Chapter 12
Cassie pulled up into the Toretto driveway for the second time that day. She honked the horn once and waited in the car for Mia while she locked up and did anything else she had to do. Quickly she glanced back at her backseat at the car parts she had bought. There were more in the boot and she had really stocked up. Most of the parts weren't available in Mexico and would have to be sent down from LA anyways - so to save time and money, Cassie just went to LA and bought them herself.
Mia finally appeared, and locked the front door behind her and jogged over to the car and hopped in. She almost threw her bag she held in the back, but when she saw the stuff placed on the seat she put her bag carefully on the floor between all the wrapped up pieces. Cassie pulled out of the driveway and drove through the streets, and explained why she bought the parts in LA rather than in Mexico. Mia nodded in understanding and sat quietly in the seat.
They drove down the highway for what seemed forever until they finally reached the Mexican border; then Cassie drove all the way back to Faith's house, knowing the streets like the back of her hand. When they pulled into the driveway she heard Mia take in a sharp breath at the sight of the cars parked.
"You ok?" Cassie questioned before she shut off the car. Mia nodded and forced the lump in her throat down as she pulled her backpack from behind the seat and got out of the car, slinging it over her shoulder. Cassie turned the car off and ambled out of the car, making her way up the footpath with Mia right behind her. She opened the front door not giving Mia any chance to change her mind and ushered her inside.
Mia stood frozen for a second before Dom and Vince walked through from the kitchen and then stopped when they saw Mia with Cassie. Mia smiled and ran up to Dom instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck. Dom did the same, and closed his eyes, happy to have Mia with him again.
Vince looked over at Cassie and winked, then mouthed the words 'good work' to her as he patted Dom's shoulder and walked back into the kitchen.
Dom looked up at Cassie, "thank you" he said, never breaking from Mia, now sobbing quietly in his chest.
Faith emerged from the landing, coming down the steps one at a time, dressed as if ready to do a 'job.' She watched the scene in front of her, this new girl she'd never seen in her life, Dom hugging her tightly, Vince looking happy, Cassie also. She traipsed the last few steps and pulled Cassie by the arm gently out to the porch. She closed the door quietly after her as she shoved a couple of rings onto her fingers and pulled a few strands forward from her tight ponytail. "Listen, Cass, I gotta go out to San Lujs for a couple of hours, cover for me?" she said rushed, as if she really was hurrying to be somewhere.
Cassie gave Faith a knowing look, but sighed not really in the mood to argue, "Ok. I'll cover for a few hours - be back quickly. You know how I feel about those sons of bitches." She said, running her tongue across her edge of her teeth.
She looked up from her, having been tapping in some numbers on her phone. "It doesn't matter how you feel, Cass, I can't just drop them. I'll be back when I'm back, just don't tell those guys and DON'T call me." She headed down the steps of the porch and out to her car.
Cassie opened her mouth to say something and just sighed instead and watched as Faith drove away. "Yeah... whatever," she said to nobody in particular as she wandered back inside. Dom and Mia had disappeared outside to greet the others, and even from inside Cassie could see Dom was happier than ever. She smiled and made her way outside, leaning against the doorframe. When Dom gestured for her to join them she did so happily, sitting down on one of the wooden benches.
Mia was sitting beside him, and Vince had brought them some drinks. She had slipped her hand in Dom's, all the hatred built up in her dissipated when she'd seen he was okay. She leant her head upon his shoulder, and smiled gently, taking the beer from Vince and sending a wink his way told him she was contented.
Leon dragged his feet along the floor with his rugged jeans as they hung loosely on his bronzed hips. He was about to head downstairs to see what all the commotion was, when he heard a voice calling from the room beside his. He turned to see who it was calling him, and headed in the direction of the voice.
When he pushed the door to, he saw it was Letty sitting upon her bed. Her's and Dom's bed.
"Close the door," she said gently, and he did so, before joining her on the bed.
"What's up?"
She failed to answer, but instead leaned forward, and pressed her lips to his, long and slow.
Cassie smiled as Dom and Vince spoke to Mia about everything that happened, and Dom continually apologized to Mia for leaving and for doing everything that he had done. She looked around, suddenly realising that Leon and Letty were nowhere to be seen.
She mumbled something about going to get something to drink and then made her way inside. Quickly she checked the rooms downstairs and then made her way upstairs. She peeked into the room Leon was staying, and when she found it empty she went in hunt for Letty. Her door was closed, so she tried the handle, finding the door unlocked - she paused for a second thinking if her door was closed she wouldn't be there. When she heard Letty giggle she swung the door open, "hey Let, you got--" she froze up when she saw Letty and Leon in bed together - much like she had found them last time.
