| Chapter 6 Mia held up the shirt on a hanger in her left hand front of her body while she looked in the mirror, then the other held in the right hand. She let out a frustrated sigh. She had nothing to wear! Letty swaggered in, wearing loose faded jeans that hung off her ass, and a white cap sleeved shirt that buttoned down the front and had 'Self-Serve' across the chest. "I have nothing to wear, Let" Mia sighed, tossing the two shirts onto her bed, "Nothing!". All of her clothes were immature and girly. She didn't want to look immature and girly, she wanted to look cute and sexy. She was tired of being the conservative motherly type. She'd been stuck in that role for a year in Mexico, and even longer before that. It was time for a god damn change. "Oh, and this would be to impress a certain McVeigh, now, wouldn't it?" Letty asked, cocking an eyebrow. Mia rolled her eyes. "Letty, we've been through this" she sighed, moving back towards her cupboard, even though she knew there was nothing good in there. "Yeah, but you still won't admit it" Letty replied stubbornly, flopping onto Mia's bed and running her fingertips over the tops that were strewn across the bed covers, "If you admit it, I'll dress you up so he can't take his eyes offa you". Mia stopped her search at the offer, and looked over her shoulder at Letty. "Dress me up? Like..." she trailed off, leaving the opportunity for Letty to elaborate open. "Like, you'll see, when you admit it" Letty replied slyly, rolling onto her back and pulling her dark hair into a messy ponytail which she tied with an elastic band. Mia groaned inwardly and sat on the bed beside Letty. "Well, I do... I do think he's pretty OK looking..." she began. "Um, 'OK lookin'? C'mon girl, I seen you starin' at that ass!" Letty pushed with a shameless grin on her face, "You think he's hot". "No, I.." Mia began, getting embarrassed by Letty's openess about the subject. "You think he's gorgeous..." Letty began the song made well known be a certain Miss Congeniality, "You wanna date him. Love him and marry him". "Shut up!" Mia protested, her cheeks going pink. Letty laughed and continued, "You wanna fuck him and have a million of his babies!". She got up and jumped on the bed, making the shirts strewn across the covers bounce. "No, Letty, I just..." Mia began again, trying to be the mature one because Letty sure wasn't going to be. "Jus' admit it Mia! You think he's hot!" Letty grinned mercilessly. Mia groaned loudly, then flopped back on the bed, "Alright. Alright. You win". "Say it" Letty drawled, and Mia smiled at her persistence. "I think he's hot" she admitted, and Letty laughed out loud, "You sure do! Now, let's go get you dressed". * * * Ginger thudded down the stairs, his untied timbalands nearly coming off at each step. Racing into the lounge of their hotel room, he proceeded to ransack the couches. He had been getting dressed when he realised he wasn't wearing his watch, and he never did anything without his watch. Ripping the pillows off the couches and tossing them out of the way, he tried to feel around for it under the couch cushions. Groaning inwardly, Ginger silently prayed he found it before he had to begin cracking skulls in order for it to turn up. "Fuck. Fuck!" he muttered under his breath. He would never forgive himself if he didn't find that watch. Jessi-Jay walked into the lounge, working some wax into her hair. She leaned on the wall as she watched her half naked brother bend over and look for whatever the hell it was he was looking for. She smirked. He was such a fucking stress head. �Hey Ginge', wotchoo lookin' fo'?� Jessi-Jay asked, curling a chunk of hair around her finger. Ginger didn�t turn around or even acknowledge her question as he moved from the couch to the armchair. Looking to the roof in concentration, and getting down on his knees, he pushed his hand in between the chair�s sneaky little hiding spots. �Fuck, I can�t find my watch. I don't know where I put it� Ginger said finally. Sighing he got up off the floor and ran a frustrated hand over his head. Shit! He still had to get dressed too. He wasn't planning on showing up in his leather-looking pants and not much else. "That right?" Jessi-Jay answered, feining interest. Ginger began shifting things on the coffe table, waiting for the light to glint off the shiny metal of his watch. Not finding it on the coffee table, he moved to look in the kitchen. Suddenly, the light glinted on Jessi-Jay's hand, and there was his watch, hanging loosely off her wrist. "Wot the fuck are yo doin' with that?" he asked coldly, holding out his hand for it. She smiled sweetly and slid it off, handing it over. "I had it