and got into the cab, watching Hector as they drove off. It wasn't fair, maybe Hector should be coming too. He was in as much danger as they were.
Twenty minutes later they pulled outside the house. It looked strange as it sat dark and empty. It felt strange to be here too for some reason. Dom and Vince stayed in the cab explaining they'd be back in an hour with the tow truck and Vince's car. Dom told the rest of them to get what they had to get from the house and to make sure they were ready to go when they got back. Laura made her way into the house, immediately running up the stairs into her room. She packed all her clothes in record time and within ten minutes her room was as bare as it had been the day she moved in. She didn't have many things so luckily she wouldn't have to leave anything behind.
She made her way downstairs to find Brian sitting on the couch, his bags beside him. Letty was packing up the PS2 and Laura laughed,
"What?" Letty looked innocent, "We're not leavin' it…"
Brian watched Laura as she paced the room.
"Do we need anything from the store or the garage?" She looked at Letty, knowing Dom would have told her what was organised in the cab.
"No. Hector will look after the store and the garage will stay closed. We have two cars in it at the mo, Hector said he'll finish them up, give them back to the owners and shut up shop till we get back."
Laura nodded. Dom seemed very organised, like he was a pro when it came to running. Of course they all were in a way.
"Shit, I haven't driven my Skyline in like two weeks! I don't even know if it needs gas…"
Laura ran out to the drive. Her baby was sitting, looking as good as new. It was lucky Dom had replaced the tyres. She made her way over, keys in hand and got into the drivers' seat. Brian watched from the steps as she started her up and watched the gauge. It felt weird to be in it after all this time. She remembered the last time she had driven it…the accident. She shook the thoughts from her head and sighed with relief as the gauge read full. Dom must have filled her up too.
She returned to the house and sat with Brian watching the rest of the team pack things up. Mia ran around after she had packed her own clothes tidying things away. She pulled plugs complaining she didn't want to come back and have the place burnt to a crisp. Laura kept her mouth shut as she realised the Trans might oblige anyway…Within half an hour there was a pile of bags at the door and everyone had checked their rides to see if they needed gas. Once they were sure everything was done they all sat on the steps outside waiting for Dom and Vince. Laura wondered what the neighbours might think if they saw them all sitting like this, bags piled to the sky at 2.30 in the morning.
Mia looked worried, mainly because both her brother and boyfriend had went back into the wrong side of town. Luckily a few minutes later a truck pulled up with Vinces blue maxima on the back of it. Mia sighed with relief as Dom jumped out of the truck and made his way over to them.
"Lucky the cops hadn't taken it…found it exactly how we left it. You all ready?"
Mia nodded, "I pack some of your shit. Everything's taken care of…let's get goin' before I change my mind."
They all got up and headed to their cars. No one smiled, no one laughed, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Of course what had they to be happy about, they were leaving their life behind…again. Vince pulled off in the truck followed by Dom in his RX-7, Letty in her 240SX, Mia in her Acura, Jesse in his Jetta and Brian in his Skyline. Laura fell in at the end, happy to follow them all. She felt guilty as hell. It was her fault they all had to leave, she was the one that had insisted they go after the Trans.
As they pulled onto the Santa Ana Freeway, Laura turned her stereo on. She turned the volume up to nearly full as Limp Bizkits' 'Lonely world' came on. She sang along, the lyrics making complete sense and somehow making her feel better,
When I reminisce ignorance was bliss
Back in the days where the magic exist
Never be the same as it was, 'cuz the way it was
Just another day in the maze of a myth
Had a lot of fun livin' life on the run
Never had a chance to pause to get a better glance
Everything was free and everything was fast
Never even thought it wouldn't last
Another day another night inside a lonely world
Another game another fight inside a lonely world
Another wrong another right inside a lonely world
Such a lonely world such a lonely world
No matter how hard I can try inside a lonely world
No one can hear me when I cry inside a lonely world
I'll never know the reasons why inside a lonely world
Such a lonely world such a lonely world
Who knew how long they'd be driving for. All she knew was that they were going to Mexico…but where in Mexico? Tijuana…Mexico City? Only Dom knew. She guessed he was expecting them to follow him… no surprise there then.