Brian was finishing up with parts orders when his FaceTime app started to ring out. He rummaged through stacks of paper to find his phone buried underneath. He looked at the screen with a grin before taking the video call.
"Hey baby, how's it going?" he smiled as his wife stared back at him from behind reading glasses. "How's the hospital"
"Still hectic as ever. I'm finishing up a sixteen-hour shift now. Go home, get a little rest, and be back by six tonight for another round of fun."
"You were the one who got rich and wanted to start saving lives. Blame that big heart of yours," he teased.
"I see you're at work. Where's my boy? I miss him to death."
"He's with Rosa and Nico. She took them to the park for a while, get away from the noise here," he could see her face drop a little. "He misses you, too, Mi. We all do. Especially me."
"I miss you, Brian. It's been a very long time since I came home to a quiet, empty house. I don't like it," she pouted.
"I know, Mi. As soon as I know Roman's in the clear, we're on the first plane back."
"Any changes with him?"
Brian shook his head, "Nothing much. I spoke with his doctor yesterday. He's still responding to stimuli, but he hasn't woken up yet."
Mia's nodded and looked away from the camera. "What if he doesn't wake up? I mean, we have to think about that at some point."
"No, we don't. He'll wake up. Rome's tough as nails, you know that."
"I know," she said with a sad smile. "Well, I'm gonna sneak out of here while I still can. I'll call you later, okay? Send everyone my love, and give Jack a kiss for me?"
"Of course," Brian felt his heart sink into his stomach. He hated the time apart from his wife. He didn't like her being alone in Washington, with no family. He needed to go home. "I love you, Mi."
"I love you, Brian O'Conner. Be safe and please stay out of trouble."
"I promise we will. I love you, babe."
Mia blew him a kiss before ending the call, leaving him alone once again with his thoughts. He dove back into his paperwork with hopes of finishing up early and taking a trip to visit Roman.
An hour and about twenty-one orders later, Brian swiveled from left to right in the leather chair behind the boss' desk, his Converse sneakers kicked up on the edge as time ticked slowly on the clock. The pen he'd just used to fill out numerous parts orders tapped against the desktop repeatedly. He was miserably bored. He wondered if he should reorder their client records for the third time that morning, just to keep busy. He decided against it; he was sick of staring at white sheets all day.
He wanted to be out in the field, so to say, getting his fingernails caked with engine grease. Brian watched the group of guys out on the main floor work - and play - productively. With his arm still a few weeks from being completely healed, he was stuck strictly to paperwork, forbidden by his wife and mother from trying to do too much too soon. Anytime he even came into the work area, Oz was right there to remove him, sometimes forcibly.
But neither Oz nor Dom was around and yet another car was pulling up to the garage.
"Tej you free?"
"No way, man. This Caddy is giving me hell."
"Screw it," he grabbed a clipboard and headed out into the foyer as the driver came up the path.
"How's it going? I'm Eric," he said politely, holding his hand out to Brian with a smile. Eric was a few inches shorter than Brian, with cropped black hair and a Colgate smile. He raised his dark-tinted glasses only long enough to greet Brian. He had a hint of familiarity about him, but O'Conner was sure they hadn't met before today.
"Brian," he replied, turning to the pristine white Range Rover. "Nice car - what's wrong with her?"
"Not a clue. She started making this hissing sound about a week ago. I heard an old friend worked here so I figured I'd stop by before I left town to see if he'd check her out."
"Yeah, what's his name?"
"Oswald Daniels."
"Oz's name is Oswald? Very good information to know," Brian laughed. "Well he's out at the moment, I can take a look if you'd like?"
"Can you?" he nodded to Brian's sling, "ya know, with your hurt wing?"
"I guess we'll find out," Brian smiled, and popped the hood, looking down at a beautiful V-8 with excitement. It was the closest he'd been to an engine in weeks and he could hardly contain his anxiety. He tried to make small talk to hide his eagerness, "So how do you know Oz?"
"We're old friends from back in Georgia."
"I thought I heard a southern twang in your voice. So what're you doing all the way in Cali?"
"Just finishing up some business here," he said.
"Cool, what kind? LA is the land of opportunity, especially for a young guy like yourself."
"You ask a lot of questions for a mechanic," Eric responded with a smile, though his tone was snippy.
"I'm a curious guy," Brian smirked. "Alright, I think it could be a number of things, but I really want to check out your cooling system. Anything else you want me to look at?"