yesterday, down at the pool" Jessi-Jay shrugged as if it was no big deal and she didn't know why he was getting so stressed. "Don't give me that shit! You know wot this watch means to me!" Ginger cut her off as he put it on. His old man had given him this watch the night before he died. It was all he had left of his father. And Jessi-Jay's fucking disrespect for others and her damn irresponsibility was driving him to the end of his patience like a scud missle. "Jeezuz, Ginger. I'm sorry" she exaggerated her words dramatically and turned to go back into the bathroom where Kaylen was pinning up her hair. Ginger let his watch hang loose so that it rested against his hand and hurried back upstairs. He loved his sister, he really did, but she knew exactly how to get under his skin and delighted in doing so. Upstairs, in the room he shared with Jessi-Jay, Lizette was sitting on the floor between DeShaun's legs, and he was braiding her hair back about four inches and leaving the rest out. Nueto was sitting behind DeShaun on the bed, fixing up his zig-zagged cornrows. To Ginger, they looked like monkeys grooming each other. Ginger grabbed his white and blue Ruff Ryders jersey off of the bed and pulled it on before proceeding to pull his neckchain out from under it. He had a good feeling about tonight. The million dollars he'd just aqquired did contribute to that, but not a whole lot. If he could beat Toretto, he could beat anyone at the Isle. And at this junction in time, he needed all the money he could get. "Ginger?" Lizete said sweetly, and this instantly alerted her older brother to her wanting something she didn't think he would allow. "Lizette?" he replied, moving to look down at her where she sat on the floor. "Do you think that, well, that maybe I could race tonight?" she asked, looking up at him pleadingly, "It's just that I've got this beautiful suped up car and I haven't even used the Nos injection once!". "Yeah, exactly. You don't know how to drive on a Nos injection" Ginger reasoned. "Oh, come on Ginger! The only reason I don't know how is because you won't let me!" Lizette whined. "You're only eighteen" he argued. Ginger knew he was overprotective of his sisters. When their father had been fatally shot in a car jacking, it had sent their mother into her own personal hell which was massively selective. She barely spoke to her four kids, her friends, to anyone, really. She was fired from her job because she stopped showing up, she was smoking 24/7 and hardly ever slept. Their lives, all of their lives, went to shit. Ginger, the oldest of the four kids, had gone to Latrell's dealer for help. That was where the drugs came in. He'd needed money, and he'd needed it fast. Food was becoming a privilege. Then came the day when a routine check up with the doctor revealed that she had an advanced case of lung cancer. Within a few short months, she was on her death bed. Ginger had never seen her look so helpless and sad. She'd known it was time, and had asked him to look after the girls. He'd promised to be his sisters' keeper. And he never went back on his promises. "Ginger?" He blinked and realised Lizette was standing now, peering up at him. "Uh, yeah... what?" he forced away the fog in his head and focussed on his sister. "I don't have to race, if you don't want me to" she offered softly, squeezing his hand. He shook his head, realising he must have zoned out or something. "No. Yer right. Why should that car go to waste? Cost e-fucking-nough for you to live in. Might as well drive it" Ginger gave in, and Lizette smiled warmly, hugging him tightly. "Moms would be proud of you" she whispered against his ear, knowing that was what had caused her brother to zone out a few moments ago. "Yeah" Ginger muttered, letting her go, then looked at his watch, "We gotta get movin'. Don't wanna be late this time". Chapter 7 "I don't want any fuck ups tonight" Ginger announced to his team when they had all gathered in the hotel carpark. It was lit by garden lamps, and the illuminated pool nearby sent shimmering light their way too. It was almost serene. Almost. "No friends, no foes. You hear me? We can't afford to make any ties here. Come Sunday, we'll be on our way back to Hillside, and I don't want any complaints 'bout us leavin' from any of them or any of you" he continued firmly, "It's not only for our safety but for theirs. They can't get involved in any of this, a'ight? Friendly but detatched. Appear available but never BE available. No big impacts. We're here for the money, that's it. No friends, no foes. Remember that". "No friends, no foes" Lizette echoed softly, looking down at her orange mini skirt and white assymetric top