Author's Note: I should say something but I'm really tired. I'm not sure how good this chapter is. I'll probably read it again when I wake up. Enjoy!

A Crime

Senior year was shaping up to be the most fun she'd had in high school. She had the least amount of classes she'd ever had, thanks to finishing a lot of her requirements in earlier years and a lack of desire to load her schedule with electives. So she didn't have a lot of homework, which was nice. And she only had to work Tuesday and Thursday after school at the garage, which meant she was free to go out on the weekends. She took advantage of that, of course.

Not that she didn't like working at the garage, but she also liked having free time for other things. Especially once she'd been able to drive. There was a freedom in that which she'd found thrilling from the first minute she put her foot on the gas pedal.

Which was probably why she often found herself at a street race on a Friday night. And the Toretto blood was probably the reason why her cousin Vince, despite being a responsible college student now, was at the race with her tonight.

She first recognized his car when she pulled up at the meet-up taking place in the abandoned lot down in the warehouse district of the city.

A stone's throw from the docks, the old buildings were quiet after dark, bay doors closed and locked, no trucks there loading or unloading cargo. Rather now the lot was crammed full of tricked-out cars, one of which belonged to Vince O'Connor.

An orange and black Acura NSX, which she knew he'd saved for since he was a kid, and bought from some ad he'd seen in the paper. It was a pretty car, she couldn't deny. But it was all curves, and didn't have the kick of muscle, as far as she was concerned. Sure he could outrun her if they raced in circles, but this wasn't no race around the Nardo Ring.

She grinned to herself at the thought as she pulled up alongside him, idling in her red Shelby. He was leaning against the hood of his car, surrounded by girls, of course. With his father's blonde surfer-boy looks and Aunt Mia's dark eyes.

She rolled down her window, leaning one arm against the side of her car.

"You might have to look elsewhere ladies. My cousin here likes his girls to be able to carry on an intelligent conversation."

They frowned at her, but Vince only laughed which had them departing in quite the huff. He shook his head at her as she turned off her car and climbed out. She grinned and punched him in the arm.

"Don't make that face when I just saved your ass. I had class with one of those girls. She had the personality of a wet paper bag."

"I noticed. But it wasn't her personality I was looking at."

She made a face. "Don't be a pig, Vincent. You're better than that."

"Hey, remember," he told her with a grin. "I'm a Toretto too."

"Let's leave my Dad's former manwhore tendencies out of this conversation…" she said drily. "Are you racing tonight?"

"Was thinking about it." He nodded. "You think you can handle going up against me?"

She scoffed. "Please, you'll be eating my dust in your little import."

"You think so? I want to see some money on that statement little girl," he teased.

"Don't call me a little girl, V. I can kick your ass just like when we were kids."

"You and I seem to remember a different childhood…" he mumbled, ruffling her hair.

She ducked away from him with a laugh. "Maybe I punched you so hard I knocked something loose."

Vince wrapped his arm around her playfully and she pinched him in the side before they walked over towards where the race was being arranged.

The guy in charge, a tall dark-skinned guy named Trey who they knew from other races, grinned when they approached.

"Oh look who it is. I hope the rest of ya'll are ready for a challenge," Trey said, holding out his hands. "These two never lose a race."

"They can't both win," someone commented from the crowd.

"Sure they can…. It's called a tie," someone else replied and laughter followed.

"It's not a tie if they both lose," someone else replied before stepping forward to pass Trey a stack of folded bills. A young Korean girl wearing red skinny jeans and a ripped up Rolling Stones t-shirt.

"She's cute," Vince muttered against his cousin's ear and she elbowed him with a roll of her eyes. He laughed. "Think she'll go out with me after I beat both your asses in a race?"

"You'll never find out, because I am going to win," she said airily, stepping forward to hand over her own money.

Vince passed his over as well, and after some jeering from the crowd they were joined by their fourth, some guy she'd never seen before who was sporting an intense fro and a cocky attitude.

Rolling her eyes she went back to her car and soon they were all driving to the location they'd agreed upon. A stretch of road not far from their location, two lanes in either direction that would normally be busy during the day or peak business hours when people were working. Now they were all but deserted, making it easier to block them off for the race. She drove up to where they were spraying out the starting line and glanced to her left. The Korean girl was beside her, and Vince beyond her.

Trey called for their attention and she turned back to the road as the engines revved. When Trey signaled they were off like a shot, launching forward with the smell of exhaust and burning rubber, the squeal of tires against the pavement.

She narrowed her focus, hitting the clutch as she shifted up. She could see Vince was inching up alongside her and grit her teeth, shifting up again. She was not about to lose to her cousin. She hated when she lost to him.

Not that it happened often.

All the sudden she heard sirens and she blinked, catching the flashing red and blue lights as a pair of cop cars jetted out of a side street ahead of them. Cursing she swerved to avoid them, narrowly missing hitting Vince. They exchanged glances and turned down a road off the route. One of the cops pursued.

