Puzzling Pieces Chapter 28 by Tempest-Races
Miss Lone Wolf
Storm sat in the opulent living room of her father's L.A. 'house'. She used the term to describe the sprawling mansion lightly. It was more then a house. Yet it sure was not a home. The atmosphere was cold, and the fact the place was largely unused showed in the formal décor. Storm hated the place, but it was serving her purpose. It would not do for her to stay in a hotel in her present circumstances.
Storm'd been laying low from Stacey, giving her brother and Roman a few days to cool off from the set down she'd given them last time. She'd talked to Stacey on the low a few times but she was still gathering her wits for what she had to do. She'd been warned that she'd gotten off easy from this Dominic dude the first time too, and she worried that he might be the first guy in a long time that if he took it in his head to handle her he just might succeed. But if he tried then Storm was scared she'd have to ice him, something she really didn't want to do. But it was part of the life she'd largely chosen for herself and she couldn't go back from where she was now. But Stacey had seen enough violence in her short life and Storm was determined not to add to it, not to be the one who did. She was a stable influence in the kid's life and she'd never given her any clue what she did for a living. She never would if she could help it. Stacey could just keep right on thinking that her dad was a business tycoon in New York and that Storm was his private chauffer. It was better that way. Storm sighed.
How did you tell a 16 year old who'd lost her mother a short few months ago that she'd also lost her best friend and a woman who'd been like a second mother to her as well? If anyone had the answer Storm wished they'd call her because she had no idea how she was going to tell Stacey. She every once in a while figured she should tell Brian first but she didn't like Brian that much. Couldn't trust him.
'Once a cop always a cop' kept running threw her head. The last thing she needed in her life was a nosey overprotective cop. And she knew just what her dad would say about telling a cop shit all about them. Distrust of all cops, even the cops in ones own pocket was ingrained into her. But Brian's sister could be in considerable danger if she was located by the man who'd killed Storm's Mom and sister. Storm tipped her head back onto the back of the leather sofa she was sitting on and exhaled roughly. She didn't know what to do. As this was a new situation for her she didn't know quite how to deal with it. She'd never even had time to cope with the fact that after a brief few years with her Mom, after thinking she didn't even have one she really didn't in the most final sense there was. She stood up and started to pace around the room.
The first thing she was gonna do was take her car out for a wild ride to clear her head. There was nothing better for stress relief then a scarily fast ride around downtown streets. She'd gotten more then her share of hell from her dad for her street racing habits but he was on the other side and end of the country at that exact moment. She got up and headed out to her car twirling her keys around her finger agitatedly. She changed her steps at the last moment and headed to another vehicle kept at the house. She laughed, yes this would be perfect.
"We should have a party." Tess mused as the girls redid their nails. They'd unpacked all their shopping from Rome's forced pack mule experience and were in Stacey's room with the stereo on blast.
"As if. Where would we have it?" Stacey blew on her newly painted nail.
"My house. It's Friday, let's have a party. My mom'n dad are gone outta town for the weekend. Blade won't care."
"It'll just be a matter of getting Brian to let me sleep over then." Stacey started to perk up when it became apparent that it might actually happen.
"Yeah." Tess grinned.
"But if he asks if your parents are gonna be there I can't lie. If he ever caught me I'd never get outta the house again."
"Don't lie. Tell him no but Blade will be home. Dom knows Blade, it should be cool."
"Can we invite Storm? You should meet her."
"Isn't she like, old?" Tess wrinkled her nose. "She might get us in trouble. They'll be drinking going on."
"Storm, get us in trouble?" Stacey laughed uproariously. "She's the last person who'd ever get us in trouble over that. Drinking she's cool with. She'll look the other way on that. If there's any drugs being used she's likely to get mad."
"She sounds pretty down."
"Yeah. She and Tammy and me use to have this cool dance we did together. She's a riot."
"Ok, it's settled. And if Brian says anything you can tell him your very adult friend will be there."
