Lenora threw the idea of a smokey eye out the window. After her fourth try, she ended up looking like a bruised panda with red lips. She never understood how Ellion rocked the look so effortlessly during homecoming dances. Shoving the eyeshadow palette back into her makeup bag, she resorted to washing her face again and taking out a tube of mascara.
Her bangs covered most of her eyelids anyways, so a smokey eye seemed to be an overkill. She gazed at the cover magazine of the latest issue and put on a pensive face. Maybe the red lip classic seemed too much for a small party, and she didn't know the fashion trend around here. After mulling over her lipstick collection like an indecisive child trying to choose her dessert, she settled on a simple, nude lip pencil paired with some gloss.
At least I won't go out looking like a clown.
Her biggest problem wasn't her clothes, as it turned out. It was her stupid hair that refused to curl the right way. Lenora wanted to model herself after Paris Hilton's latest photoshoot from Elle, but like the smokey eye, that ship sunk fast. She wanted the beachy blowout effect, but her hair decided that it'd be a good idea to pull off a haywire mess of half-tight and half-loose swirls that made her look like her hairstylist hated her.
Hissing, she dropped the curling iron and proceeded to brush at her head until the mess looked mildly presentable. She considered spraying it, but then noted that her hair wasn't going to listen to that either. It wasn't what she had gone for, but for now, it was tamed. Damn her Asian hair.
It was five minutes before Mia would pull up when she scrambled to get her white tank top and shorts. A mini skirt was out of the question; she wasn't going to have a wardrobe malfunction in her first week here. She didn't want to admit that she heard the scolding voice of her grandmother when she put it back. Her scowling face with thin lips pulled back into a sneer floated up in her mind. Lenora huffed, and shoved the image back down.
Her fingers trembled as she laced up her favorite boots. She had never seen a car race before, much of her social life back then revolved around beer pong and trips to the movies. A small pang of excitement was evident in her chest.
Mia's Acura NSX blared through the driveway just as Lenora was zipping up her sweater. She honked her blue car, announcing her arrival.
"Shit!" Lenora grabbed her keys and shoved them in her pockets before making sure everything was turned off. She sailed out the door after that, barely locking the door properly.
Mia waved at her from the window, hollering something about looking cute. Lenora grinned as she pulled open the door by the passenger seat. She plopped down, panting as if she'd run a marathon.
Mia grimaced. "Did I rush you?"
Lenora laughed at the image of her frizzled mane just half an hour ago. "Nah, it's my hair. I looked like Simba."
The two women snorted with laughter as they pulled out of the driveway.
"Does Dom know that I'm coming?" Lenora knew it was a stupid question, but her paranoia made it felt like she was intruding something personal.
Mia shrugged. "He doesn't care. The more the merrier for him, honestly. As long as you don't stand in the middle of the tracks." She winked at her.
Lenora gave her a lookover. Mia had done her hair as well, and she was now dressed in a light tube top with distressed jeans, contrasting greatly to her previous look. To outsiders, they appeared like any other college girls out for their night fun.
"Watch this." Mia floored the gas pedal, and she swerved the car as they approached a turn. Lenora felt her stomach somersault at the stunt. The streetlights morphed into a blinding blob as they pivoted around. As soon as it happened, her vision whirled as the vehicle positioned itself back in a straight line and zoomed across the streets.
"Christ!" Lenora screeched. On the side, Mia howled with laughter.
"I always wanted to show Dom that," she said. "Too bad he never wants to sit in the same car as me."
Lenora gawked at her. "What was that?!"
"It's called drifting. Brian taught me," Mia replied proudly.
"I see you're prepared for the race," Lenora remarked. The brunette huffed, eyes rolling.
"I'm not allowed to race," Mia explained. "Not that I even want to, but Dom gets kinda overprotective when it comes to this kinda stuff."
It wasn't out of character to see that from the brawny hulk, his impression was one of those papa bears. Lenora squinted her eyes at the woman, there was little to no resemblance between the siblings. But it's not like she was the one to talk; Ellion was rumored to be taking on the looks department after their father, while she herself was the mini version of their mother.
She smirked. "At least you have one gal in the audience now."
Mia turned to her with a raised brow and Lenora grinned. She had to admit Mia was easier to talk to out of everyone she had met recently. Compared to Letty, the former and her had much more in common. She was starting to think that maybe being thrown off the bus the other day wasn't a bad thing after all.