They both shot up like reindeer caught in headlights and stared at her. Cassie clenched her jaw, and instantly her blood started to boil and her breathing sped up. "Right," she stated flatly as she slammed the door shut again and stormed downstairs.
She continued out onto the beach. She could hear the commotion from upstairs from Letty and Leon rushing out of the room. Cassie stopped right in front of Dom, Vince and Mia and crossed her arms across her chest - obviously fuming about something. "Dom, V, Mia... it's not your fault so I don't want you to take it like that. But I want all of you out of the house by tonight. There was a reason I left and you found me so I want you to drive right back where you came from and I never wanna see any of you again."
Dom's jaw dropped as he stared at Cassie confused - just as much as Vince and Mia obviously were. Dom shook his head in confusion at first, but when he saw Leon and Letty running out from inside he instantly got the picture.
"Fuck." Vince muttered when he followed Dom's gaze.
Cassie nodded and pushed past everybody, walking out further away from the beach towards the rocky part of the beach.
Dom stood and took a step away from his seat with his fists and jaw clenched. He stared blankly at Letty and Leon, then not wanting an explanation he stormed inside and up the stairs to the bedroom he and Letty were sharing. He found the bed sheets messed up and he resisted the urge to throw everything against the wall. He gathered the little belongings he had and searched for his keys. When he found them he stormed back downstairs.
"V, Mia... we're going home. As for you two," he pointed to Letty and Leon, "get out of here, but don't bother coming back to LA. Don't even think about it. You got it?" His voice got louder with each word before he made his way through the house again and to his car. He hopped in and waited for Mia and Vince.
Vince stood on the beach, still shocked, not knowing what was going on - yet knowing everything at the same time. Mia shook her head at Letty and Leon, and then followed Dom out to the car. Vince crossed his arms across his chest and looked back to where Cassie had walked off to. He saw her figure heading away, and even though he couldn't see her clearly, he could tell she was bawling. Then he looked back over to Letty and Leon, waiting for an explanation.
Cassie kicked the sand as she walked, her vision blurry from her tears. She made it to the end of the beach, where the sand stopped and she was faced with a wall of rock. In a rage she screamed and punched the rock. She screamed louder, in agony as she heard the crack of bone and then the searing pain go from her hand and up through her arm. She fell to her knees and clutched her hand towards her body. Blood trickled down her fingers from the open wounds and her whole body seemed to burn from the pain. She held her arm as close as possible as she rocked on the sand, tears streaming down now from anger of seeing Leon and Letty, and from the pain in her hand.
Mia sucked in a breath and changed her direction and headed out down the beach, past Letty and Leon, past Vince, towards Cassie. She could see her upon the sand, crying, and clutching her hand tight. She hurried over to her and sunk to her knees in front of her. "Hey, Cass..." she started as she reached out to touch her injured hand. "What the hell is all of this, huh?" she started, her voice understanding, taking a look at her hand in front of her, bleeding, busted.
Cassie closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing, trying her best to drown out the pain. "Please Mia, I got you back here, talking to Dom. Now I need you to go back." She looked up at Mia and shook her head, "I love you guys, I really do... but going through that all over again - I realise now why I left in the first place. It hurts too much to see you all. We're all one fucked up family - or ... I dunno what we are. We're all just fucked up. You need to go back to LA with Dom and Vince. You guys don't belong here... I don't even belong here." She said with a huff as her voice broke again and pain surged through her arm again - but this time she was determined to ignore the pain. She wouldn't break down in front of Mia.
Leon and Letty stood before Vince, about as speechless as he was. "I don't even know how it happened," he said beneath his breath. He took a couple of steps back, giving one last look at Letty before heading into the house. He knew there was no point in hanging around now. He was being honest; he didn't know how this had happened. Even though, having to explain himself once was too much. He couldn't try for a second time.
Letty remained before Vince, with nothing to say. "I'm having his baby," she muttered beneath her breath, tears welling up in her eyes. Vince's facial expression switched from angry, to surprised. "It's true, Vince. I cheated on Dom with him, we've been together for so long. But I just kept goin' back to Leon, and it was because he cares about me, V. But Dom - I don't know what to expect; one minute he's there, the next he's disappeared. Who the hell am I supposed to rely on?"
Vince threw his arms in the air, "Letty! You just don't get it. It's not that you're with Leon... it's that you were with Leon WHILE you were with Dom. Is that not wrong to you? And this baby, fuck I feel sorry for it - having the two of you as parents!" He shook his head while he spoke, finally able to get everything out to her face, "Leon cares for you - whoop-dee-doo-dah - you think Dom's just stuck by you just because he had to, or because he thought it was cool? Fuck it, he cares for you more than you'll ever know! I don't see how you can't just see that. And why rely on somebody? That's all you've been doing, relying on people, relying on them to do all the dirty work for you. For once you should do something for yourself, and take care of your own shit." He didn't let her respond as he pushed past her, and walked down the driveway and opened the passenger side door of Dom's car.
