Disclaimer: I don't own the Fast and the Furious or any recognizable thing mentioned in here. I'm just playing.

Chapter 13: Domestics

"It was really close up until then end but I edged him out for the win," I said, a grin firmly in place.

"And you just had to call me at four am to tell me," Han's said calmly. He sounded amused though. I looked at the clock. It was only eight pm here. I was always getting the time difference wrong.

"Figured if you were half sleep you'd agree to come home."

"I dunno. I'm starting to really like it here. My Japanese is getting better." There was a rustle of sheets in the background.

"Private lessons?"

Han chuckled. "Lots of private lessons," he paused for a second, changing tactics, "Wasn't race wars weeks ago?"

"Yeah, about three months now."

"Did Letty ever come home?" Oh yeah. He wouldn't know anything about that. The last time Han and I talked was back in March before Letty had returned.

"Yeah. You could learn from her." He laughed. The rustling started up again.

"Try not to screw up this time," he said slowly but without heat. I heard Letty's car pull to a stop in the front of the house. Then there was the sound of rapid Japanese coming from some woman in the background on his end.

"I'll catch you later," I said humorously.

"Yeah, I need to get back to my lesson. Later." Han hung up and I shook my head laughing. Some people could be counted on to remain the same. I looked up as the door opened. Letty walked in followed by a woman I didn't know. The woman was very pretty, pregnant, and supporting a small baby on her hip.

"Daniel, we're fine. We'll see you when you get here," the woman said into the earpiece the baby was trying to grab. Letty crossed over to me and the woman followed absently. "Uh huh. Wait, here talk to Ti Ti."

Letty took the earpiece, "Chill bro. We'll be down the street. Just call when you all get back…ok bye."

The baby started squirming. I stood. "What ya got here?" I asked Letty, but I was staring at the kid squirm in her mother's arms.

"Dom this is Anya, my brother's uh…" she looked like the word was difficult to force out, "fiancée, his daughter Aaliyah," she pointed to the girl who had stopped squirming and was now patting Anya, then to Anya's stomach, "and his other daughter Delia."

Anya gave me a long sweeping look before smiling wide addressing Letty, "I see why you came back." I grinned. The kid looked at me to wiggle her arms and fingers at me. Oh no. I was not holding that kid. I motioned for them to sit down.

"Where is Daniel?" I asked, hoping they would explain why they were hanging out here with a baby instead of at the Ortiz's house.

"My family went to pick him up at the airport," Letty said giving me a look full of meaning. Guess they didn't know about Anya or the kids yet. I heard the roar of two more familiar engines. Vince and Jesse were home. No wait; there was Leon's engine too. The guys walked into the living room spotting the pregnant lady with the baby first. They looked cautiously like they didn't know whether they wanted to sit down or not.

"Uh hello," Jesse said timidly. Anya smiled.

"Anya, this is Jesse, Leon, and Vince. Guys meet Dom's mistress and his kids," Letty said in a deadpan. All faces turned to hers, including mine.

"Seriously?" Mia said, coming down the stairs. Anya, Letty, and I cracked up.

"No. She's Daniel's…" Letty said stumbling over the word.

"Fiancée," Anya said grinning. The atmosphere loosened up. Mia bent down to coo at the baby, who was hiding her face, playing shy.

"We got a movie and some popcorn," Jesse offered. I nodded. That would keep us from having to make silly conversation. Letty sat beside me, turning to whisper softly to me.

"This cool?" I nodded. I wasn't exactly comfortable around kids but it was a temporary thing. Very temporary.

Mia took up residence on the floor next to Anya, Aaliyah getting over her shyness to sit on Mia's lap. Leon gave me a silly look before sitting down next to Letty. She nudged his leg with her foot and he tugged her hair playfully. They grinned. Their friendship was something I had begun to tolerate a lot better now that jealously wasn't a factor anymore. Jesse brought the popcorn back, sitting next to Vince who was lounging on the floor. The movie started up. Half way through, Anya's cell rang. The little girl giggled.