"Um, him and Storm are not on the best of terms right now."
"That sounds bad."
"Yeah, they had a fight about Vince and what he tried to pull. Vince's been muttering about her for the last two days and Dom and Brian look like they'd rather if she just went away. And uncle Rome keeps looking at me funny every time I see him. And not because you were making him take us shopping and stuff."
"Strange. Well, what you need is to cut loose away from them all. Let's go ask Brian."
"Kay."
The girls headed down the stairs in search of Stacey's brother. They found him sitting in the living room with Dom and Rome. They were talking but they stopped when the girls walked into the room.
"Brian?" Stacey started hesitantly.
"What Stacey?" Brian smiled.
"Can I stay over at Tess' tonight? Her parents are outta town and she'd rather have a friend to stay with then be alone with her brother. Is that cool?"
"Her brother will be home for sure?" Brian looked like he wasn't sure if he liked the idea.
"Yeah, I mean he might go out but he'll be home for the night time part ya know?" Tess broke in.
"Brian, I'da let Mia stay alone with a girlfriend when she was 16. It's not like she's a child." Dom broke in. Stacey almost died of shock to hear Dom stand up for her cause.
"Well, I guess it's cool then." Brian caved, but sounded somewhat reluctant about it even with Dom's blessing.
"Sweet!" The girls gave each other a little handshake and headed upstairs to pack Stacey's bag.
Storm heard her cell phone ringing to Anxiety by the Black Eyed Peas and guided her temporary ride off the side of the road. Kicking her feet down and straightening up she dug it out and answered it. "You live, holla."
"Storm?" Stacey wasn't sure she had the right number. Storm sounded very out of breath.
"Yeah kid, what up?" Storm pulled her helmet off so that Stacey would be better able to hear her.
"We're having a party tonight at my friend Tess' You in?"
Storm thought about it for a minute. She could use a good party. But the crowd would be all kids Stacey's age. That wouldn't be a problem for Storm any other time but she was still slightly cultivating her relationship with the Toretto's incase she ended up needing it. If they found out she went to the girl's party and condoned the underage partying they'd never trust her again. She shrugged. C'est la vie, she told herself. "Sure. I'm in. Where and when?"
Stacey gave Storm the address and told her to show up around 10.
Storm hung up and headed home. She had to get ready. She convinced herself that she was only looking out for Stacey and pushed the nagging voice telling her that she was doing it more for herself to the back of her head.
Ten o'clock saw her pulling up in her Skyline to a huge house about 10 minutes away from Toretto's. She had a quart of vodka from her Dad's house under her arm and she stood on the step, waiting for the door to be answered and checking out the cars that were lined all up and down the circular drive. It was looking like it was gonna be a big party judging by all the cars that were around. And the house was set far enough back from street and neighbours that cops being called should not be an issue.
The door was answered by Stacey and Tess. Stacey squealed and grabbed Storm in a hug. "You came."
"I said I would." Storm cocked an eyebrow. "When have I ever not kept my promises?"
"Never." Stacey grinned. "Come in.
"You sure got a lotta friends kid." Storm looked around at the jumpin party.
"A lot of them are my older brother Blade's guests." Tess added and held out her hand. "I'm Tess."
"Storm." Storm liked Tess instinctively so she let her guard down a fraction. They led Storm to the kitchen where she mixed herself a drink and tried not to laugh at the girls trying to be causal about drinking in front of her.
"I'm not gonna narc ya out so chill." Storm laughed.
"I told you." Stacey teased her friend.
"Yeah, well, most people I know would be flippen to see us drinkin so forgive me for my nervousness." Tess grinned too and started to chill out.
"So how old is Blade, and his friends?" Storm started looking at guys, dismissing some of them as high schoolers but seeing some that looked older.
"Blade's 20 but his crew ranges up to 26 or so." Tess answered and smirked.
"I gotta do me some shoppin." Storm tossed back her drink and made another one.
