Dom stirred awake the next morning at the sound of banging on the front door. Or so he thought, because the woman sound asleep in his arms hadn't even flinched. He looked down at the hair matted to her forehead in a thin sheet of sweat, and felt at home. Her lips parted slightly and he dared to lean down slowly, tasting the essence that was his Letty again. He was so wrapped up in admiring her that he'd almost missed the knocking again, this time louder. Apparently it had awakened Ginger as well as she started voicing her opinion very loudly through the house.
Dom slid out of bed gently and pulled on his pants, not bothering with zipper or his shirt. The knocking continued, and it started to agitate Dominic.
"Who is it?" Dom called out.
"LAPD. Open up, please."
Naturally, Dom's body jumped into fight-or-flight mode. He had never been a fan of law enforcement, largely due to the fact that he was engaging in criminal activity. But he was a free man now, and other than a few traffic violations here and there, he was on the up-and-up. He had no reason to panic. But Ginger's excessive energy wouldn't help his nervousness. He grabbed her collar before pulling open the door.
"Can I help you?" he asked the two uniformed officers standing behind the door. They looked just as shocked to see him as Dominic was.
"Good morning, sir. We're looking for a 'Letty Ortiz'. Is she here?" Officer Gaines, the cop taking lead, asked.
"What's this about?" Dom asked, concerned.
"Ms. Ortiz was involved in an assault that took place two days ago. Do you know anything about that?" Officer Gaines asked.
"No, I don't," he lied through his teeth. "Who was assaulted?"
"That's for us to discuss with Ms. Ortiz. Retrieve her, please," the cop behind Gaines demanded.
"Just a second," Dom moved to shut the door, but Gaines' foot wedged in the doorway. Dom looked down at his foot, then glared back at him, "Excuse you."
Gaines hesitated for a moment before moving his foot and having the door slammed in his face.
"Asshole," Dom muttered as he turned to head for Letty's room.
"Who's the asshole?" Letty asked sleepily while staggering down the hall trying to put on her pajama-bottoms.
"LAPD. Someone's little scuffle at the soccer park was reported," Letty cursed to herself, "The hits just don't stop coming."
"Stupid bitch," Letty muttered while grabbing her jacket at the door.
"I'll be right behind you," Dom slid on his shoes.
"Don't," she put her hands up to stop him. "Brian and Roman need you today. I'll be fine. Call Leon."
Dom felt hurt that she was pushing him away, especially now. "I should be there with you."
Letty put her hand to his face, "And I appreciate you for caring, but I'm a big girl. I got myself into this shit, I need to dig my way out. You need to be there to back-up Brian."
"Open the door," the cops insisted.
Letty took a deep breath then yanked the door open, prepared to face the consequences of her actions.
"Letty Ortiz?" Officer Gaines questioned.
"Yeah."
"Turn around and put your hands behind your back please," Gaines said with a slight smirk that made Dom want to punch his teeth out. "You're under arrest for assault."
Dom stared at her like a kicked puppy. The scene playing out in front of him was one that haunted him for years on the run. He was never prepared to watch police put cuffs on the woman he loved and take her away.
Letty could see the agony on his face. She gave him a warm smile, "Call Leon, have him get me out. Then go bring our boy home. We'll celebrate later."
Dom gave a nod and stole a kiss from her quickly. Before she could get into it, Officer Gaines pulled her away. Dom leashed Ginger and followed them down the pathway. He watched worriedly as the cops helped her slide into the back of the cruiser. Letty looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile. Dom watched as the cruiser pulled off with his Letty inside.
He was already calling Leon while he slid into his Charger. Ginger rode shotgun as he floored it backwards out of the driveway and hauled ass down the road.
"Dom, brother I was just about to call you," Leon said after picking up, "I just got in the shop. Cops came in looking for Letty. They leaned on my boys for her address. I'm so sorry, Dom."
"Relax, Leo. She's the one who hit Tran. I need you to get her out. She wants me to get started on finding Rome."
"I'm already on my way. Kara's gonna meet me there. Letty won't be happy, but Kara's willing to do me a favor, so she better be nice."