"Hello," Anya greeted, "oh. Ok then. Just…I love you."

Letty turned to look at her. I guess the news wasn't going over well. Anya struggled to get up and Mia instinctively offered her hand to help.

"Where's the bathroom?" Anya asked.

"Upstairs," I told her. When she trudged upstairs I kissed Letty's temple. "One night. They can stay in Papa's room."

There was no need for us to discuss it further. Letty and I were so in tune to one another that we often had what Mia called 'cryptic conversations'. Letty nodded then followed Anya upstairs. Ten minutes later, Letty walked out the front door. Most likely to go support her brother. The little girl had started to get squiggly again. Mia let her go and she crawled awkwardly towards Vince who had his back propped against the couch. Aaliyah slapped Vince's arm and stomach. He ignored the tiny baby taps.

"Are we a hostel now?" Leon asked the room at large.

"More like a women's shelter for tonight," Mia replied crawling stealthily to try to catch the baby off guard. Vince's head turned slightly to watch Mia coming towards him. I could see how the move could easily be construed in a sexual manner but this was my sister. I tapped him in the back with my foot. He looked down at the baby who was now cooing in addition to slapping him. He snatched the kid up, laying her on his chest. She stared with her little girl eyes at him, taking in his face from all different angles then patted his face. He pretended not to notice, going back to watching the movie. She wiggled her hands to her eyes then moved them away, squealing when she did so. Great, she was going to play peek-a-boo. Mia frowned then sidled up to Vince to play with Aaliyah. Jesse, finally tearing his eyes away from the TV noticed that the baby was a lot closer than she'd been an hour ago. He joined the game of peek-a-boo, making the little girl laugh and start giggling again. Playing with Aaliyah became infectious.

The movie finished then Leon and Jesse started to play a racing game. Vince let go of the little girl, going into the kitchen and returning with two Coronas. Mia took over entertaining Aaliyah, kissing and cooing to her then getting kisses and coos in return. He marched past me, nodding his head for me to join him on the front steps. I took the Corona from him and we sat on the steps to wait for Letty. He must have known I was getting antsy with her being away. I didn't ever try to keep her from doing as she pleased, but I was still on edge. It was a by-product of her sabbatical in Virginia.

"That kid's a terror," Vince said suddenly. I worked to cover my grin. He was so full of crap. Vince was struggling to keep up the pretense that he didn't like kids. It didn't jive with this rough and tumble image. We each took a long swallow.

"Jackson invited us to races next Saturday," I said. Jackson had been working to get us out to the races in San Francisco ever since the team swept up at Race Wars. This year Vince had gone down in his ninth race and I had swept up the top prize. We were hot and Jackson wanted to make sure folks knew we were cool. He like Harry understood how influential being linked to our team could be.

"We working or you closing for the day?"

I turned the question over in my mind, "Let's take the day off. We can go up early and relax."

Vince nodded. I trusted him to take care of the logistics. Correction, I trusted him to make sure Mia took care of the logistics. He'd also get the word out to Leon and Jesse. We didn't really talk about much as we finished our beers. However we finished just in time. Mia was pacing the floor rocking Aaliyah who was bawling inconsolably.

"What did you do to her?" Vince said gruffly grabbing her as she wiggled her hands and fingers towards him. Aaliyah still had tears streaming but she was quietly rubbing her drooping eyes.

"She's sleepy V," Mia said rubbing the little girl's back. Aaliyah let her head fall to his shoulder and he rocked her. Mia shook her head then headed upstairs grumbling about homework. She was ticked that the baby had quieted right down for Vince. Aaliyah stirred once when Leon and Jesse had started to argue about possible cheating in the game. One look from Vince had them scurrying downstairs. I turned down the volume on the TV and we sat waiting for Letty to return. At quarter to twelve the door opened. Letty was rubbing her forehead like she had a headache. She paused in front of me and I stood, placing my arm around her neck.

