Instead of heading back to the garage, Brian headed straight to the Toretto house. He had so many things to do with the new information he received from Letty, like call and warn Roman that Carter hadn't forgotten about them, and check on the status of Verone's prison sentence. He also needed to get a hold of Armando in the Dominican Republic in case he needed to send Mia and Jack away for their safety. He refused to let anyone get close enough to hurt his family again.
"Daddy!" Jack yelled as his father entered the home. Brian lifted him into his arms, cradling his close to his chest.
"My baby boy," he cooed softly. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if anything happened to his beloved son.
"Bri, what took so long?" Mia asked as she entered from the kitchen, her floral-print apron covered in flour. "Ah! And you forgot the apples. Did you not get my message from Dom? I was in the mood to bake so I'm making him an apple pie. It's his favorite."
Her words went through one ear and out the other as Brian just stood staring at his wife. He still woke nearly every day in disbelief that they managed to make it work after those years. He never knew walking into the diner that day, ordering that awful tuna sandwich, would lead to this - a beautiful child, a new wife, and more money than he knew what to do with.
Mia frowned at his silence, "You don't have to pout, Bri. I made a separate Lemon Meringue just for you and Jack."
Brian used his free arm to pull Mia close, planting soft kisses in her hair. Brian loved his family, more than he had loved anything else. All he wanted was to take care of his wife and raise his son the right way, things his own pathetic father didn't bother to stick around to do. Brian vowed to protect Mia and Jack at all costs, and if that meant taking Carter's life to ensure their safety, he wouldn't hesitate to do so.
"Something's wrong," Mia picked up on his weirdness. "What's wrong, Brian?"
Brian whispered something in Jack's ear and sat him down on the ground, watching him run up the stairs to his room.
"I saw Letty a little while ago. The woman that she's with his the daughter of Carter Verone."
"Where do I know that name from?" Mia picked her own brain, "The guy you and Roman locked up together?"
He nodded, "She claims she didn't know Letty and I were connected, but I find that hard to believe. I mean what are the chances that they run into each other?" Brian sat down on the sofa. "She wanted to warn me that her dad could be getting out soon. How the hell could he be getting out? He was sentenced to 25-to-life. I watched this man torture an undercover cop and laugh about it," Brian looked up at Mia, his blue eyes glowing with conviction, "He shouldn't be getting out, Mia."
"Jesus, Brian," Mia said with a sigh, "That was a long time ago. Maybe he's let it go, as should you. Letty wouldn't be running around with someone she knew that was out to get you."
"Carter isn't the type of man that's forgiving," Brian shook his hand, running his hands over his head repeatedly. Mia moved to stand in front of him, gently resting his head on her belly.
"Do you trust Letty?" she asked, softly stroking the nape of his neck.
"Of course, she's family. But her friend.. I don't know."
At that moment, Dom's Charger roared up to the house. He entered the home, a fresh bag of apples from the market in hand and a complacent look on his face.
"Why didn't you tell me when I called that he went to meet Letty?" Mia jumped on Dom.
Dom stared over her shoulder at Brian, "Because I didn't know either. I was under the impression that he was coming to see you," Mia turned and scowled at Brian, "At least until I followed him to her hotel."
Brian looked at Dom with shame, "She said she needed to talk alone."
"Last time you two talked alone, she ended up nearly losing her life. No more secret meetings."
"Well you might not have to worry about that if Carter Verone has anything to say about it," Brian moped.
"Did you know about this? Brooke?" Mia asked Dom.
"Not until about half an hour ago. Brian, relax. Nothing's even happened yet. Letty says she's gonna handled it, we need to trust her."
"Kinda hard when she's running around with the enemy," Brian muttered under his breath.
"We don't know that. Brooke can't help who her father is. For now, we let Letty take care of it, until she says otherwise. If and only if it becomes an issue, we do it our way. Understood?"
Brian gave a hesitant nod and stood from the couch, "I still have to call Roman."
