| Chapter 10 By the time the first week in Los Angeles had rolled by, Leon had a casual job in Toretto's garage, working with Dom, Vince and Marc, and Hector's mother had insisted he come around for dinner. Hector lazed around on Leon's bed, lying on his stomach, chin in his upraised hand, flicking through Leon's car magazines, while Leon sat on the floor and rumaged through his drawers. "Is she expecting me to get all dressed up an' shit?" Leon asked, scowling at a shirt he didn't like before throwing it back into the dark corners of the drawer. "Nah. Jus' wear wot you got on" Hector answered with a shrug, not even looking away from the magazine. He turned it sideways, looking at the centerfold of a Hispanic girl in a black bikini, modelling next to a silver Subaru Impreza WRX. He cocked his head to one side. The model was blocking his view of half the car. The picture would have been better if she wasn't there at all. "You sure?" Leon asked, looking down at his baggy, faded jeans and Dirty Denim jersey. Hector's answer was mumbled and pretty half-assed, but Leon could make out that he'd either grunted out a 'yeah', or actually *said* that same word. "C'mon, I wanna show you something" Hector said suddenly, as though the thought had just occured to him, before getting up and chucking the magazine on the crumpled bed covers. Leon looked up at him as he opened the bedroom door, then got up and followed. "Wot is it?" he asked, following Hector down the hall. Daron was half pissed and half asleep on the couch in front of the TV, and Luis was slowly smoking himself to death at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. Skye had taken Jason to the park. She was actually making a turn for the better, now that they'd moved to L.A, and though no one said anything about this change, Leon had noticed. She'd become friends with Slim, the young (perhaps early twenties) single mother that lived next door, who had a kid called Marshall. This kid was about the same age as Jason. The two mothers and the two kids had gone to the park. Skye liked Slim alot. In Santa Barbara, and alot of places before that, Skye had spent most of her time at home, on her own, because none of the women in the neighbourhood wanted to be associated with white trash. Slim was in a similar situation, if not a similar class, to Skye, and they had alot in common, so they'd really hit it off. Skye's bitchy and depressing mood had lifted alot since she'd met her new friend, and Leon was actually beginning to like her. She was growing on him. Luis, shit, he was never gonna change. Skye had asked him if he wanted to go to the park with her, Slim and the kids, and he'd just grunted out a 'no', and not even looked up from the paper. The closest Luis got to a park was the parking lot of the bar. Daron was pretty similar to his father. He was twenty, and all he did was sit around, drink, smoke pot and play his guitar all day. Leon didn't mind what Daron did though. Atleast he didn't try to tell Leon what to do, or even speak to him, for that matter. "You'll see" Hector answered Leon's question as the exited the house and walked down the porch steps. Leon had thought it safer not to disturb his father by telling him where he was going, and in doing so, risking Luis getting angry with him. From what he could tell, he was only going across the road to Hector's, where he was due in about ten minutes anyway, so it really didn't matter. "C'mon, man. Tell me" Leon whined, sounding childish but not caring. "I said 'you'll see'" Hector insisted, going up the side of the house to the side gate, instead of to the front door. His father's work car wasn't in the drive, so he figured it was safe. Hector led Leon past Chucho's Celica and Elias's 3000GT, to a weathered garage in the corner of the backyard. "Don't tell no one you been in here, ay" Hector said, opening the side door instead of the garage roller door, which would've been too noisy, "Or I'm good as dead". Leon nodded to show he understood, and followed Hector into the darkened garage. He closed the door softly behind himself, and turned back towards the center of the room. Hector pulled the cover off of the car that stood there, and Leon felt a smile cross his face. "Woah" he whispered, eyes wide. "Nineteen sixty seven Shelby Cobra GT 500" Hector said, trailing his fingers across the hood of the red beauty, "Mustang. My papi races it on the Pro-Stock Car Circuit. Dom's ole man races on that circuit, but, y'know, on a higher ranking. His car's, like, 600 horsepower. You should see that Charger, man..." Hector trailed off, not having the words to described the car Dom and his father had built. "Damn" Leon sighed, not knowing what else to say, stepping closer to the Shelby, "What's its best time?". "12 seconds" Hector answered with a faint smile, "She does zero to sixty in 9 seconds. 