"We're talking about Letty," Dom smirked. He felt a little better knowing that Leon would be there with legal representation for her. "Tell her to call as soon as she gets out. And thanks, Le."
"Of course, brother. Hey, before you go... you might wanna check in on Brooke. She didn't show up this morning, and I haven't been able to reach her cell."
Dom agreed and hung up from Leon to call Oz. Surprisingly, he didn't answer. Dom tried the call again while flooring it in the direction of Oz's home. Again, no answer. It took Dom less than ten minutes to get to Oz's small apartment on the other side of town. His truck wasn't parked out front, but intuition brought Dom and Ginger out of the car and up the stairs to the second floor. Dom knocked on apartment C and waited. He didn't hear any movement behind the door, so he tried the knob, which was unexpectedly unlocked. Oz never left his door unlocked, or any of his property unattended.
"Oz!" he hollered once he was inside the small abode. He was met with more silence. Ginger sniffed around the house while Dom checked the front room for clues. Dom hadn't been inside of his place in a while, but nothing appeared out of place or suspicious. Maybe he's not home, Dom thought and he turned to leave. He whistled for Ginger and she darted out from a back room, barking once before retreating again.
Dom hurried to the back, where he found Oz lying in the floor. Ginger licked his face mercilessly and it helped stir Oz awake. His Louisville slugger laid on the floor next to him, and it didn't take long for Dom to put the puzzle together.
"Good job, girl," Dom said to the pup and sprang into action, helping Oz up to his feet. He slung Oz's arm over his shoulder and led him out to the living room, gently dropping him down on the sofa. Oz's face scrunched in pain and his hand went to craddle the back of his head.
"She cracked me pretty good with the slugger," Oz groaned while Dom hurried over to the freezer for ice. "Girl has a pro-ball swing."
"Where'd she go?" Dom asked.
"No clue. I got up to make breakfast and I heard her on the phone. As soon as I walked through the door, she cracked me," Oz took the ice thankfully and placed it against his head. "Dom, I never thought she'd-"
"You don't know her, Oz. None of us do," Dom pulled out his cell.
"Who you calling?"
"The police. Reporting your truck stolen. Maybe they can catch up to her."
Oz let out a pained groan, "She stole my truck?!"
Mia rolled over in bed and was immediately met by warm, soft skin. It didn't take long for her to realize it was her son Jack's back that she was lying on. He was sprawled across the bed wildly, but always found a way to cuddle against her body. She looked down at his tiny lips and nose that were a reflection of his father. She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his head. Nothing warmed her heart more than waking up to a son that adored her. She knew he would grow out of it in a few short years, so Mia drank it in as much as she could now.
The sound of Brian yelling from downstairs took her attention away from her son. She slid out of bed gently and slipped on her silk robe. As she took the stairs, his yelling became more audible, and aggressive.
"No, Hobbs, I will not calm down! You should've freaking woke me, bro!" Why was he yelling at Hobbs this early? "I'm on my way," she heard him say as she rounded the corner to the living room. When she found him, he was shoving his feet into his Converse sneakers.
She bypassed him on her way to the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee pot.
"Where are you going? And why were you yelling at Hobbs?"
"Barstow," Mia's head whipped around to him. She hadn't heard him speak of his hometown in years. His baby blue eyes were red-rimmed, an indication that he had been crying. "Carter kidnapped my mom and nearly beat Roman's dad to death. Verone's in Barstow."
"Oh my God," Mia gasped with her hand to her mouth.
"Billie tracked the call last night to Barstow. Hobbs drove there immediately, but just missed them. He found one of Carter's men dead, saved Roger just in time."
Brian broke down again, leaning across the islandtop for support. Mia hurried over to her husband, unable to stop her own tears from falling as she cradled him in her arms.
After a few seconds to grieve, Brian stood up straight and wiped his face clear. He grabbed either side of her face and brought her eyes to him, "Get a hold of Dom. Tell him to get the girl and meet me in Barstow. Get Jack and head home to start packing. Tej and Rosa are already there waiting for you."
"Brian, we can't go back to Seattle with all of this going on."