He excused himself from the room and stepped out of the house. Dom followed Mia into the kitchen, where it smelled of freshly-bake pie. Dom watched her move around the kitchen effortlessly. She reached into the fridge and pulled out a cold beer, popping the lid off before sitting it at the table. She removed his lunch from the microwave - a cheeseburger loaded with tomatoes, onions, and lettuce - and placed it on the table as well. Dom smiled as he watched her struggle to reach the cutting board on the top shelf. He walked over and reached over her head, grabbing the board with ease and handing it over.
"Eat, your food can't be that warm after all the galavanting you two were doing," she said sternly. Dom could tell that she was still hurt from the night before. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, digging his face in her hair. "Dom!" she fought against his tight squeeze, an annoyed grin on her face. "Get off!"
"I'm sorry about last night," he said sincerely, though his face was still smiling as she wiggled in his arms. "You know I didn't mean to take my feelings out on you."
"Well don't let it happen again," she poked his fingers with a fork, and sure enough he released his hold. "I'm sorry I had to keep her coming down a secret. You know if I could've said something I would've."
"I know. It's all good," he kissed her cheek before sitting down at the table. At that exact time, his stomach growled and rumbled loud and he didn't waste anymore time digging into his meal.
Mia looked out the corner of her eye at her brother, and smiled. He still ate like a starving dog, with a guarantee of leaving a mess all over that she'd have to clean up. Her mind flashed back to their younger years when Dino was gone for the weekend, leaving her to do all the cooking and cleaning for her brother. Thankfully she spent most of her childhood in the kitchen with her father, or with her abuelita learning to cook everything under the sun. Right about now, Vince, Leon and Jesse would be stumbling through the backdoor from shooting hoops, begging Mia to fix them lunch as well. Letty would be speeding through the front to help herself to whatever Dom was eating, usually without permission.
Mia turned to lean against the counter, glancing around the quiet home. In her mind, she watched the rambunctious teens fight over Dom's burger, with him laughing and pushing each of them away. Her head swiveled to the fridge. By now, Vince would've given up on Dom's food and started the hunt for his own, grunting and groaning as he scavenged the fridge for a meal. Normally, he'd find something the Toretto patriarch had leftover with clear instructions not to touch, and he'd mumble something along the lines of "ask for forgiveness, not permission". A smile spread across her lips as she swiped away a few runaway tears.
"Why are you staring at the fridge?" Dom brought her back down to reality. He leaned back in his chairs once he realized that she was crying. "What's wrong, sis?"
She waved her hand while moving to join him at the table, "Nothing. It's just hard to stand in this house and not be completely overwhelmed with memories. Thinking about how pissed dad was every time he came home and realized that Vince ate the food he'd been saving."
Dom chuckled at the thought, "He'd always say 'ask for forgiveness, not permission' right before inhaling Dad's favorite steak."
"I think this is the quietest it's even been here."
"Trust me, it's been quieter," Dom muttered. "Not much noise with just one person living here."
Mia gave a sad smile, "Well get ready. Tej and Roman will both be here in a few days. Those two plus Brian... give it a few hours, you'll be begging for some peace."
Three days later...
"Excuse me, sweetie? How much did you say my total was?"
Dom barely heard the woman's voice, though she was standing on the other side of the register directly in front him. His mind was on Letty, and had been since the moment he saw her at that stoplight. He hadn't seen or heard from her since the day at her hotel, vowing to give her time to settle in to life in LA again, but now he was getting anxious. He wanted to see her.
"Sorry about that, ma'am," Brian hustled behind the register, shoving Dom out the way to take care of the customer. "Boss Man has an old love on his mind, hence his muteness. Thirty dollars, seventy-five cents is your total."
The older black lady smiled while handing over her credit card, "I've seen old love, young man, and that's not it. That's regret. Lemme guess," the woman sized Dom up, "You messed up big time and you're trying to get her back?"
