Chapter 19
Leon waited until Sky was sound asleep again then went back upstairs to look over the information Jesse brought him. He couldn't seem to shake a suspicion that she was not being entirely truthful. He laid the papers out on the table and examined each one closely searching for any detail he might have missed. He decided to take this search from another angle and ran down the stairs to get her bags.
He dumped the contents of the backpack on the living room floor and sorted through the pile. Insignificant things he placed to the side. The first thing that caught his eye was a small photo album. The first photo was of Sky with another woman. He removed the picture from its sleeve and read the writing on the back, "Takara and Sky. Christmas 1997. So this is Takara." He put the photo back in the album and thumbed through stopping at a photo of Sky sitting on some guy's lap. He pulled it out to read the back, but it had no writing or date. He pushed the photo back and threw the album back into the backpack not wanting to acknowledge his jealousy. Nothing in the bag answered the questions swirling around his head, if anything it just added more questions to the list. Leon pulled the green duffel into his lap and starts emptying the contents. He found mostly clothes, shoes and more photos. What he found at the bottom of the bag concerned him, a large amount of cash. Leon picked up the phone and dialed the shop.
Letty answered the phone after four rings, "DT."
"Yo Let, girl how ya doing?"
"Good. What's up?"
"Is Dom around? Need to talk to him." He said nervously as he tried to count the wads of cash sitting between his legs.
"You don't sound so good. Hold on I'll get Dom." Letty set the phone down and called out for Dom. She got no answer back. "Boy I don't know where he is. Look I go find him and we'll head home."
"See ya in a few." He hung up the phone. Within minutes he heard the sound of performance cars pulling into the driveway. Dom strolled in the door followed by Letty and Jesse.
"What's all this shit?" Dom said checking out the mess Leon had made in the living room. "Mia's gonna have your ass."
"Dom tell me what 22 year old woman you know would be traveling cross country with 500 thousand dollars in the bottom of a duffel bag?" He showed Dom the cash.
"That's a whole lot of cash. Whose bag is that?"
"Long lost friend of mine. She's asleep downstairs."
"What'd we know about this girl?"
Jesse handed Dom a stack of papers, "She doesn't have much of a record cause she's been listed as missing for the last six years. He dad went psycho and shot her mom and her, then he turned the gun on himself." Leon looked down at the ground not wanting to relive the details from that night. Jesse noticed the sad look on his face, "Sorry Leon."
Dom looked down at Leon sitting on the floor, "How do you know her?"
"She was my girlfriend, lived across the street from each other. I was there the night she was shot. Held her in my arms until the cops showed up." His voice was low and deep. "Took her to the beach for her birthday. She was so happy to get away." He paused and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "We said goodnight and 10 minutes later she was laying in the hall near her room covered in blood." Letty walked over and put her arms around Leon's shoulders.
"Oh shit." Dom put the papers down on the table. "Riverside right? Her dad was a local cop?" Leon nodded his head. "Skylar Thomas, she's Vince's cousin. Now who's going to tell me where she's been for the last six years?"
Leon handed Dom the paperwork on Simon and explained what Sky has been up to. The whole time Dom just stared in disbelief as the tale unfolded. He picked up the phone and told Vince to come home and to pick Mia up on the way. Leon packed her belongings back into the duffel and went to his room to check on her. She was still asleep with a strand of hair wrapped around her finger. He placed the bags back on the floor and went back upstairs to wait for Vince's arrival.
Vince walked in to find everyone sitting in the living room quietly watching the TV. Dom got up and motioned for him to walk upstairs with him. "What's this about brother?"
"Your cousin Sky is here and before you go charging down the stairs I have to tell you some things. She's been in some trouble since she left. Nothing we can't handle but you need to know."
"Where is she?"
"You can see her in a minute." Dom said pushing Vince back from the door.
"Bullshit, where is she?" His voice was loud and full of anger.
Dom shook his head, "Are you gonna listen? You can't go busting in on her right now. She's sleeping in Leon's bed."
Vince pushed past Dom and down the steps. He headed right for Leon punching him hard in the jaw and knocking him back into the chair. Leon was stunned by the blow and braced for the next.
Dom stepped in between Leon and Vince. He shoved Vince backwards. "Enough. Vince, calm the hell down." Dom and Vince were standing eye to eye waiting for the other to back down. Vince gave in and took a seat next to Mia on the couch. Dom turned to Leon, "Go get her." Leon quietly left the room.
