Be All, End All

Darynn sighed and rolled her eyes. This was just *great*! Her first day, the *trial* day, and she bloodied one of her coworkers. That wasn’t going to look well on her review! She flexed her hand and checked her knuckles. Red, but no splits. Innumerable injuries in car after car had left her skin scarred and tough.

Low stepped back into the open door and gave her an assessing look that she met directly. If she punched one of them she just might have to punch another. Would they stick up for their dishonored friend?

He indicated her hand that she’d been flexing, “Okay?”

She nodded and flexed it again, still on alert.

“Don’t mind Vince, he’s overprotective.”

*Overprotective?* “Of what?”

For the first time Low smiled and she saw that he really was a handsome man. “Dom.”

Darynn ‘humffed’ and nodded considering. It made sense. Either as a friend, or possibly as a lover? Was Vince hot for Dom? And, if so, did Dom know? That gave her something to think about. Did Vince not want women around to distract Dom from him? This could get interesting.

“I guess I’ll just get back to work.”

Low didn’t speak to her again as she left the small office. If that was where he spent most of his day she felt sorry for him. A small drab room with one small dirty window that looked out over a lot that looked to be collecting expensive junk.

Leon and Gregg came toward her as soon as she emerged.

“Hey, killer. *Tiron necio*?” Leon asked.

Darynn grinned, “Sorry. I don’t know much Spanish. It just came to me.”

They laughed with her and teased her until she was feeling halfway normal again, or at least a little more at ease. After punching one of the ‘team’ she had expected persecution. After a few minutes they all got back to work.

Dom came in an hour or so later.

“So am I a hated enemy?” she asked when he joined her beneath the MR2.

“Don’t worry about it. He’ll get over it.”

His noncommittal answer struck her as wrong. “Has he done this before?”

Dom stopped what he was doing to look at her. “Not really. V just has some issues with trust. Burnt once sorta thing.”

“So I’m to be therapy for the boy?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “He’ll get drunk and ignore you. Might insult you a few times. If you stay he’ll get over it. No big deal.”

Darynn gave him her most innocent smile, “That is if I don’t punch him again, right?”

Her sarcasm didn’t go over well. He narrowed dark eyes at her would-be humor. “You hit him again and I’ll let him get a few licks in on you before we pull him off.”

“How chivalrous of you.”

“Chivalry ain’t got shit to do with it. You want on this team you’ll learn to take what you give. The *tiron necio* would have been enough. He’da had to go look up what you called him.”

Darynn left it at that, though she felt seriously uncomfortable. How was she to work with that asshole Vince? His absence wouldn’t be permanent. He probably just didn’t want to show his face and be embarrassed by letting them all see what she’d done. But tomorrow, the next day. He wouldn’t stay gone forever and then there’d be some serious animosity going on.

Nothing else of note happened that day. They worked and sweated their asses off until they were all covered in grime and grease and didn’t smell so good.

Dom left for a while around noon and brought them lunch. Burgers and sodas. Each of the guys put away at least three burgers to each of hers, and she had three! Obviously Dom had known they’d have an appetite because there was food leftover.

Leon and Gregg joined them as the sun was starting to set. They talked and goofed off while her and Dom worked.

Low had made several trips out of the garage during the day. Now he returned with supplies. They helped him bring in several boxes of parts, and a cooler full of Corona’s that Leon and Gregg were too eager to get. It seemed to be the cue to end the day.

In lawn chairs and sitting on a brick wall in the shade of the building they sat and drank. Darynn enjoyed just listening to them. Guys will be guys. From women to cars and back to women. So predictable. It was just nice to be a part of something so familiar again. They didn’t try to include her much and she didn’t volunteer. She was hot and dirty and tired, but the beer was good.

They were starting to get physical, standing to demonstrate one thing or another, when Darynn decided to call it a night. She was having problems keeping her eyes open.

“Well, good night, guys.”

“You leaving already? We still got beer,” Gregg argued.

Darynn stood and set her bottle with the crowd of other empties. “The rate you’re going, you’ll be glad I stopped drinking.”

“Good workin’ with ya, girlie,” Leon said, not bothering to move from his sagging lawn chair.

“’Night,” was all Low said.

Dom stood and followed her.

“I don’t need an escort.”

“Shut the fuck up for a minute.”

