Dom pushed the weight bar into the air with a growl, counting each muscle-aching rep aloud. It helped him keep his mind off of Letty, and how he was growing progressively more worried about the love of his life being out on the streets of LA alone. She'd been gone for nearly two hours now, and he hadn't heard a word from her. Not a call, not even a response to his message. As far as he knew, she hadn't even checked their conversation for new messages. She didn't usually fool with her phone during race time, it was her way of staying focused. It wasn't helping his nerves one bit.
His arms burned and his chest hurt, particularly his recent bullet wounds but he fought through the pain, counting out five more gut-wrenching reps before racking the bar. He sat up and wiped his sweaty face with a towel as a car pulled into the driveway, the headlights beaming down on him in the garage. Dom gathered his things and hobbled through the side door as a knock came from the front.
He knew right away that it wasn't Letty, she never knocked.
Dom pulled open the door to see Oz and Brooke standing behind it.
"I told you not to come," he said flatly, turning and heading into the kitchen for a cold water from the fridge.
"Brooke was worried. I told her we'd come by and wait," Oz replied. "You don't seem concerned that your girlfriend - who has the tendency to wander off for years - is missing."
"Because she's not missing!" Dom griped, limping his way to the sofa. His legs ached after the intense workout, and he feared he might've pushed his injured limb too far. "I told you, she's racing."
"Where? Oz said there were no races in LA during the week. And with who?" Brooke asked. "Letty would tell one of us if she was going out to race, especially you. She shouldn't be alone."
He agreed with that.
"Letty's an adult. I can't hover over her like she's a kid that I'm babysitting. Letty hates that. And maybe that's why she didn't say anything; she knew one of you would blab to me."
"I think you should go look for her."
"No," he shook his head with a laugh.
"Why not?! Show some damn concern, for once," Brooke yelled, this getting all of Dom's attention.
"Babe," Oz stood between them to intervene in the exchange. "That's enough."
Dom turned to her, ready to let her know just how close to the line she was, when the front door burst open again, this time it was Brian stepping inside.
"Is she back yet?"
"No. Dom doesn't seem to think it's a big deal that she lied about where she was going, and now she isn't answering her phone - for two hours," Brooke said.
"You don't think she's pulling another disappearing act, do you?" he asked Dom.
He'd be lying if he said it didn't cross his mind for a moment, "No. She wouldn't take off again. Not after everything that's happened."
"Then what's our next move? We going after her?" Brian asked, ready to jump into action for Letty.
"Yes," Brooke said sternly.
"No, we aren't," Dom replied firmly. "She'll be back."
Brian turned to Brooke and could see the anxiety on her face. She was worried about her friend, but anymore poking the bear and not even Oz would be able to protect her from Dom's wrath.
"How about we take a few laps around the area, just to see?"
"Thank you," Brooke tossed a final heated look in Dom's direction before heading for the door.
As they stepped out onto the porch, they could see and hear the rumble of a beastly car heading up the block. Dom didn't even have to see to know it was her. He knew the signature purr of that car. He breathed a sigh of relief before following the others outside.
Letty's Camaro swung into the driveway and she killed the engine. Brooke was the first to storm over, not missing a step even with her crutches. Dom leaned in the doorway to watch as Letty stepped out and walked to the back, raising the trunk.
He studied her, watched her face for any indication of what she was feeling. If she was indeed racing, her face didn't show it.
"So you don't answer your phone anymore?! We've been worried sick."
Letty shouldered a bag and slammed the trunk, walking over to step into the light. Her appearance was weathered; her hair wasn't in the bun she left in, and her face was refreshed, with a hint of a smile behind her eyes. Now he was sure she had been racing, and by her demeanor, he knew she had good news.
"Well hi to you too, Brooke," Letty laughed off. She looked around at the faces surrounding her, "Did someone die?"
"Where the hell have you been, Letty?" Brooke asked, sidestepping in front of her.
"Out," she snapped back. "Am I in trouble?" she asked, but her eyes were looking at Dom.
"Looks like it," he murmured with a smirk.
"You think this is a joke? You can't just take off and lie about where you go. What if something happened to you?"
Letty's face screwed up, "But it didn't. I wanted to race, so I did. I can come and go as I damn well please. You need to calm down."