"This ends today, Mia," Brian said certainly. "You've put your career on hold long enough. You're a good nurse. I won't let you stall that again," he leaned down and kissed her passionately. "I'll be back."
"Please be careful," she begged of him. "Jack needs you. I need you."
"I'll be back, Mia. I love you," he said before hurrying out the house.
Brooke checked her rearview mirror for the thousandth time as she sped down the freeway. She was a good driver, but not better than Dom or Letty, and she guaranteed that one of them was looking for her by now. Luckily, she was already halfway to her destination.
She looked over at the passenger seat at the gun she found in Oz's house. She didn't like them, but she was more than familiar with firearms and wouldn't hesitate to use it if she needed to.
She prayed it didn't come to that.
Brooke took the exit and headed down a deserted road that was no trouble for the truck. She sped toward a private plane hangar located a few miles out of the city. The further she drove into the barren land, the more she worried about getting lost. After a few minutes, the massive metal contraption appeared. Brooke slammed on the brakes, stopping about a quarter-mile away from the hangar. Overwhelmed with emotion and guilt, she dropped her head on the steering wheel to breathe. Her thoughts ping-ponged between Letty and Oz. Surely, they would both hate her after today. She figured that was a plus; it made what she was about to do easier for everyone involved.
"Alright, Brooke - you got this," she amped herself up and slammed on the pedal, propelling the truck toward the hangar. She parked next to a blacked-out sedan with no tags.
She grabbed the gun and swiftly disengaged the clip, making sure it was loaded before shoving it back into the gun and cocking it. She slid it into her waistband under her jacket and stepped out of the car. The moment her feet touched the soil below, her body became covered in goosebumps. Her father was certainly in the vicinity. She walked to the side door, but it pulled open before she could knock.
"Babygirl," Timothy drew out with his lustful smile as he raked his eyes over her body. "My, how you've changed."
Brooke rolled her eyes and pushed her way inside. On the other side of the large hangar was a massive jet. Her father stood with his back to her, facing something at the rear of the plane. The closer she got to him, the easier it was to see the blood pooled on a plastic sheet under his feet.
"Brooke... my little disobedient child," Carter said without turning around.
"I'm here. Where is Roman?" she demanded. "You said if I came willingly, you'd let Roman go."
Carter finally turned around and took a step to the left, revealing the source of the bloodshed. A black man dangled from the back of the plane, covered in blood and carved up like a steak. His dark skin was littered with purple bruises and serious burns to his flesh. Either he was unconscious, or he was already dead. That would mean Carter didn't keep his word, and he was a firm believer of that.
"Holy shit," Brooke was horrified at the scene in front of her. "What have you done?"
"Just wrapping up my work from last night," Carter said while washing the blood off his hands with Scotch. He took a swig and slammed the bottle on the table. "I had a few of my boys pay Roman's daddy a visit. To let him know exactly what was I was doing to his little boy. He was a tough sonofabitch. Took one of my guys down with him."
Brooke's immense guilt piled on her shoulders. She wanted to pull the gun from her pants and blow her own father's head off, but she knew that would only end in her death by firing squad. She knew more of Carter's men were lurking inside the building and they wouldn't hesitate to put her down.
"Help... please..." Roman's lifeless body croaked.
"He's still alive," Brooke said and rushed over to him, checking his pulse. It was faint, but Roman was hanging on. The smell of his burnt flesh so close made her nauseous.
"Of course he is. Roman is a fighter like his old man," Carter said with a grin.
"Why are you doing this?" Brooke asked her dad as she tried to tend to Roman. She found a towel and dampened it with a swig of Scotch to clean his wounds. Roman howled in response to the strong liquor on his skin, but Brooke continued wiping away the dried blood.
"I know it sucks, Roman, but it'll clean the wounds. Keep them from getting infected until you can get out of here," Roman looked at her through his left eye as his other was swollen shut.
"Brooke, if you only understood what I went through in prison. The torture I endured at the hands of jealous animals you couldn't even begin to comprehend."
Brooke noticed the two-inch scar down the side of Carter's face that she was certain he didn't have before his stint in prison. She could tell by the void, cold look in his eyes that not all of his wounds were visible. Prison would change any man, but for her father, it wasn't for the better.
