Wow. The reviews were certainly discouraging, but I will continue on the path that I am on. Of course, some things will be tweaked, but everything is for a reason. Some characters may seem hideous, or pointless, but each character that I introduce serves a purpose. Please stick with me, and hopefully I can change your minds. As always, leave me a review. And of course, you DON'T have to read it if you don't enjoy it.
You Are Now Entering California...
The sign on the border of her home-state made Letty's heart flutter. It had been over a year since she'd left California, and she'd never considered returning so soon, but somehow, here she was. After hours of mindless driving through the evening, the three finally made it out of Nevada.
Letty was unsure what guided her back to Cali, but she knew what would keep her away from Los Angeles. That was his stomping grounds, and she wasn't ready for that confrontation just yet. Instead, she took the exit for Pasadena, and stopped at a rest area. Without making one stop for gas or food, Letty was sure the girls were ready for a break.
"Brooke, you alive, girl?" Letty shook her awake.
"Are we there? Wherever it is that we're going," she asked sleepily.
"We're in Pasadena. We're done for the night. Let's find a hotel."
Letty helped Ginger from the back while Brooke stepped out herself and headed for the restrooms. Letty leaned against the Camaro with a tired groan and pulled a smoke from her pack.
All she wanted was a hot meal, a hot bath, and a warm bed.
"Pasadena, huh?" Letty turned to see Brooke making her way to the car, "I figured we'd be in L.A by now. I mean – that's where we're headed right? 1327 Echo Park, Los Angeles, California."
Letty could sense the hostility in Brooke's voice as she recited the Toretto's address, but she kept on a stoic face. It was clear that she knew more about Letty than she let on, and Letty was ready for the backlash.
"I wasn't particularly interested in going to Los Angeles, but if you have any ideas I'd be happy to listen," she crossed her arms defensively, "And where'd you pull that address from?"
"Ginger got a hold of your purse last night, dumped the whole thing in the floor. As I was cleaning it up, imagine my surprise to find not one, but three different IDs in the mix," she reached into the car and came back with her phone. She made several selections before holding it for Letty to see, "Nicole Ramirez, Leticia Ramirez, and Leticia Ortiz."
"And?" Letty held up her wall.
"I didn't find much on the first two names, but the last one sounded familiar so I Googled it. You wouldn't believe the things I found."
"Brooke," Letty tried to interject.
"Don't!" she held up her hand to silence her, "Now, I had to do some digging because a lot of things were redacted from public record in the States. But in London, well you're something special. Especially in the underground racing world. You're legendary in the U.K."
"Not just the U.K," Letty replied sheepishly.
"I know. Ortiz was pretty big in LA, too. She was connected to several infamous racers – a crew, Team Toretto. A decade ago, this mythological team was suspected of ripping-off speeding semi's full of electronics, but several of them vanished into Mexico before they could be brought in for questioning. One man served two years after being hospitalized during an attempted hijacking. Another died outside the home they all shared, drive-by. They look a lot like these people here," Brooke held up Letty's trophy photo.
Letty's eyes fixated on the photo. She wasn't sure what Brooke knew, she wasn't sure why she even cared, but seeing her friend cry made Letty feel pathetic.
"Dom Toretto – who spent two years in Lompac Maximum Security for assault – was described as your 'longtime boyfriend'. I did a little research on him as well. He's pretty popular too, especially in Rio de Janiero." Tears fell from Brooke's eyes as she stood frozen in front of Letty, "Who the hell are you?"
"You sound like you know enough, Brooke. I'm not wanted anymore, but I'm not exactly a model citizen either."
"I figured that much when you picked me up at an illegal street race in Mexico, and outran cops unlike anything I've ever seen. But you've been lying to me this whole time. Why?" Brooke asked, tears pooling in her eyes.
"My name is Leticia Nicole Ortiz, Ramirez is my mother's maiden name. I never lied about anything. I just didn't tell you about my life as a career criminal, because I can't remember half of it."
"Lying by omission is still lying, Letty!" Brooke's scream echoed over the Pasadena hills. "I need to know the whole truth. Who are you, really?"
"I don't know."
"Don't give me that shit! You don't get to keep secrets anymore. You don't get to lie."
"I honestly don't know!" she whistled for Ginger before moving back to the driver's side. "Get in, I'll explain over food."
