Another chapter! YAY! :) I'm glad you liked the last one!

Thanks so much to all the fabulous reviewers especially: Violet201, xxxlil-miss-mercerxxx, Sassy Ava, Rated-Rgurl89, tfatfreak207, and lover of many things804! :D

Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex

Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 15: Shady Business

By: LoveInk

Alex parked in front of the dilapidated house. Her Uncle Ted was waiting for her on the steps, a large smile on his face. She was his favorite niece, the only who still talked to him. Her older sisters had been turned off after he'd borrowed money and failed to return it, her youngest sister thought he was creepy, but Alex thought he was just a lonely man desperate for some company.

"Hey Uncle Ted," she said giving him a hug.

"There's my favorite niece," he exclaimed. "Come on inside."

She followed him inside taking note of the disgusting state of the house. There was garbage everywhere. "Ted, when was the last time you cleaned this place?"

He shrugged a shoulder as headed back into the kitchen to get them drinks. "It's been awhile. I've been busy with work and stuff."

"I bet," she mumbled under her breath. Now that she knew he sold dirty car parts, she wondered how exactly he managed it. Where did these parts come from? The urge to ask him was strong, but she held her tongue. "How's business these days?" she asked instead, moving an old pizza box off the sofa so she could sit.

"It's going, it's going."

A pounding on the door made her jump out of her seat. "Open up Ted! We know you're in there!" a loud voice shouted on the other side.

Alex looked to her uncle who had gone pale. "Lexi, maybe you should hide in the other room, just for a moment," he suggested under his breath. "Can never be too careful."

She got up to go when the door burst open, three angry men standing behind it. Her fight or flight response kicked in and she made a run for the next room, but one of the men hooked a foot around her ankle, tripping her. He hauled her up non-too-gently, holding her arms behind her back as another held a gun to her face.

Alex struggled against the guys hold. "Let me go, you asshole!" she cursed at him.

"Shut up!" the man shouted, smacking her across the face with the gun. She saw stars before the taste of blood filled her mouth.

"Stop!" Ted shouted, addressing not the men holding her hostage, but the one at the door. "Leave her alone. She didn't do anything!"

The man at the door grabbed Ted's arm. "Johnny wants some words with you," he said pulling him to the door.

"All right, all right! Just don't hurt my niece," he said heading toward the door.

Alex marveled at his calm. These men were all carrying guns and Ted didn't seem to be fazed by it. The man who was holding the gun in her face smiled at her before gesturing toward the door with his gun. "C'mon sweetheart. Don't give us another reason to hurt that pretty face of yours," the man holding her whispered in her ear. Chills ran down her spine as she fought against every impulse in her body that told her to kick him in the balls.

She followed them reluctantly and got into the dark sedan parked outside where they sat her between her uncle and a leather clad Asian man. "You okay?" Ted whispered to her.

She was too angry to answer him. Staring straight ahead, she tried to commit the directions they were going to memory, just in case. Hesitantly she touched her cheek, surprised when her finger came away covered with blood. Apparently, some part of the gun had nicked her when she was hit with it. Stupid asshole, she thought to herself, wondering how on earth she would explain such a mark to Vince. He would be livid. She cringed at the thought of running interference between Vince and her uncle; though she had to admit, she wouldn't mind if Vince hit him...just once though.

"Did Tran say what he wanted?" Ted asked as they pulled into what looked like an Asian restaurant of some sort.

"You'll find out soon enough," the man next to Alex said in a menacing tone.

Tran. She knew that name, had heard Vince and Dom cursing it and making jokes about some kid named Johnny. The car stopped and the Asian man brusquely grabbed her out of the car, his hands gripping her arms a little too tightly. "I can move on my own," she muttered, glaring at the oversized man.

The man with the gun shoved them both toward the front of shop. "Move!" he ordered, pushing them in the direction of a leather clad Asian man who had just gotten out of a very nice little convertible.

That must be Johnny, she thought standing idly aside while two more men came up behind her, flashing their guns in warning. Like I'd try to run, she thought with a roll of her eyes.

"Let me ask you a question, Ted," Johnny began addressing her uncle. "Do you see anything wrong here?"

Alex stood on her tip toes to see what they were talking about, but couldn't see anything. The lifted hoods of the cars were blocking her view. She settled back onto her heels with a disappointed look on her face. "No," Ted answered confidently.

Johnny grabbed his neck, shoving it into the car. "We got no engines do we? Do we?"

"No!" Ted shouted, his voice strained by the way he was bent into the car.

Johnny asked her uncle a question about some type of engine she assumed he needed before saying, "You're a smart fence, Ted. Maybe too smart." Alex bit back a laugh at that one. After today, her opinion of her uncle was changed. She didn't consider him smart; he was probably the farthest thing from smart that she could think of. Johnny headed towards a lube pump. "What are you feelin', Lance?" he addressed the man holding a gun at Ted. "A forty weight? A fifty weight?"

Alex had no idea what they were talking about, but it didn't sound good. Before she knew it, they had him on the ground and were pumping lube into his face. "Ted!" she shouted struggling against the man who was holding her in an attempt to help her uncle. True, he was a stupid criminal, but he didn't deserve to have a lube bath.

Vince would know that voice anywhere. His eyes snapped to the other corner of the shop where he saw a small girl struggling against the hold of one of Tran's goons. Her dark hair blocked the few of her face as she tried to loosen the grip of the man holding her, but he was sure it was her. One of Johnny's cousins, Jack, stepped in front of them, grabbing hold of her face to stop her from moving. She stopped, green eyes flashing, and spat in his face. Vince smirked proudly, Atta girl.

Jack chuckled before slapping her across the face. Vince was on his feet and ready to go beat some sense into the asshole when he caught Dom's glare telling him to stay put.

The pain from Jack's slap made her eyes water. He happened to hit the same spot she'd been hit before. She bit her tongue to keep herself from crying out as she watched Johnny force Ted to kiss his shoes before kicking him square in the chest. "Let's go get our engines!" Johnny announced, his voice almost triumphant.

"What about this?" The man holding her shoved her towards Johnny so that she fell at his feet. "She's his niece."

Johnny caught her face in his hands gently and smiled. "What happened to her?"

"She tried to get away," Jack answered on a gruff laugh.

"Huh," Johnny said, his thumb lightly stroking over her lower lip. "A shame. Pretty little thing, aren't you?" She knew better than to say anything so she gritted her teeth together and stayed quiet. He regarded her a few minutes more before turning to his goons. "Leave her be. Someone needs to clean up that mess. Let's go get our engines."

They turned off the lights and closed the doors, leaving Ted and Alex alone in the dark garage. She could see her uncle's shape in the dim light that spilled in from the street lamps and walked over to him extending a hand to help him up. "I'm sorry, Lexi," Ted said as he got to his feet.

"You can explain later," she replied, her voice shaking. "Let's just get out of here before they come back." They began walking to the door just as an electronic beep sounded through the garage. She whirled around, her eyes searching out where the sound came from. "What was that?"

"Sounded like a walkie," Ted said, taking a few steps toward the sound. "Hello? Anyone in here?" he called out, putting himself in front of Alex. Three forms stepped out from behind the cars, two of them holding flashlights. Alex threw an arm over her face, shielding her eyes as a bright beam of light fell straight on her.

Dun dun duuuun... :)

Review! Please! ;)

~LoveInk