Letty was enthralled by the bright lights and humongous houses that passed by outside her window. Beverly Hills. Hollywood. High-priced luxury cars were parked in every driveway, businesses were booming from the nightlife scene, and women dressed in tacky clothes wandered the streets with hopes of being scooped up by a rich celebrity.
Letty despised the Hills. Her neck of the woods was where the real people lived, those who struggled to make a name for themselves. Those who fought tooth-and-nail for a chance to be better. Despite a few trips to shop with Mia, she never ventured out to Beverly Hills, but tonight was different.
Tonight, she would take money from trust-fund babies, rather than blow cash at their family's establishments.
The three cars pulled down a private residential road and followed it to the end, where a fray of luxury cars were parked in a circle. Dozens of people dressed like prep-schoolers stood around the vehicles as loud rock music blasted through the air. All eyes turned their way when the three outsiders stopped just short of the group.
Letty heard the whispers when she stepped out - questions of who they were, who invited them, and who would be the first to to take their money. The smile Tej gave her said that he heard the whispers, too.
Sonny shook hands with the tall attractive girl who approached them first, "Guys, this is Laura. Laura, my friends Letty, and Tej."
They exchanged nods. "My younger sister, Cindy, is unfortunately banging the spiky-haired douche with the nice Ferrari. And Clay is being extra douchey tonight. I guess his parents are divorcing and he has to move with his dad to Arizona, so he's throwing the proverbial temper tantrum.
"So I guess you wouldn't mind if we gave the baby a spanking then?" Tej quipped with a grin, making his way over to the crowd. "Is that his car?"
"His dad's. Some amateur smashed into his Viper last week, so it's in the shop. Poor chump, lost his car and twenty grand in a matter of minutes."
They weaved through to the center, where a red Ferrari 458 Spider sat parked. A blonde with ridiculous spiky hair and skinny jeans leaned proudly on the hood with an equally ridiculous, scantily-clad platinum-blonde on his hip.
"Well, what do we have here?" he asked, turning his attention to the newcomers. "I think you folks are seriously lost."
"We might be lost," Tej retorted, "I thought real racers were gonna be here, not a cute little boy band."
Spiky Hair rose with a smug grin, "Real cute, homeboy. Actually we are real racers, and we race for real money," he moved closer to analyze Tej, "No flashy bling, low-budget ride," his eyes flashed to Letty with a look of indifference, "very average baby-momma. I'd say you aren't a baller, so I doubt you can even afford this ass-whooping."
The crowd erupted with oohs and laughs, with the majority of the bystanders turning their backs to dismiss them, including Clay.
"I bet my baby daddy can take every dime in your pocket, Fratboy," Letty shouted at Clay's back. "Unless you guys want to continue your circle-jerk; in that case, we'll leave."
Clay stopped in his tracks and reached through the driver's window and produced his own satchel, dumping it on the hood of his car.
"My winnings from tonight: forty-grand."
Tej looked at Letty with skepticism in his eyes. Letty swallowed the lump in her throat. Shit.
"What? Can't back up your hoe's big mouth?"
Tej's smile fell and he reached into his own bag, pulling out four stacks of cash and slamming them down onto the hood, "Line up, punk."
Letty followed Tej back to their cars, concerned about what her mouth had just roped Tej into. She knew he hadn't raced competitively in years, and that scared her.
"That 'Rari's probably worth three-hundred grand, and you can bet your ass that if he can afford that car, he can afford to put just as much under the hood. And you're driving stock BMW," she said, "You really think you can do this?"
Tej turned to her with a grin, "Nope. But you can."
It dawned on Letty what Tej was up to, and a smile crossed her face. No pressure, she thought again.
"Letty, Clay is the Dom Toretto of Beverly Hills. Y'know I'm confident in the whole team … you guys have pulled off some crazy stunts, but I specifically remember hearing Tej doesn't race. That Ferrari is gonna smoke him," Neil tried to intervene.
"Let the boy race. If he couldn't drive, he wouldn't be on the team. Major requirement, kid."
The crowd dispersed and the two competitors lined up in the center of the road. Another jock positioned himself to call the start.
