Rina hadn't spoken to Brian in those three weeks. Nor had she spoken with any of the other members of Team Toretto. She wasn't sure if they'd want to speak with her. She hadn't lied when she told them she wasn't a cop, but she hadn't been completely truthful either. The only reason that Jesse hadn't found it in his on line search was because of her very talented programmers. They had told her though that it had been a struggle to stay one step ahead of the young man. The detective had told her that Mia and Letty had recovered fine, and that all of them were going to testify. She too would be testifying, and that terrified her. Besides the one time she'd told the police, she hadn't told her story again. Now she would be getting up in front of a courtroom full of people. They would show the pictures of her bruised and battered body. Just something else for her to live through.
As soon as the airplane landed she took a cab to her house. Everything was as she'd left it. She avoided looking at the house across the street. Perhaps one day they could reach a friendly neighbor status. Rina stood in her living room and stared at the lone couch and television. If she decided to stay here and work for Detective Cassidy, this would really not do at all. She could think about that later though. Right now she was tired. She walked into her bedroom and pulled down the covers. Taking off her shoes she lay down and stared at the ceiling. It wasn't long before she drifted off into sleep.
Letty saw the lights on in the house across the street and felt a thrill of hope. She told Dom she'd be back in a bit, and left before he could ask any more questions. Within moments of her knock, Rina answered the door looking slightly groggy. "Letty, you okay?"
"Can I talk to you?"
Rina stepped aside to let Letty into the house. They ended up sitting on the couch in the living room. "What's up Letty?"
"I'm glad you're back." she blurted. Taking a breath she began again. "Everyone is going to be glad you're back."
"I'm not so sure about that." Rina grinned wryly. "I wasn't exactly honest with you guys."
Letty shook her head. "But you didn't lie either, you aren't a cop. And you weren't here for us. We miss you. Brian misses you. He looks like shit. We're all trying to deal with what happened. Dom and Vince barely let me or Mia out of their sight. If they aren't there then Leon and Jesse are the guard dogs."
"They're just overcompensating. They feel like they let you down before by not being able to protect you from the monsters." Rina told her.
Letty nodded. "I know that. We don't blame them. We don't blame you. Hell Rina, if you hadn't come to town, I can only imagine what they would have done. Before you got there that asshole told Mia and me that he'd been watching us since that first night, and had let the anticipation build."
"They're sick men."
"What happened to Angelina could have happened to us." Letty stated. "We could've, and would've ended up dead. You'll never know how grateful we are to you."
It was Rina's turn to shake her head. "I don't want your gratitude Letty. It means enough to me that you still want to be my friend." Then the women did something that didn't come naturally to either one of them. They leaned forward and hugged each other. Both of them started sobbing, letting their fear and pain out. Two women who might not fully know what the other had gone through, but had finally found common ground even if it was through pain.
When Letty eventually left Rina felt a thousand times better. She hadn't told Letty that she was staying permanently. She figured there was plenty of time for that later. For now she wanted to get her house set up, and talk to Detective Cassidy about a possible job. While it was true she didn't need a job, Rina wanted a job. She wanted something that would give her fulfillment. Something that would give her a challenge. Rina didn't know if bounty hunting fugitives that didn't have a tie to her would be that, but she would find out her options.
Letty walked into the kitchen and Dom leapt to his feet. "Where have you been?" he asked anxiously.
"Dom, I told you I was going out for a bit. Calm down. Rina's back, I went to talk to her."
Something in her voice told him that he needed to ease up a bit. He sat back down at the table. "How is she?"
"She doesn't look so good. She looks empty. Like she doesn't know what her purpose is anymore. I think she's missin Brian, but doesn't realize that's what it is. She knows she loves him, but I don't think she knows how much she loves him." Letty sat down next to Dom and rested her head on his shoulder. "Rina thinks we're all gonna hate her."
"That isn't even close to the truth of it." Dom rubbed his hand down Letty's hair.
"I know." she agreed. "I'm gonna bring her to the next races. Show her that we still want her here. Maybe she'll stay. Maybe she and Brian can figure it out."
"Would be good. He's a mess."
When Letty came over the next day asking if she'd go to the races with her, Rina's first instinct had been to decline. Letty kept pressing the matter though, and she finally found herself caving. Dressed in her standard black jeans and black tank, they pulled into the Toretto formation to find that everyone was already there. Letty led her forward to where Hector and Dom were standing. Rina felt a lump in her throat. She was terrified. Completely terrified that these people would reject her.
"Hector you remember Rina?" Letty asked.
"Yeah, I remember Rina." He said, and Rina saw something odd in his eyes. "You brought down Trust Fund? You a bounty hunter?"
"Yeah, I am." she said lifting her chin in the air.
"Then you're the one we owe." he said.
Rina took a step back. Had Letty brought her here as a trap?
Hector continued, as the group around them grew with the entire racing community. "We see the news. We know what they did. You saved Dom, and his team; my friends." he said with a slight smile. "But you also avenged Angelina. She was one of ours, and I didn't take good enough care of her. None of us did. But you, you're a true soldier, and for that you'll always have my peoples gratitude."
Rina was shocked. Tears started forming behind her eyes.
"You have all of our gratitude." A black man named Edwin said. "You a true super hero."
Another man who she didn't know stepped forward. "Those guys could have done this to any of the girls who come out here, and we wouldn't know because of how much they didn't look the part. You're welcome with my group any time."
"Thank you." she whispered to them all. Finally, Letty let her pull away, and she walked off to catch her breath and steady her nerves. She'd made a difference. She hadn't just done for herself, if she had it would have been selfishness. No, Rina had done it for all the girls who weren't Catrina De La Rossi, and Angelina Garcia. She'd done it for all the women they'd yet to terrorize, and torture. It made her feel the best she'd felt in a long time. Rina happened to look up and into Brian's eyes. He wasn't close, he was over behind Dom, but she felt as if he was right in front of him. How was she supposed to fix this?