They approached a closed off neighborhood and Lenora could feel the sound of bass pumping into the ground beneath them. The music was so loud it had stretched over a good block.
"Letty and Vince are already here," Mia said, "we'll be meeting them in the front."
Lenora wasn't prepared to face the crowd of people cheering like it was the next Dallas Cowboy versus 49ers game. Confetti and empty beer cans littered the sidewalk and half-naked women showered themselves with attention from the men. Languages ranging from English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean mashed up into one ball of indescribable sounds, causing a split second of confusion in her.
In front of her, Mia was picking up her pace as she merged them into the crowd, blending in perfectly. Lenora found herself shoving off a few drunk men who were tripping over their two left feet. The place was much more chaotic than what she was accustomed to, and the heavy density of weed and cigarettes assaulted her senses as she dived deeper into the mass.
After getting her foot stepped on for what seemed to be the thousandth time, Lenora regretted wearing her boots to the event. They were, no doubt, going to be torn to shreds by the end of the night. Mia's strap-on heels clicked under the booming mob, and she struggled to keep up with the enthusiastic brunette.
They maneuvered around some more before the familiar face of Letty and the bearded man popped up in the crowds. At the sight, Mia called out to them.
Vince turned around first, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Mia!"
His louder voice brought them to Letty's attention and the latina raised a brow at the approaching company.
"Hey, girls, y'all late to the party," she chidded. "Dom's racin' Lance in about five." Giving Mia a warm pat on the back, she saw Lenora coming up to them. "Glad you could make it, chica."
Lenora gasped for breath. "Thanks for the invite! I heard Dom was quite the driver." Letty chuckled at her befuddled expression.
"I wish his race was more interesting for your first time here," she admitted almost sadly.
Vince sneered. "The stupid punk hasn't learned his lesson." He shook his head, lips curled up in disgust. "Dom wiped the streets with his ass last time, and he still doesn't get it."
Lenora flinched at the highly charged, emotional man in front of her. His fight with Leon from earlier resurfaced in her memory, and it didn't serve his impression well on her. What's with him and anger management?
"Watch your language, Vince!" Mia snapped. "You're getting worked up over nothin'!" She slapped him in the arms and rolled her eyes.
Vince peered down at her, his face suddenly becoming suggestive. "Wouldn't mind wiping your ass anytime, Mia."
His botched attempt at flirtation caught Mia off guard and she snorted in disgust before pushing him away. Hearing that, Lenora tried to hold in laughter, but she failed and let a hysterical giggle slip through. Vince turned his attention to her, his eyes narrowing in confusion before the harsh line of his forehead relaxed.
"You're the highschooler Dom picked up the other day!"
His comment made Lenora snort, but not in amusement. One of these days she really needed to find out just how old Vince really was.
Mia rolled her eyes so hard that Lenora feared it was going to get stuck at the back of her head. The brunette threw him a dirty look before tugging her away from him.
"Grow up, Vince. She's my age, and you creeped her out this morning."
The man threw his hands up in the air, acting oblivious. "Leon always says I'm stupid! I was just defending myself, Mia!"
Mia smirked. "Maybe I should use your pickup lines on you, sometimes. You can learn a thing or two from Leon on that."
Vince flushed bright pink at her words and she laughed. Lenora and Letty watched from the sidelines, both unsure of what to say about him.
Lenora sighed and turned to the main tracks. She was honestly looking forward to watching the race, despite the gossip from Vince. It wasn't like she understood much about cars, so either way it was free entertainment.
At the starting line, she could make out the large form of Dom aligning his Dodge Charger against the yellow lines. Next to him was a shorter, Asian man with spiky, dark hair preparing a Honda coupe.
"I'm assuming that's Lance?" Lenora gestured to the duo.
Letty breathed out a sigh and nodded. "Yup. And he hates Dom's guts."
"For beating him last time?" She didn't think something like this would get so much flack from the players. But then again, she remembered herself getting heated just by simply playing Uno with Ellion.
"Nah," Letty said. "Him and those guys go way back."
Lenora was no stranger to locker room dramas, back when she still had to play a sport in highschool, she had witnessed more than one fight break out between teammates, not to mention hearing even more drama from the boy's football team. It was all part of the package.
"And who's that guy?" She pointed at another man approaching Lance, dressed in all black topped with what looked to be a biker jacket. It was too far for her to make out his features, but she could tell that he was tall, almost matching Dom in height.
"Heh, that's Lance's homeboy Johnny Appleseed," Letty joked. "He also hates Dom's guts."