Dom sat staring straight ahead, the car still off. Vince licked his lips and sighed, "Look man, you go ahead. I'll stay with Mia - we'll meet you back in LA."
Dom didn't respond. He turned the car on and continued looking straight ahead. Vince looked down at the ground and then closed the door. Dom revved the car a few times, before he sped off, leaving a trail of smoke behind him.
Mia sighed, looking at Cassie's state, wondering silently why she did come down to Mexico. "Cassie, I..." she started, though realised, there was no point in telling her what she wanted to because she was right. This family was fucked up. Too far insane to be put straight. She stood, and backed from her slow, before turning and heading off. She followed the house round to the front, catching Letty entering the house. She didn't bother to stop; instead continued down the porch and towards Vince. "Where's he going?" she asked him, raising an upturned palm. Running away AGAIN, she thought to herself.
Leon threw his clothes into the small bag he had hurried down the stairs, only to be stopped by Letty. "Whoa; Leon, wait, where are you goin'?"
He looked at her dumbfounded, then down at his bag, then at her again. "I'm going where Dom told me to."
Letty took the bag from him slowly, and stepped in towards him. "Don't leave, Leon, I need you."
He looked at her blankly, before taking the bag from her once again. "Letty...what you need right now isn't important." He turned from her and headed for the door when she bit her lip, trying not to call out to him.
"Your baby needs you, Leon," she told him, her voice cracking up. She knew she was being selfish, but she was sick and tired of being put after everyone else. She watched as he stopped in front of the door. She thought she might've caught him when he didn't continue, but a moment passed and he continued heading out.
She panicked inside, and hurried towards the door, and out, following him down the porch steps as he headed to his car. Mia watched as he headed quickly for the Skyline, and narrowed her eyes as she watched the two exchanging words.
"Doesn't that mean anything to you, Leon?" she continued, raising her voice a little.
"Maybe you should ask yourself that question, Letty." He threw his bag towards the passengers seat and went to get in, but was stopped by Letty pulling him back and shutting his car door.
"Leon, we're having a baby – together," she told him matter-of-factly as she moved her hand between them. "We need to start acting like it."
"Yeah? Then stop inviting me into your bedroom and coming onto me as if you're some sort of skank, Letty; I thought you and Dom were together again-"
"It's not about Dom and I, Leon, it's about me and you!"
"For fuck's sake Letty, you need to stop screwing up everyone's lives-"
"Me!"
He looked at her a moment, then got into his car. She grasped the door frame as to stop him from shutting it. "I suggest you go to a clinic and do what you have to with that baby," he said quietly, pointing to her stomach. She backed away from the car and allowed him to close the door. She watched as he turned on his car and sped away, and raised a hand to her head.
Vince looked over at Mia, almost reading her mind, "he ain't running away. I told him to go... said we'd meet him back in LA. If he stays here, he'll hurt somebody." He murmured and pulled his keys from his wallet, "did you try talk to Cassie?" He asked, hesitantly - not really sure how she was going to handle this. He glanced up at Leon and Letty for a second as Leon said something to Letty that obviously cut her deep before he sped off too.
Cassie sighed and sat up against the rock, resting her head back on it. She rested her hand in her lap - the pain becoming more of a numbing annoyance than searing pain. Letty and Leon together played through her mind again, and she tapped her head against the rock trying to get the scene out. She looked down at her hand, covered in blood, and her blood soaked clothes and decided she should head back. She had heard Dom's car drive off, and Leon's - both having their distinct sounds - so she assumed it was safe to go back.
Carefully she stood and walked across the sand slowly, her hand at her sides, with blood dripping down onto the sand as she walked. She never noticed. Her eyes burned from tears and she just stared blankly ahead as she finally reached the house and walked in. She grabbed a towel from the laundry and wrapped her hand up. She couldn't wait for Faith to come back to drive her to the hospital, so she'd have to do it herself.
Mia nodded as she watched Leon and Letty arguing. "Can we just go home, please, V?" she asked him gently, sick of seeing all this dispute, longing for her peaceful house again. In a way she was glad she'd gone to Mexico; it had confirmed her feelings for the family. After everything that had happened, she just wanted to see Vince, and to know he was doing okay. She looked at Vince, who looked at her also, and offered a timid smile.
Letty headed back inside, cursing beneath her breath as she did. She slammed the front door and headed upstairs.
