A/N: Thanks to Vinces-Girl, 2furious4u, dragonmamma, K4LI, rippedjeans, and HermioneandMarcus for their reviews of the last chapter!
I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, but I had an essay due that was worth 30 per cent of my final score, and, as always, I left it to the last minute. (Bad girl!) Anywhoo, I have one more essay, but as of May31st, my course if offically over, and my next one doesn't start 'till Febuary, so I'll have much more time for writing!
This chapter is...not bad, just a little boring, at least compared to the last one. Things will start to heat up soon, I promise, just bear with me.
As always, Review and Enjoy!
Standing on the vine-covered balcony, Letty watched idly as a lizard made it's way slowly up the wall, heading for the shadows.
It was too hot, even for one born and bred in California, and it didn't help that the hotel's air conditioning had crapped out in the middle of the night. The air was thick, humid and oppressive, matching her dark mood.
Dom and Leon had gone out, probably only to stumble back in a couple of hours. There wasn't much to do, and the stress was getting to them all.
Things had gone so wrong, and Letty still wasn't quite sure how. When Dom had been released from Lompoc a couple years back, he'd been different. Still her Dom, but…different. She couldn't deny that his new edge turned her on, but there were things about it that she didn't like. He'd always been a little wild, but some how he had lost his restraint. But mostly it was the girls. She knew he cheated on her, but she had consoled herself that for all the skanks there were, he always came back to her, and for a short time she could pretend it was like the old days, when he treated her like a queen. But eventually, the illusion would always come crashing down.
The thing was, although Letty had this tough-chick reputation, she had never been with anyone but Dom, and she didn't know how to deal with the problems they were having. Her dignity, her pride told her to get rid of him, to not put up with that kind of crap, but she was scared, and she hated that feeling.
When he'd come up with the crackpot idea of the heists, it had been her out, her chance at a fresh start with him. Sipping Margaritas on a beach in Mexico, free of life's troubles, the whole crew together and safe.
Yeah, right. Here she was in Mexico, no beach, no Margaritas, her and Dom worse than ever, with Leon awkwardly caught in the middle. Half the crew was still in Los Angeles, facing criminal charges, and they weren't even sure if Jesse would pull through. All they could do was sit around and wait for Alejandro's next call.
She was pissed at Dom for getting them all into this. She was pissed at Vince and Leon for going along with it. She was pissed at Mia for not stopping them. She was pissed at Brian for being a cop. She was pissed at herself for thinking something so stupid was the answer. Hell, she was even pissed at Jesse for racing Tran, then cutting out.
She knew Alex was supposed to be this hotshot lawyer, but she didn't see how he could get them out of this. She knew they all deserved to go to jail for what they had done, but she was never going to do anything like that again, and she'd gladly give back all the money if it would make things go back to normal.
Gazing over the bustling street below, she thought over her problems. She wouldn't talk to Dom. Every time he tried, she would walk away, or change the subject. The truth was, she didn't know what to say, and now was definitely not the time for her usual catty remarks or bitchy demands. She knew that a lot of people didn't like her, that they thought she was a tough bitch. She didn't care. The people she wanted as family loved her anyway, and she didn't need more than that. But now she faced loosing it all, and she didn't know what she would do if she was left all alone. Life made her tough, fighting over Dom made her bitchy, but her family made her strong.
What would she do without them?
Rae struggled to keep a hold of her squirming daughter as they made there way to Vince's ward.
They had gone to see Jesse already, and after a warning to be gentle, Ella had sat quietly by his side and said, "Poor thing," over and over, as she patted his hand. Mia had stared crying at the sight and Brian had led her out, saying over his shoulder that they would meet up with Rae and Ella at Vince's room.
Rae had stayed a little longer, introducing Ella, even though Jesse couldn't hear, and Ella started talking to him, responding to questions only she could hear. Rae had sat and watched for a while, amazed once again at the effortless joy in the little girl.
As Rae pushed open the door, Ella managed to wriggle out of her arms and run into the room. She stopped next to the bed and looked up at Vince, who was sitting up in bed. He stared back, obviously startled by the mini-invasion.
"Uh, hi," he said awkwardly.
Taking no notice of his mildly uncomfortable demeanour, the little girl gave him a big smile and replied, "Hi! I Tinkerbelle. You Vince?" I Jane. You Tarzan. Rae held back a snicker at the confused look on Vince's face.
He nodded absently, and looked up at Rae, who was still standing by the door. "You called your kid Tinkerbelle?!" he asked incredulously.
Rae laughed. "No. I called her Bella. She decided her name was Tinkerbelle." She shrugged. "She's goin' through her Disney phase. I'm told it only lasts for another nine years or so."
Vince just stared at the toddler, who was currently trying to pull herself up onto the bed, but had only succeeded in pulling half the covers of the bed. "Down. Sit." Ohmygod, he's talking to my kid like she's a dog. "Could you give me a hand here?" he asked desperately, holding on to his end of the blankets, essentially playing tug-of-war with Bella.
"Sure," she replied, picking up Ella as Mia and Brian entered the room, setting her daughter on Vince's bed as soon as he was done fixing the blankets. "There 'ya go," she grinned, patting Ella's head, "Play nice."
Ella grinned back and began crawling up Vince's legs, stopping when she was next to him, but still facing him. His hands were in the air, trying to avoid her little grasping ones. "What the fu…"
"Vince! Language!" Mia scolded, having a hard time not grinning. Vince just scowled, folding his arms gingerly over his chest.
Apparently deciding to ignore Ella in hopes that she'd go away, he turned his glare towards Brian. "O'Connor."
"Vince," Brian nodded back, trying to hold back his own laughter.