Lenora snickered at the image of Dom pissing off everyone he saw with his face. "Boys will be boys."
The taller woman chuckled dryly. "Pfft, I wish." There was a definite edge to her voice after she mentioned whoever that person was, and a slight frown settled on her features. Lenora thought nothing of it and turned her attention back to the two men. 'Johnny Appleseed' ruffled Lance's hair and gave him a firm pat on the shoulders, then he stared straight at Dom. Even from there, Lenora could tell that it was a staring competition, and not the friendly type.
Shouting from all directions knocked her back to her senses as she saw the referee (or at least she thought she was, because referees didn't typically wear a bathing suit). The blonder waved at the masses, signaling the beginning of the competition.
Dom and Lance entered their respective vehicles, butting each other on the shoulders as they passed one another. Slamming their doors shut, they eyed the designated road. A whistle was heard from the blonde, and Lenora could only guess the meaning.
The crowd's cheer raised to a deafening boom, drowning her own thoughts within her. As if on cue, the engines revved to life with aggressive force. Hissing sounds of the batteries powered up in the air, with the familiar scent of gasoline tooting from behind. The blonde waved two red flags in a synchronized pattern, her earpiece enunciating her speech.
"One!" the referee shouted. "Two!...Three!...Go!" Her arms flagged down, and in that moment, the two cars shot forward, leaving only the trails of paper bags and dust in their wake.
Lenora's breath hitched in her throat as her neck snapped to the side to follow the blaring vehicles zooming into the abyss. She understood the hype now; it was exhilarating to watch the intense buildup before you saw a car become a rocket.
"Nora, let's go!" Mia tugged on her arms. Glancing at the younger Toretto, her mouth hung open.
"Wow."
Mia laughed. "I know, but we gotta keep up!"
Letty was nowhere to be found, despite being there with her just seconds ago. Lenora turned around in time to see the sea of people beginning to migrate like a school of fish towards the new destination. She followed Mia's form as the duo hopped onto a...golf cart. Another fit of giggles threatened to spill from her as she took Mia's hand and situated herself.
"Seriously?"
Mia quirked her lips. "Jesse's idea. Since we all can't get into cars at the same time."
Riding the cart in the middle of the streets was a funny scene to behold, but Lenora forgot about it all once she caught sight again of the two cars trying to squeeze each other off.
Dom was much slicker and agile in movements compared to Lance, and soon enough, the distance between them increased. His black Dodge wiggled its way through most cracks, utilizing every nick and turn the street had to offer.
Lenora watched with complete fascination as the black car took the lead with ease. Lance's vehicle had somehow gotten stuck somewhere down the line, unable to advance forward unless using a longer route. By the time the two women had reached the crowd at the finish line, Dom's headlights could be seen charging from the distance.
Mia cheered on, losing her voice within the mass. Lenora, impressed with the whole display, let loose the adrenaline and joined in the clamoring. Dom went past the finish line without trouble, and he revved his engine in triumph. The mob gathered around his car, blabbering praises and swooning over him. He raised his hands, with a large grin on his face, as he accepted their applause.
Lenora watched on as he pulled Letty up to him, before smothering her with a passionate kiss. The amount of affection between them made her a bit envious, if she was being true to herself. In response. The crowd went wild with surprise, and Mia blew a whistle.
"He's a getter," Lenora teased. Raising her hand, she let Mia high-five her.
Mia winked. "It's what makes a Toretto a Toretto."
They clambered off the benches and into the separating mass. There was another race starting not long after, and everyone had to make their way back to square one. All thoughts on the other driver against Dom was deleted from her mind as she joined the party.
The rest of the events happened in a blur, with Lenora's stomach making its angry announcement every now and then because she had forgotten dinner. Vince had convinced her to have two bottles of beer and a box of fried wings, with Mia giggling like a schoolgirl with Brian on her side. Letty snuggled up to her boyfriend as the two started a conversation about the latest race and the respective competitors.
"You owned that lil shit just like last time!" Vince complained. "We got our hopes up for nothing!"
Dom eyed him warily before downing his own bottle of Corona. "Watch yourself. I dunno if we have ears from Tran here."
"Fuck that! Mia was raving about your skillset to her new pal like crazy. We thought you were gonna pull some Toretto shit today."
The gruffy man huffed in annoyance as Vince blabbered on along the lines about pride. Lenora scratched the back of her neck sheepishly, not knowing how to diffuse the ticking time-bomb.