Because of the business she did, most of it in smoky bars with Russian heavyweights, she could hold her alcohol so well that it was virtually impossible for her to get drunk. She knew the vodka she'd brought wasn't gonna do it. But she would get a mild buzz on if she drank enough of it. She had one weakness and that was Tequila. If she had any of it she'd end up as loaded as the girls. But she told herself she'd stick to her Russian vodka and keep her wits.
"If your girl keeps at it like that she's gonna be even more loaded then most of us." Tess whispered to Stacey as Storm walked off to go exploring.
"Not Storm. She can drink like a sailor. It's funny to watch her have drinkin games with guys. They always think they can drink her under the table and they never catch her. But if you give her any tequila it's lights out."
"Really?" Tess mused, speculative gleam in her eye.
All Storm was finding was guys after racer chasers. Since that wasn't her bag she was having a hard time finding anyone she wanted to hang out with. She went back to the kitchen to get another drink, despite the futility of it all. She suddenly wanted to cut loose, even knowing that she would do better to keep her head on her shoulders. But she'd never had a chance to grieve for her mom or sister. Add to that weight the weight of what she had to break to Stacey and it was enough to almost crush her into the ground. She sighed and started to look through the bottles of liquor on the counter. She found what she was looking for and unscrewed the top.
Stacey found her friend a few shots later, starting to look glassy eyed.
"Storm, did you get into something?"
"No." Storm batted her eyes and tried to pull of Stacey's own innocent act.
"Yeah, riiiight." Stacey answered and smiled. "That why you can't focus for shit?"
"Shut up!" Storm laughed uncontrollably and looked at Stacey as best she could. "And drink up. This is your party."
"You don't need to tell me twice." Stacey had a few more drinks and looked at Storm, who hadn't taken a break. Stacey looked sad for a moment. "You know what's missing?" She asked.
"What?" Storm managed not to slur, but it was a feat.
"Tammy."
"Ah kid, you got friends here too. Let's go find them." Storm didn't want to think about her sister that night. She wanted a one night reprieve.
The song playing to changed over to Let's Go by Eve and Jada Kiss. Stacey squealed happily.
"It's our song. We need to go dance."
"I don't know." Storm grimaced. She wasn't sure if she could pull off dancing in her state.
"I do." Stacey in her bubbly cheerleader way grabbed her friends hand and pulled her out onto the floor where people were dancing. Storm was managing to dance the dance, which they were teaching Tess as they went. It was more complicated then Storm had remembered. The crowd was cheering them on. "Tess Tess Tess. Stacey Stacey Stacey." They didn't know Storm so they just made random cheering noises for her part in the dance. As the song ended Stacey and Storm looked up and met the gaze of Vince simultaneously.
"Oh shit!" All three girls breathed out as they watched Vince head for the door, shaking his head, but looking pretty happy about something.
"He's gonna go tell Brian." Stacey wailed. "I'm so dead!"
"I got this." Storm sighed and headed after Vince, making better progress since she put her hands over her head and slunk like a serpent through the crowd to the beat of the music, moving with them not against the flow like Vince, who was trying to push through and past people as he went.
"Think she can stop him from turning us in" Tess asked.
"If anyone can its Storm. Well, I'm busted now might as well make the most of it right?" Stacey headed for another drink and Tess joined her.
Storm hit the door running just as Vince cleared the bottom step. "Yo scruffy, where ya headed in such a hurry?"
"Home. I was supposed to check up on the kid and tell Brian what was up. I find not only a party but you, a supposed adult helping them do this shit." Vince snarled, being called Scruffy again not helping his mood any.
"So what homeslice, you never partied at 16? You musta been some boring kid."
"You are supposed to be lookin out for her, not helping her break Brian's orders!" Vince yelled. Storm fought the urge to put a hand to her suddenly splitting head and tried to look Vince in the eyes. It was just that he had 4 sets and she didn't know which ones were the real set of baby blues.
"I was lookin out for her. I'm here watchin over her ain't I?"