"No," Eric said sharply before plastering that smile back on his face, "I think that was the only problem. Do you think Oz will be back soon? I'm kinda in a hurry."
"It shouldn't be too much longer, but ya know this could take a minute. If you want, I can get you a cab and call you when it's-"
"I'm not leaving my car in this neighborhood. I'll wait."
"You're in luck," Brian jerked his head at truck. Oz stormed out of his truck, slamming the door behind him before storming over.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Oz growled while hustling over to the Rover. He pushed Brian from the car and slammed the hood closed again.
"Relax, Oswald. I just had some car trouble-"
"I don't give a damn," Oz pulled open the door and grabbed Eric by his collar, literally tossing him inside. "Back your piece of shit out of here and don't come back."
As Eric tried to make his case, Oz slammed the door in his face. By this point, the mechanics had come to see what was happening, and patrons of neighboring businesses watched from the windows.
Eric rolled down his window as he reversed out the lot slowly, "When you're done slumming it down here, call me."
Oz grabbed his Louisville slugger - that he now kept at the garage for safety reasons - and began to march toward Eric's car, "Why are you still here? Get lost!"
Oz stood in the middle of street clutching his bat, watching the Range Rover speed out of eyesight. As he turned back for the garage, Dom's Nova was finally arriving to work.
"What's going on?" Dom asked, watching his mechanic march back over angrily.
"Getting rid of unwanted company."
"Who was that guy?" Brian asked Oz. "He said you guys were in business together back in Georgia."
"He's nobody. And Tej, I thought I told you to keep Blondie away from the cars?"
"Hey I'm slammed back here. I don't have time to babysit the boss," Tej yelled back.
"What happened, man?" Letty asked while joining them in the foyer.
Oz sighed heavily before flopping down on a stool, "That little shithead is my half-brother Eric. After my 'father' split on Mom and I, he ran off to Florida and started another family. Of course after leaving us without a pot to piss in, he goes to Sarasota and opens this towing company and is actually extremely successful, then his wife dies. Kid goes off the deep end, drugs, fighting, dropped out of school. So Dad ships him to us."
"Wait… your father abandons you and your mom, runs off to start a new life, then when shit gets tough, he hands over his delinquent to you?" Letty replayed, stunned by the audacity, "Unbelievable."
"No shit. But my mom, God rest her soul, took Eric in. She saw a child who needed guidance - she would've never turned him away. For the first two years, it looked like the kid would be alright. Got back into school, grades were great.. then his little drug problem reared it's ugly head again. First he was just using, then he started dealing. And I don't mean a little pot here and there; this kid was moving cocaine, and a lot of it. One night, I picked him up from a party and he's completely wasted and high. I remember being pissed because I was supposed to change my taillights on my truck that night, but I had to run around looking for him and never got around to it. We weren't even a mile away from the house when we were pulled over for the taillights. Of course, Eric gets to spouting off at the mouth because he's wasted, which in turn pisses the cops off. They searched my truck and found a backpack shoved behind my seat, one I didn't even know was there. Two ounces of coke, a couple ounces of pot, and a .45 handgun."
"You got popped for possession," Dom put the pieces together, "For his bag."
"Kid wouldn't fess up. It was a lot harder for me to deny considering it was in my car, behind my seat. Shitty public defender talked me into a plea deal, five years in prison. I was twenty-one years old."
"He let you go down," Brian reiterated, "That's messed up, man."
"That's not even the worst part," Oz pulled his hair down and ran his shaky hands through it a few times, "Six months before I got out, my mother died. Cancer. I didn't even know she was sick. She knew I'd worry myself to death over it. I get out, the house is sold and Eric's gone back to Florida, where he drove my dad to an early grave with his bullshit and collected every dime from the business."
"Shit, bro. No wonder you fit in around here," Letty said, "you're just as fucked up as we are."
This made Oz smile, "I guess so. He pops up every now and then, I ain't that hard to find. I just can't see myself forgiving him. Not being there for mom or dad... "
"And letting you do five years hard time," Dom added. "Family ain't supposed to do that, Ozzie."
"Yeah." Oz smiled, "We weren't very close, anyway. It's just a relationship I have no interest in rekindling, so if he shows up again and I'm not here Brian, kindly tell him to fuck off."
"Sorry man. I didn't know," Brian said sincerely.
"No sweat," Oz replied.