Cassie's gaze shot up as she heard the door slam. She rushed out the front door and found Mia and Vince still standing outside. That meant that somebody was still here - and it had to be Letty. She mumbled something incoherent and grabbed her keys and made her way slowly to her car. She rewrapped her hand with the towel as she fiddled with her keys. She stopped before she got in the car and looked up at Vince and Mia, "if either of you are going back in there, could you tell her that she better be gone before I get back?"
Mia remained quiet and didn't answer; she loved them all no matter what they'd done, she wasn't going to be part of them tearing each other apart. She gave Cassie a concentrated look and licked over her lips. "Where are you going?"
"Hospital." She said instantly then carefully raised her hand and got in the car and sped off.
Mia shook her head slow, watching her drive away, and tutted. "This is like nothing I've ever seen," she muttered to herself, then turned on her heel and headed inside.
Vince furrowed his brow, "Where are you going?" He questioned as he slowly followed behind Mia.
Mia sighed. "Oh, I'm gonna get a drink. Then I'm getting out of here." She glanced over her shoulder. "I mean provided you'll drive me...?"
Vince nodded, "yeah... I think it's time we go home." He shifted his eyes to the stairs, half expecting Letty to come storming down again. He sighed and shook his head, "I doubt it'll be much of a home now though."
Mia shrugged. "I dunno. It was quite peaceful when it was just you and me," she hinted, and winked at him before she headed into the kitchen.
Vince chuckled, "Looks like it'll be like that again. But with Dom still around. He hasn't abandoned us you know." He stated matter-of-factly and then followed Mia.
Mia grabbed a drink from the fridge and raised her eyebrows as she looked over at him. "We'll see." She swivelled the cap off the bottle of water and drank a little for a moment, before deciding maybe it was time to go. "Shall we go now or wait for Cassie to come back?" she asked him.
He looked at Mia sceptically - it would take a while for her to trust Dom again. He just shrugged, "I dunno. I don't think she wants us around anymore though." Vince gestures to the stairs quickly, "should we tell Letty what Cass said?"
Mia thought about it for a second. "If I know Letty, she's as bad as Dom. She won't stick around."
Vince obviously ignored her last comment and nodded, "ok. Let's get outta here." He threw his keys in the air, then caught them and headed out the door towards his car again.
She followed close behind, a little happy that Vince was alright. She waited until they were both inside the car before making her next comment. "We're not gonna have any bust-ups, are we; me and you?"
Vince looked over at her and smiled, "Nah... we're the normal ones, remember?" He winked and started the car, and drove down the highway in the same direction Dom had. Back to LA.
---
Faith licked over her lips and sucked in a nervous breath as she mounted the stairs leading to the front door of Carlito. Carlito had been this thug on her back ever since she refused to be with him. She'd worked with Pepe ever since she could remember, shifting huge amounts of coke from place to place. Sometimes it was countries away, sometimes it was between some city guys. She'd given it up after her Dad was killed in a shoot-out, and she was that close to death herself, having gotten mixed up in a business deal with Carlito.
She inhaled slowly as she raised a hand to ring the doorbell; though hesitated. She was unsure about this. Working with Carlito was something she wasn't proud of. But she had to if she didn't want Pepe dead. He'd blackmailed her into working for him ever since he found out she was behind the failed deal, and hadn't let her go ever since.
She straightened out her jacket and scratched her head, then moved forward to ring the doorbell. She was soon greeted by a man in a black suit, with an earpiece in his ear, and a stern, expressionless look upon his face.
"Miss Lehane?" he asked, and she nodded. He stepped aside to let her in and she did so. Another man was standing before her, ready to take her to Carlito.
"Faith," he began, and she began to walk with him as he headed in one direction. Their footsteps echoed through the hallway as they walked, and they walked in silence.
He led her to a room at the end of a hallway, and it was clear to her that he was in this room, even before they reached it. She felt her stomach tightening, nerves one of the only things she could feel. She clenched her jaw, a little scared of what would happen once she was in that room. The man she walked beside was as intimidating as the man at the front door. But this guy seemed more like Carlito's right-hand man.
Finally, they arrived at the room, where he ushered her in first, then as he entered, closed the door behind him. She noticed he was sitting comfortably in a chair and smoking a cigar. She took a few steps towards him and looked him up and down. She couldn't help but notice how he did also, and cocked her head to one side as she waited for him to focus upon her eyes again.
"Faith," he started. He lifted an upturned palm, telling her to sit down. She ignored him and continued to look into his eyes.
She took a couple more steps in, and folded her arms across her chest.
He removed the cigar from his mouth and puffed out the smoke. "I think you and me should have a talk."
