The garage was filled with clinking, clattering, and drilling that were being overridden by the loud blaring of the radio and gratefully enjoyed by the 3 workers that slaved away beneath the cars that were lined up in a horizontal row. Letty was working on a Civic; Leon was working on an eclipse and Vince was working on a Mustang. Leon cursed to himself as he failed over and over again on trying to adjust the new parts beneath the car and Vince was muttering randomly about how hot it was. Letty was the only one who was not working beneath the car. Lucky for her, she was stuck with problems that were under the hood.
"How can these putas wait so long to have their car checked out? This is pathetic! Hey Le, come check this shit out." Leon and Vince rolled out from beneath their cars at the same time even though Leon was the only one called over. They got up and made their way over to the Civic, taking a peak inside.
"Who the hell drives this car? A 72 year old hag?" Leon reached in, fidgeting around with some parts before standing up straight. "Damn, dawg."
"Words cannot express how cheap that engine is." Vince laughed out.
Casey reread the address over that was scribbled out on the small piece of paper and then slipped it back into her pocket. She slowly crept down the street, eyeing over the addresses until she came upon the one that matched the numbers on the slip of paper. She pulled up into the driveway in her Eclipse, shutting off her car before stepping out. She frowned as LA's infamous heat bore down on her, forcing a small groan to tumble out of her. She was crazy. Here it was 102+ degrees and she was applying to work in a hot garage. She was use to working her ass off on cars but not in the heat. Chicago wasn't nearly as hot as LA.
Casey tugged up on her hip-hugger blue jeans, pulling them a bit higher up on her hips. She straightened out her top a bit, frowning when she noticed several wrinkles. Oh well. She was looking decent at least and if Harry were right about this place being desperate for help, then they wouldn't be picky. She ran a hand through her strawberry blonde hair before resting it down at her side and moving into the garage. Further back she saw 3 people talking away while they stood over a Honda Civic. Casey squinted her eyes as they adjusted to the dim lighting. There were 2 men and 1 woman, talking away…joking with each other about something, most likely the car. Casey cleared her throat trying to get their attention but the blaring of the radio drowned her out. So she tired again, this time calling out.
"Excuse me! Do you know where I can find a Mr. Dominic Toretto?"
All three of them turned around at the same time, looking over at her. Vince moved over to the radio and turned it down while Leon and Letty advanced upon her. Leon gave her a small smile where as Letty simply glared at her. Casey immediately noted that this was going to be a typical garage. This woman was going to be the annoying bitchy fellow employee. Every job she had had one employee or another that had a bad attitude.
"Who'd you say you were looking for?" Leon cocked a brow, unsure if she asked for Mia or Dom.
Casey hesitated, beginning to wonder if she had the wrong garage after all. "I'm looking for a Mr. Dominic Toretto. Is this his garage?" She reached in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She handed it to him, smiling politely. "I spoke with a Mia Toretto on the phone about a week ago and she gave me this address. She also told me to ask for her brother, Dominic Toretto."
Vince took a stand beside Leon and glanced down at the piece of paper. He then looked up at Casey and looked her over. He made no attempt to hide his interest in her. Casey frowned at this but shrugged it off. And this guy here is going to be the typical horny male fellow employee. By now she had every reason to believe that Leon was the normal one around here.
Letty rested the tip of her tongue along the corner of her upper lip, as she looked the girl over. She didn't even know her and already she disliked her, mainly because she knew why she was here.
"Jessie's replacement…" Letty whispered softly, shaking her head. "He's already asking for help." Leon and Vince shot a quick glance at each other; a look that made Casey curious to know why asking for help was such a big deal.
"I'm sorry but I would really like to speak with—"
"He's in there." Letty snapped at her and pointed towards the closed door off to the right.
"Thanks." She said weakly and walked over to the closed door. She knocked softly on it and waited for a reply. The voice that sounded out was hard and deep and very gravely but it somehow managed to sooth and ease her up.
"It's open!"
Casey pushed the door open and stepped inside, smiling over at a staring man. He had a clean-shaved head and a strong muscular build. His eyes were a dark brown and his skin a smooth caramel. Casey took in a deep breath before closing the door behind her and pressing on. She could feel his eyes looking her over trailing over her legs that were still accented by her jeans and further up to her hips and then her chest. Finally he made eye contact.
"Hi, I'm Casey Evans…I called in about a week ago about a job and she told me to come see you…you're Dominic Toretto, right?"
Dom nodded and slowly stood, extending out a large hand. Casey shook it softly before taking a seat before his desk. Dom took his seat again and fumbled through the scattered papers on his desk before speaking.
"How long have you been working around cars?"
"Well I would always help out my Uncle fixing cars on the streets as an amateur. It wasn't until I turned 17 that I started professionally workin on cars in an actual garage. I'm not the best mechanic but I know my stuff."
Dom nodded slightly but in truth he was actually considering on telling this girl no. No one could come close to being like Jessie and no one could bring him back…and that's what he wanted. He wanted Jessie. But that would never happen and he was thrown back into reality, forced to take outsider's job applications.
"Alright, I'll tell you what. We really need a lot of help around here because Race Wars is coming up and we got kids coming in wanting new parts. You'll go through a 2-week trial. I'll pay you but only half as what was promised. If you impress me, you've got the job. If not, I'll give you the other half of your payment and you can pack up and leave. I can't afford to let my Team down again so there's no second chances. One shot only."
He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his broad chest. Casey chewed softly on the bottom lip, unsure rather or not she should take his offer. She really needed the money and the only other job she was certified for was a fry cook.
"Okay. I'll do it." Casey shook his hand again before standing up. Dom stood up and moved over to the door, opening it up for her. They stepped out, Dom following behind Casey, and moved back over to the three who was standing there looking over at them.
"I'll introduce you to the team. Mia's back at the Store with her boyfriend. You'll meet them later." Dom approached the three and pointed to Vince.
"Vince…" He pointed to Letty. "Letty…" and then he pointed to Leon. "Leon." He looked over to Casey and pointed at her. "Casey Evans. She's on a 2-week trial to help out with the Race War customers. If we all don't like her, we'll pay her and she'll leave. " He then gently touched Casey on the shoulder, excusing himself and the others as he motioned for them to follow. Casey watched as they stood in a small corner, Dom's voice a soft murmur…she could barely hear what they were saying, but she read their lips and eavesdropped.
"I need you guys to be fair. We can't afford to spend our time searching for a 5th."
Letty spoke up quickly. She sounded mad. "Why couldn't we just accept Brian? He knows more shit about cars than she probably does."
"Letty, I don't want him around here. You above all people should understand!"
"Well I don't! She looks weak, Dom. How the hell can you expect her to lift half the parts that are in this garage?"
Leon laughed at that one and Casey glowered.
"She's right dawg. Casey looks like she weighs about 90lbs tops."
Letty snickered and Dom silenced her by shooting her a cold look. "Knock it off. I mean it… Be fair. If I see any tricks, I'll send you to work at the store with Mia." He was especially looking at Letty when he said this.
Vince raised his hands, shaking his head. "Not the store!" He mocked, trying to sound scared. Dom punched him lightly before turning and walking back over to Casey. "You good to start now or tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, please. I need to get settled in at my new apartment."
"Okay. Be here by noon. Don't be late."
Casey nodded and walked off moving back inside her car and headed home. So there it was. She finally got a job doing something that she was skilled in doing. Maybe tonight she would get a good night's sleep so she could be fully ready for work tomorrow.