For once Darynn obeyed. As teasing as they all were, she got the feeling that Dom was always the most serious. One of those guys that was always in control, never lost his cool.

When they were around the corner and heading for her car he spoke again. “Are you coming back?”

“Do you want me to?”

He rubbed a hand across his bare head before answering. “Doesn’t matter what I want, it’s up to you. Vince isn’t going to change. I don’t want any more fights, but he won’t be no gentleman either.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter what you want? This is your shop, right?”

They reached her car and stopped before it.

“I just mean it’s up to you.”

Darynn hated this beating around the bush shit. Was he trying to be cryptic? “How do you figure that?” she asked, her annoyance showing. “If you don’t want me here I won’t come back. Just fuckin’ tell me the truth. Is the job offer still open or am I too much trouble?”

He smiled at her outburst. “Temper. You’d never be too much trouble. Look at what I’m already fuckin’ dealing with. The offer stands.”

“Then I’ll be back.”

He nodded, “Good. You did a good job today. Have a good night.”

His abrupt exits were becoming familiar. She watched him walk back the way they had come and disappear around the corner of the garage.

Darynn’s head swiveled to look at the house. Lights were on inside on the lower floor and she swore someone was standing at one of the windows. Vince?

She hated leaving with things the way they were. Left alone the problem would just simmer and she could expect more of the same attitude from him tomorrow. Except now she’d been warned against hitting him. Ridiculous. He didn’t seem like a wimp that needed someone to fight his battles for him. Quite the opposite really.

With a heavy sigh and a white knuckled grip on her patience and temper she up to the house.

There was no answer to her knocking. After a minute of feeling like an idiot she tried the knob. It was unlocked.

“Vince?” she called as she stepped inside, feeling like the lousiest burglar in the world. Not even dark all the way and she was sneaking into her boss’s house.

Living room on the left, steps going up near the back. Couch was facing away from her, but a dark head was clearly visible, silhouetted against the television.

“Vince?”

“Get fuckin’ lost.”

Okay, this was going well. She nearly left, but wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “Look, I wanted to apologize for this morning. And…And I wanted to make sure you weren’t really hurt.” She had to fight a smile at rubbing his face into getting hit by a girl.

“Screw you. Fuck your ‘sorry’, and fuck your checkin’ on me.”

He finally stood and turned to her and she gasped and stepped forward unthinking. His nose looked a bit swollen and was discolored and there was darkness at the inside of both of his eyes. “Ah, shit. I really am sorry.”

His stance immediately became defensive as she approached and she stopped suddenly not wanting to cause a confrontation again. “I just thought we could be civil.”

He sneered at her, “Civil? I don’t care about you. You chicks are all the same. Dom will give you that look and you’ll be on your knees suckin’ his dick.”

Darynn’s mouth literally dropped at his vulgar comment. “I’m not here for Dom.”

“Not checkin’ him out at all then, huh?”

She smiled, “What the fuck? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking, but I’m here to work. Make some money, keep my car in parts, and maybe do some racing.”

The look he gave her was far from convinced.

“Look. I got the car, I got the balls, but no back up, no connections. Racing’s the only fuckin’ thing I care about.”

He looked towards the front of the house for a second. “You got the car, but I haven’t seen that you got the balls.”

Darynn smiled, “Yeah, well, we didn’t start off good. You wanna go for a drive with me?”

If she’d punched him again she probably wouldn’t get such a surprised expression. “Now?”

She shrugged, feeling thrilled that she’d talked him around. Racers always had *something* in common.
“Sure.”

“Thought you was headed home. Day over.”

“Never too late for a few quarters. You know any good blacktop?”

He gave her an assessing look and for a minute she thought he was gonna laugh in her face, but then he was grabbing up his keys and heading for the front door. She quickly followed.

“So which one of these is yours?” she asked as they walked down the driveway past the cars parked there.

“The Skyline.”

Darynn stopped at the bright blue vehicle mentioned. It was nice. Of course, they all were.

“Think we’re keeping VeilSide in business?” she asked as she continued down the driveway.

“Doin’ our part.”

They climbed in and Darynn was surprised at the ease Vince had of being a passenger. Either he was used to not being in control or he naturally trusted her.

“Back that way,” he said and hooked his thumb.

In one swift motion Darynn spun the tires and caused the car to sling around on the pavement, smoke billowed as she shot down the street.