"If you guys are done with family counseling, we could sure use a hand in here," Sonny yelled from a few feet away.
"Quit your bitching, Sonny," Letty said while tossing her work shirt over her tank top. "How's my car, man?"
"Neil's working it now."
"Any chance I can get it back tonight? I have something to do and I need my car," she voice low enough that only he could hear.
Sonny glanced up at her from the engine he was ripping apart, "Probably. Does it involve something that doesn't include Dominic?"
"Why?" she replied, picking up wrench to help.
"That's the only reason for you to be whispering," he smirked, "What're you up to?"
"Can you keep your mouth shut?"
"I can't promise I won't tell Neil, but yeah," he chuckled. "Sorry. Twin thing. I get crazy anxiety leaving him out of anything."
"I wanna race," she whispered, her eyes darting over to the office cautiously, where Dom and Brian stood looking over today's schedule. "Tonight. In my own car. Do you see my problem?"
"Where? Ain't no races in town tonight, it's Tuesday."
Letty shrugged, "I don't know, I'll find something. It's been too long."
"Only place holding races tonight is an hour away, in the Hills. You need big money and connections to get in…"
Letty saw the smirk on his face and knew what was coming, "No offense, but I'd rather tackle this alone."
"Oh, come on, Letty! I can guarantee your car will be ready if you let us tag along, please!" Sonny pleaded anxiously.
"Shut up!" she griped. "No way. Runs too much of a risk of D finding out."
"Listen, those rich nerds are paranoid letting anyone outside of their tax bracket inside their circle. You can't even buy into a race unless you're throwing down ten G's. Now I can't help you with the cash, but I can at least get you in."
Letty rolled her eyes with a sigh, "How?"
"Luckily for you, my ex is a racing whore who owes me a few favors. I'll call her up," he held out his hand. "Deal?"
"Fine, but not a word to Dom. If he knows he'll wanna tag along and I need him to stay put. His leg won't heal if he's out bullying some kids out of their parent's money. I want to establish myself tonight."
"Sweet! Now, we just have to scrape up some cash."
Tej poked his head in their conversation, "I'm in," Letty quirked a brow at him. "I'm a few feet away for Christ's sakes. With the way Sonny was squealing, it was hard not to eavesdrop. I'm coming with you guys."
"Come on, Tej. The more people, the bigger risk," she said.
"Chill out, girl. Your secret will be safe. I haven't seen any action in a while," Letty hesitated to answer. "You know he'll be even more pissed that we knew and didn't go watch your back."
"He's right about that. We're risking a lot just knowing about this," said Sonny.
"Jesus, fine! Let's make it a damn family trip."
Tej retrieved a black backpack from his locker and sat it on top of the engine block, yanking it open. Letty's breath caught in her throat at the sight of green bundles staring back at her.
"Here's you way in."
"Why do you carry this around in a backpack? You do know you're in southern LA, right?" Sonny asked.
"I broke a lot of laws to make this money. You think I'm gonna put it in a bank?" Tej replied. "It's just to hold me over until I get back to Miami. I'll front you for tonight."
"Tej, I can't take your money. I don't care how rich you are, ten grand is a lot to lose in a street race."
He shouldered his bag, "Then don't lose."
"No pressure," Letty mumbled to herself.
Letty started to clean her work area after finishing her last car for the day. She had to call it an early one so she could begin her afternoon shift of babysitting Leon's daughter. She didn't mind the little girl's company - it wasn't hard to keep her entertained. Jess didn't mind watching and learning from the others in the garage, or killing time chasing around Baby Jack and the dogs. For Letty, it was an much-needed moment of innocence.
She headed back for the locker room, shrugging out of her coveralls and shoving them in her locker. She headed back to the bathroom to clean up, splashing water on her face to bring her out of garage-mode. Once home, she'd be able to wash free the frustrations of a stubborn alternator, the annoyance of engine oil clumping her hair to her neck, and peel off the undergarments that were practically melted to her body due to the soaring temperatures in the building.
She was almost running for the door.
She stopped to peek in the office on the way out, where Brian and Dom were going over the business model for the Seattle branch of the family garage, "Hey guys, how's the new shop coming?"
"Great. I spoke to the building owner yesterday and explained the situation on why I couldn't meet with him, but he understands and says he'll wait for me. He emailed me the layout, just running it by the boss."
Dom smirked, "On paper, it's a good location. We won't know how good of a fit it'll be until the real boss is inside."
