Mia never made it all the way to her car.
Dom and the girl were back, heralded by the screech of tires. She held back waiting by her Integra. The girl that stepped out of Dom’s car was no raving beauty, not even conventionally pretty. The only word that came to mind was striking but only because she was searching for the source of the attraction. Not Dom’s usual type.
Vince, Jesse and Leon crowded in on her as she handed out bags to each of them, smiling while she chatted with them in her accented contralto voice. The boys didn’t seem to like her much, just collecting their food. Jesse smiled at her though. Little traitor, Mia thought.
Mia’s gaze shifted to her brother as he climbed out of the little sports car. He glanced sideways at the feeding frenzy surrounding the girl and then turned toward her. He was wearing a smile, but Mia saw the exhaustion and sadness behind it. When he got close she sniffed at him. He smelled like gasoline and sweat, but not sex.
“Mia.” Dom hugged her tight planting a kiss on top of her head. With mock reproach he chided, “Who’s minding the store?”
“Jeeze Dom. Remember Sarah? You hired her a month ago. Give me some credit will you?” Mia pushed out of his arms. Dom was deliberately not looking at the girl. Mia had seen him do that same thing with Letti when he had still viewed her as off limits so long ago. This one is off limits too Dom and don’t you forget it, she mentally reprimanded him.
He scratched at his head and then offered a sheepish smile. “Oh yeah, I forgot. She workin’ out okay?” He had already started to walk away, joining the boys who had recongregated around the demolition of the roadster. Body language told her she wasn’t the only one who was mad at him.
“Yeah. Dom, I have to talk to you,” Mia called after him aware that he wasn’t listening. It killed her to think he was going through his day like nothing had changed – and with a new girl waiting in the wings. She felt every bit like he’d betrayed her instead of her best friend and it was getting worse by the second. Turning her attention to the current cause for suspicion and hoping Dom would hear, she said, “Since he also forgot his manners….I’m the grease monkey’s sister, Mia.”
“Hello. Claudia O’Riley.”
Determined not to return the smile, or be particularly nice, Mia took the offered hand and dropped it like a hot potato. Not meeting Claudia’s eyes she gestured at the Jag and Mercedes, asking, “Those are both yours, huh? Dom must be in heaven getting to play with cars like those.” She paused considering her next question for a second before asking, “How’d you find him anyway? This place seems a little out of the way for you.”
Claudia either didn’t notice the distrust or didn’t care responding, “That’s why I chose it actually. Much better this way I think. Regardless, I was told your brother is a fine mechanic.”
I just bet you were, Mia thought focusing on the word ‘fine’. He is that and then some, girlfriend. Hands off. The funny thing was that the doe eyes and sappy sigh that often accompanied descriptions of her brother were absent. The sentence could have ended with ‘really good’ mechanic for all the impact it seemed to carry. Interesting, Mia thought. Maybe she really is here just for car repair. How bizarre would that be?
Wondering how this obviously Beverly Hills type girl had found DT Automotive she asked, “Who told you that?”
“Oh, someone from school.”
Huh. Thanks for the info. Mia’s suspicions, which had started to lift, crashed back down. Actively probing like sonar seeking submarines she pinged, “So where do you go?”
“UCLA.”
“Oh. Me too.” And there it was. The common thread. The opportunity to make a new friend. Mia felt the smile start to form and tried to stop it. Countless admonishments from the team had done little to subdue her friendly, optimistic nature. But she didn’t want to be friends with this girl even if all the indicators were there. Forcing down the bubble of her enthusiasm she sought escape and found it in her original purpose. All it took was one look Dom to turn her smile upside down. Raising her voice and knowing she sounded angry she demanded, “Dom? Can we talk?”
~~~~~
The second they were out of earshot Dom started, “Mia, look. I went by her house. I called her. She doesn’t wanna talk to me.”
“I know. But she is talking Dom. Sarah just told me that you guys were broken up.” Taking wicked joy in his obvious displeasure Mia said, “I thought you’d want to know that Letti’s telling people.”
He looked at her sharply, his eyes unreadable. “Oh fuck.”
Worried about your reputation stud? Got a kick out of having your cake and eating it too? How do you like having it all over your face? Still, he was Dom, her hero. Mr. Knight in Shining Armor. Without meaning to, she voiced her conflicting emotions. “I want to feel sorry for you, Dom. I really do, but you did this to yourself. How many times did you think you could get away with this shit?”