"Now you've become one of them," Brooke said.
"Sweetheart, I was already one of them," he said coldly.
"Onto business shall we. I know you've locked me out of my accounts. We needed to work on getting me my money."
"I'm not doing anything until you let Roman go. You got your revenge, and now you have me."
"Not quite. There's one more piece to the puzzle, and I'll call him now."
A loud whimper from inside the plane caught Brooke's attention. Carter and Timothy shared a lewd smile that made Brooke's stomach churn.
"Is someone on the plane?" she asked. Carter shrugged carelessly, undoing the buttons to his shirt. He slipped it off his body and traded it for a fresh, white button-down.
Brooke moved to the front of the plane and climbed the stairs two at a time. There was a foul stench and dried blood on a few of the seats and windowsills of the plane. She heard the whimper again and followed it to the back of the plane, where one of Carter's men stood guard near the bathroom. Brooke looked from him, to the bathroom door, and back to him. He didn't seem to care about the noises coming from the other side, and stared at her with indifference.
"Move," she tried to squeeze past him, but he stopped her. She snatched the gun from her waistband and put it to his forehead. "I said move."
The man cautiously slid away from the door and back towards the front of the plane. "Hello?" she called out outside the bathroom stall. The whimper became a knocking against the door. Brooke pointed her gun and pulled open the stall door. She was shocked to find an older woman bound and gagged in the floor, only inches away from a rotting, bloody body of a woman. The elderly woman looked terrified, her bright blue eyes pleading for mercy as she tried to back away from Brooke, and the dead body next to her.
Brooke kneeled down and pulled the scarf from the woman's mouth.
"Who are you?" Brooke asked softly. Tears sprang from the woman's eyes in an instant.
"Kelly O'Conner. Please help me."
Letty sat handcuffed to a bench in the holding area to the LA police station, wondering how the hell she was going to get out of this one. She had blew her lid in front of a dozen parents, and maybe a few kids, too. She had reacted just the way Tran and her friends wanted - like the old Letty. She reverted back to her number one life rule, one she'd never forget: take no shit.
Now, she was paying for it.
Letty looked around the bustling station, where handcuffed suspects were brought in and some were released back into the public. Despite her previous extensive rap-sheet, Letty had never been in cuffs or to set foot inside a jail-cell before. She didn't like the bad vibes she got from this place.
Letty absently wished Dom was there to keep her company. She smiled to herself as the image of their steamy kiss flashed in her head. Though she was buzzed, she remembered exactly how her stomach filled with butterflies the moment their lips met. How he gripped her waist and ass with ferocity... she was sure he left bruises behind. Letty didn't care, she just knew she wanted to do it again.
"Now, what could you possibly be smiling about?" Letty looked over to see the arresting officer, Gaines, heading her way. He sat on the edge of a desk close to her. "I mean, you're in here for assaulting someone. Facing jailtime. What could be so funny?"
"Don't you have someone else to harass right now?" Letty shot at him.
"Ooh, kitty has claws," he smirked at her, "I'd save that sass for the inmates. You're a pretty little thing, and they love that. Paperwork is complete, let's get you settled in a cell."
Gaines proceeded to lead Letty to an empty cell in the back, where he undid her cuffs and pushed her inside.
"Where's that smile, now?" he taunted on the other side of the bars.
"What happens next?" she asked, ignoring his unprofessional behavior.
"Lieutenant Tanner should be here soon to talk to you. Good luck."
"Unless you're discussing letting my client go, I suggest you get lost, Officer Gaines."
Letty's head whipped to the door, where Kara stood clutching her handbag under her arm.
"Kara Milan," Officer Gaines said, "Why am I not surprised to see you?"
"Because I'm here to do my job, so why don't you run along and do yours?" Kara snarled with a smile. Gaines, clearly annoyed with the lawyer, tossed Letty a final smirk before opening the cage, allowing Kara to go in before slamming it behind her.
Letty sat on the bench against the wall and stared at Kara, her new lawyer. Kara sat down on the other end of the bench and quickly pulled her hair back into a long ponytail. She then dug in her handbag and retrieved the paperwork for her case.