"It's your family namesake, that makes you the boss," said Brian.
"No it doesn't, I haven't signed off on anything yet," Dom retorted.
"Well I'll be the boss since neither of you want it," Letty joked. "Anyway, I'm taking off for the day. What time do you think you guys will close up tonight?"
"Last appointment is at six. Probably shut 'er down around eight. Any plans tonight?"
Letty thought long before replying, "Nothing concrete yet, why?"
He shrugged, "I thought I'd pick up a movie on the way, maybe some pizzas?"
"Sounds good. Make sure Neil brings my car home tonight," she said loud enough for the twins to hear. "Or someone is gonna catch a beating."
"Will do. Hey, you mind stopping by the house to check on Mom and Jack for me?" Brian asked.
"No problem. I might steal the kids from Rosa, give her a little break from the hellions."
"Yo Letty," Tej hollered from a few feet away. She turned in time to catch a set of keys being launched at her head, "Take my car. More room… and safer."
"Call when you make it back from Pasadena, will ya?" Dom asked.
"Yes Boss," she smirked and gave him a wink before turning for the door.
Letty hopped in Tej's BMW and hustled home for a quick shower. The heat was getting to her, so she hoped to find a way to entertain the kids that didn't include baking them all under the LA sun. The pool out back wasn't looking too bad.
In a quick half an hour, Letty was showered, dressed and heading back out the door. This time, she had her favorite companion Ginger along side of her. The pup was eager to be out of the quiet house, already poking her head out the back window before Letty had a chance to pull out. She knew Tej would be livid if he knew the animal was in the back of his rental, but at that moment she didn't care. She could pay for any damages with her winnings from the race later.
"Alright, Ginger, we're gonna scoop the munchkins first, then we'll head out to see Frankie," she spoke to her fur-baby through the rearview. Ginger's tail swiped back and forth at the mention of her newest friend, Frankie the Mutt.
Letty grinned ear-to-ear at the sight of children's toys scattered about the yard. Ten years ago it was Corona bottles and passed-out drunks that littered the yard nearly every night.
"Your kids turned out alright, Dino," she spoke to the Toretto patriarch up above, "a little twisted, but alright."
As she stepped out, Jack's long legs carried him over to her quickly, "Hola tía Letty ! ¡Te extrañe!"
She scooped him in her arms, resting his weight on her hips, "I missed you too, Jackie. You're speaking Spanish now, kid?"
He nodded, pointing to the porch where Rosa and Kelly supervised, "Rosa taught me."
"He's getting tired of being left out of the loop when Nico and I talk. He seems to have a good basic knowledge, but Brian and Mi should work on him more."
"You can thank Dom for that. He's been teaching both Jack and Brian," Letty kissed Jack's cheek before sliding him back down to the ground, "Brian wanted me to check in on you guys, see if you wanted a break from the kids. I'm on my way to pick up Jess."
"That'd be great. I've been dying to soak in Mia's tub. Much nicer than mine."
"One of the first things she did when she got back was refurnish her bathroom. Girl loves a nice tub," Letty looked down at Nico at her side. She saw every bit of Vince in his face, from the eye shape to the chubby cheeks, "You wanna come with us, Nico?"
He grinned and shook his head bashfully.
"I thought about swimming over at my place, cool off from this heat."
"Sounds good. I'll get them a change of clothes," Rosa stood and walked inside. Letty took her seat next to Kelly on the porch swing, hiding under the comfort of the shade. Kelly lifted the jar of lemonade on a nearby stand and poured Letty a small cup.
"Thanks Momma," Letty smiled, taking the cold cup gratefully. "How are you?
"Homesick," she said, "The place is trashed. All of my dolls that I've collected for two decades destroyed, pictures ruined. I just hate seeing it that way."
Letty gave her a comforting pat on the knee, "It's awful what happened, Kelly. I'm sure the boys will help clean it up."
She chuckled a little, "In a way, I'm glad it's wrecked. I've thought for years about selling the house and moving out of Barstow. No family here, besides Roger, and no real close friends. I'd just like a change of scenery, ya know? I'm tired of walking out my front door to see the same things. I think that's why I've enjoyed my time here so much. It's nice to be around other people."
"Where would you go, if you did leave?"
Kelly shrugged, "I have a sister in New York. Never been there before."
Letty's eyes went to Jack in the yard with Ginger. He laughed childishly as Ginger licked at his legs.