He dropped her gaze and seemed to find his shoes interesting. A muscle in his jaw began to twitch. “Mia, I don’t need this right now.”
“And what about the girl in there? You think that’ll help? I’m sure Letti will love hearing about her. You know she will too, she always does. You had something good, Dom. Why are you destroying it?”
His eyes narrowed, but he continued staring at his feet. The tension was now visible in his arms. “Claudia has nothing to do with it. She’s just a customer!” He paused before threatening, “Letti better not hear anything different, Mia.”
She looked at his feet too. Big, pigeon toed banana boats, she thought. Before he’d grown into them, he’d looked like a circus clown and had been about as graceful. But he wasn’t clumsy anymore and the smile that had started to grow with the memory faded as her gaze traveled back up past flexed muscles to the stony expression on his face. She tried to make herself shut up. You’re treading on thin ice girl. Let it go. But she couldn’t. “She won’t hear about your latest scank from me, Dom. Hell, I don’t have to tell her. Any idiot could see what you’re up to. She’s not stupid you know. Neither am I.”
“I know you’re not stupid, Mia. You’re misunderstanding.” He growled as he backed away from her. It was the last warning sign she was going to get.
Mia knew it and ignored it pushing forward. “You better start thinking about how you’re going to fix it, Dom.”
“Butt the fuck out, Mia. This is not your problem.” His voice was so low she almost couldn’t make out the words. White knuckled fists balled at his sides and he was glaring hard at the ground.
Shut up! Walk away! Her mouth chose not to listen to the sound advise of her brain. “Jesus Christ, Dom! It is too! Letti’s my best friend and you’re my brother! I am so in the middle!”
He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. His eyes, always so expressive, were alive and dancing with sparks. His grip was tight and Mia tasted blood as she accidentally bit her lip in her squirming. His other hand started to come up. Without thinking she screamed, “Don’t hit me!”
“Hit you?!” He stumbled over the words as if his mouth was full of rocks and his face wore the shocked, pained expression of someone who had just been bitten by their own dog.
Mia’s chin trembled and her eyes misted at the look on his face. I didn’t mean it, her mind screamed. I know you would never hit me! She tried to say the words but nothing came out. All that would work was her arm and she reached out to him silently begging him to take her hand and forgive her but he flinched away.
His chin came up and his expression chilled to the temperature of an iceberg. Dom was moody, everyone who knew him was aware of that, but she’d never seen him look so upset before.
“I…you…” Mia still couldn’t get the words out.
“God damn you, Mia.” He whispered before turning on heal and trudging to the Firebird.
~~~~~
“Is that…is that little Letti Ramirez all grown up?”
Letti spun around and came face to face with someone she hadn’t seen in years. “Marco? Oh my God! When did you get back into town, man?” She threw her arms around him and was surprised when he lifted her off her feet. He’d always been so thin. Not any more.
“Just got back. Thought I’d drive through the old neighborhood and see what’s new. Looks the same though.” Marco shifted out of Letti’s embrace, his eyes running the length of her body.
Letti glowed under his appreciative stare realizing it was the first time in a long time anyone had looked at her that way. Most people avoided her because they didn’t want to start anything with Dom. Just thinking his name brought a scowl to her face.
Marco seemed not to notice. “Where is everybody? The old crew still around?”
The scowl remained in place as Letti confirmed, “Yeah. Nothing changes, Marco. You know that.”
Marco looked around the garage before focusing golden brown eyes on Letti again. “Some things do. You weren’t working for Hector last time I saw you. You finally give up chasing after that bruiser Toretto?”
“Been there, done with that.” Letti shuddered at the bitter sound of her voice as the anger she felt spread through her body like venom. Her fists clenched at her sides and she wanted to pummel something or, more correctly, someone.
“Good.” Marco stepped in wrapping his arms around her again and she felt herself relax a little. It was a much more intimate embrace than the first and Letti had the distinct impression that he would be more than willing to fill the void Dom left in his wake. Her arms tightened around his back.
~~~~~
You have got to go home soon. What are you waiting for anyway? Keep your priorities straight. School, car and nothing else. You do not have time for this. Leave.