"Danny's an idiot," she whispered exasperatedly.

Vince stood too, Aaliyah still asleep in his arms. He pushed his arms out gently. Neither of us made a move to take the little girl from his arms. His face tensed. I didn't want the kid. Apparently Letty was as comfortable with her niece as I was.

"What if her head falls off?" Letty said awkwardly, her face twisting into a grimace.

"Her head's not going to come off Letty," Vince said quietly like he was trying to explain the difference between a Phillips and a flat head screw driver to a small child. We stared at the kid again. Vince huffed. He was losing patience. I carefully opened my arms, Vince transferring her to me.

"Your brother isn't the only idiot," Vince threw at Letty. She scowled at his retreating back. Letty locked up then we walked upstairs. She carefully opened the door to my father's room. I tried not to think about the twinge I felt at being in here as I placed the baby carefully beside her sleeping mother. We tiptoed across the hall and I helped her get into bed. We were too exhausted to do anything more than sleep. The following morning I trudged downstairs to see everyone seated at the table, chatting away. Daniel was there playing with his daughter. He looked tired but happy.

"Thanks Dom," he said in lieu of a greeting. I nodded then took my seat at the head of the table. Conversation flowed punctuated by Aaliyah's coos and the scrape of forks to plates. Finally it was time for us to get to work. Daniel, Anya, and Aaliyah left first. They were going to stay with the Ortiz's now that the furor had died down. Mia kissed the little girl's cheeks and tickled her belly. Jesse gave her feet a tickle, Leon patted her head gently. But Aaliyah wiggled her fingers at Vince and he gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. She rubbed her head in confusion. He had tickled her forehead with his whiskers. Letty and I waved. Anya gave us an odd look before she left, making us promise to hang out with them before they left.

Friday afternoon the Ortiz's had a barbeque at their house. The whole team showed up to say goodbye to Daniel, Anya, and Aaliyah. Daniel was going back to join his unit in Spain. Anya, Aaliyah, and unborn Delia were going back to Virginia to wait for him. I felt sad for them, knowing that they would have to separate from each other. It made me stick closer to Letty than I normally would have at her parent's house. Letty had gone into the kitchen with her cousin Marisol and I could see them through the window laughing. Daniel was telling stories about the Navy and his shipmates but I couldn't focus entirely. I was too busy watching Letty take a drink of water. I really was going to ask her about that water bottle thing she did with her teeth and tongue.

"…I'm surprised Letty hasn't spent most of the summer at the beach here," I heard Anya mention. I shrugged, still watching Letty as she approached. She was wearing a dress with spaghetti straps that fell to her knees today. Mrs. Ortiz had looked happy to see that. Letty sat in a chair next to me with a grin.

"I was just telling them Ti Ti how you practically lived on the beach in VA," Daniel explained.

"Yeah, our girl came back with a wicked tan," Marisol said with a smile.

"I go to the beach here too," Letty defended. I rubbed her knee absently. Yeah I remembered the last time she and I went to the beach. I smirked.

"Not that often though," Mia tacked on.

"And to think Parker practically had to drag her away most days," Daniel continued reminiscing. Letty stiffened slightly under my hand. I'd slid it up to trace small circles on her inner thigh, right above her knee.

"Speaking of which, how is Parker?" Anya asked rubbing her belly absently.

"Oh he's cool. He's using his R and R to visit his parents." Letty shifted slightly away from me. I'd moved my fingers higher.

"We should call him. I'll probably miss him by the time I get back," Anya said conversationally reaching for Daniel's cell. Letty stood up suddenly. Daniel and Anya looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction. Daniel flashed me a quick glance but held his hand out for the phone.

"Maybe we should call him later," he said before changing the subject to stories of Spain. Letty walked across the yard and into the kitchen. I waited ten seconds then followed. She looked at me, her face blank.