"Something like that," Dom smiled, "Any advice?"
"Can you cook?"
"I'm decent," Dom chuckled, ignoring Brian's laughter.
"Honey, a woman loves a man who is willing to stand over the hot stove for a change and cook for her. You got some nice muscles, it wouldn't hurt to show 'em off while you're doing it," she said, unafraid to reach over the counter to give his bicep as squeeze, "If that doesn't work, chocolate. Or in your case, caramel. All women love something sweet."
Dom nodded while blushing, almost positive that the elderly woman was hitting on him. He walked around the counter and looped her arm with his and like a gentleman, walked her out to her waiting car.
"Thanks for the advice, Mrs. Brown. Now, I'm gonna call you in a few days to see how the new tires are treating you."
"Thank you for everything, and remember what I said," Mrs. Brown gave his cheek an affectionate squeeze before pulling off in her car.
"Dom, how do you do it?" Oz approached with a shit-eating grin. "Old, young, Brazilian, Latina, you get 'em all."
The garage erupted in laughter. Dom flashed his middle finger at them, unaware of the presence behind him.
"Well somebody's chipper," Billie said while stepping into the garage, three hours late.
"You would know if you showed up at all this week," Dom replied, following her towards her separate locker room. "Where've you been?"
"I wasn't feeling well, so I took a few days. I left a message for Neil on Monday, but I'm assuming you didn't get it."
"No, I didn't," Dom analyzed her face and movements. She changed out of her casual sneakers and jeans, and into short shorts under her coveralls, all without sparing a glance for him. "Sonny said he drove by your place a few times.. said nobody was home."
"I've been staying with a friend. Got out of the city for a few days."
Dom felt a twinge of jealousy sting at him. "Well next time you feel you need a vacation, how 'bout a heads up first? I need you here."
"Brian's here, so it's not like I'm leaving you short-staffed," Billie sniped back. "Let's not pretend you were at all concerned about my well-being, seeing as you haven't called or texted to check on me. Not with the queen back around. But I feel better though, thanks for asking," she said sarcastically, slamming her locker door shut and heading out to the main floor.
Dom went back to work on the Corvette he was repairing, anxious to get the pesky engine out of his face. While working, his mind drifted back to Letty. He thought about asking her out on a proper date several times, but never had the balls to do it. He chuckled on the inside; Dominic didn't fear anything or anyone, but he always feared rejection from Letty. Ever since their first date at the Toretto Market and Cafe.
Dom worked hastily to tidy up the cafe his family owned, wiping down counters and tables and sweeping up any debris on the floor. It was about three weeks after the accident at the races, and his father had finally allowed him time off from the garage to spend with his friends. Instead of running rampant with Vince, he begged Mia to call Letty, asking her to join him for lunch. They hadn't been in contact much since talking in the hospital. She missed a week from school to heal her injuries, and Dom was grounded indefinitely, with high school and the garage being his only means of entertainment. When Letty returned to school, he found himself searching the halls for her, eager to see the side of her that she showed in his hospital room. Relaxed, and even a bit flirty. Only when Dom finally spotted Letty between classes, she ignored him, as if he hadn't nearly killed her a few weeks prior. As soon as his restrictions were lifted, he called Letty right away, asking to see her. He was disappointed to hear that she had plans already with her cousin, but she offered to stop by if she had free time. It had been two hours since he called, and he was starting to wonder if all his cleaning was for nothing. That is, until she called his phone, offering to stop by around noon and reiterating her claim of not being any fun.
He felt a weight releasing from his shoulders, and got right to cleaning up after the morning rush. Only his younger sibling was annoyed by his sudden interest in the market.
"Dom, get out of here! You've cleaned those tables twenty times already!" Mia whined from behind the register.
"Shut up, Mi," Dom muttered. He stood back and admired his work, but felt like something was missing. "I should've gotten her flowers."