"I don't know how much ability to watch over her you got loaded outta yo damn mind. You're fucked the hell up."
"You don't know the half of it." Storm muttered.
"Fill me in." Vince leaned back on his car and waited.
"I can't." Storm sighed.
"Well then Brian has to know what's goin on here." Vince went to get in his car. Storm grabbed his arm.
"You can't take this night of freedom away from her cause you're still pissed off that you did something stupid and got caught." Storm tried to focus on his face again and made better progress.
"You ain't never gonna let that go are you?" Vince growled and shook his arm free.
"If I got my brother to try and force this Mia girl to sleep with him would you just let it go?" Storm growled back and Vince had the decency to look upset.
"No." He bit out, not happy about admitting it.
"Ok, well the person you most owe your apology to is that kid in there who's lost everything she knew in the last few months and came out here only to have her brother be a control freak and some guy she didn't even hardly know try to get up on her. Have some heart and just let it go."
Thinking of what Stacey truly lost, what Storm herself had lost brought a reluctant tear to her eye. She dashed it away, hoping that Vince wouldn't have noticed. He did, and much as he knew he did owe Stacey for what he'd tried to do, he also more then anything else wanted back into Dom's good graces.
"Look, I'd love to help you and the kid out but I messed up on Dom too and I gotta tell him what's what. He's been my boy since third grade and that kinda loyalty comes first." Vince opened his car door and started to slide in.
"Fine." Storm stalked off down the driveway.
"Where you goin?" Vince called.
"Yo house." Storm called back as she reached her car. "Someone's gotta be there standin up for Stacey's right to make her own way in life and not have her whole life ruled by her brother."
"You aint drivin no where!" Vince called as he started toward where Storm was having some trouble getting her key into her door lock. "You're drunk."
"No shit Sherlock! How many clues did you haveta find to figure that shit out? Where did you hide Watson? Or did you try to fuck him too and make him run away?" Storm asked acerbically as she attempted to get the key in the door lock again. Vince reached her side and snatched her keys, more then slightly pissed off at her words, but knowing he could not let her drive under any circumstances.
"I ain't lettin you drive and havin your death on my hands too." He said, more gently then Storm woulda thought possible.
"Someone has to take care of Stacey." Storm said, looking at her reflection in the glass of her door, seeing Vince standing close behind her with her keys in his had. "Please give me my keys?" She met his eyes in the glass.
"No." Vince shook his head, holding her eyes in the reflection. Her eyes were a pale green that almost mesmerized him. "The kid means that much to you huh?" Storm nodded. "What are you protecting her from she wolf?"
"I can't tell you." Storm hung her head, breaking their gaze. She felt like she'd failed. All of a sudden all the despair from not protecting her mom and sister hit her along with the guilt of Stacey getting in trouble over something Storm had practically encouraged her to do and taught her to do hit her smack in the solar plexus and she almost doubled over.
"If you tell me what's up maybe I can help. Maybe if you let me drive you home and tell me on the way I won't turn Miss O'Connor into her brother." Vince offered, wondering what could humble such a tough person so thoroughly.
"You mean it? If I tell you the whole story you won't tell Brian?"
"If it makes me understand why you did what you did tonight then I won't tell Brian. But you have to lighten up on me for what I did since I'm trying to redeem myself. Deal?"
"Deal." Storm held out her hand for him to shake and then stumbled. Vince caught her.
"And you thought you could drive." He chuckled.
"You'd be surprised." Storm started to walk up to the blue Maxima.
"You willin to take my ride?" Vince had thought she'd insist on him driving her car so that it would be at her house where she could protect it.
"Better for my car to be 'caught' here then yours if Brian or Dom decide to check shit out on they own."
Vince frowned. He didn't like to get generosity from people he was trying not to like. "Ok, well get in. Where do you live?"
Storm started giving him directions but she refused to start telling him anything. Vince found himself not at a house but on a bluff overlooking the LA night lights. "I thought I was taking you home?"