"You need somethin'?" she asked me. I swirled the cup in my hand, letting the ice at the bottom clink together. She opened the fridge and I stepped up behind her. I knew that the door would cover what I was doing to anyone looking outside. I let my hands slide up her legs under her skirt. She brushed against me.

"You ready to go yet?" my fingers crept up to tickle her lower belly beneath her dress. She hissed.

"Yes." I nipped her neck then removed my hands. She smoothed the dress down and I stepped back, closing the door. We made our goodbyes, Mia giving us a knowing glance. The two of us hustled across the street, knowing the rest of the occupants were still out. I pressed her against the wall when we reached the small landing on the stairs. I kissed her and she responded wildly, practically crawling up my body. I placed my hands on her behind to lift her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and we kept kissing as I carried her to our room, our bed. We flung our clothes off hastily. The two of us were frenzied. I couldn't stop touching her. She was selfish tonight, taking what I gave and demanding more. She kept whispering to me to let go and lose control. I was already feeling out of control. Or at least I thought I was until she nipped my ear. I don't remember much after that.

When I came to it was dark out. I panicked when I first felt the warm body lying next to me. And then I stroked her back, realizing it was Letty. I hadn't imagined the explosive sex. It really had happened. And my body clearly remembered and wanted a repeat performance. I absently started rubbing circles into her back. She murmured but didn't stir. Her cell phone started going off but she didn't seem fazed. I got up to silence it but it stopped. Opening the phone to turn the volume off I noticed that missed call was flashing for attention. I shut it without looking. I wasn't going to police who she talked to. I'd learned a valuable lesson about assumptions when she first came back.

I pulled on my pants and shirt, shuffling downstairs for a snack. The team was lounging idly watching TV. Bypassing them I went to the kitchen to make a sandwich before taking up residence in the living room. TV got boring but it was only ten now, still early. Leon popped in Gone in Sixty Seconds and we started debating the merits of the cars the characters had to steal.

"You have to admit the Hummer is plain bad ass even if you can't race it," Leon threw out.

"Boo!" Jesse cried out in disgust. We all laughed. I heard Letty's footfalls on the stairs and she appeared in a pair of my boxers and one of her t-shirts. She sat next to me, pulled her feet up, and rested her chin on her knees. From the flickering light of the TV I could see her blank expression. Talk swirled around us but she didn't join in. I started rubbing her back and she hid her face in her knees. Something was wrong but I wasn't going to bring it up in front of everyone else. She'd tell me when we were alone. Ten minutes later she raised her head, uncurled her body, and leaned over to kiss me slow and deep. I groaned, having never fully gotten over the desire to go for round two.

I heard the snickers of Leon and Vince as we pulled apart. I lazily dropped another kiss on her lips before we went back upstairs. This time with Letty was slower than before but still filled with passion. She was rough with me too which surprisingly amped me up more. Her nails raked across my back, she bit my shoulder trying to keep quiet. But I didn't care about anyone else but her at the moment so I pushed harder too. The scream she gave me was unexpected and sexy as hell. It built from her, long and deep, rising in volume involuntarily. We looked into each other's eyes intensely, both spent. After a moment I started to roll off her but she protested.

"Stay." So I did. I propped myself on my elbows, playing with her hair. I kissed her face and she kissed me back.

"You ok?" I asked. She sighed heavily.

"Yeah. I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

The following day we drove the six hours up to San Francisco. Mia rode with me, staring out the window as she tried to visually keep up with the game of tag Leon, Letty, Vince, and Jesse were playing on the highway.

"You could go faster if you wanted to," she told me lazily. I maintained my speed, letting my mind wander to the night before. Letty never told me what was bothering her but I knew it was still on her mind this morning. Mia started flipping through radio stations. We still had five hours of driving to do and she was getting restless.

"How's school going?"