But her feet seemed to be rooted to the ground.
Jesse had left the office. The ordering was done and she was free to go. There was no reason for her to be there anymore, not a single logical reason. But still she sat, watching as Leon pulled a fender off the Jaguar. Jesse was tinkering with something on the far side of the car and Vince was wiping his forehead with a towel so dirty he left darker streaks on his skin than the ones he’d been seeking to remove.
Behind them, glistening like some kind of offering to automotive divinity, Dom leaned against the Firebird staring at his shoes. He’d been there for over an hour. Claudia wondered if he was always so moody. Up, down, up, down…. He’d been laughing in the car after their meal. It was a sight to see someone who looked like he could carry a VW bug around under one arm giggle like a child. When she’d next noticed him at the Firebird she’d worried for the cars continued existence. If he’d had a sledgehammer handy she was sure the ancient heap would have been reduced to scrap metal. Now he looked like the deflated protagonist in a country western song. I’ve got tears in my beers crying over you…
Claudia fought the urge to go to him. It was not the right thing to do, not for him, not for her. She needed to leave but every time she glanced out at him she found herself settling back into his chair to stare at him some more.
Suddenly he looked up and caught her eye. She blushed, convinced her face bore a striking resemblance to a ripe tomato, and watched in embarrassed horror as he started to make his way back into the garage never dropping eye contact with her.
School, car and nothing else. School, car and nothing else, her mind began to chant as she tried to convince her legs it was time to go.
Just as her body complied he filled the doorway. “I didn’t know you were still here. Jes take care of you?”
“Yes. Everything’s fine. I’ll be on my way…” Don’t do it, “unless you need me for anything.” That was smart. School, car and nothing else. School, car and…
He offered a weak grin. “Nah, I’m shitty company right now.”
Bag in hand Claudia stepped through the doorway he’d recently vacated. Still as red as a turnip she mumbled, “Then I’ll be going. Have a lovely evening.” That was a dumb thing to say. Does he look like that is even a remote possibility?
~~~~~
He’d put it off long enough. “Letti? Get in here.”
“Hector, can it wait? I’m really involved in something.”
Obviously. Letti was on her back halfway under a car. It was a customer’s car and one he’d told Julio to work on, not Letti. In fact he hadn’t given her any work at all. She just seemed bound and determined to wrestle the work away from the guys that were supposed to be doing it, the guys getting paid to do it. “Now, Let. It has to be now.”
Grumbling a short string of curses, Letti slid out from under the Accord and climbed to her feet. There was something captivating about a woman who wasn’t afraid to get dirty. Covered in road grime and grease, sweat glistening on her cheeks, Hector had to remind himself that the girl was totally untouchable.
“What do ya want, Hector? I was working back there.”
“That’s the problem, Letti,” Hector started. “When did you ask for a job and when did I hire you, girl? You don’t work here. You work for Dom.”
Though he could see her trying, she was unable to disguise how she felt. It sparked in her eyes and deepened her voice. “I don’t work for Dom anymore. I quit yesterday.”
[I]Holy shit[/I]. She hadn’t just quit the garage; she’d quit Dom. He knew that was really what she meant. She’d been chasing after Dom almost from the moment she could walk and as a result had been a long running joke in the neighborhood – until she caught him anyway. The pair was famous for their fights but Hector had never thought they would break up.
As he tried to recover from his shock, she finally succeeded in fixing her amiable disguise into place, a smile spreading across her face. Using a teasing tone she patted his arm and said, “Besides, you’re hiring me cause I’m one of the best mechanics you’ll ever meet and cause I’ll do it for $25 an hour.”
Hector knew he was done for. Arguing with Letti was about as effective as arguing with Dom. He was done for. The only thing left was to haggle the price. “I pay my guys $20, Letti.”
“And you pay your girls $25.” Letti gave him a smile and started back out of his office before he could say anything. As she passed him she quipped, “We done here? I gotta get back to the Accord.”
Hector rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. There was one last thing he needed to know. “What was Marco doing here?”
Her disguise crumbled and she became defensive. “He came to see me. Got a problem with that?”
Yeah, I do, Hector thought, and so will a lot of other people when they find out. But he shook his head no. When she was clear of his office he pulled out his cell phone.