"Maybe next time," Dom stated. "You're always welcome to join us."
Lenora flashed her best smile. "That'd be awesome!" The effects of the alcohol were kicking off, and she found herself all giddy and laughing at almost everything. It earned her a few stares from passersbys, but by then, she couldn't give a damn. When her stomach felt the warm emptiness of hunger again, she groaned in frustration before excusing herself from the group to get more food.
The food trucks were relatively close by, and her legs thanked her for that. She giggled to herself as she thought of something hilarious. Stumbling in line, she tried to read the menu with no success.
She cursed her low alcohol tolerance, and gave up, deciding to just order whatever when it was her turn. Out of everyone in her family, she had to have the stupid Asian glow, coupled with being easily drunk. And Vince making her chugg three bottles of those didn't help either.
Call if first world problems or whatnot, it was embarrassing during a party. By the time she had moved up to the service aisle, she was thirsty. Instead of that gnawing hunger, a sick feeling settled in her stomach. It was likely the fried chicken that did the job, but it had tasted so good. Lenora hummed before asking for a cup of iced tea, sweetened. Satisfied, she slugged her drink as she made her way back to Mia and the others.
She was still grumbling over Vince and his middle-school antics, her head facing the ground instead of where she was headed. A sharp turn from her had her drink colliding with the chest of another person, with its contents slushing out like a waterfall.
"The fuck?!" the guy snapped.
Lenora blinked a few times before her eyes registered the short male in front of her. It wasn't Jesse. She was way too concerned with her growing dizziness to pay attention to the drama before her.
It was the guy Dom had raced at the beginning of the competition. Leo, Leonardo, Lancelot…?
She figured it wasn't that important to remember his name back then, and now she found herself in an awkward situation.
Just pretend you don't know him, genius!
" 'M sorry," she apologized. "Wasn't payin' attention."
The man leered down at her, lips wrinkling in contempt. "Watch it next time!" Bumping her hard against the shoulder, he shoved past her. Usually, that would've sent her snapping a snide comment at the perpetrator, but in her state, the idea of getting into altercations in public wasn't a great look. Plus, she wasn't going to see him that much after today. It wasn't worth the trouble.
Lenora resorted to heaving a sigh, before she resumed her way back. The lot was overflowing with people in all spaces, making it hard to spot the group. Couples were making out like they were gonna get it on in broad daylight, while some of the men from the race were now arm wrestling. She thought the music in the background was pretty dope, as her head bobbed to the beat as she walked.
She was beginning to realize that maybe she lost herself in the massive picnic when someone above her shouted so loud that she almost spilled her drink again.
"Cops! Cops!"
Lenora didn't understand the first time he said it. But by the third warning, her mouth gaped in shock as the mass of bodies began to disperse like rats in the sewers. Panicked shrieks and shouts erupted everywhere as everyone raced to their rides to evade trouble. At the sight of the stampede around her, her anxiety spiked to the nines and fear crawled up behind her neck with its spidery legs.
She still hadn't found Mia or anyone yet. Lenora winced at the thought, she didn't want to jinx anything. How the fuck am I supposed to get out?!
"Nora! Nora!" Someone grabbed her by the arms and she screeched. Diverting her attention to her right, she saw Mia tugging her away with the crowd.
"We gotta go! The cops are here!" The brunette's voice was hardly audible amongst the screaming people around them. And on cue, it was then that Lenora heard the faint sounds of sirens blaring in the distance. Her stomach tied into a nervous knot as she sprinted alongside Mia.
She had seen police show up to house parties on multiple occasions back at her old place, so that wasn't much of a surprise to her. But she'd never seen people so frightened at the mere mention of them.
"Where's everyone else?!" she hollered. Her voice cracked at the strain. Mia looked back with a wink.
"Don't worry about them. We're gonna meet up with them separately."
They approached the street where the Acura was sitting, and Lenora wasted no time in getting in as soon as Mia unlocked the doors. Slamming them shut, the car roared to life and sped off into the darkness. The flashes of red and blue illuminated the roads of the neighborhood behind them, and Lenora wanted badly to think that she wasn't afraid. She had seen people getting arrested at Frat parties, but getting arrested herself was going to be a first. Her heart beated against her ribs like a pounding drum, as if trying to drown her thoughts.
Mia gasped. "We're gonna make it! We're gonna make it!"