"Have you talked to Brian about moving to Seattle?" Kelly finally turned to look at Letty, a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. "When Brian gets the shop up and running, he's gonna need someone to look at Jack during the day. Who better than his grandmother?"
"I don't know about all of that," she waved off, "I mean I'd love to be close to Jack and watch him grow, and Brian, too. But I don't want to push too much, too fast. I mean, I haven't so much as spoken to Brian in nearly ten years, since he showed up begging for me to help and I turned him away. He needed my help and I turned my back on him. He might seem okay now, but I am not," Kelly was visibly upset but managed to keep the tears at bay. "I regretted it the moment it happened, but I knew he'd be caught if he was with me. Hell, the cops stalked me for three weeks waiting for him to show up. I tried to find him after, just to get in touch, to know he was okay. A month ago I was convinced I'd never see my only child again, and now I'm here, and that's only because of that Verone guy. It took a savage kidnapping for us to reconnect."
"Kelly, Brian is what I'd like to call full throttle. There is no in-between with him. Either he respects you, or he doesn't. His loyalty is strong, and his love for family is even stronger. He's also one of the most mature guys I've come across who understands the importance of forgiveness. If he seems okay with what happened between you two, maybe it's because he is."
"You didn't see the look in his eyes in the hospital room that day. He's far from okay with me. I'm his mom and I turned him away when he needed me. Do you know how hard that is?"
"I was abandoned in a foreign country by my long-time boyfriend. I know exactly how hard that is," Lett gave a small smile, "Just talk to the Buster. I'm sure he and Mia would love to have you close."
"Alright Letty, they ate about a half an hour ago, but Nico will probably be hungry soon," Rosa said while stepping outside.
"Got his daddy's appetite, huh?"
"One of the many quirks he inherited, including going to the potty anywhere, so watch him. When he feels the need, he'll whip that thing out and relieve himself just about anywhere. I should be so happy. Potty training was a breeze."
"That sounds like Vince," Letty smiled. "I'll shoot you a call if I need ya. Enjoy your bath. Kelly, go do something fun."
"I think I'll get a cab and go sit with Roman. I've been reading him my favorite crime novel, and it's finally getting to the good part."
Letty waved her goodbyes and led the rambunctious group to the car. She buckled them into booster seats already installed in the backseat and made her way to Pasadena for the third tot in her new tribe.
She spent a few hours every day with them, Jess, Jack, and Nico. The first few days was overwhelming, to say the least. She had never chased around or looked after young kids before, and the new experience was teaching her a lot about herself. Patience, mainly. And simplicity. The kids didn't care about her past, or her love life. They just wanted to laugh, and play in dirt, and race their toy cars.
At that moment in life, that's all Letty cared about, as well.
She pulled up outside the elementary school that was littered with children, parents, and personnel. She spotted Jess in a group of kids standing near a large oak tree by the pick-up lane. She was up to her usual after-school routine - jotting away at schoolwork meant for home. She already understood that the quicker she finished her homework, the more time she'd have to play.
Letty stood out her car door, "Yo Jess! Wanna get out of here?"
Jess looked up with a grin, shutting her book and stuffing it under her arm before running over to the car. She waved eagerly at Letty.
"Cool car. Is it yours?" Jess said, admiring the beauty from outside.
"No way, kid. You know I'm all about the muscle. Tej let me borrow it to haul you guys around. Why don't you sit up front with me? It's kinda crowded back there."
"Cool. Hi Ginger!" she greeted the pup while sliding in. "Hi boys!"
Both tots waved happily back at her.
"How was school?"
"It was okay, I guess. I got an A on my pop quiz," she said with a shrug.
"That's awesome, kid," Letty said. Jess didn't appear to share her sentiments. "That's a good thing, right?"
"I guess. Some kids were mad. They call me a suck-up."
"When I was in school, I wasn't the brightest or best student, but I kicked butt in shop class. Considering I was the only girl working on cars and doing a better job than the boys, I caught a lot of flack, too. You'll have haters anywhere you go, and during anything you do. There will be people in life who will always want to see you fail, especially if they do. You know how to deal with him?" Jess shook her head. "You ignore them. Continue to do the best you can. Being smart doesn't make you a suck-up, and being dumb doesn't make you cool."
Jess' lips gave way for a toothy smile, "My dad always gets me ice cream if I get an 'A'."