~~~~~
“Damn it,” Claudia muttered under her breath. Four hours she had sat there supposedly studying. Under normal circumstances, she would have been halfway though her notes but she had only gotten through three pages. Pay attention! This is only your first anatomy exam, why bother studying? Surely there are more profitable ways to waste time. Why not go out and collect your shopping cart and twist top wine now for your burgeoning career as a drunken bag lady?
Shoving herself away from her desk Claudia stomped down the stairs intent on waking her flagging sense of diligence with an infusion of caffeine.
At the bottom of the stairs her feet rebelled and took her to the garage where she stood staring at the Porsche for a long moment. 1958 Porsche 356A cabriolet. Beautiful car. Just a short drive. Wouldn’t really matter would it? Her feet started toward the key rack. Her mind protested. Do you really want to wreck another car, she thought rubbing the ache that nagged at the back of her neck. Don’t be stupid. Get out of the garage.
But as she turned her eyes caught sight of the rag Dominic had used to clean his hands. A strange and unwelcome warmth blossomed in her chest. Ah, Dominic. Rippling muscle, bulging biceps, sultry brown eyes, crooked smile and a voice that could seduce the Virgin Mary all wrapped into one intriguing package.
Picking the rag up she lifted it to her nose, inhaling nothing but the scent of motor oil. Not as interesting as it could have been.
That did it. Standing there holding a greasy rag to her face finally snapped her back into reality. What the hell am I doing? This is truly pathetic. Blowing off one of the most important exams of my life to smell a towel? Get a grip, girl.
She stomped back into the house and to the kitchen where she finally acquired coffee and her sense of purpose.
~~~~~
The door hadn’t even closed behind him when Mia rounded the corner and threw herself into his arms. His rage still smoldering just below the surface, it was a struggle to gently push her back and out of his way. His grip on his emotions was tenuous at best and he regretted his decision to come home.
“I am sooo sorry, Dom,” she called after him, the rivers she’d already cried evident in her voice.
“Leave me alone, Mia.” He moved into the kitchen, took a Corona from the fridge and guzzled down the entire thing in a single gulp. About a dozen to go, he thought as he grabbed another. Hesitating a half second, he grabbed one more. Shit faced oblivion was his only goal at the moment.
When he closed the refrigerator Mia was there looking up at him with big, sad eyes. Go the fuck away. he thought blowing out an angry breath. Willing a stoic façade into place, he sidestepped her heading for the TV and the escape he hoped to find there.
Following him, she called in a whiney voice he hated, “Dom…”
“What did I just say?” His control was slipping. He slammed down his second empty beer bottle and grabbing the next. Without taking his eyes from the TV screen he snarled, “Leave me the fuck alone!”
“No, you have to listen to me, Dom.” She jumped in front of the television. The controlled burn of his anger suddenly jumped the firebreak and he fought the urge to rise and do exactly what she’d accused him of. But he never would. Never. With nowhere else to look he finally met her eyes and watched with little sympathy as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her voice hiccupped as she pleaded, “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean it. I don’t even know where it came from. I know you would never hit me, Dom.”
Oh yeah? Why did you say it then? How could you ever think I could do that to you? It was incomprehensible to him. He’d thought about it for hours and still had no explanation. Not once in his life had he ever raised a hand to her. Hell, he rarely raised his voice to her. “I don’t wanna talk now, Mia. I just wanna sit here and drink myself into a coma. Don’t you have homework to do or something?”
She tried again, “I could make dinner…”
“Grabbed something on the way here.” His third beer was gone. He walked past her back into the kitchen where he dumped the empties in the recycle bin and grabbed three more. He contemplated taking the entire case with him back to the couch. But they’d get warm wouldn’t they? A voice in the back of his head told him that at the rate he was going the last one in the box would be just as cold as the one in his hand. All he’d need was a clear path to the restroom and he’d be good to go. Pulling the case out, he turned to head back to the sanctuary of the couch but Mia was standing in the entryway baring his retreat.
Muscling his way past her, he said, “Just leave me alone, sis. Maybe tomorrow, okay? Not tonight.”
~~~~~
Dark hues of blue, violet and crimson told her that the sun was about to rise bringing with it a new day. Her alarm clock told her it was 5 am.