There was an awkward pause, filled with Ella's singsong voice as she tugged futilely at Vince's un-bandaged arm.
"Well, the doctor said they're going to release you in a couple days," Mia said, trying to steer the conversation away from less awkward subjects. It didn't work.
"How'd it go with Hector?" Vince asked Brian coldly.
"Good, he's gonna help. All you have to do is tell the cops that the Trans grabbed you at Race Wars and forced you onto that truck. It should be enough," Brian replied confidently.
Vince nodded, then looked in annoyance at Ella, who was still tugging. "Look kid, it ain't gonna happen," he told her.
She looked at him and said, "Pretty,"
Everyone, including Rae, looked at her like she was crazy, Vince to only one that actually voiced the opinion. "'You nuts, kid?"
She giggled, and then pointed at the tattoo peeking out from under his bandages. "Pretty!"
Understanding broke across Vince's face, and Mia and Vince laughed. "You like tattoos?" he asked.
She nodded vigorously, sending her wavy hair bouncing. "'Course she does. She even helps out at the shop where I work, don'tcha munchkin?" Rae replied, finally rescuing Vince from his tiny attacker.
Before anyone could say anything else, another voice interrupted from the open door. "Well, ain't this cute?" remarked large, dark skinned man said in a less-than-friendly tone. Next to him was a shorter white guy. Both of them had 'cop' written all over them.
"Bilkins, Tanner," Brian greeted, shifting unconsciously so he was between them and Mia.
"And who might these two be?" Bilkins asked, gesturing towards Rae and Bella. Vince growled.
"I'm Raeka Marquez, and this is my daughter, Bella," Rae replied, watching the two men carefully.
"Marquez, as in Letty Marquez?" Tanner asked in a nasal growl.
"My cousin."
"Ahh," Bilkins said, understanding. "Well I don't supposed you've heard from your cousin, have you?" he asked mockingly.
"I can't say that I have, sorry. And if you're here to talk to any of us about the case, I think our attorney should be here, don't you?" she replied, giving them a saccharin smile.
"That would be Alejandro Marquez, her brother," Brian added, folding his hands over his chest.
"And where'd he get his diploma, Tijuana?" Bilkins laughed condescendingly.
"Harvard actually," Rae corrected with a smirk, watching as a shocked look chased across his face.
"This ain't over, I know what you're tryin' to do, and it ain't gonna work," Bilkins growled before storming off.
Tanner shook his head then turned to Brian, "I need to speak to you for a moment, O'Connor. Off the record."
Brian looked at him for a moment then nodded, turning to Mia, "I'll just be a second, okay?" She nodded, eyes wide.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Vince let out a gusty breath and thumped the bed beside him. His face was bright red.
"You okay their V? You look like you're about to explode," Mia commented.
"Just tryin' not to say somethin' stupid," he grumbled, rubbing his chin.
"And we all thank you for that, truly," Rae added sarcastically, Ella once again squirming in her arms.
Mia smiled weakly, her brown eyes fragile. "Don't worry, Brian will take care of it."
Vince just nodded, not meeting her eyes.
They stood in the deserted hospital hallway, trying to figure out what to say. Finally, Tanner sighed, pushing back his jacket and placing his hands on his waist.
"This better not be just about the girl," he said warningly, giving Brian a pointed look.
"It's not!" Brian protested. "They're good people."
"They're thieves!" Tanner replied incredulously.
"So was I, once. But they know they screwed up, and they're not going to do it again," Brian defended.
"I should damn well hope not!" Tanner yelled. After a moment, his breathing slowed, and he continued, his voice calmer. "I can't say I'm pleased with your choice to go native, but it's your choice. But be careful, this game you're all playin' is a tricky one. Bilkins ain't just gonna let it slide, he's out for blood. If you don't watch yourself, you'll all go down for this, and I can't do anything to stop it," he warned, drawing the line.
Brian nodded, accepting. "Thanks Sarg."
"I ain't your sergeant anymore O'Connor," Tanner chuckled, shaking his head as he made his way down the corridor.
"I can walk fine!" Vince grumbled over his shoulder.
"I'm sure you can Mr. Martelli, but it's hospital policy that a patients are escorted out in a wheel chair. Now be a dear and stop complaining, hmm?" the nurse replied patronisingly as she wheeled him towards the exit.
Rae was trying hard not to laugh at the way the small, motherly looking woman was pushing Vince around. In more ways than one. Vince was grumbling under his breath about 'crazy old bats', but the nurse just smiled sunnily, ignoring him.
"You must be pretty relieved to be getting rid of him, huh?" Rae asked, just to see what the lady would reply, earning herself a glare for Vince himself.
"Oh, yes dear. We were beginning to run low on sedatives," she replied, her face deadpan. Vince made a choking sound and Rae burst out laughing, missing the slight twitch of the nurse's lips.
Rae was the only one there to pick up Vince. As the police had seized the Team's cars as potential evidence, Rae and Alex were the only ones with wheels. Brian and Alex had received a call and had to meet Hector about something, and Mia had to look after the store (and Ella), so the task had fallen on Rae.
When they reached the main doors, the nurse put the brakes on the chair, allowing Vince to stand. He winced a little at the movement, but managed to stand on his own.
"Good bye, Mr. Martelli. I hope I never have to see you again," she said formally.
"I ain't quite sure how to take that," he replied frowning.
She shrugged, "However you wish," she answered before turning to leave. When Vince wasn't watching, she turned back and winked a Rae, causing her to disguise her sudden laughter with a coughing fit. Vince sighed and slapped her a couple of times on the back.
Finally getting hold of herself, she nodded towards the exit. "Let's go home."