350 horsepower. He hasn't raced it in a while. Him and Chucho have been working on it. When they finish, he reckons it'll be strong as Marc's Charger. It's more of a show car, though. Like, it's fast, and it can race, but if it were mine, I'd be showin' it". Leon didn't really care if it was strong or not. It was a sight to behold, either way. The filmy light seeping in from outside shimmered against the blood red painwork, two door, four halogen headlights, and... and... it was just beautiful. Standing next to this car was a privaledge. "You ever driven it?" Leon asked, he moved closer to the car and reached out to touch the shiny metal, almost scared, for some reason. Scared it wasn't real. Scared some kind of alarm would blare out and he'd be in some major shit. Scared that Hector didn't want him touching it. His fingertips brushed the cool metal, and when nothing happened, he smiled at his own paranoia. "Nah. I'm not allowed" Hector sighed, starting to pull the cover back over the car. Leon thought it was unfair to cover up something so beautiful, but he moved to help anyway. Wasn't his car, now, was it? "How come?" Leon asked, as they pulled it over the front bumper, so that the car was completely covered, save for the midnight black Pirelli tyres. Hector was a good driver, he knew that for a fact. Hell, he was seventeen and he could drive on a Nos injection. That was good e-fucking-nough for Leon. "Coz he don't like me" Hector shrugged, totally sincere, then looked up sharply as the door they'd come through opened. Leon hadn't thought there was anyone who looked more cold and menacing than Luis, but he was obviously mistaken. This guy was the epitome of Black Rage. There was nothing warm or open or inviting or even remotely friendly about this guy. He was latin, atleast 6"2, built like a birck shithouse, with shoulders almost as broad as the door was wide, and had muscle upon muscle. "Hector. Wot the fuck do you think yer doin'?" he asked. His voice was fairly calm. Calculated. But Leon sensed that he was angry and stayed quiet. Kept his eyes down. Hector obviously knew this guy, and therefore knew how to handle him better than Leon did. "Papi" Hector began, speaking so soft Leon could barely hear him, then raised his head and his voice, a little, "I...I woz jus' showin' Leon yer car. We didn't touch it. I swear...". "What did I tell you about this car?" the man answered, his voice rising that slightest bit which signalled to Leon that he was going to explode soon. He'd seen it in his own father often enough. "Lo siento" Hector answered, not answering the actual question. Leon didn't know what he'd said, but by the tone he'd said it in and the way Hector was staring at the ground while he spoke, he guessed it was some kind of apology or appeal for forgiveness. "What did I tell you about this car, Hector?" he repeated, a growling emphasis added to some words. He was losing his patience. "You said I wasn't allowed near it" Hector answered, eyes glued to the garage floor, completely submissive in a way that Leon had never seen him with anyone. Hector; loud, obnoxious, brash, fun-loving, mischievious Hector was all but gone. Leon was somewhat confused by it, but didn't say anything. It was safer to just let Hector deal with this guy, whoever he might be, because Leon had no idea what he was capable of, or what he might do if Leon piped up. "Explain to me why you're even standing in this garage then?" the latin man replied, crossing his massive arms over his chest. Hector's gaze remained on the floor as he struggled for an explination that was atleast partially acceptable. "No good reason" Hector answered after a long moment, not being able to come up with anything good enough, "Lo siento, papi. Lo siento mucho". It dawned on Leon that Hector was calling him 'papi'. He didn't know Spanish, but he'd heard Hector use that name before, and he knew who this was now. It was Hector's old man. "Don't you give me that weak shit, boy!" he jabbed a finger towards Hector, "I won't tolerate that pussy ass crap in my house!". Hector kept his head down and nodded. Leon stayed silent, because no one was talking to him or asking for his opinion. Personally, he was scared shitless, but he wasn't about to voice this and have that mound of muscle angry with him, if he wasn't already. "I jus told you to stop this shit! Don't you give me a pussy little nod, cabrona! Tell me you understand!" he practically shouted. Irritation was an understatement. He was hurtling towards 'angry', maybe even 'pissed off'. Leon didn't want to wait around to see 'enraged'. "I understand" Hector said clearly, but not at all strongly, he did look up from the oil spot on the ground he'd been staring at though. His father just glared at him for the longest time. Leon thought he must've forgotten what he was doing or something, when he spoke up. "Get inside" the man gruffed, moving from the doorway and jabbing