"Letty doesn't like flowers that much," Mia said. "She says they're pointless because they die so fast. Besides, I thought you said it wasn't a date?"
"Don't you have some homework that needs done?"
"I do, but it's my day to man the shop. At least until Dad hires a new cashier."
"Well this place is dead today, get out of here. Go find something to do," Dom said, waving her off.
"Fine with me," Mia grabbed her things, "I'll be home. Don't forget to lock up."
"Alright, already! Go!" Dom groaned, watching his sister take off down the street. Thankfully they only lived a few blocks away so he didn't worry about her walking alone.
Once he was happy with the shop, Dom headed to the back to make himself more presentable. He searched his locker for a clean shirt and found a black jersey that didn't smell and wasn't covered in grease, so it would do. He hurriedly washed up in the small bathroom, slapped on deodorant and a few sprays of his cologne. He ran out to the front and snatched a toiletry travel-kit from the shelf, ripping it open to retrieve the small toothbrush and paste. Dom brushed his teeth and gargled some mouthwash before splashing some water on his face. As he was drying off and checking himself for anymore grease-stains, he heard the customer bell ringing out front. Like a kid on Christmas, Dom hurried out front to greet his date, only to be disappointed to see Mr. Davis from the car-wash across the street sitting at the counter.
"Hey, Dominic. Surprised to see you back there."
"You ain't the only one surprised," Dom mumbled under his breath before walking over to ring him up.
Hours passed, a few customers came and went, but still no Letty. His demeanor had soured significantly, and all he wanted to do was go home. She had stood him up, and now he was ready to throw in the towel. Maybe she didn't like him the way he had thought.
As he counted down the drawer, ready to close for the evening the customer bell rang again. With his back to the counter, Dom didn't get his hopes up and only asked for the customer to give him a moment.
"It's not polite to keep a girl waiting."
The hairs on his arms stood up and his skin became covered in chills. That raspy voice.
Dom turned to see Letty sitting at the counter, a small smirk on her face. Her hair was down in waves but pushed out of her face by sunglasses.
His mood instantly spiked, "Was starting to think you weren't coming. Especially since you've been avoiding me like the plague in school."
Letty sighed, "Not avoiding you necessarily, but the reputation that comes with your.. female acquaintances. People were already talking about what happened, and I didn't want to give them more reasons to run their mouths."
Dom understood and gave a nod, "I thought you were gonna go back to hating me."
"I never hated you, Dom. I thought you were an egotistical wanna-be racer, but I didn't hate you," she said with a smile.
"I think I should be insulted, but I'm just glad to hear you don't hate me," he grinned and glanced down at the wrap on her wrist. "How's the arm?"
"A pain in the ass, but it's healing. Got my stitches out last week, wanna see?" she unwrapped the surgical band from her wrist, revealing a gnarly scar that was barely healed.
"Ouch," Dom said, the guilt from causing her injuries rushing back to him. "I'm really sorry."
"No sweat, dude. It got me out of school for a week, so I can't complain. But.." Letty grabbed a menu from the counter and flipped it open. "You can repay me by making me something to eat. Can you cook?"
"I'm half Italian, of course I can cook."
"Alright, Little Italy," Letty smirked up at him. "Show me what you can do."
Oz tapping a wrench on the metal next to Dom broke him from his daydream.
"Hey, I was wondering if I could split a little early today since B is here?"
"Already? Oz, it's not even noon yet and you wanna leave?"
"Not now, of course, but maybe an hour or two before closing time. I kinda have this thing later," Oz whispered.
Dom squinted suspiciously, "What kinda thing?"
Oz rolled his eyes, his cheeks tinting a slight pink color, "A date, all right. With Brooke, Letty's friend."
Dom's face quickly changed and a smile spread across his lips, "A date? Since when do you date?"
"Since I met a cute girl at the races who wasn't interested in you," he said matter-of-factly.
"Have at it, but call your clients and let them know about the change."