"Down to the end of the road and back around. Winner gets the eighty grand," he announced.
Tej white-knuckled gripped the steering wheel, a bit of nerves stirring up in his stomach. Though it was common knowledge that he wasn't comfortable behind the wheel after his wreck ten years ago, Tej spent a lot of time in Miami inching his way back into the waters. He owned one of the fastest, luxurious cars in the Western hemisphere for fuck's sake, he wasn't about to let it sit up and collect dust.
So he started small, running routes around the boat docks and on back roads to get back into the swing of racing. Each time he stepped behind the wheel for a run, he could barely keep a grip on the wheel from the sweat clamming up his hands, and nerves usually kept him from pushing his car to the max.
Unfortunately, tonight didn't feel much different. Luckily for him, he had a back-up plan.
"Ready?" the jock asked, pointing to the Ferrari Spider and receiving a roar from the engine in response. He did the same to Tej, and he revved his own ride.
On GO, both cars shot off the line. Yet still, it only took a second for the Ferrari to pull away, and far ahead.
Sonny and Neil both turned nervously to Letty. She turned and headed for her car; she wouldn't be watching this beating.
Brian walked through the automatic doors of the hospital, two caramel macchiatos in hand, and headed for the registration desk.
"Hey you," Clarice, the night-shift clerk, greeted him with a grin. "You know visiting hours are just ending, right?"
"Yeah, I know. I'm just here to get Mom, she's been up here all evening. Can I bribe you for a few more minutes with him?"
"Depends…whatcha got for me?" she asked with a flirty smile.
"A delicious caramel macchiato, extra chocolate," he smiled, handing over one of the coffees.
Her smile fell for an instant, "I was hoping it was something good, like you asking me out for dinner."
Brian smiled a bit. His crew spent a lot of time at the hospital visiting Roman, and were becoming quite familiar with some of the hospital staff. He interacted with Clarice enough to know she was definitely interested in him. Although he had mentioned his marriage to Mia several times, it didn't seem to deter her efforts. Even when Mia spent time filling out paperwork for their insurance at the registration desk, Clarice wasn't afraid of sneaking glances his way. She was a pretty girl with sandy brown curls and glasses that accented big brown eyes, but he just wasn't interested. And he was married.
"Trust me, you don't wanna be seen in public with me. I eat like a pig," he said.
"Playing hard to get, huh? Okay O'Conner," she smiled before handing over a visitor's pass. "Fifteen minutes. A minute longer and you owe more than just coffee."
"Thanks Clarice," Brian waved and hurried to the elevators. He found his way to Roman's room, running into the doctor on her way out. "Hey Doc, how's it going?"
"Mr. O'Conner, you know it's a little late for a visit?" Dr. Griffith said.
"I'm just coming to pick up Mom, and say thanks for everything," he said, handing over the other macchiato. She took it with a grateful smile. He glanced through the glass window at his mother reading to Rome, "She hasn't been causing too much trouble, has she?"
"Of course not. Kelly's a nice change from a lot of the grumps we have around here. She even gave me the recipe to that incredible potato soup she brought in yesterday. She's a delight."
"That's great. How's our guy?" Brian asked, turning to the window.
"Improving every day. Between me and you, I think it's Kelly's reading. She's very animated and he seems to respond to that. Finger and eye twitches, and another very interesting twitch."
Brian gave a frown, "Tell me it's not what I think it is…"
Dr. Griffith gave a laugh behind pink cheeks, "Luckily he doesn't have to be embarrassed about it. But to be fair, it was a steamy part in the story."
"Jesus, Ro. You would be the person to get a boner in a coma. To add insult to injury, it's my mom," Brian felt his own cheeks reddening at the thought.
"Hey, it might be weird, but in my world that's a good thing. Blood's flowing with no problem, and he can hear her, so he's coming closer to consciousness. I don't want to give false hope, but I'm very optimistic about Mr. Pearce's recovery."
"Thanks so much, Doc. For everything. I know the family gave you hell when we came in, but I appreciate you fixing us up and looking after Rome."
"It's been a pleasure," she smiled, "Everyone was very polite, except for Mrs. Milan. That woman needs an attitude adjustment."