a thumb over his shoulder, towards the house, "Your Moms wants you to set the table". Hector only glanced up at Leon long enough to wave for him to follow, then headed out, skirting carefully around the 6"2 wall of muscle that still stood by the doorway. Leon was careful to follow and keep his eyes down. This guy reminded him of his own father. And he didn't like it one bit. Chapter 11 The food was amazing, to say the very least. Hector's Moms was the best cook Leon had ever had the pleasure of coming across. She placed on the table a massive platter of spicy, sizzling hot marinated meats of all descriptions that Leon had mostly never heard of, an avacado dip that Leon couldn't pronounce the proper name for, amazingly brightly coloured vegetables, chunky red salsa with jalapenos, juicy saut�ed pineapples, exotic fruits sliced up and looking better than anything Leon could remember ever having the pleasure of eating before, and the smell...woah. Leon was surprised half the street hadn't been dragged in by it. He could almost imagine it as though they were in a cartoon, the beautiful scent wafting down the street and people following their noses until they found the source of it. She insisted that they turn off the TV and have a proper conversation instead, and the seven of them sat at the table in the kitchen. Leon couldn't remember the last time he'd had dinner with his own family, all together, sitting at the table like he was now. Lately, it was just-eat when you're hungry, and do so in front of the TV without bothering anyone else. This was a nice and welcome change. So was the atmosphere Hector's family created without even seeming to try or realise what they were doing. They were all so loud and friendly as they laughed and talked and poked and jostled each other. Leon just kept up his smile and tried not to get lost in it. Hector's brothers; Chucho, Elias and Pedro; were each like one another, yet somehow different. Leon thought that if you melded them all together into one person, you would come up with a carbon copy of Mr Black Rage, who sat at the head of the table. He had no idea how Hector's mother had popped all four of them out. She was a tiny little woman. Maybe about 4"11, probably shorter, and thin as a rail. He couldn't imagine how she could squeeze out these four, or how she ever got with her husband, Mr Muscle, for that matter. Leon could see the family resemblance not only in the way they all held some similar characteristics, but in their manner. The way they spoke with no thought spared for feelings that might be hurt or consequences that may have arisen. The way they made a joke out of everything and pretty much refused to not be happy. Leon liked that. He liked it because it was basically the exact opposite of his own family, and maybe that was what he needed right now. "You aright?" Leon hissed, elbowing Hector. He glanced up, nodded without even bothering to try and force a smile, then looked back down at his plate. Hector had been the only one not to join in with the laughing and the teasing and everything else that his family had been doing in the short period of time they'd sat at the table and eaten. He answered when he was spoken to, but that was it. He'd been the brunt of his brother's jokes all night, and he hadn't said a single thing in his own defense. Leon wished the loud, fun Hector he knew would come back, and wished he knew what had driven that person away in the first place. Hector's mother, Lamanda, seemed to catch on to what Leon had said, and studied at her youngest son with a slight frown. "What's wrong, papacito? You're quiet" she said, brushing some stray black hair from her eyes and peering at him, "And you've barely touched your food. I usually can't fill you. You not feeling well?". "I'm fine, Moms. Jus' not hungry, that's all" Hector answered, again not bothering to force a smile. Leon watched Hector slide his gaze from his mother, across to Chucho as he began laughing and elbowed Elias. "Not hungry?" he said with a chuckle, "Fuck orf, boy. *Breathing* makes you hungry!". The three of them cracked up, and again, Hector said nothing. "You know what the problem is?" Black Rage piped up from the end of the table, and Leon tried not to make eye contact with him as he spoke, "It's you treatin' him like a damn baby". "He *is* my baby" Lamanda protested, smiling warmly at Hector. Perhaps, if he hadn't have had his eyes downcast and his head down, he would have noticed. But because his head *was* down and his eyes *were* downcast, he didn't. Leon watched the conversation like a tennis match. Eyes darting from each speaker to the next. "He's seventeen!" Black Rage protested, but Leon didn't sense that anger that had laced his words back in the garage. He wasn't angry. This was a somewhat friendly argument. Well, it was alot friendlier than half of the arguments that had erupted during