"I won't calm down, Letty. I thought Dom did something and you freaked and ran again. You need to let someone know when you have plans-"
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?!" Letty finally snapped, "I'm alive and well, and now I want to go to bed. So go home."
Brooke scoffed, turning to Brian for help. Instead he gave Dom a pat on the shoulder, "Night bro." He walked over to Letty and dropped a kiss on her cheek, "Later girl," he said, tossing one last wave over his shoulder before walking toward the Toretto home.
Letty tried for the door again, but Brooke stood firm in front of the pathway. "Why are you still here?"
Brooke blinked back tears and gave a fake smile, "Sorry for caring about your well-being. I'll be sure not to do it again," she snarled before storming off to Oz's truck. Oz gave a sad smile and kissed her cheek as well before following his girlfriend.
Letty sighed, running a trembling hand through her hair as she continued up the walkway. She was pissed. In an effort to do something for herself, something she needed to feel more connected to the old Letty, she had ruffled some feathers.
"You gonna give me shit, too?" she asked him with a cocked brow, a look that made his insides burn with desire.
"Depends," he said with a smile, "Did you win?"
She couldn't fight off a grin of her own as she slipped past him into the house, "What do you think?"
"Atta girl," he said.
Letty dumped her winnings on the table, "Eighty Gs, and a Ferrari Spyder, but I dumped it off on some sucker."
"You dumped off a Ferrari?" he asked, amused. Letty came off as nonchalant to some, but he knew that on the inside, she was jumping for joy. Letty loved to win, and win big.
"Not my style," she shrugged. "I need somewhere to stash this cash. Ain't no way I'm walking into my bank to try to deposit eighty grand in cash."
"We'll get you a safe tomorrow," he closed the distance between them, rubbing his hands down her arms, "That was kinda intense. You okay?"
She shrugged and turned towards the bedroom, undressing on the way. "Am I in the wrong here, Dom? I mean, I just wanted one night, one night to do something that didn't involve the crew, or her."
"Or me," he finished, flopping down next to her on the bed, "You were on your own for years, even with Owen. Even before your accident, you were kind of a loner. I understand that you need to decompress from everything sometimes, but you don't have to lie about it. We promised to be up front with each other, so if I'm being a clingy or on your nerves, don't be afraid to tell me."
"That's not it, you big lug," she smiled, "I just didn't want you scratching that itch to race. You should be resting your body, and I knew if you knew I was racing, you'd want to race, too. I can't risk anything happening to you. It's bad enough that you sneak off to workout every night."
Dom grinned, tossing an arm over her shoulder, "Busted. Did Ginger give me away?" he looked at the pooch, who tilted her head playfully.
"I woke up one night and you were gone," her smile faltered a bit, "Nearly lost my shit. I came in the kitchen and heard the music coming from the garage, that's when I saw you on the bike. I wanted to knock some sense into you, but then I realized how happy I was just knowing you were there. Couldn't stay mad."
"I'm not going anywhere. I promise you." Letty nodded, followed by a long yawn. She dropped her head on his shoulder as another yawn came over her. "Let's get you to bed. I need a shower first, though."
"Agreed," she smirked, pecking his lips, "You stink."
"Hey ... Leon, did you hear that?" Kara asked, trying to nudge him awake.
"Hear what Kara?" he mumbled sleepily.
"Someone's outside. Car," she replied before rolling back over.
Leon groaned while yanking the blankets from his body, slipping his pajama bottoms on and walking over to the window. He saw what looked like a woman walking down the pathway from his porch. He recognized her from her walk; after years of stealing glances at that ass, he could pick it out of a lineup.
"What's she doing here?" he whispered to himself.
"Who is it?" Kara asked.
He didn't respond, but he hurried out the room and down the stairs to try and catch his visitor. By the time he stepped out the door, her Camaro and a sedan following her peeled off the curb. He stepped on something hard tucked under the doormat, realizing it was an envelope with his name scribbled on it in Letty's handwriting.
Inside was a stack of cash, a note, and an ignition key. To a Ferrari.
He practically leaped off the porch and continued around the bend past Kara's Porsche to find a flawless red Ferrari 458 Spyder parked behind his Nissan. His breath hitched in his throat as he took in the sleek beauty sitting on twenty-inch rims. Leon pulled the note from the envelope.
"Sorry about your car. It's all love, brother. The money should cover the back rent and a few months in advance. Love, Letty."