with an orange flower pinned on it to rest against her collar bone. DeShaun had finished braiding her hair, and she'd piled the rest up in a messy but stylish fashion and had Kaylen help her pin it in place. Kaylen noticed a strand of hair out of place when Lizette lowered her head, and moved over to her little sister to fix it up. "Keep yer head down" she said, sliding a bobby pin over the fly away. Kaylen herself wore tight blue jeans, black platformed boots and a black leather tank top that laced at the front. Jessi-Jay watched her sisters, then sighed loudly. "You're making a mess!" she accused, "Let me do it". Jessi-Jay took Kaylen's place in fixing Lizette's hair. "Ow. That hurts!" Lizette whined as she shoved pins this was and that. "No pain, no gain" Jessi-Jay replied, not stopping what she was doing, despite her sister's squirming. Ginger watched them with a faint smile. Even in the shitty situation they were trapped in for now, his sisters were still vain to a fault. "Yo Ginge', if we doan get a move on, we WILL be late" DeShaun informed him absently, and Ginger glanced at his own watch. "Yer right. Let's roll" he nodded once, and Jessi-Jay finished Lizette's hair. The team dispersed, each heading for their own respective rides. Ginger pulled out of the carpark ahead of the others in his silver Mitsubishi. The dim garden lights glinted off the shining paintwork as the car glided silently out of the carpark through the hotel gates, its beauty and grace betraying the grim street monster it could become at his command. Ginger thought over his speech to the team about making connections at the Isle. There was no question: it could not be tolerated. Connections meant emotional bonds. Emotional bonds meant friendships. Friendshps meant loyalty. And loyalties were made to be broken, in this particular situation. He did NOT need the added trouble of having to look out for Toretto or anyone on his scene, on top of watching out for his team of six. Ginger rubbed a hand over his head, starting at the back of his neck and bringing it over his face. Stress. It was a killer. And he was wracked with it. $1.7 million was NOT enough. Not enough by far. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if he didn't get the money on time. Threats were something Ginger heard alot back home in Hillside, but never really worried about. In his line of work, there were alot of try-hard thugs and nigga's out there, and their harsh words and empty promises held no importance to him. But THIS threat, THIS was real. It was deathly real and if Ginger didn't carry out his end of the bargain swiftly and successfully, that threat would become a reality. The thought alone made his blood run cold. He would not let that happen. * * * Letty shut Mia's bedroom door softly, leaving her to get changed into the clothes she'd picked out. They weren't something Letty would wear, but they would look perfect on Mia. Sexy, but not skanky. A little conservative, but not frumpy. Mia had been happy with the outfit, so Letty had left her be. Letty headed back down the hall to Dom's room, where she'd left her studded belt in her rush to go tease Mia earlier. The bedroom door had been left ajar, probably by Letty herself, and not being one to mind her manners, Letty just shoved it open and walked right on in. Dom was halfway through getting dressed, his pants around his knees, and he almost fell over himself in surprise at her intrusion. "A little privacy would be nice" he muttered, pulling his pants up properly. Letty ignored him, like he was so good at doing to her, and walked over to the bed. She snatched her belt up off the covers, and turned to leave again without a word spoken to Dom. "Letty" Dom called to her, and she stopped just short of the door, clucked her tongue against the top of her mouth, then turned slowly and looked at him. "What, Dom? We gotta get movin' or we'll be late" she responded with an eyebrow raised and her hands on her hips. Dom quickly zipped and buttoned up his pants, then picked up his gray wifebeater off the bed. "Let, what's going on with us?" he asked after a moment of silence, staring at his shirt so he didn't have to look at her. Didn't have to bare her accusing stare. "Nothing, Dom. And that's the problem" Letty replied, starting to put her belt on to save time. She really didn't want to be having this conversation right now. "Talk to me, Let. I need to know what's bothering you so I can help" Dom told her, pulling on his wifebeater. It clung to his heavily muscled chest perfectly, and left his massive arms visible to look manly and tough. Exactly the way he liked it. "You can't help Dom" she muttered, finishing