"You know I'm picking up her from their place. I could always relay a message..." Oz trailed off.
"No, thank you," Dom shook his head. "I'm gonna take my chance and text her now."
Letty was finally settling into work at The Lab, moving comfortably around the spacious garage as she worked with Leon on an engine for a customer. She expected him to sit behind a desk and bark orders at his employees like a lot of business owners, but he worked hard for eight hours just like the other mechanics. With Brooke running the counter, Leon had more opportunities to get hands-on with the work being done in his garage, ensuring only quality work went back out the door. The more time she spent working with him, the easier it was for her to remember their past together. She was riddled with memories of rubbing shoulders in the garage, teaming up with he and Jesse on numerous projects, and cleaning up after wild after-parties at the Toretto home. It didn't take long for her to realize why Leon was one of her best friends back in the day; he was charming, he made her laugh, and he respected her privacy. He didn't pry into her traumatic past or try to force her to remember anything - he was just happy for her presence.
Letty was just happy to be back in Los Angeles with semi-familiar friends and a free place to live. Of course she didn't feel completely comfortable living in his bachelor pad for free, so she insisted he take a cut from her check to reimburse him. He tried to refuse, but after her threat of finding a different place, he hesitantly agreed.
Steady job, check. Living arrangements, check. Her Dominic Toretto dilemma? Not even close to solved. She hadn't heard from him in a few days, and though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she sort of missed him. Seeing him again brought on an onslaught of emotions she had no clue what to do with. By no means was she ready for a romantic relationship with him, or anyone for that matter, but she did miss his company. She missed his light-hearted laugh, his drunken karaoke songs, his ability to know when she was unhappy by simply looking in her eyes, and his comforting touch. It was something about a man with hands that size that knew how to use them.
Letty told herself that eventually she would stop being a pussy and give Dominic the time of day. He was showing resolve with her, and she felt it was only right to at least give him more than a few attitude-filled minutes.
"Ortiz, you in there somewhere?" Leon's hand waved in front of her face.
"Yeah," she gave a quick smile, "Sorry. Still can't believe I'm back in LA."
"Nothing like home," Leon smiled. "You know we're bring back RaceWars right? That's something to look forward to." Letty gave him a blank stare. "You don't know about Racecwars?"
"Heard Dom and the guys talk about it a few times, but nothing really comes to mind. What's it like?"
"Think race night on steroids times ten," Leon grinned. "Racers from all over the West Coast come down to compete, see who's the best of the best. It's been on hiatus for a few years, but Hector and I are resurrecting it. We always killed it at Racewars. Well, except that last one, of course. That one went way left."
"Is Dom going?" she tried to ask casually.
Leon saw right through it. His lips curled into a smirk, "He and Brian Hector talked him into putting a crew together. You should try to get a spot on it."
"I don't know. I'm more of a solo act," she shrugged, though it didn't sound like a bad idea. She loved the way Dom and the others ran together, so in-sync and with confidence. They never showed fear - with the exception of Roman, who Letty thought to be a bit of a chicken shit. But they were strong, and so was she, so it made sense for her to roll with the toughest crew.
"Trust me, Lett," he said, "Once you're Team Toretto, you're Team Toretto for life. No getting out of that."
"What about you? You still Team Toretto?" Letty asked.
Leon took a moment to think, but was interrupted by a silver convertible BMW screeching to a halt outside the building. They looked over to see Kara stepping out of the car, her pin-straight blonde hair sweeping in the wind. Her khaki skirt clung to her thighs and her powder-blue blouse bared her cleavage. She knew she looked good, and it annoyed the hell out of Letty. Her pink heels click irritatingly against the pavement as she walked around to help Jess out.
"Oh look, Barbie's here," Letty muttered lethargically, not caring if Kara had heard her.
Leon dropped his tools and met them at the door. Jess ran to him, crashing into his stomach. He hugged her, noting immediately that something was wrong, "Hey babygirl. What's going on? I thought I dropped you off at soccer practice a few hours ago?"