Letty smirked, "How about we get home, you finish your homework, let the boys enjoy the pool for a while, then I'll take us out for Sundaes?"
She nodded before reaching in her backpack, pulling out a folder filled with schoolwork. She plucked the first few out, "What if I got two A's?"
Letty couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Scamming me outta ice cream?! Oh man. You are definitely your dad's kid."
Letty glanced at the clock on the wall - ten minutes before nine. The races started soon, and she still had an hour drive ahead of her to Beverly Hills. She still needed a way out of the house and an alibi that'd excuse her absence for a few hours. She and Dom hadn't spent much time apart, so this would be hard, but Letty needed this. She needed that rush, that balance of calm and chaotic. the extra cash wouldn't hurt. Not to mention RaceWars was arriving fast, and she didn't want to disappoint on the biggest stage. Despite what Toretto said, she needed practice. If not for the experience, at least for peace of mind.
"You got somewhere to be?" Dom asked, bringing her from her thoughts. "That's like the fourth time you've looked up at the clock since the movie started."
"Of course not," she lied, snuggling closer to his chest. "Just a little tired. Those kids wore me out today."
"Sometimes I forget we aren't nineteen anymore," he smiled. "You ready for bed?"
"Not yet," she shook her head, turning back to the movie. The more he looked at her, the more she wanted to abort her secret mission and crawl under him in that comfy bed.
Her cell phone ringing on the end table provided a much-needed distraction. She lifted it from the table and looked at the caller ID.
"It's Brooke. I'm gonna take this in the other room," she hustled back to her bedroom before he could respond and shut the door. "Finally! You were supposed to call an hour ago, Sonny."
"I know. Got caught up with the aforementioned racing whore."
"Caught up or caught in?"
"A little of both," he chuckled. "We're in. We'll meet you at the corner store on… So Dom doesn't see us. Ten minutes or you're left behind."
Letty ended the call and flopped down on her bed with a sigh. She didn't like lying Dom, and the guilt had her paralyzed. It's just a race, she told herself. She wasn't sneaking around with another guy, she just wanted to feel the wind on her face going a hundred miles an hour.
Suddenly, the door to her room opened and Dom peeked his head inside, "Hey, everything all right?"
"Yeah…" Letty sighed again, "I gotta go over to Oz's place. Brooke's having a meltdown."
His face twisted in concern, "Is she okay?"
Letty moved to her closet to get changed. She couldn't look him in the eye. "Yeah, she's fine. Girl stuff. Probably that time of the month."
"Yikes," he chuckled, "I'll go with you. Keep Oz company."
"No!" She said a little too quickly. "You've done enough running around today, and you need to rest your leg. I'll try to be quick."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Dom," she pulled on a pair of old, ripped jeans and slipped her feet into her sneakers. She tossed her leather jacket over her shoulders and pocketed her car keys and phone. She needed to get out before those brown eyes swept her in again. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Dom nodded and dropped a kiss down on her cheek. He picked up on her awkward vibe but chalked it up to the eventful evening she had with the kids. Any amount of Jack could be overwhelming at times.
"Be careful. Lemme know when you make it," he said.
"Will do Papa," she gave him a quick peck on the lips and hurried for the door.
He stopped her before she could reach the handle, "Letty… I love you."
Her guilt hit her again, "I love you, too."
Letty shuffled out the door and down the drive to her car, nearly throwing herself inside the new and improved Camaro. Once back in the safety of her own space she was able to breathe a sigh of relief and tried to pull herself together.
"Alright Leticia, cut the shit. You're a grown woman who's never had problems doing your own thing without permission. It's just a race. Not a big fucking deal," she chastised herself out loud.
She swallowed her guilt and slammed on the gas, hurrying her way over to the convenience store a few blocks away from the house. It was usually a hangout for the locals up to no good, so her friends loitering in the lot didn't go noticed. Sonny and Neil were leaning against a black and silver Honda Civic, chatting up Tej lounging on his rental. They all looked her way when she pulled up and parked next to them.
"Thought you'd chicken out," Sonny said with a smirk as she stepped out.
"I've never chickened out of anything in my life," she replied. "It's just a race."
"Uh huh," Tej laughed, "What'd you tell the old man?"
"That I was going to console an emotional Brooke. Now, she'll likely ruin my cover by showing up or calling him, so can we get on the road already?"
"Yes ma'am," Neil saluted, "Follow us."