"Your girl left with Vince. Can that be a good thing?" Tess wrinkled her brow in concern.
"Well, she sure as hell isn't taking him home to tell Brian. I think its better they left together then her chasin him down the street."
"She'd drive the way she was?"
"Storm pretty much does what she feels the need to at the time. She wouldn't like it and she wouldn't want to but she would if she thought she had to. I bet she's trying to talk Vince out of telling on us right now."
"Think she'll win?" Tess asked. Stacey made a face.
"Yeah, but I don't wanna think about what she'll have to do for the victory." Tess groaned.
"That's sick!"
"I'm just teasin. Storm can talk her way into having Eskimos buy ice. She'll make him see things her way."
"I sure hope so." The girls went back to their party.
Storm took a moment to gather her thoughts. "I don't live far enough away from Tess' house to tell you the whole thing on the way."
"Ok, I'm waiting."
Storm took her boots off and curled up on the seat of Vince's car, back of her head resting against the glass of the window, her arms around her knees. The coolness of the glass felt good on her poor abused head.
"Ok, here it goes. I was raised by my father Benny in New York City. I never knew I had a mom or sister until I was 20. Tammy was 13. Once I found out my dad couldn't keep me away. He didn't like it but he didn't say no. He said that I was strong enough to handle it but mom and Tammy weren't. He never told me what they weren't strong enough to handle though and I'm sorry that I found out."
"Go on." Vince prompted when Storm fell silent for a minute.
"Well, I went to Miami to visit all the time. I lived there with my mom for months at a time and Dad didn't really like it. At the time he wasn't grooming me for the position he eventually was. My brother Matty had to mess up first before that happened. But then I became Dad's right hand man. I've had to fight old Italian stereotypes every day because a woman's place is in the home, not running a crime syndicate in NYC and LA."
"Hold up, running a crime syndicate?" Vince was shocked.
"Yeah, my dad Benny Chains practically owns the Broncs. He's gettin old and Matty doesn't have what it takes to run things. Ever since my uncle was taken out and Matty and Taylor pretty much gave up the life it's all been on me. I almost need to train a good damn assistant or something. But anyway, one of my dad's employees messed up a big money transfer for him. This dude was comin up big time, he would have been runnin Miami on his own in another year or two then no one coulda touched him. But he brought in these two outsiders for a money drop and they were cops. They messed the drop up because of course they were working for the feds not us."
"Two cops in Miami huh?" Vince wasn't as stupid as people tended to think, he was starting to put two and two together and he did not like the total he was coming up with.
"Yeah. And my dad washed his hands of Carter for being so stupid as to use cops and let him go to jail. I mean, Carter'd had that Fuentes bitch in under cover in his house for like a year and he had no idea she was undercover. He fucked up so my dad let him take the fall for it all. But Carter got out of jail after like a year on some technicality. And he found out who my mom and sister were and he killed them as revenge for my Dad letting him take the fall."
"Then Carter found out who Stacey was to Brian. You might have guessed that Brian and Rome were those two cops. So now that Carter got his revenge on me and my dad by killing my mom and sister he's trying to get his revenge on Brian by offing Stacey and on Rome by killin me."
"I can take carea myself but Stacey can't." Storm started to sob. She hated to cry let alone in front of someone she hardly knew. Her brother Matty was the only one she ever let see her cry. "And this is all my fault because if I hadn't gone against my dad and gotten to know my mother and sister Carter never woulda known who they were and they'd still be alive. And now he's after Stace and she's all I got left for family other then my Dad and Matty."