"It's going," she told me before launching into a long explanation about her classes, her major, her classmates. As long as I interjected an 'uh huh' or 'ok, yep', she kept chatting about college. I expected her to be exhausted with the subject when she reminded me about the tuition bill. The university payments were steeper now she was into her program, taking classes at the main campus.

"We'll manage Mi," I reassured her. She nodded in an absent way. Tag had lost its thrill and now we were driving in a pack.

"Dom, being around Aaliyah got me thinking," Mia started.

"You're too young for a baby Mi," I said sternly. She looked over at me.

"Not me. You." I took my foot off the gas. It took me a second to realize I'd done it. The blast from Vince's horn behind me got me back on track.

"No."

"You haven't thought about it?"

I shook my head. Twenty-three was too young for a kid. At twenty-one Letty was too young for a kid too. I didn't think I even wanted any kids. I barely wanted someone else's kid around me. I didn't know what to do with them. Plus I was really enjoying my life right now. And the fast life, the ability to do what I wanted when I wanted to do it, didn't work with a kid in tow.

"I'm responsible for enough people right now," I told her.

"That's just it. You're not responsible for us."

"Are you sure you're not projecting your desire to be an aunt on me?"

"Dom, I'm not saying you and Letty should start popping out kids right this second," she marched on.

"I don't think Letty even likes kids," I countered.

"But I'd support you if decided to have some," Mia continued.

"Are you pregnant?" I asked her.

"No." We sat in silence a few moments.

"Daniel's four years older than I am," I explained, "He doesn't have a criminal record. Or a house full of misfits to feed. Or a sister to put through college."

She nodded her head, choosing her words carefully. "Dom, no one is expecting you to be Papi."

"I know."

"You aren't required to take care of Vince. Or Leon. Or Jesse. Or Letty. Or me even."

"Mia, I know it's not required. I…"

"No you don't. You are free to live your life however you choose. I just want you to know that you can make a life for yourself that isn't centered on keeping the rest of us happy at your expense."

We sat in silence again. I thought about what she said. Papi's death had been hard on me. But the months following my release had really challenged me. I'd felt trapped when I couldn't afford to support them. But not because I felt I was taking on my father's responsibilities with Mia or the rest of the people sharing my house. I just felt I owed it to them to be as good of a man as my father had been. Vince and Letty had stepped in and helped out when Mia had needed them. Leon and Jesse had supported my family with friendship in addition to mechanical skill. I loved my life with them. The team had become my family.

To be fair I thought about what I would do if things had been different. If Papi had lived or I hadn't given a damn about looking out for them. It was difficult for me to see my life not including Vince or Han. They had been my best friends before my life had changed drastically. Mia of course would still be in my life. But I wouldn't be worried about tuition payments. I'd be more concerned with beating up the guys she dated. Hell, I might have fixed up the Acura for her behind Papi's back and taught her to race myself. I'd probably never gotten to know Leon and Jesse. The thought was sobering considering Leon and I had crossed paths before I left for prison and I hadn't even noticed. And Letty. Without the break Lompoc had provided I may have easily broken up with her, never realizing how good she was for me. Or we'd probably be together with at least one kid if not two or three. I wasn't exactly careful with her before I left. To be honest she still had the power to make me forget to be careful even now. Heat flooded my face thinking about last night. Mia might not have as long of a wait to be an aunt after all.

"You sure this isn't a ploy to become an aunt?" She laughed.

"Why? After last night you got something to tell me?" she asked cheekily. I turned up the radio to concentrate on the road.

Later that night I found myself staring at Letty across Jackson's crowded house. He was keeping up a steady stream of introductions and commentary for me and Vince. I'd thankfully won my race out here, and the chatter in the crowd was that I was still 'King Dom of the LA race scene'. If it wasn't for my racing attitude being firmly in place I would have grinned in glee. It felt good to be the king. Vince and Jackson filtered into the crowd. I saw Jesse move past me some random girl whispering in his ear, her hands up his shirt. He looked like he was totally focused so I moved on, working to get to Letty. I ran into Kessler instead.

