For once the cops didn't show up to break everything up and we all just hung out for a while, bullshitting with the other crews, checking out cars as Jesse and Leon tried to do some detective work to see what we might be up against at Race Wars.

"Hey, that wasn't a bad ride…" I heard someone say as they came up behind me.

"Not bad?" I echoed, eyebrows raising as I bumped fists with Hector. "Shit, your boy was two lengths behind me, the whole way…."

"Ah, pues, the kid's new on the scene, he doesn't know better yet," he laughed shrugging a little. "Looked like you added some power under the hood?"

"Hey, trade secrets, ese…" I laughed, shaking my head. Hector was always cool with us, but shit, I wasn't about to go telling the competition everything there was to know about my ride.

And to tell the truth, she was running a little slower than usual that night, NOS tanks not even topped off all the way. Lucky for me I hadn't had to use any; it seemed like that shit was getting more and more expensive every day. Dom and Leon had connections, of course, running the garage and all, but…. Connections only go so far. Besides, I never liked feeling like I was taking advantage even though I knew Dom didn't see it that way. Luckily I'd just won enough cash that I'd be able to contribute to the money pot, pull more of my weight in taking care of all the bills.

Hector drifted away through the crowd, leaving me to run over the race again in my mind. Even though I had won, I still thought of a couple places I could have done better, shaved some more time off my quarter mile. I couldn't afford to get cocky, not when I knew I was still only racing against LA's third or fourth tier. Sure, we had the biggest scene in southern California, but I knew people would be coming from all over for Race Wars. I wanted to make an impression that summer, show the boys that they weren't the only ones who could hold it down out there on the track.

"Hey, papa," I laughed, coming out of my thoughts as I felt thick arms wrap around my waist from behind.

"Thought I told you not to call me that…" he growled, his voice low and rough.

I only laughed louder as I leaned back against him, my head easily resting against his shoulder. It'd started out just as a tease, a way to make fun of him always insisting he felt like an old man around me. Somehow, though, it stuck.

"Looked good out there," he continued after a minute, his lips brushing my cheek as he leaned in close. "Overcorrected a little 'round the first eighth, though?"

"Yeah, I felt it," I said, nodding. "Felt like she was bottoming out on me for a second, but then she came back strong."

"We'll look her over," he said, shrugging against me.

I just nodded again, relaxing against him without saying a word. "This is the life," I thought to myself, looking over the crowd of people still milling around the street. Nobody wanted to leave, it seemed like, even though the cops would probably show up any second. It was exactly where I wanted to be, if I wasn't at the house or in the garage, I definitely knew that. I'd be happy anywhere, really, as long as Dom was there with me, getting my back and trusting me to get his, but there was just something about the races, nothing but tricked out cars everywhere you looked.

Everybody from the team was close – within shouting distance – in case anything came up, I guess, even though we could all handle ourselves pretty well. There was still always the chance that Tran could break the truce, even though we hadn't heard from him in a while. It made me more nervous, actually; I didn't trust that motherfucker to stay away.

I couldn't help laughing when a group of guys came up to us, all crowding around Dom. Shit, you'd think he was the one that had won tonight, not me. Guys are stupid like that, sometimes. Luckily I was in such a good mood it didn't cost me anything to ignore them, to just get away before I got totally pissed. I was still laughing as I slid out of Dom's arms and walked away, heading towards my car.

"Hey, watch the paint," I laughed, grinning at Amber and Mia, flipping the bird right back at Amber when she turned it on me. "Unless you're gonna put in the hours to fix my paint job…."

"Like I didn't spend hours on it the first time around," Mia laughed, still leaning against the hood. "Besides, I know you and Dom have done worse to it."

"Ugh, I don't want to think about that!" Amber laughed, shaking her head as she moved a little away.

I caught sight of Vince and Jamie out of the corner of my eye, standing next to his car, and I had to turn a little, so I could keep an eye on them. Of course there wasn't a chance in hell I would have admitted that was what I was doing, not even to Mia or Amber.

"Vince isn't that bad, really," Mia said, and I shook my head, trying to focus on the conversation going on right in front of me instead of the one I could only imagine on the other side of the street. "It's just weird, thinking of him being with one of our friends."

"We wanted them to get together in the first place, remember?" Amber said, the tone of her voice echoing comments Leon had been making for weeks. He had never said anything about it directly to me, but kind of around me, if that made any sense. "So Vince would stop bringing so many skanks around the house."

I didn't say anything, just gestured for Jamie to come across the street to where the three of us were. I wasn't sure if she'd take me up on it or not, at first. I hadn't really been a good friend to her lately; that was for damned sure. I couldn't help pulling a face when she kissed Vince, but I couldn't keep the grin off my face when she walked over to us either.

"So you and Vince, huh?" I asked, busting out laughing when she started to blush.