The car behind them seemed to drift further away from them by the second, with Mia pressing onto the pedals like her life depended on it. Lenora could hear her ragged breaths like her own. They were both scared shitless under the darkened streets before them.
Mia swerved the car, and did a sharp turn at a cross section, before crashing a red light. Lenora yelped in relief as there were no other vehicles on the road at this time of day. She couldn't decide whether or not that was a good thing. The sound of the sirens grew faint as they headed to wherever that was safe. It didn't seem like Mia was going back home, but then again, it wasn't the brightest idea to let the cops trail you to your house.
Minutes passed before Mia finally slowed down the Acura in a quiet street, this time out of the police's range for good. She looked at Lenora with a funny expression, and Lenora to her. And then they bursted out in hysterical laughter. Lenora was covered in sweat mixed with her perfume, and Mia was no better. The adrenaline coupled with the alcohol they ingested had magnified their senses ten-fold, if not more so for Lenora.
"Shit!" she cried. The tipsiness from before was still lingering in her body. It was like going to cloud nine, and she never knew that this was possible by going to a fucking car race.
Mia giggled. "I suck at running away, though. It's my first time, too."
"Wow. Everything is...Just wow." Lenora reclined onto the seat, letting her breaths even out. The car was now driving at a stable speed, with both of the women still riding the high from the chase.
"We get that a lot," Mia said. "I hoped you had fun! Though I'm sorry for the way it ended."
Lenora guffawed. "Not a problem! Just never thought cops wanted to raid something like this. Like who does that?!"
"I know right?"
As they came down from the clouds, Lenora noticed that the area they were approaching was full of Asian markets. She could make out some of the Mandarin signs that had 'grocery' and 'hair salon' printed in the front, and a bunch of other closed stores that were either in Korean or Vietnamese.
Are we in Chinatown or something?
She thought it was funny because it looked nothing like the one she had been to in San Francisco. The buildings only mildly resembled those of her culture, and she swore that there were more Korean and Vietnamese signs than Mandarin.
"Uh, where are we again?" she glanced at the brunette with a raised brow. Mia seemed to just hear that, because she blinked in confusion. Her bubble was popped by Lenora and she looked around them, panic coming back to her eyes.
"I hope this isn't the place where Dom told me to keep out," she muttered.
Lenora gave her a weird look. "Why aren't you allowed here in the first place?"
Mia didn't look at her, her eyes seemed to be searching for something instead. "It's a long story. I'm gonna try to take us back to the main road home."
It was getting close to two in the morning, and Lenora's head throbbed with a migraine after the whole ordeal. She internally groaned at the thought of waking up the next day. Thank god for painkillers, though, else she wouldn't know how to deal with everyone tomorrow. She came to the conclusion that the 'long story' wasn't that important, and settled on maybe napping until Mia got them out of there.
The car was approached a large sign in the front, and Lenora grumbled something about not knowing how to read Chinese before she heard a gasp from her friend. The brunette's face went from a slight frown to an alarmed look of fear as she saw the street name ahead.
"Crap! We needa get outta here," she hissed at no one in particular. Lenora peered up from her sleeping position curiously. What the hell was happening now?
"Cops?"
Mia shook her head violently. "No. Worse! I won't be able to flirt my way out of this." She floored the gas pedal and the Acura began its escape. Lenora let out a small shriek as the velocity jerked her forward.
Her head was now full of question marks as Mia's grip tightened on the wheel. There was nobody on their tails, just some random buildings around them.
"W-what's going on?!"
"No time to explain! I need to get us out first!" Mia's ragged breaths returned, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. She was in a worse state then when chased by police, which could only mean that there was something, or someone, else out there that was a much bigger fish. Lenora stared at her in dazed bewilderment as the car continued its run.
"Wait, are we running away from someone?!" The thought of being chased by a serial killer or a crazy ex made Lenora's heart clench. She prayed that Mia was joking, because she didn't want to know just how bad the night was going to end.
When Mia nodded at her question, Lenora slapped a hand to her face in defeat. The crickets outside combined with the howling sound of the car only made her anxiety worse.
"Did they see us?!" she drawled frantically. Her mouth felt heavy, either with fear or exhaustion, she didn't care.
Mia's bottom lip trembled. "I dunno! But I'm not-"
A flash of light hit the rearview mirrors and Lenora thought she saw a group of smaller headlights making their way to the moving Acura. Her clouded mind in addition to the dark made it hard for her to make out what it was. But as the lights neared, she saw at least four motorcycles speeding up towards them.