up with her belt. Dom sat on the bed to pull his shoes on. "Why can't I help? I'm your boyfriend, Let. Of course I can help" Dom protested. Letty balled her hands into fists. No one, not even Vince, not even HECTOR, could get her frustrated like Dominic Toretto could. "YOU are the problem, Dom!" Letty announced angrily. He looked over at her, and the hurt in his eyes at the accusation only anger her further. He was acting like he really had no clue what he was doing to her. What he'd been doing to her for seven years. "What? Me? I don't get it, Letty" Dom replied. What the hell had he done wrong? Alright, so he was a little flimsy when it came to resisting temptation. And maybe he did pay her less attention than she deserved. But hell, he was only one man. Letty narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest, "Pop quiz, asshole. How many Mexican whores did you cheat on me with in Tijuana? Come on, Dom. We only just got home. It wasn't that long ago. Don't tell me you don't remember them. Oh, wait, did you even bother to get their names before you fucked them?". Dom frowned, then shook his head and stood up. "I'm not gonna get into this with you Let. Not now" he told her, grabbing his neckchain from his bedside table and putting it on. "When, Dom?" Letty cried, losing all patience with him, "When are you going to 'get into this' with me? When are you gonna stop treating me like shit?". "Letty, please. The door is open, Mia's in the next room and Vince is..." Dom began. "I don't give a shit!" Letty yelled, cutting him off. Dom looked up sharply at her outburst, and walked over to her. He gently pulled her against his chest and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, the other stroking her hair softly. "I'm sorry, Letty. I am. I promise we'll talk about this" he told her, resting his chin on the top of her head gently, "Alright? I promise we'll talk about this". Letty was shaking softly, upset and angry and confused. She let Dominic's soft caressing sooth her rage. He stroked her hair gently and listened to her breathing, waiting until it slowed and shallowed. "You ready to kick some ass?" Dom asked after a long while. Letty smiled against his chest, "Fuckin' right". Dom smiled, then kissed her forehead and threw her over one shoulder. "Hmmm, nice view" Letty smiled, smacking his ass, which was inches away from her face. "I'd watch out if I were you. That thing's lethal" he warned lightheartedly, and thundered out of the room with Letty screaming playfully. Dom pounded a fist on every door her passed on his way to the stairs. "Let's roll!" he bellowed loud enough for the entire street to hear as he jogged down the stairs. "Ow, Dom. That hurts my tummy" Letty complained as she bounced on his shoulder at every stair. "Oh, sorry babe" Dom apologised, letting her down and instead wrapping his arm around her shoulders like a sane person. She cuddled against his side as they headed out the front door. Letty was determined to enjoy the races no matter what was going on at home, she was sure of that. Nothing was going to ruin her night. Nothing. Chapter 8 The orange Los Angeles sun dropped slowly below the city skyline, bathing the steel and concrete towers in shadows, turning the streets below into rivers of pure black. The darkness was soon pierced by bright white lights, and the soft hum of distant traffic was overcome by the roar of super charged engines and heavy hip hop beats as the racers gathered. Suped up cars lined both sides of the street, each one cleaned, glossed, and ready for show. Thumping bass rolled over the gathering crowds, booming from the massive sound systems in each of the super charged racers. Girls and guys alike moved from car to car, talking and laughing with friends, soaking up the entire enchanting atmosphere of the street races. Ginger pulled up at the Isle and turned the wheel left, pulling smoothly into the space between a black Honda Civic and a gold one. He'd seen that one before. The gold SiR '94 hatchback. It was here, at the Isle last time and he'd seen it when they were at Race Wars. Ginger cut the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition. The pounding hiphop music blasting from the super woofers ceased and he slipped his keys into his pocket as he got out of the car. The first thing he became aware of was the two guys advancing on him. He'd seen them before. At Race Wars. One was the owner of the gold Civic. Hector. The other was Edwin. And that was the extent of his knowledge about the two of them. Ginger watched them warily, glancing over his shoulder at the others. They were still getting out of their cars. Ginger glanced in the