Mia hadn’t slept a wink. She’d spent the night tossing and turning, waiting for the light of dawn to herald the tomorrow she was waiting for. He’d said they could talk tomorrow.
All night long she’d composed and edited what she wanted to say to him imagining his reaction to every word. She still had no idea exactly what to say. After hours of analysis, she still didn’t know why she said what she said. All she knew was that no matter what she did he would never, ever hit her. He’d never hit a girl. Not even Letti although she routinely hit him.
She’d made Dom mad countless times in their history. It was something she did rather well. It was even something she enjoyed on occasion.
It wasn’t difficult to piss him off. He could snap into a rage out of nowhere. That was why people that knew him well, knew not to mess with him when he was quiet. That was when he was most dangerous. Luckily, his rages never lasted long and, with her at least, his first instinct was always to walk away. He would never say he was sorry but he’d show it. With Dom, actions spoke far louder than words.
That he wasn’t shouting at her, battling it out with her told her he was very, very upset. The man held a grudge like a priest clings to the cross when he felt betrayed. Mia feared he thought that was what she’d done and in a sense she had. She’d betrayed his trust.
Unable to be still a second longer she sprung into action making her bed with shaking hands. Fluffing the pillows she decided to start the day off right by making him a huge breakfast, a token offering of peace. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns – the works. The cliché that the path to a man’s heart was through his stomach was especially true of her brother. One of her pet names for him was the Goat because he’d eat almost anything and he was always hungry.
Throwing a robe over her shoulders she tiptoed down the stairs taking special care to avoid the squeaky one near the bottom. Dom was sprawled on the couch surrounded by empty beer bottles with an ashtray full of cigarette butts on the coffee table. The TV was still on, an infomercial for a miracle cleaning agent blaring.
She watched his chest rise and fall and felt her heart swell. God, let him forgive me. I can’t live without him.
He shifted, rubbing the top of his head before settling. Finding him asleep on the couch was not terribly unusual. He’d been an insomniac since childhood, the sound of the TV blaring one of the few things that lulled him to sleep. It had always bothered Letti. Waking up to find him missing from his own bed had made her self-conscious. She’d never understood that it had nothing to do with her, assuming that he just didn’t like to sleep with her in his bed. Mia knew that wasn’t it and had tried many times to explain but had never gotten through. In her mind it was a tragedy that he lacked the peace necessary to sleep well.
Usually, when she came down she would find him curled up with one of the couch pillows clutched to his chest like a teddy bear. In those moments he looked like the little boy she barely remembered.
Grabbing a blanket she draped it over him and kissed his forehead thankful that he didn’t wake at her touch.
In the kitchen she started coffee, certain he would need of it when he got up. A hangover was inevitable since he drank the entire case of Corona.
She poured herself a cup and padded back into the living room fishing the remote off the floor. Flipping through channel after channel of infomercials, she finally landed on a movie. Gi Gi. She hummed along with the song, “I don’t understand the Parisians…”
[I]So silly.[/I] She looked at Dom again. He had sat through this movie so many times with her when she was little. Not many older brothers were willing to spend time with their kid sisters, much less watch old musicals with them, but Dom did, in secret of course. Because of her he knew every word of the film verbatim. She smiled, remembering his excuse that he only watched it because Leslie Caron was hot.
The smile grew into giggles as her mind recalled watching it with him when he was 13 and his voice was changing. She’d been 8 at the time and had begged him to sing along with the songs. He’d complied, his voice cracking on every other syllable until they were both laughing so hard their sides nearly split.
“Not this damn movie again,” he muttered cutting into her thoughts. Dom pulled himself up and squinted at the TV. “What time is it anyway?”
Startled, all she could do was answer his question. “5:30.”
“Oh.” He grabbed a pillow and wrapped his arms around it while sliding back down into the couch. Without another word his eyes closed and his chest began its rhythmic rise and fall again.
Maybe he wasn’t mad anymore. He’d been nice just then. Simple question, no malice. Or, maybe he was still drunk and not awake yet. Oh God, this sucks.
She watched him sleep until the movie ended, memories rising like bubbles through her psyche. There were no words in the end. Nothing she could say to express how much she loved him or how sorry she was. Reduced once more to tears, she got up to cook.
When she came back he was gone.
~~~~~
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