He chuckled, "If she gets one, I guarantee it'll be from Letty and you'll be seeing her sooner than you want."
"Ugh," the doc's beeper rang on her hip, "Duty calls. Don't stay too long, Mr. O'Conner."
Brian nodded and pushed open the door, stepping in as his mother was closing the book.
"Alright Ro, we'll finish it tomorrow. And then the sequel!" she said excitedly.
"What're you reading that's got this guy so worked up?" he asked, purposely ignoring the topic of Roman's erection.
"Fifty Shades-"
"Oh no, Mom..."
"Mia suggested that I read them if I have time, and since it's all I have, I figured I'd let Roman in on the fun, too. And fun it surely has been."
"Jeez, Mom," Brian scoffed at the thought of his mother reading the same steamy, sex-filled books that his wife was interested in.
"Rome seems to like it."
"Yeah I heard," he smiled. "You ready to get out of here?"
Kelly nodded, "That big bed is calling my name."
"I'll catch up in a sec," he said and she gave them privacy. Brian walked over to the bed and looked down at his friend. Over a month in a medically-induced coma hadn't done much for his once-bulky frame. His eyes traveled over the many bandages still wrapped around Rome's body, including the one protecting the staple job done on his head.
"You look like shit," Brian teased. "Since I know you can hear me, I'm kicking your ass when you're out of here, and you know why," he chuckled to himself. A long-winded sigh escaped from him, "and for making us miss you. I know you're comfy and all, getting pampered by all these pretty doctors, but you need to get up, cuh. We gotta lot of work to put in before RaceWars and you know I'm not rolling there without you. And I'm trying to get this garage started, and I need someone to help me run it. No one sees potential like Roman Pearce."
He laughed, though the smile didn't meet his eyes. Mia's words from earlier replayed in his head. He swallowed the lump in his throat when he felt emotions pulling at his heart. Tears pooled in his eyes and blurred his vision.
"You gotta get up, Rome. We need you, man. I need you. I can't lose another brother," Brian pleaded as the tears finally fell onto the bed. This had been the longest the two had gone without speaking since reuniting in Miami, and Brian didn't know if he could continue on without Roman around. He was the comedic relief that helped Brian through tough times, and when things got dirty, Roman was always the man Brian could count on. "Please wake up, brother."
An assistant stuck her head in the door, but hesitated to interrupt the crying man, "Mr. O'Conner..."
"Yeah, I know - time's up," he said, quickly wiping his wet face on his shirt. He gave Roman a pat on his shoulder, "Ill see you later, bro."
Brian dried his eyes and left the room in a rush, eager to get out of the tender moment before he lost all composure. He waved to a few faces before making his way out of the hospital and into the parking lot, where his mother stood smoking a cigarette, something he'd never seen her do before.
"That's new," he said while leading her over to Dom's waiting Challenger.
"Not one of my finest habits, but I'm down to half a pack a day," she stopped near the car, "I thought you weren't allowed to drive, Brian?"
"I needed some fresh air. Can I bum one of those?"
Kelly hesitated, but under the parking lot lights she could better see the red rim around his eyes. She handed over the pack.
"Just one, because I am still your mother. Can't be contributing to your bad habits as well."
The two leaned against the back of the car, both puffing away their stresses.
"What do you plan on doing once Roman's out?" he asked her.
"I'm not sure. Your aunt Janice might want some company in the Big Apple."
"You don't wanna go back to Barstow?"
"Who ever wants to go back to Barstow?" she chuckled. "I think it's time to move on from that empty house. I'd like to be somewhere with family."
"Why not come back to Seattle with me and Jack?"
Kelly turned to her son, his baby blues sincere as he stared back at her.
"Oh son, I couldn't intrude on your family. You've made a good life for yourself, by yourself. I couldn't ask you for that."
"You're not asking... I'm asking you."
"I gotta say - I'm surprised. After everything that has happened between us..."
"The older I get, the more I understand what you did. I was asking you to risk prison, and I should've never asked that of you. I put you in a tough position."
"And as a mother, I should've risked it all for my child."