window of his car at the Desert Eagle on the passenger seat. Would he be fast enough if they wanted to start shit? "Hey dawg. Hows it hangin'?" the Edwin asked when the pair reached him. He held out his fist and was smiling non-threatingly. Ginger raised an eyebrow and touched fist with him. "Real motherfuckin' low, dawg" he replied, deciding not to make a move unless they did. Hector offered a lopsided grin, "Heard you handed Toretto's ass to him yesterday". Ginger looked from him to Edwin, searcing for the hostility he'd expected. "Yeah. That a bad thing?" he asked warily. He didn't need any more shit to deal with right now. Hector laughed and Edwin joined in. "Nah, dawg. It's a first though" Edwin grinned, struggling to control the outburst, "He was so fucking shocked he barely said shit all night! 'Bout time he lost. Racin' woz gettin' kinda pointless with him around. Don't matter what car you in, he'll beat yer ass, garenteed". "Doesn't stop you pissin' away yer money by racing him though, does it homes?" Hector teased. Edwin made a face. Ginger let the tenseness leave his body and smiled faintly. He felt stupid for even thinking these two were gonna try to give him trouble. Hell, he would be surprised if they could shoot straight. Ginger glanced over his shoulder as his team made their way over. Edwin asked him what he was running under the hood of the Mitsubishi, so Ginger, DeShaun and Jessi-Jay headed around to the front of the street monster to give him a guided tour. "Nueto, right?" Hector asked, touching fist with the younger Mexican. Nueto nodded and smiled, "That'd be me". "No, speak Spanish" Lizette smiled and clung to Nueto's arm. "Yeah, speak espanol!" Kaylen grinned. Hector smiled at them, then looked at Nueto. "Why? He speaks english" Nueto protested. Spanish was his first language, but he found English easier. And they wouldn't know what he was saying if he spoke in Spanish. Why the hell would they want him to do that? "Please?" Lizette fluttered her eyelashes at him, "It sounds cute when you speak Spanish. The words flow together better". "Yeah, you suck at English, Nueto" Kaylen agreed. Nueto groaned inwardly, then looked at Hector. "Aaah....Quisiera presentarte a Lizette y Kaylen" (I'd like to introduce Lizette and Kaylen) he waved his hands towards the two girls. Hector grinned at the two girls, "Me llamo Hector" (My name's Hector). Both smiled back, guessing he by the use of names that it was an introduction. 'No Friends, no foes' echoed in Lizette's head. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, glancing at her brother who had his head under the hood of his Mitsubishi. Well, just because she wasn't to make friends, didn't mean she had to be a bitch to everyone, did it? Hector ran a hand across the back of his neck, remembering Dom's request to find out about this team. Maybe just talking to this guy would get him somewhere. "Uh, cuanto tiempo llevasaqui?" (How long have you been here?) he asked, trying to sound conversational. "Llevo aqui tres semanas" (I've been here three weeks) Nueto replied after thinking about it for a moment. Hector nodded slowly. Three weeks? He hadn't even seen this lot until Race Wars rolled around, and that was only a week ago. Where the hell were they before that? "Yeah? Eres de por aqui?" (Are you from around here?) he continued his interrogation. Hector wondered vaguely if Edwin had found anything for Dom. Doubted it strongly. Edwin had been smoking an L on his way out of Dom's last night. That would've lasted him all night and then he would have crashed until about lunchtime today. "Soy de Hillside" (I'm from Hillside) Nueto replied. Hector sure asked alot of questions. "Hillside, eh? Cuanto tiempo te vas a quedar?" (How long are you here for?) Hector asked. He repressed the urge to ask what they were here for. Maybe they'd moved here or something? He'd look like a fucking idiot if he blurted out a question like that and they were here to visit Ginger's grandmother in hospital or something. He had to be careful, or Dom would not be happy with him. "Ah, nos quedaremos uno mas semana. Nosotras ir en Domingo" (We're here for one more week. We go on Sunday) Nueto paused every so often, trying to think of the right Spanish word. He only spoke Spanish when he was at home, and that was only to his Moms. His first language was slowly becoming lost to him. A thin latin girl in a black mini skirt and a shiny scrap of material that barely covered her chest slid up beside Hector and latched onto his arm. Lizette and Kaylen looked at her disapprovingly. There was no one skankier than a racer chaser. "Hector, venir en, papi. Vamanos" (Hector, come on, papi. Let's