Author's Note: I don't own anything having to do with The Fast and the Furious only Sarah and Matt belong to me.
Just a reminder *Fast and Furious* will represent a break in time. Last chapter and I wanted to thank each and every one of you who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story.
Slinky190 I hope you have enjoyed this!
Chapter 7
Brian had been keeping closer to me in the time before the race and I couldn't say that I minded. It was more than just a feeling of security, there was a spark there and I was hoping I wasn't the only one who felt it. I definitely wasn't the only one who saw it. In fact, Vince even managed to squeeze in between us on the couch and threw his arm around my shoulders as if challenging Brian to do something. Vince flashed him a smug smile as he took the drink out of my hand and finished it.
There had been more times than not that I was praying Brian would kiss me again. I fantasized about him walking thought the door, pushing me up against the wall and as one hand intertwined in my hair he'd kiss me with everything he had. I'd go weak at the knees and have to throw my arms around his neck to keep myself standing. He'd pick me up, our kisses hungry and needing, and I'd wrap my legs around his waist as he carried me up to his room.
"What're you thinking about, baby girl?" Leon's voice broke me out of my day dream and I noticed all eyes were on me.
"Uh," I shifted a bit trying to contain the heat that pooled between my legs. "What?"
"You are smiling like the Cheshire Cat over there," he continued. "What's going on in that head of yours?"
"No one," I replied before quickly changing it to, "Nothing."
I excused myself from the living room and escaped to the kitchen where I opened the freezer and let the cold air clear my mind. When I closed the door and turned around I saw Brian standing in the kitchen with me. He had that goofy grin on his face and his blue eyes were twinkling. He took a few steps closer to me and my breath caught in my throat at the thought of my fantasy coming true.
Instead he reached to the side of me and grabbed a glass out of the cabinet. I tried to hide the disappointment from my face but he picked up on it and set the glass on the counter, giving me his full attention. "What's going on? You're not worried about the race, are you?" He didn't give me a chance to reply before he tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear and left his hand on the side of my face. "I won't let him take you."
Our eyes met and everything from the world around us melted away. My eyes trailed down to his lips to see them partially open and inviting. I leaned forward, his hand on the side of my face pulling me in until I was close enough to feel his breath on my lips. The back door swung open with a loud bang causing us to jump apart and for his hand to leave me.
I glared over to Jesse who stumbled through the door with a few boxes of pizza and a case of beer. "Some help here."
Brian moved to help Jesse and I decided that I was going to need a very cold shower in the near future. There was a knock at the front door but I didn't think too much of it. Someone was always coming and going from the Toretto household. It wasn't until I heard Leon arguing with someone that my curiosity peaked and I moved down the hallway to see Matt standing on the front porch.
"There's nothing here for you," Leon warned, standing in the middle of the doorway to make sure he wouldn't be getting inside.
"I just want to talk to her!"
"About what?" I questioned, standing a few feet behind Leon with Brian, Vince, and Jesse watching everything from the living room ready to step in if they had to.
"It's private."
Leon snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, "Too bad."
"Sarah, I owe you an explanation," Matt tried again.
My hands shook with nerves as my heart raced but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious as to what he had to say.
"You need to leave," Leon nearly growled, getting ready to slam the door in his face.
I came up behind Leon and pulled him back a little by his shoulder so I could look Matt in the eye. "You have five minutes."
"What?!" Leon exclaimed but he was ignored as I kept my attention on Matt.
"And then I never want to see you again. You come around unannounced and I won't stop them," I thrust my thumb over my shoulder to the guys in the living room. "From doing whatever they want to you."
It took a few seconds to get Leon out of the doorway and though I was nervous I tried to not let it show. There was a time when I would have followed Matt anywhere but that feeling was long gone. I closed the front door to give us some privacy but kept my hand on the knob just in case.
"I don't know where to start," he fidgeted a little and leaned against the porch railing. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
"You never meant for this to happen…" I whispered. A bitter laugh escaped my lips and my fear was quickly being replaced with anger. "You never meant for this to happen?!" I repeated again this time louder. "You are the one who took me to his house! You are the one who stood there and watched as he hit me over and over again." My mind flashed to that night and I could feel every punch, every kick to the stomach. "You stood there and did nothing!"
He pushed himself off the railing and took a step closer to me. "I tried to warn you! I called you and tried to come up with something so that none of this would happen but you chose them!" He motioned to the house behind me with an outstretched arm and I flinched expecting the worst. "God, Sarah, if you could see past the Torettos and their little friends none of this would have happened!"
"That's not true," I whispered as tears welled up in the corners of my eyes.
"I fought for you, for us, but it's because of them we can't be together. I could have loved you. I could have given you everything you've ever wanted." He moved to grab my hand but again I flinched away. "I'm not the one you should be afraid of." He took another step closer and my back hit the house. "I never laid a hand on you."
"Not making a move to stop it is just as bad as doing it yourself," I managed to get out before the front door swung open and Brian and Leon came out onto the porch followed by Vince and Jesse.
"Your five minutes are up," Leon told him.
I wish I could say that I stayed strong but instead I wandered over to Leon and wrapped my arms around his middle. He held me close and kissed the top of my head as Vince towered over Matt. "Leave. Now!"