The girls drove into Pasadena, California, with a pit stop for food at a burger joint. They quietly drove to a nearby pet-friendly hotel and checked in. They settled into their cozy, four-star room and scarfed down their food in silence. Letty didn't mind; it put off the inevitable for a little while longer. Ginger munched quietly on her own dog food, leaving the women under a cloud of tension.
Letty finished her food and inhaled a much-needed breath of courage before speaking.
"Alright, Brooke. You want the truth... I'll give it to you. But first, we need drinks," she reached into her bag and retrieved the bottle of Tequila she stashed. She topped off their empty plastic cups with the harsh liquor and tossed hers back, allowing the liquid courage to flow. "It all started when I was in high school. I met Dominic Toretto, King Shit of LA."
Letty continued to pour them shots as she went over the past decade of her life in detail. They shared some laughs, a few teary-eyed moments, and bouts of silence as Letty played back her teenage years of street-racing, her life of crime, and all things Dominic.
"The first week back in LA was spent with me trying to get to know him, and our past together. We went to places we used frequent, movie theaters and arcades. He took me to our favorite restaurant, this little Italian place off the coast. The food was disgusting, but I guess back then we didn't care," she smiled. "He talked about how much I loved the beach, so I suggested we go. I fell in love instantly, the smells... the good energy. I understood why it was my favorite place. He surprised me the next day and bought a beach house right on the shore, it was incredible. We stayed there for a week."
Brooke couldn't help but smile at Letty's enthusiastic expressions. Her eyes were smiling, and her grin was contagious.
"Did you guys have sex?" Brooke asked bluntly.
"No, surprisingly. From what his sister said, we were like nymphomaniacs back in the day. We came close a few times, but I could never go through with it. Something wasn't right, ya know?" Letty explained, "I just wasn't ready. And he understood that, he didn't push."
"Did you love him?"
Letty's smile withdrew some at the question. "I tried. There was definitely a connection between us, a strong attraction. I felt comfortable with him, with all of them. I tried hard to love him, but when the memories started coming back, it just pushed me further away from him," her smile was wiped away now, and she ran a shaky hair through her hair, "Soon, I couldn't stand to be around him."
It felt good to talk to someone on the outside, someone who didn't pass judgment because of her past tribulations. Instead, Brooke sat with her jaw scraping the floor as she listened to the rest of Letty's fairy tales in shock.
"So you were once a menace to society, huh?" Brooke said with a crooked smile.
"I don't think I ever stopped being a menace," Letty joked, "I was born to be an outlaw. Things just got twisted. In a way, it's great that I can't remember all the fucked up shit I've done."
"It wasn't too great for your love life," Brooke said.
"Don't go there," Letty rolled her eyes as she downed another shot. "My love life was completely fucked before my amnesia."
"But it's so romantic. The whole Bonnie and Clyde thing with your high school sweetheart. Fake deaths, crime heists, amnesia. Then he saves your life, for the second time. It's pretty awesome."
"You're really messed up if you think that's romantic," Letty laughed.
"It is to me. Besides, you two were hot together! He's gorgeous," Brooke catcalled," Do you have anymore pictures?"
"Dozens," Letty grabbed her duffel and dumped the contents on the bed. Both women crawled up and retrieved two scrapbooks. "Dom's sister made these for me, to help me remember."
"Did it help?"
"Yeah," Letty smiled as she opened one of the books, "I haven't looked at these since the day she gave them to me."
They sat Indian-style on the bed and scanned through the album. There were dozens of pictures – from the time she was a teen, up until their last day in LA, titled - "Race Wars". Starting at the first page, it depicted their first party together – Mia's Sweet Sixteen. A young Letty stood with Dom and a few others around the Toretto shed. Mia was hoisted high up on Dom's shoulders, a silver embellished tiara on her head, and chocolate cake smeared on her face.
"You look happy there," Brooke said, "Everyone does. What happened?"
"Dom's dad died," Letty smile wavered, "Dino Toretto, he was one of the greatest to do it in the Stock Car Circuit. He was a good man, a damn good father. After Dom's mom died when he was eight, Dino took on two kids, and a few neighborhood strays alone. He ran the local auto garage and diner. I only knew him for a few years before he was killed, but Dino was like a father to me," Letty swallowed the lump in her throat, and continued, "His death changed everything. After he passed, Dom did two years for assaulting the guy who caused Dino's wreck. We could barely manage the bills, mortgages on the diner and garage – it was too much for a few teens to handle. Racing barely covered utilities, so we looked to other business. Only we got into business with the wrong people, and got infiltrated by the wrong cop. The rest is history."
