Subsequential

Phone to her ear, eyes on the mirror. The truck lumbered around the corner, finally putting all its wheels in the correct lane and Carra sighed her relief. Damn thing turned like it was in mud!

She took the phone away from her ear and pushed the ‘send’ button. Someone picked up on the first ring. “Toretto’s.”

Carra smiled. That kind of enthusiasm must win them all sorts of customers. “Hi. I’m looking for Dominic.”

Silence. Had to be Letty. What other woman would be answering the garage’s phone?

“Dom!”

Carra jerked the phone back, thankful it hadn’t been against her ear. Clattering over the phone. Had the girl thrown the phone at him?

“Toretto here.”

For unexplained reasons Carra had to take a second breath before she could speak. What was that? “This is Carra. I’m heading in your direction. Leon had some things that he wanted you to have.”

Silence.

“You’re coming here?”

She smiled, “Is that acceptable?”

“Just didn’t expect it.” Noises over the phone. What was he doing? “Look. Just sell it or keep it or whatever. It ain’t worth the trip to bring a few things over here.”

Carra glanced in her rearview. “He had more than a few things.”

He mumbled something she couldn’t catch, the tone wasn’t appreciative.

“Look, Dominic. I don’t want to come there any more than you want me there. You were the one that mentioned the will. Well, guess what? You were in it. He provided for his parents and everything else went to you. I can park this fucking truck right here and let the next hoodlum take it, or you can tell me where to go. Your decision.”

“What about you?” His tone was quiet.

She was confused for just a second. He was referring to the will. “Don’t worry about me.”

Silence again, longer this time.

“Alright. Bring it.” He listed off the address and the directions. She was close. “Can I read the will?”

“Whatever.” She hung up, close to tears.

Closer than she thought. She did end up having to stop the truck, eyes filling with tears. Sitting there staring into the rearview, she looked at Leon’s car. He had given it to Dom, and she was happy about that. He’d had two, and she was keeping one, though it was in a rented storage shed that she might never return to.

Finally she pulled the truck with its trailer up in front of the garage at the address he’d given her. There was a row of flashy vehicles on the street.

She climbed down, smiling at Mia standing in the front door. But then people were coming at her from the garage and she gave them her attention.

Brian was there. He was looking at the truck, a mostly confused look on his face. The others just stood back and inspected warily. She was practically on enemy territory here.

“Don’t you have to have a special license for that?” Brian asked, shielding his eyes to stare at her.

Carra raised a brow, “Once a cop?” she asked. She pulled her money clip with her ID. “Here’s my license if you want to see it, officer. I have a Class A license. Even have HazMat training and Passenger endorsement.”

She saw Vince look at Dom before looking back at her, but Dom didn’t change his stance from slouched with hands in pockets.

“He had two cars.”

Carra almost gasped. Her eyes speared him, and finally he looked at her. But she couldn’t hold her ground after that kind of dig. Instead she chewed her lip and dropped her gaze. “Yes, he had two. Now this one is yours.”

Letty suddenly became animated. “Hey! That’s fucking cool!” She stared around at them as if she didn’t understand why they weren’t celebrating with her. Carra enjoyed watching the slow look Dom gave Letty before turning and walking away towards the back of the truck.

Carra hopped into the cab and grabbed the lumpy folder she’d brought. Dom was unlatching the truck’s door when she got back there.

The door rattled up, interior lights coming on automatically. She’d had everything from Leon's 'workshop', which was really just his side of the garage, put into this truck. It had been impressive in the garage, here it was a little more pathetic, shoved in to fit and out of its perfect organization.

“He kept working,” Dom said softly.

She couldn’t help looking up at him. He sounded disbelieving. “Of course he did.” She turned to look at the car on the trailer, still covered. “It was a part of him.”

He looked at her as he turned, she felt it more than saw it. “What is it?”

Carra smiled and held the keys up, “Yours.”

That bottom lip sucked in, a crease forming in his brow. He took the keys when she held them out. She was actually looking forward to him seeing the car for the first time. It was beautiful and she’d been duly impressed when Leon had showed it to her when it was finished.

Dom moved around the car, releasing the ties and then yanked to cover in one go.

Carra smiled appreciatively, while keeping an eye on Dom.

His eyes lit up, like any male’s would. But that crease didn’t leave his brow and his jaw hardened all the more.

It was a ’90 Honda Civic CRX, midnight blue but so reflective it hurt the eyes to look at it. Carra didn’t understand the dynamics of all those pretty colors under the hood, but she knew what it could do, how it sounded, and how proud Leon had been of it. It was a beast. A beautiful loud beast.

A whistle had her turning to see Brian and Vince coming down the sidewalk.

“You’re giving this away?” Brian asked, his shock at her behavior apparent.

“Brian,” Dom warned, but Carra was already speaking.

“It’s not mine. Leon bought it, built it, and then gave it to Dom. I have no use for it.” She smiled at it, “But I’d love to see it in a glass box.”

Silence. She was getting used to causing those. Was everyone else just in denial to what she was going through?

“He named it.”

Dom had been leaning in the driver’s side door. She knew what he spoke of. Her name was written in scrawled letters on the steering wheel, the leather branded. “I guess so. You can have that removed.” She felt embarrassed with the way he was looking at her.

“So, anyway.” She held out the envelope. “His tools are insured, the car is insured, and a copy of the will is in here. I just need a signature on a few things for the lawyers to record that you received the items specified.”

He was coming at her and she marked his beauty for just a second. Bronze skin, powerful physique. It made her sad instead of the assumed excited for noticing something like that, and she wished she hadn’t noticed.

“You want this truck unloaded now?”

She shook her head, refusing to look at him again. “No, take your time. It’s a rental. I’ll send the people over to get it in a day or two. The trailer goes with the car.”

Using the edge of the truck he opened the file holder. Papers and keys, and a smaller envelope slid out.

“Keys for the tool boxes, and a box for something in the car.” She shrugged, honestly not knowing anything about it. “All the policies have been switched over. The tools are lifetime.” She smiled a little here, but didn’t say anything about the irony. “The car is a year.”

The top papers were hers and he signed next to the red ‘X’s and handed those to her. He looked over the rest of the papers, either knowing what he was looking at or pretending very well. The last paper he stared at longer. “This was paid this week.”

The car insurance. She nodded, “I did that. It’s fully covered for a year.” She shrugged, “I could even keep up the policy after that. I haven’t decided.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

They stared at each other for long seconds, and again it was Carra who dropped her gaze. “I know, but…” She didn’t finish, not caring to explain it to this man when she didn’t fully understand it herself.

“And this?” He’d picked up the letter from Leon. The hand-written name on the front in Leon’s imperfect writing.

She couldn’t look at it. “He had time to write letters.”

Those dark eyes were on her again. No words. And she didn’t want any. Couldn’t handle them even if they were offered.

“I’ll go,” she whispered.

“Wait. We can give you a ride,” he said, turning to follow her.

She pointed at her car coming up. She’d called after talking to him, giving her driver the address. “I have one. Thanks.” She waved up at the house where Mia was still standing in the doorway, now with Brian and Vince.

“Take care of that,” she told him, looking at Leon’s car. Then she stared straight at Dom as her car pulled up behind her. “Though I don’t think you deserve it.”

She saw the impact her words had. Saw his face fall and then close in anger. But she was already in the car. A slap on the roof got it moving and she watched him looking after her. She was crying before they reached the end of the block.