his own family's dinner times. "If you wanna make your boys hardass, choose one'a them three" Lamanda waved a hand towards the three older brothers who sat along the opposite side of the table to Hector and Leon, "I'm keepin' my baby". "Why can't I be your baby?" Pedro asked, putting on a sad puppy dog face. Leon smiled faintly. This was all in good fun, from what he could tell. It was better than having screaming matches over the dinner table, as per the norm in his house. Black Rage, sitting at the head of the table like he owned the place, suddenly seemed to remember something, and he raised his hand over his head to emphasize that he had something to announce. The movement was sharp and unexpected, but Leon still frowned when Hector flinched away from it. What was that all about? His hand had barely gone *near* Hector as he raised it. And with his eyes down on his plate, how the hell did Hector see it anyway? Leon eyed Hector, waiting for some kind of explanation, but he remained silent, as he had almost all night, and didn't offer a clue in the slightest. * * * It had been arranged beforehand that Leon would spend the night at Hector's. Sprawled on a mattress that was alot more comfortable than it looked on Hector's bedroom floor, Leon cast his gaze over the various posters that adorned his bedroom walls. After dinner had been made over and done with, Lamanda and Pedro had set about doing the dishes, while Chucho, Elias and their father retreated to the TV. Hector had seemed somewhat relieved at having the chance to make himself scarce, and had quickly ushered Leon away from the others. "Hector" Leon started, pulling his gaze away from the posters he'd been looking at, instead turning it towards who he was addressing. Hector looked over at him from where he was sitting on his bed with his back against the wall, seemingly staring at nothing. "How...how come, when yer Dad raised his hand at dinner...how come you flinched away, man?" Leon tried not to be accusing or anything, but couldn't find any better way to ask than just asking it straight out. Hector just looked at him for a long moment, then sighed and shook his head. "Doan worry. It's nothin'. It's jus' a habit" he shrugged, and tried to resume his previous activity of staring into space. "Wot from?" Leon prodded. He didn't like anything about Hector's Dad. He didn't like the over-powering position he took over the family. He didn't like the way he'd been so angry over *nothing* in the garage this afternoon. He didn't like the things he'd heard from Jesse about him being violent towards Lamanda. He didn't like the way that he had some kind of choke hold on Hector, and the way that his mood seemed to depend on his father's. "Wotchoo mean?" Hector replied, trying his hardest to skirt around the question without actually answering it. "I mean, you don't jus' start doin' somethin' like that for no reason, y'know?" Leon answered, spreading his hands, "There's gotta be a reason". "Yeah, maybe" Hector muttered, doing an excellent job of skirting once again, but Leon wasn't about to let him slide right past like that. He wanted answers. He wanted to know what the deal was with Black Rage, and why he got such a strong bad vibe off of him. "Tell me, Hector" Leon insisted, moving to a sitting position, "I ain't gonna nark you out to no one, man. C'mon". Hector looked at him for a long moment, then sighed and looked down. He kept his gaze downcast as he spoke, not really wanting to see Leon's reaction. "I guess you know my papi used to hit my Moms" he said, fidgeting with the hem of the quilt he was sitting on, "Hell, everyone knows that...And I guess you also know dat we got counsellin' an' shit, y'know, worked through the problems, coz everyone knows that too...but, uh, we only ever started counselling coz Moms kicked Papi out this one time. Coz...coz, he hit me but that's all over now and we got through that shit so it don't matter no more". The end became a rushed blur of an explanation and an attempt at closing the topic for discussion. "It *does* matter" Leon insisted, partially understanding, but still hazy on a few things. He wasn't sure if he could get anything else out of Hector now, though. Seemed like the defenses had gone right on up and now there was no breaking through. "It doesn't" Hector repeated, waving a hand at him and slumping further against the wall, "It's stupid. Jus' forget it". Leon wasn't about to pour out his life story or his problems with his own father's violence, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't adding up. Why did Hector's father have such a strong hold and influence on his son if it was only this one time? Hector made it sound like it was no big deal. Like nothing was made of it. But there surely had to be more than that, for his reaction to something as simple as his father raising a hand to be so strong and so instinctual. "It