"Well, if we happen to bump into 'history' on our road trip, I want introduced to all of these hotties," Brooke smirked while holding up a photo of the men of the crew, hard at work at the garage – topless.
"I wish I could introduce you to Vince. You're definitely his type," Letty grinned, "Well, you would've been."
"He die too?" Brooke asked sadly.
Letty nodded, "Killed in a gunfight in Rio. He was the one who did two years for us for the trucks. He wasn't a scholar, but he was loyal to a T. Jesse died in the drive-by," her eyes lingered on the blue-eyed lad, "Jesse was the baby of the family, but he was so smart. Kid was a genius, but he couldn't figure out how to be normal in a social setting. He was a little weirdo. Man, I miss him. I miss all of them."
"What about this guy?" Brooke pointed.
"That's Leon," Letty got a tickle in her belly at the sight of Le. "He was one of my best friends since high school. I have no idea what happened to Le. Last time I remember seeing him was in Baja after the last heist. He took off one morning after Dom... he never came back."
She reached for the second book, which was of more photos with the new crew of Tej, Roman, Tego, Santos, Gisele and Han. Han was a childhood friend, and her heart ached for his loss. Letty had only known Tej and Roman a short time, but grew to look at them as great friends. She didn't have as many memories with these people, but she loved them all just as much. They risked their lives – Gisele lost her life – in Letty's name, and she would be forever honored and grateful.
"I wish I had more time with them," Letty mumbled lovingly.
"Why did you leave? I mean, why haven't you been back?"
"I panicked. I didn't know these people, other than some pictures and the brief time I had with them. They were so awesome and caring, I don't even remember if I deserved it," Letty said honestly. "They risked their lives for me... I wasn't sure if I could live up to that."
"But that should tell you everything. I don't know how many people would go against international criminals just to save me," Brooke smirked, "And Dom? You shot him, then he jumped a bridge to save you from certain death? Girl, if that's not love, I don't know what is."
Letty smiled at the memory; she knew from that death-defying stunt that her past with Dominic was anything but ordinary.
"He did a lot for me, but he was no saint either. It was because of him that I even starting working with Braga, and had to fight for my life against his goon. He left me behind... I needed him."
Letty wasn't sure if it was the Tequila or tiredness making her feel so vulnerable. It was good to finally have someone to talk to, but it didn't mean she wanted to.
"Look, I don't know anything about him, or you really, but I can tell you two loved each other. I mean, look at all the memories you share. Sure, you probably don't remember half of them, but it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Just because you don't recall all the good times you had, doesn't mean the bad times outweigh them," Letty was surprised that Brooke was actually making sense. "Now, I'm not taking up for him. He was completely wrong for abandoning you, I mean, it altered your life forever. You put your neck out on the line for him, and it got you hurt. He deserves to pay for that. Nobody is forcing you to forgive him, or be with him. But maybe you two should talk things out."
Letty smiled, "I can't believe you're making sense."
"I'm smarter than I look," Brooke shrugged. The two sat in silence as Brooke cleared their food wrappers. "Do you want to go back? You can't hide forever, you know."
"I'm not hiding," Letty grovelled, "I left like a coward. They wouldn't want me back. Besides, they might be happy now."
"You mean he might be," Brooke corrected, "Only one way to find out."
"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Letty asked while pulling back the blankets on the bed.
"Nope. You owe me for lying for the past nine months," Brooke answered while climbing in on the other side.
"What're you doing? I got two bedrooms for a reason," Letty said.
"And one plasma in the whole place," Brooke retorted.
"Pain in my ass," Letty mumbled under her breath as she crawled in bed.
"Letty! Letty, you gotta get up!"
Letty groaned as she was startled from her dream. As she rolled over, stuffing her head under the plush hotel pillow to ignore the yells of Brooke, Letty tried desperately to return to the fantasy world where her old friends were, but to no avail. Her aggravation grew when the duvets were yanked away from her chilled body.
"Seriously, Letty, you have to see this," said Brooke. "I think I found your friend, Leon."