With his heart swollen with admiration for his lifelong friend, he dropped back against the car with a smile.
The next day she was scheduled to work at the Lab, and she was dreading seeing Brooke. She felt a little bad for giving the girl hell the night before, but Brooke could be impossible to deal with at times. If Dom was understanding about her need to venture out alone, then she wouldn't take anyone else's shit about it. Brooke was usually high-strung, but never like the night before. It made a Letty wonder if there was an underlying issue to her meltdown.
"So you gonna tell me who you went with last night?" Dom asked from his spot behind her in bed. His voice was raspy, and his breath on her neck sent chills over her. It annoyed her how attracted to Dominic she was. Little things, like his sleep-filled voice or the way his fingertips grazed the skin right beneath her breasts, drove her libido off the scales. His strength though, both physical and mental, was his most sexy attribute to her.
"Why do you think someone went with me?"
"You had to have someone drive your car to whichever sucker you dumped it with. Just wanna know who I gotta pummel."
She could hear the smile in his voice, and she turned to lay on her back, "There will be no pummelling our friends. They went to look after me - something you tell them to do."
"They? Sonny and Neil?"
She shook her head, "They got me into a race in the Hills."
"Should've known," he smirked, "No way you're winning that kinda cash around here. So who else? 'Cause you ain't got that kinda money lying around and neither do they - Tej... of course. He was the only one I didn't think to call last night."
"He raced last night."
Dom's eyebrows skyrocketed, "Tej doesn't race. How'd he do?"
"He lost, but that was his plan. I almost felt bad for letting him talk me into hustling some rich teens."
"Almost?" he smirked.
"Those kids were dicks," Ginger made her presence known by hopping in the bed, attacking both of them with sloppy kisses. "I guess that means it's time to get up."
He shooed the dog off the bed, "Come on - we can share the hot water."
She saw the twinkle in his eyes, and sat up with a smile of her own, "You're not as slick as you think you are, Mr. Toretto. I'll let you humor me, though."
Dom grinned like an exuberant little boy and followed her to the shower.
"Good luck with Brooke today," Dom said sincerely as Letty stopped outside the Toretto home.
"Thanks. Don't give the guys shit about last night, please? They did good."
Dom nodded, "They get a pass this time. I'll see you, later?"
"Of course," she said, leaning in for a kiss. Instead of a quick peck, though, Letty grabbed his face for a deep lip lock.
Dom returned the kiss with passion, holding her cheeks as memories of their lovefest in the shower came rushing back. Dom could feel the heat rising in his slacks, but he knew there no chance for another round; they both had to be at work on time.
He reluctantly pulled away, "We're gonna need another shower if you keep that up."
Letty nodded with a smirk, "We'll finish this later?"
"Damn right," he grinned, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek before stepping out.
She called out to him, and he turned to her, "I love you."
"I love you, Letty."
Luckily for her, she was already sitting, or his words and honesty would've made her knees buckle. She believed him when he said that he loved her. His eyes showed it, and his actions proved it.
She checked her phone for messages, her eyes immediately going to the first conversation in her inbox - D.
"You could'a just said you wanted to race, I would've happily lined up my monster against yours. Don't come home if you lose."
Typical Toretto, she thought.
Letty loved him, too. She wasn't able to deny that fact any longer.
Her morning made her upbeat and excited to see how the rest of the day would play out. She drove to Pasadena feeling optimistic, unconcerned about Brooke being Brooke. She wanted to keep this good mood well into the evening, so that meant not letting anyone get under her skin.
Arriving at the Lab only a few minutes after opening, there were already several cars lined up at the gate. She pulled into the lot and parked, ready for another day of tuning engines and repairing classics.
Once inside, she noticed she was earlier than most of the other mechanics, and only Leon and Hector were on the floor already working.
"Mornin' fellas," she greeted.
Leon dropped his tools and hurried to her, lifting her off the ground into a bear hug.
"You know I wasn't expecting you to buy me a new car. I wasn't expecting you to replace my Nissan at all, sis."
"Well good, cuz I didn't buy it," she said with a smile as he placed her feet back on the floor. "Won it last night in Beverly Hills. And I always pay my debts, you know that. You've helped me out a lot these past months. If it wasn't for me running into you that night in Vegas, I probably wouldn't be here."
"Well I appreciate ya. The car is badass," he smiled gleefully. "You know I coulda bought one of these myself?"