ain't stupid, man" Leon tried again. He didn't want to push Hector for any more information, and figured he could just asked Vince or Jesse what the deal was. Maybe even Letty. She seemed pretty close to Hector, from what he could tell. "Yer right" Hector answered, staring at his hands, "It ain't stupid. It's *fucking* stupid". Leon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was not the situation or topic for that kind of thing. This was serious. More serious than Hector was letting on, he was sure. "Hector..." Leon began to protest, but was interrupted. "Please, Leon. Jus' leave it. It was a long time ago, and it's over, a'ight?" Hector pleaded, actually looking across at him. He seemed somewhat upset and uncomfortable, perhaps even pained by the subject, so Leon decided to let things slide for now, and nodded, "A'ight." Chapter 12 "I'm goin' next door" Skye called from the hallway where she was slicking on some cherry lip gloss in front of the hall mirror. She'd actually brushed her blonde hair and it was pulled into two quick piggy tails. It made her look younger. Happier. "Want me to watch the kids?" Leon asked, coming out of the lounge room where Daron was smoking a joint and playing his guitar with a bottle of Jack Daniels on the floor by his feet. Skye glanced at him over her shoulder as she reached the front door, pulling on a light denim jacket. She looked so much nicer in the baggy denim shorts that hung from her slim hips and white wifebeater that accentuated what curves she did have, than the usual faded tights and dirty t-shirt. She actually looked her age, (27, making her ten years younger than Luis) instead of half dead. "Nah, we're gonna take 'em to the beach" she flashed a smile that was usually consider rare, but was becoming more and more frequent, "Thanks anyways". Leon just smiled and nodded, happy that *she* was happy, and she left, Jason running down the hallway after her in red shorts that almost reached his ankles and a white t-shirt with a sun wearing sunnies on the front. "See ya, Boo" Leon called, leaning on the door frame. Jason turned around, powered back to his brother, hugged his leg quickly, then ran after Skye, bellowing at her to wait for him. Leon glanced over his shoulder at Daron, who was soon going to pass out from the thick mull-smoke clouds that were gathering in the lounge, then headed into the kitchen to make a sandwich before he headed round to Vince's, where he'd bum a lift to work. "Where's Skye?" Luis asked, coming in from the backyard, dropping the cigarette he'd been smoking on the floor and butting it out with the heel of his shoe. Leon looked over his shoulder at his father while grabbing the bread from the pantry. "She's gone wit Slim to the beach. They took the kids wit them" Leon replied, opening the fridge and retrieving the butter, lettuce and tuna. Luis shoved him out of the way and leaned in to grab a beer. Leon stumbled against the bench, grabbing onto it to rebalance himself, but didn't say anything. "She's always out with that bitch. Never home, where she belongs" Luis growled, working the cap off his beer and flicking it a Leon. It hit him just behind his ear, then fell to the floor, but he pretended not to notice, continuing with making his sandwich. He didn't need this now. He just wanted to make his sandwich and leave. "Why can't you just be happy for her?" he asked softly, keeping his eyes on the lettuce he was cutting up, even though his father was behind him. There was no one else in the kitchen besides the two of them, so Leon figured it was obvious enough who he was talking to. "Wot'd you say?" Luis growled, frowning. He'd only caught a few muffled words, because he was used to just ignoring him all together. Leon calmly put the knife down, reaching for the bread, but still didn't turn around to address him full on. "I said- why can't you just be happy for her?" he repeated, keeping his voice even and calm. Why couldn't his old man just be glad that his girlfriend, the woman he was supposed to love, had found some happiness? She'd followed him loyally all over the country, and sure she complained, but she never ever left. She deserved something good in her life for once, and she wasn't getting that from Luis. "Boy, don't you take that tone with me" Luis warned, jabbing a finger at him even though he wasn't looking, "An' don't you tell me wot to do! That's my job". Yeah, fuckin' oath. Leon kept his mouth shut, and buttered his bread. He had to be at work in ten minutes. He didn't need or want to fight with his father now. Leon quickly made up his sandwich, his father watching him warily the entire time, then began to put away the things he'd gotten out. He glanced at his watch. Five minutes. He'd have to eat on the way to Vince's. "What's the rush?" Luis asked, raising an eyebrow, flopping into a seat at the kitchen table. He put his beer down