"Oh hey man," he said leaning heavily on the girl standing next to him. He was wasted. I nodded. "I see your girlfriend is back." He waved his hand sloppily through the air. "Or maybe I should say girlfriends." I looked over to see Letty talking to May Lynn and Tori. I gave Kessler one raised eyebrow. He mock whispered to his companion, "That dude is a beast. He can even get lesbians to give it up."

The girl rolled her eyes. She led him off. I hope she found him a place to sleep the alcohol off. Wow he was way off the mark. I made my way over to the three women. Tori saw me first. She was still as made up as she had been that night at race wars. She threw her arms around me and I could smell the alcohol on her breath. So she wasn't exactly sober. Good to know.

"Hey Dom," she giggled pulling back. I saw her sway slightly so I put a hand on her arm to keep her on her feet.

"Yeah, hey Dom," May Lynn said also hugging me. She had on some makeup tonight and a fancy looking top but she was still wearing her jeans. Subtle changes worked for her. She did not smell like she was on her way to being as drunk as her girlfriend. "We were just asking your friend about her car."

I looked at Letty's face. It was carefully neutral.

"Do you two know anything about cars?" I jokingly asked.

Tori giggled, "Oops, you got us!"

She swayed again but May Lynn caught her this time. "Yep, I guess we won't be bagging another member of Team Toretto tonight," May Lynn teased dryly.

"I didn't think you liked to share," I stated.

"Well we made an exception in your case," Tori joked. Letty and I weren't touching but I was close enough to notice her body stiffen.

"Kessler?" I asked.

May Lynn nodded, "He has a really big mouth."

Tori squinted at Letty. She looked between our faces before her mouth made a comical 'o'. She pointed at Letty, "You must be the one that got away." May Lynn looked at Letty critically too. Her face went from cheerful to embarrassment in half a second.

"Um, you do know that we're joking right?" she leaned in to whisper to Letty.

"Whatever," Letty said. She sounded calm but I heard the hostility behind the word.

"Damn. We just tried to pick up your girlfriend," Tori slurred. That seemed to thaw Letty's cool.

"Excuse me?" Letty asked sounding genuinely lost. May Lynn kissed Tori on her cheek.

"We're together. Dom's not really our type," May Lynn answered.

"But if you're free…"Tori trailed off.

Letty's voice completely thawed and she joined in the joke, "Thanks for the offer but you've bagged enough members of Team Toretto."

"Camille, how are you?" I asked as she went on her toes to give me a quick hug at races. She smiled, thankful at the acknowledgement. Some of the regular racers glanced over at her appreciatively.

"Hoping to get a second chance to ride you Dom," she said loud enough for people in our immediate vicinity to hear. Wow. That was pretty bold considering it was common knowledge that Letty and I were together. I gave her a cocky grin which she returned, sauntering off to rejoin her friends in the crowd. Vince had his arms wrapped around a pretty brunette tonight. He gave me a violent look. I gave him one nod rolling my eyes and he relaxed. It was just more rumors. Nothing more.

January had come and I had seen the increase in rumors and speculation surrounding the team. Guys really could gossip worse than chicks sometimes. The stories we heard about all the women I'd taken home were amazing. At this rate I would have to be constantly having sex, sometimes twice a day just to get them all in. I wasn't surprised that there were a lot of women like Camille who didn't mind the alleged hookups with me. Some even went as far to make up stories to support the claim. Of course it made me look like a real big ladies man but I could see that it was hurtful to Letty. She had to go to races every week pretending that she couldn't hear what people were saying. And even though she knew it wasn't true it still smarted to know that the people we hung out with thought I was cheating on her.

What I found astounding were the number of stories that surrounded my relationship with Letty considering I was supposed to be cheating on her all the time. My behavior at races and around town was reported as being totally devoted to Letty otherwise. I was an obsessed lunatic who was not going to give her up no matter how many girls I screwed. I was also keeping her very satisfied in bed which is the only reason she stuck around. Factoring these rumors in, I would have to up the sex to three times a day to be giving it to her as much as I supposed to be too.