"Apparently, sometimes my knowledge in bullshitting comes in handy," she snarled while scanning over the papers.
"I don't have time for this," Letty stood and rushed to the bars, "Yo! Get this-"
"Letty, wait!" Kara stood and grabbed her arm, which Letty snatched out of her reach. "I'm the only one who can get you out of this trouble. You ask for another lawyer, and you're looking at one-to-five years in prison."
Letty didn't like Kara, that much was clear. They despised each other. But she didn't want to spend five years in prison for punching that skank. She had a life to put together, and she couldn't do that behind bars.
"Who even called you? Where's Leon?"
"Leon called me because... well because I'm a lawyer and he's not," Kara replied. "So do you want my help or not?"
Letty hesitated for a moment, then gave a short nod. She just wanted out of this cell and away from Kara.
"Sit down and tell me what happened with Lucy Tran."
Letty chose to stand, but recounted the tale of her meeting with Lucy Tran.
"So you see... there is no getting me out of this. It's cut and dry. She disrespected me, so I hit her."
Kara smiled, "Not necessarily. We might be able to plead this assault down to simple battery, and at the most get you a few months of community service or probation."
Letty shook her head, "I have a clean record. I don't want anything to mess that up."
"Well you should've thought about that before picking a fight with the Trans."
Before Letty could retort, an older man appeared at her cell. He unlocked the gate and stepped inside.
"Finally nabbed myself one of the Fab Five, huh?" he smirked as he stepped inside, seemingly amazed by Letty. He stared at his proverbial unicorn, a small smile breaking on his face. "Lieutenant Jim Tanner," he held his hand out to Letty, but she only stared at it. "Right."
"The Fab Five?" Letty questioned as he sat down.
"The Fab Five, the Toretto Crew, whatever you called yourselves back in the day. Jesse Adams, Leon Diaz, Vince Pirelli, Letty Ortiz, and Dominic Toretto. The only suspects I ever let slip through my fingers, and because of a crooked cop, no less."
"My client has a clear record, so whatever fantasy you've cooked up about her is irrelevant today. We're here about an accusation made by a Lucy Tran," Kara steered the conversation away from the past. Letty didn't know this man, but he clearly felt strongly about her and her friends. She remembered the truck heists vividly - it was one of the first memories to return to her - but she wouldn't let on to him about it.
"Ah, yes," Lt. Tanner sat back in his seat, adjusting his glasses on his face, "Mrs. Tran claims you punched her in an unprovoked attack at a children's sporting event a few days ago. Several witnesses have a corroborated her story that you attacked her."
"I wouldn't say necessarily unprovoked," Letty replied.
"My client entered the situation to have a friendly chat with Mrs. Tran, and felt ganged-up on by the other women. My client has suffered from extreme physical and emotional distress in the past few years, and was only doing what she had to do to protect herself."
"Is that true, Ms. Ortiz?" Letty wanted to puke at Kara's words. Making her seem like the victim... she was nobody's victim. But today, she would play one if it meant getting her out of this station.
"Yeah, I guess so," she shrugged.
"Mrs. Tran also said that you made a threat against her child?" an amused smile crossed the lieutenant's face.
"Oh, please," Letty snorted, "It was a hypothetically question. She's been making life hell for a six year-old little girl, and she didn't like the fact that I was standing up for her."
"Nevertheless. You're looking at doing some serious time here."
"Oh, come on, Tanner. You and I both know Tran is playing this up for the other desperate housewives. She has a tendency to talk down to people and expect no consequences. Not saying what my client did is right, but we both know if it wasn't Letty, it would've been someone else. Misdemeanor simple battery, two-hundred and fifty hours of community service, then wipe her record clean again."
Tanner seemed to think about what Kara was saying. He stared long at Letty before giving a nod.
"I'll do you one better, simply because I have better things to do today. I'll drop all charges - chalk it up to no evidence - if you bring me Brian O'Conner. I'd love to pick his brain."
"Brian's busy today," Letty said.
"Well make him un-busy," Tanner stood from his seat, "I want Brian O'Conner in my office by the end of the day, or my men will be back to pick you up."