on the table, and pulled his cigarettes from his pocket. "I gotta go to work" Leon answered, picking up his sandwich and heading out, "I'll be back at six". He didn't even wait for his father to reply or protest before escaping out the front door and down the path. Hector's brothers were out the front of their place, hosing down their cars, but Hector was no where to be seen. Leon offered a quick wave as they called greetings to him, then hurried in the direction of Vince's house. Jesse's front yard was empty, but the front door was open and Leon could hear the TV from out there on the footpath. It was one hot stinker of a day, so it was no surprise that the doors and windows of most of the homes on the street were left open. Trying to catch a breeze. Not like there was anything worth stealing in most of these houses anyway. Leon reached Vince's within five minutes, but Vince wasn't out the front, where he usually was. His car was on the driveway, and the front door was open, just like every other front door Leon had passed on his way here, but there was no Vince. Leon headed up the footpath, shoving the last of his sandwich in his mouth, chewing furiously so as to finish before he reached the front door. Before he even reached the porch, he spied Vince's younger sisters out in the backyard with a skipping rope, one holding an end, one skipping. The other end was being held by someone Leon couldn't see for the house. He moved towards them. Abbie, some where near twelve, was holding one end of the rope, and Jamey, almost ten, was skipping. The other end was being held by a thirteen year old Latin boy who looked pretty embarrassed when he noticed Leon. "He's inside, Leon" Abbie called to him, pointing towards the house with her spare hand. Leon guessed she was talking about Vince, but if V was in no hurry to get to work, then neither was he. "Who's yer friend?" he asked, nodding towards the Latin kid with the bright red cheeks. Jamey messed up, the rope getting tangled between her legs, and stomped a foot angrily. "Yer not doin' it right, Lex" she snapped, chestnut braids flying out from either side of her head as she whirled on the Latin boy. Lex. Leon couldn't place the name, but he did look vaguely familiar. "That's Lex" Abbie told him, as though he didn't already know, pointing at the Latin kid, "Y'know Emanuel?". Leon shook his head. No, he didn't know Emanuel. "Y'know... Emanuel... Letty's big brother" Abbie prompted, pushing some blonde hair from her face. Leon shook his head again, "I know Letty, not Emanuel". "Yeah, well, Lex is their brother" Abbie replied, waving a hand at the Latin boy again. Leon nodded this time, understanding which family Lex belonged to. This place almost reminded him of that pathetic, deluded show, "Passions". Where everyone was intertwined and there were so many complicated family trees and everyone was everyone else's father or cousin or son. "Yo, Leon. You ready to go?" Vince came pounding down the back steps, pulling a mesh singlet over the army camouflage one that he already wore. Leon hadn't seen Vince without his hoodie on before. He had a colourful tattoo over one shoulder that must have hurt like piss and taken a long time to do. Despite always seeming to be wearing a jumper, V had a tan that could almost rival Dom's or Hector's if he really tried. "Yeah. Jus' waitin' for you" Leon shrugged. Vince gave Lex a friendly shove as he passed, winking at him over his shoulder. "Hey Vince" Lex grinned, the redness having receded from his cheeks. Leon glanced over him as he began to follow V. He had neat cornrows and wore an oversized white t-shirt with baggy cargo shorts, a fairly light platinum chain around his neck, white tube socks pulled up to his knees and white Nike sneakers. The epitome of a traditional cholo. He had the same 'don't mess with me' air that Letty seemed to hold perfectly. "Ay Lex. Doan let these two tell you wot t'do, eh?" Vince called back over his shoulder as he and Leon headed for the Nissan. Leon climbed into the passenger seat, glancing again at his watch. They were already five minutes late for work, and it was gonna take them atleast another five to get over there, with V driving. "Wot took so long?" Leon asked, deciding that he wouldn't inform Vince of his own lateness unless he asked. It wasn't important or relevant right now. "Jus' helpin' my Mom with the washing. She's gotta take them three to some birthday party in about five minutes, so I helped her with the washing so they weren't late" Vince replied, screaming out of the driveway. Leon would have thought this sounded very un-Vince-like, but he knew that Vince's old man had been killed in a motor accident almost six years ago, and that left V as the man of the house. He was overly protective of his family and they always came first. "Abbie said Letty's got another brother" Leon remarked after driving for a