Chapter 4
The sun was blazing a blanket of orange over the sky and people from the beach were heading off home. Children were going indoors for dinner and people were coming home from work. Baja was a relaxed place. Beaches left right and centre, the atmosphere was beautiful. Parties, food, sand and sea. Faith had moved out here and bought a house with the money from her parents' death. She'd planned on starting up a business but had no idea what. Some friends of hers were into the street racing world and so they figured that'd be a great lifestyle, and she ended up hosting parties every Friday and Saturday nights, leading races and scoring the large sums of cash. She was one hell of a racer. Not all for the mechanics, though. She never took the time to learn how it all worked. She just knew that if it felt right driving it, she could win a race.
She'd convinced Leon that taking a drive along the sand as the sun was setting was the best thing to do to calm down, and was telling him about how she'd often find herself doing so to warm up for a race. He told her about the business back in Echo Park, and Dom cooked the chicken out on the barbeque outside, reminding him that their business was all because of his father.
"So Skyline's and Civics, strictly your thing?" she asked the blonde as he played around with the salad.
He nodded and put a piece of lettuce in his mouth. "I got one car, she drives like a butterfly."
Just as everybody was sitting down to eat, Letty and Cassie stormed into the house, Cassie in front. She headed straight towards the fridge and yanked the door open, pulling out a Corona, and then slamming the door shut again. She looked at the table filled with people and she sighed, "Sorry Faith, not hungry right now. I'll be ... upstairs if you need me." She gave her friend an apologetic smile and then made her way upstairs.
Dom sat, blinking; not exactly sure of what just happened. He looked at Letty who seemed unmoved by what had just happened. "What the hell was that?" He asked her after an awkward silence from the group.
Letty shrugged it off and sat down beside Leon at the table. "It's nothing, forget about it." She pulled her chair in and looked at all the food on the table. She looked over at Faith. "You did all this?"
Faith shrugged. "We all did." She cleared her throat and sat back. She looked at the three seated around her and nodded slow. "Y'all know the deal. Someone has to say grace. Leon you picked at the lettuce. You go."
Leon sighed. He didn't know how to pray. Anything he ever prayed for was for him to win a race or for his family to be alright. Saying grace wasn't his thing. He clasped his hands together anyway and proceeded. "Heavenly spirit...watch over Jess, and Vince...and Mia. Thanks for the food. Amen." He looked up and saw Dom watching him contentedly. Faith smiled a little and patted Letty on the back.
Dom smiled and echoed an 'Amen' before he grabbed some food. He was thankful to finally eat, he was starved – as he was sure everybody else was. He looked around the table as everybody ate, thankful to have everybody safe and sound – well most of them anyway.
He was still curious what had happened with Letty and Cassie, but wouldn't question it until later. It was still silent upstairs, until he could hear the soft padding of feet, and then the sound of the shower starting. He shrugged and picked at the meat on his plate. "So, Faith. You never said anything about you. Have you lived here all your life? How'd you meet Cass?"
"Er...long story. You know how it is." She grabbed some food and made a sound as she realised she didn't have a drink. She grabbed a few beers and placed them on the table, and popped hers open with her teeth.
Dom chuckled and pointed his fork at her playfully, "Now, now, we told you our story ... time for yours."
She chuckled and shook her head. "Imagine yourself...except cleaner..." she told him. "I don't do the heists. I'm comfortable. My life's easier, I guess. I think in my case it's more who you know, rather than what you've done."
Leon grabbed himself a beer also and watched Faith as she opened hers up. There was something about her that he admired. The determination, the bluntness, he didn't know, he couldn't quite see it.
Dom nodded, "Fair enough. And Cassie?"
As thought on queue, Cassie walked into the kitchen wearing a faded mini denim skirt, low on her waist, and a pink spaghetti top that was so tight, it was almost like a second skin. She had a pair of white, ankle length boots that had pink scribble on them, and her hair was done pretty much the same as it had been earlier - up and messy, and she wore minimal make up. She grabbed her keys off the counter and shoved some money into her back pocket with her mobile phone. When she noticed all eyes on her, she made a gesture with her hand, "I'm goin' out, I'll be back later." And with that she disappeared out the front door and the sound of her car roaring to life was the only thing heard.
Faith munched a little on the lettuce that was in her hand, having just watched Cassie walk out in an 'I'm in a mood' fashion. She learned from her friend that it was best to let her deal alone when she was in a mood. But that was the deal with herself too. Bothering Faith when she wasn't in her right mind was the wrong thing to do. She sensed it was the same for Letty also. She swallowed her lettuce and looked towards Letty.
"What happened at the hospital?" she questioned lightly, picking up more food as she waited for a reply.
Letty looked up from her food, having been purposely keeping her head down. Faith called her and she looked up. "Huh...? Oh...nothin', it's not important."
Dom raised a brow and took a sip of his beer. He glanced over to Leon, almost as if he knew what was going on. But by the look on his face he didn't either, and the fact that he was still staring at the spot Cassie had previously been standing said quite a bit.
He looked over to Letty again and placed his hand over hers, "did you get checked out at least? Did the doctor say everything was ok?"
Letty moved her hand away almost too quickly for suspicions to not be raised about it. She moved the hand to her bottle of beer and took a slow sip. Once done, she replaced the bottle in its spot, and looked at Dom first, then Leon, then Faith and noticed how all three pairs of eyes were rested upon her, each more curious than the other. She finally came to rest her eyes upon Dom and exhaled. "Can we not talk about this right now...?"
Dom slowly pulled his hand back and leaned his elbow on the table, "fine" he said barely above a whisper and continued to eat.
Faith raised an eyebrow quick and looked across at Dom, and then at Leon, who seemed just as concerned as her, only more open about it. He went to drink some of his beer and continued to watch her, as if puzzled with the situation. Letty caught his eye and wouldn't let it go, and for a moment it was as if she was telling him everything without evening speaking...and she knew that he could see it all.
She tore her gaze away from him and rose from the table, and headed away from them, and upstairs. She muttered a few words to Faith about using the shower before leaving, who nodded casually, failing to make eye contact.
Leon sat back and watched her as she headed upstairs. And as he glanced over at Dom, he realised that perhaps too much was flaring up between them all over again.
