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Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex

Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 3: Stupidly Stubborn

By: Love Ink

Vince didn't want to stay in the house. He was mad at Dominic for throwing all the doubts and fears he had in his face. He'd had a point though. He already knew that without the team, he'd be nothing and Alex wouldn't want him; he didn't need Dom to shove it in his face. Swallowing hard, he grabbed a beer from a random cooler and chugged it down. It didn't make him feel any better, but he knew what could.

He found her talking to Mia in the kitchen, her green eyes glittering as they shared a laugh about something. Stepping behind her, he wrapped a possessive arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest. "Let's go," he growled into ear before kissing the soft spot just beneath it.

Shivers went down Alex's spine at his gruff voice. She leaned into him and she could feel his rapid heartbeat against her shoulder. His hold on her was rougher than usual, a sure sign he was angry. She raised an eyebrow in question at Mia as though the other girl could give her some insight as to what had set him off. Mia shrugged a shoulder; she didn't know what was wrong with him. "Right now, V?" she asked, giving Mia an apologetic smile. Mia winked at her before disappearing back into the crowd.

His grip on her tightened as he began to trail kisses down her neck. "Yes," he muttered, nipping the smooth skin there. A soft moan escaped her lips before she could stop it. "Right. Now," he growled.

"What was that about?" Michaela asked Leon as he dragged her downstairs to his room to talk to her privately. He was in no mood to party. He needed to talk to someone about what had just happened.

He sighed, sitting down on the bed and shrugging a shoulder. "Just Dom and another one of his fucking brilliant ideas," he muttered.

She stepped in-between his legs, smiling when he took her hips into his hands. "What is it this time?" she questioned, raking her fingers through his hair.

He groaned at the feel of her short nails against his scalp. "The shop and the garage are in the shit hole," he explained tiredly. "We're spending too much money too fast. Even Harry's discounts aren't helping."

She nodded, she knew about that, had heard Mia and Dom fighting about it for some time now. "So what are you guys going to do?"

Leon let out a long breath and shook his head, he still couldn't believe the plan Dom had come up with. "He wants to jack semis," he muttered quietly.

Michaela's blue eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You're kidding."

He laughed humorlessly. "I wish I was."

"That sounds dangerous," she said on a breath.

"It is."

Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Then why are you doing it?"

"Because we need the money fast, Princess. If not, we'll lose the shop."

She rolled her eyes. "Why can't we just get a loan like normal people? Even better! Why don't Alex and I pitch in? Between the two of us, I think we could help get it back on track."

"You really think Dom would go for that?" Leon asked sarcastically.

Michaela shrugged a shoulder in response. "Why not? Money's money."

Leon shook his head slowly. "A: Dom hates Alex," before Michaela could interrupt to deny the fact, Leon cut her off, "and B: he's too proud to take money from anyone. So we're left with boosting trucks."

She sighed, defeated. Of course Leon was right. Dom would never take money from anybody, especially Alex. "Well, what part are you playing in this idiotic scheme?"

He ran a hand over his face. It would be easy to explain his role, it wasn't dangerous. Telling her that her brother had agreed to jump from the trucks was going to be difficult; she was going to freak out. "I'm running the scanners."

"That's not too bad," she said, sighing in relief. "What about Vince?" At his grimace, her face paled slightly. "Leon…"

"He's jumping from the car to the truck, tranquilizing the driver, and driving the truck to the meeting place."

She gasped, her hand covering her mouth quickly. "No! He can't! Why him?"

"Why do you think, Mickey?" he asked back. "Apparently, he's the only one who can drive a semi."

"Dom can too!"

"Yeah and Jesse and I can learn in a heartbeat, but I run the scanners and Jesse is the mad scientist and Dom is…Dom is selfish. He thinks out of all of us, V is the expendable one."

"No, Dom doesn't think like that, Lee. There's gotta be another reason. Vince is his brother, he wouldn't make him do it if he didn't have to," Michaela defended a frown on her pretty face.

Leon felt a little angered by her defensive tone. "That's bull shit."

"It isn't!" she contested, a little angry herself. Dom was like her brother. Sure, she didn't agree with him or get along with him 95% of the time, but he was still family and she didn't appreciate Leon trash talking him. "Leon, they're best friends. I think he values Vince's friendship a little more than Jess's skills and you're ability to use a freakin' radio."

"Really? Is that why he told Vince he had less to lose?" Leon shouted back, standing up angrily. "Why he made it perfectly clear that without the garage, your brother would have nothing?"

Michaela took a step back, her eyes hardening. "You must've misunderstood him."

"No, I'm pretty sure I heard him right," he said, with a shake of his head. "Why are you defending him?"

"Because I know him better than you do!" she shouted in exasperation, "And he would never say something like that to my brother! He's not a bad guy!"

"Michaela, I heard him say it!" he yelled back.

"You heard wrong!" she shot back stubbornly. "Dom would never say that!"

Leon could tell she wasn't going to listen to any further discussion. She'd already made up her mind and her opinion wasn't going to change. "I'm a liar then. I guess my ears were playing tricks on me," he said sarcastically.

"I guess so."

He clenched his jaw, trying to hold back, but it was too much. "You can't honestly think I'm making this up, Michaela! That's ridiculous!" he said, his voice a little louder than he wanted it to be.

"No, what you're saying is ridiculous, Lee!"

He shook his head at her before heading for the door. "Whatever, Michaela. Let's go back to the party," he said opening the door. "I don't want to fight with you."

"Are you admitting you're wrong?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"No, I'm saying fighting with you is a lost cause because nothing I say is going to get through your thick-ass skull!"

He regretted the words the instant finished saying them. Her ice blue eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "My thick skull?" she repeated, acid dripping off her words. "What about you? You stupid, stubborn butt-head!"

"Really, Michaela? I'm stubborn?" he shouted back. When she nodded enthusiastically in response, he threw his hands out to the side in frustration. He wanted to yell back at her, to really curse her out, but he gave up. "Fuck it. I know what I heard, Mickey. I'm not backing down on that."

Michaela shrugged a shoulder. "Fine. I'm not either," she said obstinately before brushing passed him on her way to the door. She stomped up the stairs and into the party, determined to talk to her brother.

Hope you liked it! Let me know if you did/didn't in a review!

~Love Ink