while with nothing said, save for what came from the stereo system. Vince nodded, pulling a sharp left with no indicator or thought spared for the other vehicles on the road. "Yeah. Emanuel. Doesn't live with them though. He lives right in the city. Y'know the Jungle?" Vince glanced at him as he pulled onto the street Toretto's garage was situated on. Leon nodded in response. He'd heard of it. Alot of crimes and murders were traced right back to this one street: the Jungle. One way in, one way out. It was pretty well known and notorious for being a less than friendly place to be. "He lives there" Vince continued, pulling up behind the garage and killing the engine, "He's into all that gangsta shit, y'know? He's good to Let and Lex, though. He's got their backs. Makes sure they're always gettin' by". Leon climbed out of the car. Why couldn't he have a cool older brother like Emanuel? Why'd he get stuck with Daron, the no-hope stoner? "He sounds cool" he commented as Marc waved at them from the office. He didn't look angry or even remotely upset about them being late, but Leon hadn't expected him to. He'd never seen Marc angry, and he just didn't seem like the type of person who could just loose his cool and go right off at you. He was always so calm and calculated that Leon couldn't imagine him any other way. "Yeah, he is" Vince answered, following him into the garage and over to the workbench where they'd dumped their worksuits the other day, "Looks a bit like Hector's brother Chucho, come to think of it". Leon nodded slowly, remembering something he'd been meaning to ask. "V" Leon grabbed his elbow and pulled him closer, not exactly wanting everyone south of Canada to hear what he was saying, "Wot do you think of Hector's old man?". Vince seemed to catch on that Leon wasn't talking about something that was meant to be shared with mixed company, and motioned around a corner that was out of view and out of ear shot. "I reckon he's a cockhead and a mean fucking drunk" Vince replied, his voice lowered to a husky whisper, "Why?". Leon tried to piece the puzzle together in his head, but there were still a few important bits missing and the picture just didn't look right without them in it. "Jus'... Jesse said the other night that he hit his Moms, but he never mentioned him hitting Hector" Leon answered, keeping his voice low and his eyes on Vince, searching for a reaction. Had Hector mentioned anything to V? By the looks of it, perhaps he had. "Wot?" V frowned, "Wot'd Hector tell you?". Leon matched his frown. Was he trying to say Hector was lying? That his old man hadn't ever laid a hand on him? But why then was his reaction to his father's simplest gestures so instinctual? And why did Vince think so little of Black Rage if he wasn't really violent? "Hector said his Moms threw his old man out coz he hit him this one time" Leon answered, glancing around the corner as sounds came from the main part of the garage. Dom was opening the hood of a midnight blue Talon, more noisily than he needed to, probably trying to be obvious about wanting them to get their asses over there and help. "Hector said that?" Vince asked, as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Leon nodded, "Yeah. Why?". He didn't understand why Vince seemed so confused about what Hector had told him. He was confused himself. Why would Hector make something up like that? Surely there were better ways of getting attention. "He didn't jus' hit him" Vince answered after a long beat of silence, lowering his voice so that Leon could barely hear him. His brows furrowed further, trying to understand but not being able to without all the puzzle pieces. The picture still wasn't making sense. "Wotchoo mean?" he asked, because Vince had paused again. Leon was still trying to get his head around this. Why in hell would Hector make up a lie that incriminated his father just so that Leon would think he was, what, tough? And he'd seemed so genuine. It had seemed to Leon like this was the real deal. And what did Vince mean by 'didn't' *just* hit him'? "I mean...he didn't just hit him. He beat the shit outta him. Hector was in hospital for weeks. Doctor's didn't even think he would make it at first. Fredo cracked his head open and he'd lost a tonne of blood. It wasn't pretty. The only time I ever seen Letty cry woz when she seen Hector all busted up like that" Vince explained, "Lamanda took Fredo back after a little while, and they got counsellin' an' shit. Reckon it's all behind 'em. But I don't think that's true. I reckon he stills hits 'em. Hector comes to school sometimes with bruises on his arms an' shit, an' he says he jus' woz tusslin' wit one'a his brothers, but I reckon it's Fredo. Reckon he's jus' got 'em too scared to talk. Doan say nothin' though, hey. Maybe I'm wrong. But I don't think so. Jus' doan go blabblin' an shit, a'ight, coz they doan need that right now." |