Leon waited until Sky was sound asleep again then went back upstairs to look over the information Jesse brought him. He couldn't seem to shake a suspicion that she was not being entirely truthful. He laid the papers out on the table and examined each one closely searching for any detail he might have missed. He decided to take this search from another angle and ran down the stairs to get her bags.
He dumped the contents of the backpack on the living room floor and sorted through the pile. Insignificant things he placed to the side. The first thing that caught his eye was a small photo album. The first photo was of Sky with another woman. He removed the picture from its sleeve and read the writing on the back, "Takara and Sky. Christmas 1997. So this is Takara." He put the photo back in the album and thumbed through stopping at a photo of Sky sitting on some guy's lap. He pulled it out to read the back, but it had no writing or date. He pushed the photo back and threw the album back into the backpack not wanting to acknowledge his jealousy. Nothing in the bag answered the questions swirling around his head, if anything it just added more questions to the list. Leon pulled the green duffel into his lap and starts emptying the contents. He found mostly clothes, shoes and more photos. What he found at the bottom of the bag concerned him, a large amount of cash. Leon picked up the phone and dialed the shop.
Letty answered the phone after four rings, "DT."
"Yo Let, girl how ya doing?"
"Good. What's up?"
"Is Dom around? Need to talk to him." He said nervously as he tried to count the wads of cash sitting between his legs.
"You don't sound so good. Hold on I'll get Dom." Letty set the phone down and called out for Dom. She got no answer back. "Boy I don't know where he is. Look I go find him and we'll head home."
"See ya in a few." He hung up the phone. Within minutes he heard the sound of performance cars pulling into the driveway. Dom strolled in the door followed by Letty and Jesse.
"What's all this shit?" Dom said checking out the mess Leon had made in the living room. "Mia's gonna have your ass."
"Dom tell me what 22 year old woman you know would be traveling cross country with 500 thousand dollars in the bottom of a duffel bag?" He showed Dom the cash.
"That's a whole lot of cash. Whose bag is that?"
"Long lost friend of mine. She's asleep downstairs."
"What'd we know about this girl?"
Jesse handed Dom a stack of papers, "She doesn't have much of a record cause she's been listed as missing for the last six years. He dad went psycho and shot her mom and her, then he turned the gun on himself." Leon looked down at the ground not wanting to relive the details from that night. Jesse noticed the sad look on his face, "Sorry Leon."
Dom looked down at Leon sitting on the floor, "How do you know her?"
"She was my girlfriend, lived across the street from each other. I was there the night she was shot. Held her in my arms until the cops showed up." His voice was low and deep. "Took her to the beach for her birthday. She was so happy to get away." He paused and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. "We said goodnight and 10 minutes later she was laying in the hall near her room covered in blood." Letty walked over and put her arms around Leon's shoulders.
"Oh shit." Dom put the papers down on the table. "Riverside right? Her dad was a local cop?" Leon nodded his head. "Skylar Thomas, she's Vince's cousin. Now who's going to tell me where she's been for the last six years?"
Leon handed Dom the paperwork on Simon and explained what Sky has been up to. The whole time Dom just stared in disbelief as the tale unfolded. He picked up the phone and told Vince to come home and to pick Mia up on the way. Leon packed her belongings back into the duffel and went to his room to check on her. She was still asleep with a strand of hair wrapped around her finger. He placed the bags back on the floor and went back upstairs to wait for Vince's arrival.
Vince walked in to find everyone sitting in the living room quietly watching the TV. Dom got up and motioned for him to walk upstairs with him. "What's this about brother?"
"Your cousin Sky is here and before you go charging down the stairs I have to tell you some things. She's been in some trouble since she left. Nothing we can't handle but you need to know."
"Where is she?"
"You can see her in a minute." Dom said pushing Vince back from the door.
"Bullshit, where is she?" His voice was loud and full of anger.
Dom shook his head, "Are you gonna listen? You can't go busting in on her right now. She's sleeping in Leon's bed."
Vince pushed past Dom and down the steps. He headed right for Leon punching him hard in the jaw and knocking him back into the chair. Leon was stunned by the blow and braced for the next.
Dom stepped in between Leon and Vince. He shoved Vince backwards. "Enough. Vince, calm the hell down." Dom and Vince were standing eye to eye waiting for the other to back down. Vince gave in and took a seat next to Mia on the couch. Dom turned to Leon, "Go get her." Leon quietly left the room.