Please don't let it be them, please don't, please don't!
"Shit!" Mia screeched. She tried to drive faster, but the people behind them were catching on in response. "Oh god!"
Lenora gripped the door handles in an attempt to stay calm. "Who they?!"
The brunette beside her hyperventilated as she tried to keep her composure. And before they knew it, a tap came at the window, prompting Lenora to scream. She didn't even hear anyone approach them. To each side was a rider covered in shaded black helmets, and each were holding a pistol in their hands as they used it to get their attention.
Lenora was sure that it was fear that stopped her from yelling bloody murder into the rider's face. Meanwhile, Mia groaned and slowed down the car. The Asian snapped her head to her in disbelief.
"Wait, why aren't we running?!" At the sight of Mia giving up just like that made her want to throttle someone. Lenora wasn't searching for a chance to become the next crime victim, and she sure as fuck wasn't going to go down without a fight.
"It's too late," Mia whispered. "Just stay calm." Her tone was even, but the terror laced in her eyes gave everything away.
"What-" Lenora's protest failed to leave her lips when the rider on Mia's side pulled down his visor. Brown eyes showed through, glaring at them as if he wished them the most painful death. Lenora didn't need a college degree to know that it was a man. Her brain overrode every command in her body, and she found herself unable to move or speak.
The man jerked his head, motioning for them to follow. Mia inhaled and turned to the wheel to face the car in their direction. Lenora could only watch on with growing dread in her chest as the duo went along with the crowd of bikes. She clenched her eyes shut and counted to ten, trying to conjure images of her favorite place like her therapist had told her before. But the pictures of that little house by the beach only made her want to choke with incredulous laughter. Her brain was filled with fog and her fingers shivered against the cool autumn air blowing in
Her eyes flew wide open as the car came to an abrupt stop. Lenora jerked forward, unable to contain the jitters.
"I'm so sorry," Mia said. Her voice broke at the end, and Lenora could tell that neither of them were holding it together.
Lenora saw that they were now in an abandoned parking lot, far from the main parts of town. Partially destroyed structures surrounded them, and the smell of mud and dirt soiled the air. They were in some deep shit.
The rider in the middle, doned in all black, stepped off his ride. And from her seat, Lenora thought she saw that figure somewhere before. Her mind went back to the race a few hours ago, and tried to profile him to a face and name.
Despite being clothed head to toe in heavy leather, his broad chest and v-shaped waist was still prominent to the naked eye. She wouldn't be surprised if he sported a full beard with dragon tattoos all over his body. Lenora swallowed thickly as he sauntered to the car, footsteps meticulously slow and languid, but with a sharp edge.
His heavy steps hammered terror into her inch by inch as he closed in on them. Once he was just centimeters away from the lights of the car, his hand moved to his helmet. Lenora glanced at Mia, finding the latter staring right back at him. She grimaced as she braced herself to meet his face. She'd seen all types of mugshots from NCIS, all of them not pretty. There was nothing more the guy could do to scare her at this point.
The helmet was yanked off his head, revealing a good amount of curly, jet black hair and a chiseled jaw. Lenora had to shake her head to make sure she wasn't hallucinating because of the beers. She was expecting someone way older than this; the guy looked hardly out of college.
The memory then hit her like a splash of cold water as her mind did a double-take. He was the same man with the other Asian dude Dom was racing earlier. Johnny Appleseed? It was a no-brainer that it was a nickname, but at least she had a tag to go with the face now. His eyes, a set of black holes, stared at them with unsettling intensity.
"Out the car, Toretto," he commanded. It wasn't a deep bass-like voice like she'd expected, quite nasally in fact. His face betrayed no emotions, with the smoothness of his skin, he looked like an alabaster statue. All of a sudden, Lenora didn't know if she could take the gangster-wannabe seriously anymore. She felt an emotion akin to annoyance trickling into her veins. In her hazy state, the most logical thing she could come up with was that this was a very pissed off ex.
Mia moved to open the door. "Stay in the car, Nora. I'll wrap this up as quickly as I can. Just lay low."She shoved her hands in her jeans as she trudged up to the man.
On the same level, Lenora noticed just how tall he was close up, and it made her hands shake with uncertainty. A whole bundle of scenarios ran through her; this could end up being a mugging, or a heated argument at best, or people getting shot at worst.
Mia stalked up to him, eyes hardening into icy daggers. He seemed to share the same sentiment.
"What do you want, Tran?"