"So to make sure I understand..." Vince tried not to let the girl crying get to him. It was hard because he hated it when Mia cried. He wanted to be sure he had the story straight first though. "Your dad is Benny Chains, a notorious gang leader for the Italian mafia in NYC, your brother is Matty Dimes, his son, and your mom and sister were killed by Carter Verone, the guy that Brian and Rome sent to jail, who got out early on some technicality and who is now trying to get revenge on Brian and Rome by killing of the people close to them like he got revenge on you and your family by killing off those close to you?" Storm could only nod tiredly. Telling the story had just about broken her and she had nothing left to give. She just let tears run down her face and tried to tell herself she was only telling him because she was so drunk. She wouldn't let it be because she needed someone on her side. She never needed anyone.
"And it's ultimately all my fault. You forgot that part. But you see why I gotta protect Stacey? You guys can't hope to, you don't roll like we do. And Verone is mine. He's goin down for what he did to my family and then Stacey will be safe forever."
"Brian has to know Storm. You gotta tell him. Stacey is his sister and we can help you if you tell Brian and Dom what you told me."
"I can't tell a damn cop about me and what I do Vince! Shit, use yo head. He's a damn cop! Besides, hell, I'm such a weak ass bitch I can't even find the strength to tell Stacey my mom and sister are dead. I'm a total failure at this stuff and my dad should just demote me to racketeering like Matty and Taylor."
"Things'll look up when you's sober and I promise I won't tell Brian about Stacey ok? But you gotta tell him about what we're up against. And you're not weak just because you don't wanna hurt the kid more then she's already been hurt."
"Yeah. And Vince?"
"Wha?"
"You can't tell him what I told you tonight either. I'll tell him when I'm ready. He's a damn cop, how can I trust him?"
"He's an ex cop and I'll give you one week to tell him." Storm opened her mouth to protest it but Vince cut her off. "This puts my family in danger too. They need to know."
Storm couldn't argue with him so she didn't.
"Where you live? I'll take you home." Vince asked and Storm gave him directions. Then she passed out in his car. Vince looked over at her sprawled, lightly snoring form enigmatically. He didn't know what to make of her even after her wild ride of a story. There was too much of him in her. The hurt lone wolf who still hung close to the pack to watch over them. The wild one who used it as an excuse to live without regard for their own life. He didn't like how he'd ended up and he didn't like it for the blonde girl either. He sighed and drove.
He arrived at her house and couldn't wake her up. He doubted that an apocalypse could wake her she was so far out of it. He started to root through her keys for the one that might open the house door. He knew after what he'd learned about her that he shouldn't be surprised Dom's house would fit in hers 15 times over but he was. How the hell was he ever gonna find her room in the huge place?
He nudged her again as he picked her up to carry her into her house. "Where's your room?" Storm murmured in her sleep and huffed. "Ah come on, where's your room?" Vince asked from the foyer entrance. "You're home but I don't wanna stand in the hall all night long."
"This's just a house. It sure ain't home." Storm slurred in her sleep and leaned on Vince even more, seeming to be having some sort of dream. "But my room's at the end of the left hall at the top of the stairs baby. Let's get outta this hall and get more comfortable." Storm had conveniently blacked out most of the last hour and she'd gone to convincing herself that the man who had her in his arms was just some decent lookin guy she'd picked up to help her forget for awhile. She didn't do that often but she had in the past. "What are you waiting for?" Storm started to undo the buttons of Vince's shirt. He tried to stop her while he carried her to her room, intending on leaving her there and then going home...
When Storm woke up the next day more hung over then she could recently remember and Vince was sprawled on his back in her bed snoring while both of them were wearing next to nothing she didn't know what had happened. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know. She groaned sickly and ran for the bathroom. She remembered telling him everything about her situation but she remembered nothing after she passed out in his car. Then she was violently ill. As she finished being sick and leaned back against the wall sitting on the floor she groaned.
What the fuck had she done?
AN:Go cheergirl, it's yo birthday. LOL. Think you can work off that drama miss drama queen? Run wit it! Wonder what Miss Stacey is gonna think of Storm and Vince goin missing for one night and what did happen? There could be an interesting flashback there huh? Well, only you know miss Cheer girl, LOL. So get to stepping and write yo chapter. Mwahahahahaha.