"You did, but apparently she got sick so they called me to retrieve her. Personally I think she was faking, but I left a very important client meeting to drop her off."
Leon rolled his eyes at Kara before turning to Jess, kneeling down to her level, "You all right, sweetie?"
Jess's bottom lip poked out and quivered as she shook her head, "I don't feel good, Daddy."
"Oh sweetheart," Leon cooed, "Well go lay down in my office, and let me talk to Mom."
As Leon consoled his daughter, Kara rolled her eyes at the dramatics. Letty caught the rude gesture and felt nothing but disgust for Leon's ex-wife. She hated a snobby bitch, and Kara was quickly making her way under Letty's skin. The two women locked eyes, and Letty could only shake her head with a smile.
If I could catch that bitch alone...
"Well hello, Leticia. Didn't see you there. You look... dirty," Kara said with a fake pleasant smile.
"That happens when you do hard work and not bullshit people for a living," Letty returned the fake smile, "And it's Letty."
"Whatever you say, " Kara dropped her sunglasses on her face and turned back to Leon, "Walk me to my door?"
"What was that?" Brooke asked as Letty stood from her work, wiping her hands clean on a towel.
"That was Leon's ex-wife. Sweet, isn't she?" she replied sarcastically. "I'm gonna check on the kid."
Letty headed in the direction of Leon's office in the back. She found Jessica laying on a plush, wall-length couch, her hands tucked underneath her head.
She didn't look sick, but sad.
"Hey Kiddo," Letty greeted while pulling up a chair. Jess glanced up at her momentarily, "How're ya feeling?"
"I don't wanna be a grown-up. Grown-ups are mean."
"I can't debate you on that one," Letty moved to sit on the couch with her. "But not all grown-ups are. I'm not, am I?" Jess shook her head. "Are you talking about Kara? Did she do something?"
"Sometimes she's not nice, but it's the other moms are practice. I hear them say mean things about my real mom, and my dad too."
"What does your dad say about your real mom?"
"That she was a good mom, but sometimes she did not-so-good things to keep me safe while I was in her belly."
"Then that is what you should believe, not some women who didn't even know her. Your mom sounds like a woman doing what she had to do to protect you, which is what any good mother would do. So you can't listen to those other moms, okay?"
Jess sat up on the sofa, wiping away the tears that streaked down her face as she gave Letty a nod.
"Now, when do you go back to practice?"
"Tomorrow at nine."
"Well, tomorrow I'll take you, and I guarantee those ladies won't have a word to say about your mom or daddy, alright?" Letty held her hand up, and Jess clapped hers against it, finally breaking a smile.
Leon finally came walking through the door.
"How is she?" he asked Letty.
"Ask her," she said and stood from the couch.
Leon went to his daughter, taking the seat next to her. Letty left them alone to talk and made her way back out to the main area. She was getting back to work when she received a text alert on her cell. She recognized the unsaved number immediately. It was one she deleted from her contacts a year ago, but only because she had it memorized. Dom.
"Hope you're settling well. Mia made an extra apple pie... if you're in the area."
Letty smirked and quickly replied back.
"Settling OK. I'm at work at the moment, but that sounds great for dessert. You in the mood for take-out tonight? My place, my treat."
She waited nervously for his reply. What could dinner hurt? She could use some company.
"Sounds great. I'll give you a call after I get out of here later. Need me to bring anything?"
"Only that pie."
"I'll see you later, then."
"Cool, later."
"Why're you grinning at your phone like that? Lemme see," Brooke snatched the phone from Letty's hand and quickly read through the messages.
"What's going on?" Leon asked as he returned to find Letty fighting Brooke for her phone.
"Looks like I'm not the only one with a date tonight," Brooke smirked as Letty snatched her phone back.
"It's just take-out, B. Relax."
"And pie. You know how much men love pie," Brooke replied, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.