go) she said, voice dripping with sickly sweet honey, even though the girls didn't know what she was saying. Hector didn't look too happy with her being there anyway. "Por favor, deje de molestarme, chica. Dejeme en paz" (Stop hassling me, girl. Leave me alone) Hector whined, pushing her hands away. He'd seen Toretto when he was pissed off. If Hecor didn't get this done for Dom quickly, he wouldn't have a dick left for her to suck. "Pero Hector" (But Hector) she moaned, running her fingertipss down to his hand from his shoulder. He silenced her by plucking her hands off his arm, "Lo siento, pero tengo otras cosas mas importantes que hacer" (I'm sorry, I've got better things to do) he told her seriously, just wanting her to go away. She narrowed her eyes at what she'd thought was going to be an easy catch, then turned and stalked off into the crowd. Hector shook his head and glanced at Nueto, "She's a fucking pain, y'know? Not even that good for a blow". Nueto smiled faintly and glanced around for Ginger before Hector could ask him any more questions. The interrigation was getting him on edge. Why the hell did Hector want to know so much about him anyway? Was it really that obvious that they were hiding something? When Dom and his team arrived at the Isle in their notorious 'V' formation, the first car Dom spotted was the silver Mitsubishi Eclipse. They were here. Ginger looked up when he noticed Toretto's team pulling into the Isle. He made sure Edwin had his head out of the way before he shut the hood of his Mitsubishi. Hector, Nueto, Kaylen and Lizette were blocking up the space on right side of his car, so he walked around to the left, watching Toretto emerge from his car. Most everyone's eyes were turned towards Dom and his team, conversations turning from whatever they had been to something regarding the king of the streets and his family. Toretto noticed Ginger as soon as he got out of his car. Determined to make a go of it this time, he walked over to him. Talking ceased completely, and everyone at the Isle that night watched as Dom stepped up to the newcomer he'd beaten up at their last meet. Ginger was pretty sure Toretto had atleast SOME respect for him now in knowing that there was someone better than himself on the streets, but he was still wary of what lengths Toretto would go to to impress his followers. He promised himself he would not let Dom beat his ass down again. Ginger glanced down as Dom offered his fist, then looked back up at his face. His ebony eyes showed nothing but respect. Ginger smiled and touched fist with the king of the streets. He could almost hear the gasps going up all around. "Wassup, Toretto?" he asked nonchalantly. Dom matched his smile, "Not much. Things are good. How you livin'?". "I'm livin'" Ginger shrugged. Tension and confusion seemed to radiate off the crowd in waves. Dom turned to address his followers. "Let's have a big night tonight. I want to get in two races before the pigs show up. Five G buy in for each. Two to a race. Winner takes all" he announced in that rumbling barratone voice that sent the crowd into spasms of excitement. The silence was suddenly broken as cheers errupted. Ginger smirked. King Toretto and his faithful band of merry men ruled over their multitude of humble followers. That's what they looked like when the crowd's mood changed at Dom's words. Ginger thought it was cool though. He had his own merry men, and back in Hillside, his own followers. He knew what it was like to have people look up to you. It seemed that this crowd worshipped him for many reasons. Because he led them. Because he gave them direction. He was their rock. He anchored them to their devotion to their cars and the hectic lifestyle that involved. They'd gotten up this morning only so that they'd be able to work on their cars all day in this terrible Los Angeles heat, and have them ready for show tonight. Ginger supposed that under the tough exterior Toretto maintained, once you chipped away the icy coolness, there was just a regular guy. His ideals and values; family, friends, loyalty; were all normal. The makings of a good hearted person. These people put him up on a pedestal and worshipped him like a king. And that was obviously the way he liked it. Ginger blinked himself out of his thoughts. Damn. Must've been the lack of sleep he'd been plagued with lately. His thoughts had been wandering alot. He glanced around, watching the racers talk amoungst themselves before the planned events of the evening got underway. He decided to get his ass into one of those races before they were all full up. He turned to talk to Toretto, but he wasn't there. His sister was. Mia. |