They burst out of the side road and onto the stretch of road that ran along the docks. Some traffic was on this street and a car laid on the horn, veering out of the way to avoid hitting them. Cursing she straightened out and blasted through a red light, Vince and the cop hot on her heels. She turned down another side road, mapping out the city in her head. She came to the end of the road fast, only to catch glimpse of flashing sirens ahead of her, blocking the road. Cursing she wrenched her wheel and hit the brakes, sliding to a stop before she could hit the police car. Vince rolled up behind her slowly.

She groaned, resting her head against her steering wheel. She was going to be in so much trouble…

0000

The process of being 'booked' was enlightening in a way that made her certain she never wanted to repeat it. Especially once the officer informed her that because she was under age her parents had been notified and were coming down to the station. She had almost begged the police to let her stay overnight rather than face her parents.

Lucky Vince was old enough to avoid this embarrassment, it seemed at first.

She was sitting in a chair near the wall, Vince next to her. The cop had written him lots and lots of tickets, and given him a pink slip for an impound lot where his car was. She was expecting much of the same treatment, to be honest. Except she got to have her parents around when this happened, which was an extra thrill.

Luckily, since this was the first time Vince had been caught racing, the worst thing he had to deal with was spending time overnight in a holding cell. Maybe a point on his license, once he went through traffic court.

She groaned and dropped her head into her hands. She couldn't believe she'd gotten caught. That was the cardinal rule in her house. Don't get caught.

Vince elbowed her and she looked up to see her parents walking through the door. She blanched. Her father did not look pleased, while her mother looked carefully neutral. Which might mean she could count on her support. Or it might mean she would get an earful from both of them.

She hunched down in her seat, watching as the officer walked over to greet them. His partner motioned for her to get to her feet and the two officers led them all to a small room.

To her it looked like an interrogation room you saw on TV, but they called it an interview room. There were chairs around a long table. She sat on one side, her parents settling on either side of her. Both of them looked vaguely uncomfortable and she had to guess they didn't like being here anymore than she did. One of the officers tossed down a stack of papers on the table, then sat across from them.

"Do you know the number of laws you violated tonight young lady?" he asked.

"A lot?" she sneered, receiving and elbow from her mother for the attitude. "Sir."

"Reckless driving, running a stop light, running from police, speeding… just to name a few."

She shrugged slightly, silent. "Sorry." She knew she didn't sound like it at all.

"Officer," her father interrupted. "What are the charges?"

"Her car's been impounded," the other man said, passing over a pink paper which her father took, eyeing the number at the bottom silently. "And there are a number of traffic penalties for which she will be fined and asked to appear at court."

"Anything else?" her mother asked.

"We could take away her license…" the seated officer began, making her feel sick to her stomach. "But since this is her first offense… we'll let the judge decide on that. It's likely she'll end up with at least one point on her license."

She groaned, dropping her head. That would make her insurance rates go up again, and combined with the cost to get her car out of impound… she was going to working extra shifts at the garage for the rest of her natural life.

"But we can take her home?" her father finished, already standing up.

"You can," the standing officer responded. "You'll receive a summons in the mail for your court date. There's no need for a lawyer but you are free to obtain one if you wish."

"Great," she muttered under her breath, earning another elbow from her mother.

"Then we'll be going. Do we have to sign anything?" Letty asked, standing and grabbing her daughter by the arm to tug her to her feet.

"Yeah, see the girl out front on your way out," one of the men told them.

Her parents were silent as they led her back down the hallway to the waiting area. She could see that Vince was still there, being processed. Only now he was also being lectured by Aunt Mia. She couldn't help but smirk to herself. At least she didn't have to suffer alone.

Once she was signed out she went out to her dad's car, getting into the back seat. They pulled out of the parking lot and were halfway home before either of them spoke. Of course it was her father.

"What did I tell you?" he demanded.

"Don't get caught…" she said glumly. "But Papi they ambushed us!"

"That just means you had someone there who can't keep their damn mouth shut," her mother told her. "You should only race with people you know."

"Well… there was this new guy."

"Do you know how much it's going to cost to get your car out?" her father asked. "And you can't afford points on your license. You don't want to lose it, do you?"

"No," she groaned, flopping back on the seat.

"You should probably ease up on the racing for a little while," her mother offered.

"I guess so," she sighed. "Are you guys pissed?"

"Yes," her father answered. "Do you think we like getting called to go down to the police station on a Friday night?"

"No…"

"Don't think just because we used to race when we were your age that we're cool with picking you up from jail," he continued. "You're better than that."

She wrinkled her nose. "Why do I have to do better than you guys did…?"

"Because you have the opportunity to," her mother replied, raising a brow. "Just be smart, mija. Big races like that gain too much attention."

She bit down on her lower lip slightly. "I guess you're right."

"We are right," her father said.

"You know what the worst part of it is though…?" she asked.

"What?" Her mother glanced at her over the back of the seat.

"I didn't get to show Vince I'm faster than he is."