Hector approached me, a gleam in his eye. He was really enjoying his role as race coordinator. We shook hands. "Hey Dom, feel like making a lot of cash tonight?"

"Depends. Are they worthy to race?" I asked cockily. Despite my feelings I kept my racer persona on.

"Toretto knows I'm worthy. But is he brave enough to race me?" Johnny Tran announced to the crowd.

"I thought you were going to stay away," I stated evenly.

"This ain't your turf Toretto."

"Oh I don't know about that. Dom's King around here so technically…" Sam spoke up. I threw up my arms and the crowd went wild, lending credence to Sam's claim. Tran looked flustered. He hadn't been here since we'd parted ways in the desert two years ago. A lot had changed.

"Technicalities don't speak to your bravery Toretto," he switched up.

"My bravery doesn't make you worthy to race me either." It was really up to Tran to provide a reason for me to race him. I was in charge here. He couldn't goad me into any match up I didn't want to be in. And I didn't feel like racing him really. I still had the scars from the last time we'd run into each other. He stepped right into my face, speaking really low so only I could hear him.

"I'm tired of people talking about my sister, making her out to be your whore. You just don't learn your lesson do you Toretto."Aww man. The rumors about Joi Tran had been vicious. If the rumors were to be believed, Joi had been my mistress the whole time, something that Letty had tolerated all those months before she'd left. I'd played around with Joi, promised to leave Letty, but dropped her when Letty returned. The whole thing was ridiculous. I'd broken up with Joi long before Letty and I got back together.

"Consider your sources before you come challenge me again Tran," I said, turning my back on him. I was disgusted. The crowd around us 'oohed'. Tran was humiliated. Angrily he pushed me. I turned to put a fist in his face but Vince stopped me.

"Come on Dom, just race him so he can crawl back across town," Vince said deliberately loud enough for the crowd to agree. A fist fight could easily end in more gun violence with Johnny. A race would serve as a non-violent humiliation to him and entertainment for the crowd. I shook Vince off.

"What are we racin' for?" My tone was back to casual arrogance. Tran seemed to regain his earlier swagger.

"Pink skips," Tran threw out. I gave him a hard piercing look. He goaded, "Small price to pay for honor."

I walked over to the seven to find Letty standing there, pink slip stuck between her fingers. I approached her, reaching down to sweep her up in one arm while taking the slip in my other hand. We kissed briefly before I returned her to the ground.

"Guess you really put it on her," she told me in her nonchalant tone that was part of her racer persona. This whole situation really sucked. I returned to give Hector my slip then we reconvened at the line. I really wanted to put Tran in his place tonight. I was tired of his sister coming between the peace that he and I were enjoying staying away from one another.

Hector let Camille start the race off. Johnny and I flew off the line. I sped through the gears. Johnny was keeping up. But he must have feared that he wasn't going to continue to keep up because he gave himself a shot of nitrous for a quick lead after he shifted from fourth to fifth. Too soon loser. I waited a second before releasing my shot. I ended up crossing the quarter mile half a length in front of him. I blew out a breath preparing to stop and turn around. I wasn't expecting the t-bone hit Johnny delivered in the middle of my turn. I felt the seven roll, the glass shatter. The metal scraped the pavement, the motion jarring me since I was rolling around, the seat belt keeping me from smashing onto the top of the car when it stopped upside down.

I heard the screaming and pandemonium as people flew into action. There was a lot of tire screeching. I knew people must be leaving the scene. It would be harder to lie and say I was in a hit and run accident if we were still set up for a drag race in progress. I reached for my seat belt, my hands clumsy. I realized belatedly that they were covered in blood. Shit. This meant another trip to the hospital. I hoped I got that really good nurse who kept me happily drugged up the last time.