He smiled through watery eyes. He tossed an arm around her shoulder, "I wasn't a child. I was a grown man who made some questionable choices. Life's too short, Mom. In an instant, either one of us could be gone. I easily could've been in Roman's place."
"Shut up," Kelly trembled at the thought, "I don't even wanna think about that."
"Well, I have thought about it, a lot lately. Anytime I step behind the wheel of a car, or even just riding shotgun with Dom, I always wonder what if. Did I do enough to secure Jack a substantial future? How will Mia handle being a widow? Who's gonna look after my mother?" his head dipped as that nagging lump found it's way to his throat again. "After everything that's happened in the past few years, I don't want to take anything, or anyone for granted. We never have as much time in this life as we think, and we've wasted enough of it not speaking. I just want you close, Mom, and so does Jack."
Kelly grabbed his hand and clenched it between both of her own, pulling them to her lips for a kiss, "My sweet, sweet boy. What about Mia?"
"I know Mia wouldn't mind. We have plenty of room at our place, or we could set you up in your own place nearby."
Kelly seemed to hum over the idea, "Talk to Mia first. If she's okay with it, I'm okay with it."
"Sounds fair," he leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek, "Let's get home."
Letty was leaning against her car, waiting inevitably for the Ferrari to arrive back to the starting place first. She heard her cell buzzing from the front seat and reached in to check for messages. Brooke was calling for the third time within an hour. Letty knew what this meant - her cover was blown. Surely if Brooke was calling her repeatedly, she had tried to reach her through Dom's phone as well, which meant she was busted.
Letty tossed her phone back into the car and flopped back against it with a sigh. At that time, headlights were beaming in her direction. She watched Clay's sportscar speed past her first, quickly followed by Tej's Beamer.
"Damn man," Sonny said, shaking his head.
She slapped a hand on his shoulder, "Don't sweat it kid. We got this."
Letty headed back over to the crowd that was congratulating the winner at his car. She went to Tej, who was just stepping out his car, "I hope that was your part of your plan."
"I wasn't planning on him actually knowing how to drive that thing," he said. "It's fast as hell."
"Great," she said dryly.
"Thanks for the 40-K, brotha. I think I'll drop this on something outrageous like some rims, or a new chain or watch, or whatever you wannabes blow your life-savings on. In remembrance of this joke of a challenge," Clay taunted.
"Let's go again," Tej smirked, "You're aight man, but you are racing a guy who hasn't competed in almost a decade. I'm rusty," Tej shrugged, "Give a brotha another shot."
"No can do. I have a strict 'no-rematch' clause. You only get one chance against the top dog, and if you blow, you're shit out of luck. I don't have to prove myself twice. Besides, I'm a nice guy; I wouldn't want to embarrass you again in front of your lady."
"And they say chivalry is dead," Letty replied. "Or maybe you're just a pussy."
Clay smirked, "Cute, real cute. I'd rather race the skirt. She seems to have a bigger set of balls on her."
"Then let's go. Double or double."
The crowd erupted with laughter again.
"Is she serious?!" said Clay. "My time is valuable, and I've wasted enough with him."
"Time is money, and I'm willing to bet another forty grand that I can beat you. In that," she pointed proudly to her Camaro, the beautiful chrome work shining under the street lights. "If I win, I want all the cash."
Clay glanced at her Camaro with a huff, "Ain't no way you can handle that thing, sweetheart. Take Daddy his ride back, come back with some real competition and maybe we can talk."
"It is mine, but I wouldn't mind taking your daddy's Ferrari home. What do you say, sweeten the deal... car for car?"
"Do it, babe," Clay's arm accessory Cindy said, eyeing up Letty's Chevy. "Her car is cute. It can be my weekend car."
Letty's stomach turned at the idea of the blonde bimbo driving her car, but she forced a smile, "Well?"
"Clay, you can't bet your dad's-" one of his friends tried to talk him down, but it was no use.
Clay nodded with a smug smile, "You're on, chola. Don't say I didn't warn you."
She turned to Tej at her side, who looked a bit skeptical as he handed over another forty grand. Her eyes asked him to trust her, so he did, giving her a nod.