"You and I both know a car won is much better than a car bought. I know you like 'em flashy. Enjoy it man."
"Sweet. Now, hurry and get changed please," Leon replied hastily.
"We short-handed today?"
"No, they're early," he said, jerking his head out the door. "The closer it gets to RaceWars, the busier it's gonna be. Everyone who thinks they race wants to have their rides checked out by the best."
"No wonder DT's has been so slammed," she smirked. "Send another in, I'll be right back."
Letty hustled to the employee locker room to change, stopping short when she ran into another member of the staff. Brooke looked up from her magazine when the door opened, only to turn away when she noticed it was Letty. Not ready to ruin her good mood, Letty moved to her locker and quickly changed into overalls with her name on them.
"Good morning," she bit the bullet, but only got a snort in response. "Didn't know you were here."
"I work here," Brooke replied back flatly.
Letty smiled to keep from getting annoyed, "Oookay. If that's the response I'm gonna be getting all day, I'll steer clear."
Brooke stood and grabbed her things before brushing by Letty toward the door, "Steer wherever you please. I can't be concerned with your bullshit anymore."
"Excuse me? My bullshit?!" Letty exclaimed, "What the hell is your deal?"
"I have other things to worry about now..." A look of uncertainty flashed on her face, "I can't be your watchdog anymore."
"I think you're highly confused; I don't recall you chasing drunk men off our lawn after they'd follow me home at night. I don't remember you ever dragging me out nightclubs after too much drinking to make sure you weren't snatched by some punk. And I damn sure don't remember you saving my ass when I was stranded in the middle of Mexico after a street race. I did all of those things; I was your watchdog."
In seconds, the tears were falling down Brooke's face as she fell back against the door. Letty sighed; operation 'good day' was way out the window now.
"What the hell, B?" Letty asked.
Brooke sniffled, "I'm pregnant."
Letty's eyes bugged out of her head. She wasn't sure she heard her right, "What? Pregnant?" Brooke gave a nod. "Shit, girl."
"No shit," Brooke wiped her puffy, red eyes, "Took five tests yesterday. Five. All positive."
She understood the flip in Brooke's behavior. She was scared. A smile finally tugged at Letty's lips.
"Congrats, B. That's good news, right?"
"That's terrifying news, Letty," she said, flopping down once again. "My parents were shit. My mom was Carter's doormat, and he - well you saw for yourself. I practically raised myself; I have no clue how to take care of a kid."
Letty joined her at the table, "Well, good thing you won't be doing it alone. And your kid's dad isn't a lunatic, so that's a plus. I mean, Oz is the father, right?"
She shot Letty a look, "Duh. But I have no idea how he's gonna take the news. I mean, we've only been dating for a few months. We haven't talked about kids. Hell, I still feel weird being at his place with him."
"B, Oz is one of the sweetest guys I've been around, so sweet it's sickening. A complete gentleman. Not to mention he had a shit dad of his own who wasn't around; I seriously doubt he's gonna split."
"I'm seriously freaking out. How am I supposed to do this?"
"Do you want to do this? You know you have the choice to-"
"Absolutely not," she shook her head adamantly. "This is happening. I just don't know how."
"Listen, you aren't alone with whatever choice you make. You have this team and this family, who jump at the opportunity to help each other. Whether Oz sticks around or not, everyone else who cares about you will be there, including me."
Brooke nodded, seemingly coming down from her panic, "I owe you an apology, and Dom. I lost it last night. If you weren't around, I don't know if I could pull this off."
"No shit, that's why I have no intentions of leaving. But you have to chill. I don't want another night like last night, or I will knock some sense into you. Got it?"
Brooke nodded, finally able to manage a smile, "Thanks Letty."
"So when are you telling Oz?"
"Ugh," Brooke dropped her head to he knees, "If I could go the whole nine months then pop this kid out without uttering a word, that would be ideal."
"Brooke..."
"I know I can't do that, but it would be ideal. I'll tell him when the time is right."
"You have one week, then I sing like a caged bird. He deserves to know."
"Fine," Brooke made her way to her feet, one of which was covered in a medical boot. "You suck, Ortiz."
Letty held the door open with smile, "I've been told."
Sorry for the impossible wait! I've been dealing with a few tough months. If anyone would like to know more or help out, visit the link in my profile. Read and review, please!