Matt backed down the steps but stopped on the pathway and looked directly at Brian. "Just thought you'd like to know Johnny doesn't lose. He'll do whatever he has to in order to win." His eyes flashed to me for a second. "Especially, when the stakes are so high."
"You were the one to up the stakes in the first place," Brian didn't back down from the heated glare he was receiving. "You foolishly put Sarah on the table and you are not going to get her back."
Leon's arms tightened around me for a brief second before he led me back into the house. He sat in the chair and pulled me into his lap, his hand resting on top of my shaking ones. "You're safe," he whispered in my ear and I hated that I flinched as the front door slammed shut behind an enraged Vince. "I've got you."
"What the hell was that about?!" Vince demanded the second Brian was back in the living room with us. I saw Jesse standing in the hallway on his cell phone and could only guess he was calling Dom.
"Look," Brian held his hands up in surrender thinking Vince was going to hit him and there was a good probability he would. "I never wanted her to go. I tried-"
"Go where?" Vince cut him off with a growl.
"She wanted to go see Johnny," Brian replied, his icy blue eyes never leaving Vince's hard glare. "She was dead set on it so I thought it was better that I went with her rather than her go alone."
Vince turned his attention to where I was sitting, his voice coming out strained as he tried not to direct any anger towards me. "This true?"
I nodded and felt Leon move beneath me so he could look at Brian, "How did this happen? How did going to talk to Tran end up in a race with Sarah being on the table?"
Brian's gaze met my eyes for a second before answering, "They grabbed us as soon as we walked in. We went to try and get another arrangement set up. They'd stay away if we did but…" he trailed off and shook his head.
I cleared my throat, "Johnny was threatening to…to rape me." Leon's arms tightened around me as Vince and Jesse went rigid in shock and anger. "Said it would be payback for Dom sleeping with his sister." Everyone was silent for a moment until I spoke up again. "I'm the one that agreed to it. After the race you'll all be safe again and I won't have to worry about any of you getting hurt."
"And what about you?" Vince questioned as I got off Leon's lap and headed for the stairs.
"I'll take whatever happens."
*Fast and Furious*
Later than night I was sitting out in the backyard at the picnic table with a beer just enjoying the cool air. I didn't even have to turn around to know that Dom was standing behind me with a stony expression on his face.
"It's not nice to sneak up on people," I stated and patted the empty bench next to me.
He sat on the table, his feet resting on the bench, so that he was facing me. "I told you I'd take care of this."
"This was my mess, Dom, I needed to clean it up and I did," I kept my gaze on my beer as I rolled it between my hands.
"And if Tran wins?" He questioned and I knew he was just trying to get me to see how wrong this could all go but I couldn't think about that. I didn't even want to imagine the horrible things I'd have to do if Johnny actually won.
"He won't."
Dom and I both looked over to the backdoor to see Brian standing there. Dom squeezed my shoulder as he got off the table and walked towards the house. "You don't win, O'Connor, you better keep driving."
*Fast and Furious*
Three days later and it was the night of the race. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified. Matt hadn't been back around the house only one of Johnny's goons to tell us when and where the race would be. Brian and Johnny would be racing down Main Street in a straight quarter of a mile. Ten seconds was all that stood between me and my future. Dom had asked that Letty stayed home with Mia just in case something went down. Unfortunately, I had to be there because I was the trophy.
I felt like a pull toy standing between Leon and Matt at the finish line each with a hand on my arm as Vince and Jesse stood behind Leon and Lance and a few of Trans guys stood behind Matt. I could see Dom up at the starting line leaning in to say something to Brian and my stomach churned.
"Just wait until you see what Johnny has planned for you," Lance said in a sing song voice.
I went to move to the side but Matt grabbed my arm stopping me from going anywhere and I emptied the contents of my stomach on his shoes. Vince barked out a laugh as Leon rubbed my back. "You alright?"
Jesse handed me a piece of gum that I gratefully accepted to get the foul taste out of my mouth and I shook my head in the negative to Leon who took hold of my hand. The engines revved at the starting line as some skank in a bikini walked between the cars to signal the race.
"Remember, Sarah, this could have all been avoided if you had picked me," Matt mumbled from his spot on the other side of me.
"You better shut your mouth before I shut it for you," Vince growled and Matt just shrugged innocently.
The skank let her arms drop and they were off. Brian was in the lead until Johnny came right up next to him. They were side by side each inching in front of the other. This was it. Two seconds of the race left and at this point it could have been either one of them. My hand tightened around Leon's while Matt kept his wrapped around my other arm. At the last second they both used their NOS and it was going to be incredibly close but Brian crossed the finish line first.
Vince removed Matt's hand from my arm as I was pulled into a hug by Leon. It was all so surreal. It was over. Johnny looked furious but finally nodded at Lance and Matt that it was time to leave. A deal was a deal after all.
Brian had just stepped out of his car with a huge grin on his face as I ran over and jumped into his arms. He spun me around and I captured his lips in the kiss I had been longing for. He greedily responded, sliding his tongue into my mouth until we heard someone clearing their throat behind us. Brian set me back on my feet and Dom raised an eyebrow at me before letting a smile pull at the corner of his lips. He clapped a hand on Brian's shoulder and Brian nodded as they had some silent conversation.
"So, how's it feel to be free again?" Jesse asked and I glanced around at my family before leaning into Brian's side.
"It feels like home."