The crowd cleared again and Letty headed to her car with the twins and Tej on her heels. She pulled open the door and retrieved her cell phone, waiting to see the dozen calls and messages from Dom and the others. She had several missed calls from Brooke, and Brian, and even Leon. The search party was in full effect.
There weren't any calls from Dom, only one message, which terrified her. Either he didn't know, or he was super pissed. Either way, she would have to wait until her race was over to find out.
Neil and Sonny started to object to Letty's race, "Letty, you sure about this? I mean we're already in shit with Dom for coming out here ... if you lose your car-"
"Shut up, already!" Letty replied to Sonny, "Dom's not my freaking keeper. Quit speaking to me as if I don't make my own decisions," she yanked open the car door and slid inside, her ride doing a burnout before peeling off to the starting line.
After seeing Letty off, Dom limped his way outside and to the garage, where Leon stored some workout equipment. Flipping on the overhead light, he headed straight for the exercise bike and sat down. Ginger trotted along behind him and laid down next to the bike, ready to keep him company for his nighttime workout.
This was his routine for the past week, sneaking out for an hour or two to work on strengthening his leg on the bike, along with walking the treadmill, and putting in a few dozen reps on the weight bench. It was becoming easier and easier to pedal the bike, which tracked his heart-rate, speed, and distance. He had mastered the easier levels with breeze, but the more resistance he added, the more strain he had to put on his legs.
He knew Letty would be nervous about the extra work he was doing, but it was the only way to speed up his healing. Sitting around doing nothing was getting boring, and Dom was ready to play again. He was determined to work hard enough to get off the crutches and back behind the wheel.
Dom hit the PLAY button on his iPod and stuck in his earbuds before adjusting the settings on the bike. When he was satisfied with the level of resistance, he began pedalling toward his goal of two miles.
Not even ten minutes into his workout was his cell phone ringing in his pocket. He slowed down his pace, coasting on the bike while trying to relax his breathing. Dom pulled out his phone with a sigh. He enjoyed working out, but preferred doing it uninterrupted.
He didn't bother looking at the caller ID before putting it to his ear, "Yeah?"
"Dom, where's Letty? I've been calling her forever and she's not picking up."
"Brooke? What do you mean? She left a while ago to come comfort you."
"Huh? Comfort me for what? I haven't spoken to Letty in hours, that's why I'm calling now. Wanted to see if she wanted to go shopping tomorrow, I need a new bathing suit."
Dom sat frozen as Brooke rambled on the other end. Letty had lied to him, and now he had no idea where she was or if she was OK.
"Did she say anything out of the ordinary today? She took off out of here pretty quick, like she was late for something."
"Nothing that comes out of her mouth is ordinary, but no. She just kept whining about her car. She was really eager to get it back."
It didn't take long for him to put the puzzle together.
"I know where she is," he concluded, unsure of how to feel.
"Where is she? Should we round up a search party?"
"No. She'll be back."
Dom tuned out Brooke as his mind drifted to Letty. She was racing. He should've known that she would want to run her car after letting the twins tune up her engine. It was like a ritual for her; after any maintenance was done on her ride, she always took it out to test the performance.
"Dom? Are you listening? Did something happen between you guys?"
"No, Brooke. She's probably racing."
"Racing? Why would she go alone?
"Because she's an adult, Brooke."
"I don't like this. Should we come wait?"
"No, she'll be back. I'll call when she gets in."
Dom hurriedly ended the call before she could further protest. He mummed over what to do next. His feelings were a little hurt, not because she was racing, but because she felt the need to lie to him about it. He wanted to see her in action, to wish her good luck, to make sure no numskulls were giving her a hard time. He wanted to be there with her, for her.
The longer he thought about Letty, the more tempted he was to get in his car and drive around all of Los Angeles until he found her, but he knew the consequences of hunting her down like some teen sneaking out wouldn't go in his favor. He knew she wouldn't answer his calls, so Dom decided to send her a message instead.
Once that was done, he shoved his phone back in his pocket and stuck his earbuds back in.
"Alright Ginger, shall we continue?"