Not for you (FIN)

Party? I would have loved that. However, what happened then had about as much in common with a party as a zucchini with the Charger.

In the following hour we were briefed.

Briefed how to behave and not to gather in one place any more all together, at least not as long as I would wear that damn necklace; briefing each other with information we had.

Which, of course, should have looked like a business meeting. Ever tried a business meeting with racers? No? Ever heard of a business meeting among racers? No? Well, I know why.

Plus, we basically lost fifteen minutes because Michael tried to strangulate Dom and Sway simultaneously as soon as he had heard what I had gotten myself into. It took four men, a good swing from Letty and a lot of threatening with two rolls of duct tape to bring him back into his seat.

Problems like - how to not let the Corsa get Verone's attention; how to not go into my trailer any more (because I officially didn't have one!), how someone should deposit some of my belongings in the pacer, how I wouldn't know the others, let alone their names - and those were just the things that concerned me, let alone the stuff that also concerned the others! - were discussed.

In short terms - I was growing a headache.

I looked at the clock - half past four. "Folks," I said a bit alarmed, "as much as I love to see you all again, but may I remind you that there's a necklace waiting for me and the sun is about to set outside?"

"Yes, take her back. You both can come in later, and we'll check on the Charger." Memphis said to Dom.

"I'd like to have a good look at that thing, too." Michael grumbled.

"I'd rather have you take a look at the Pacer I bought because there's no fucking way how I will drive the Charger on a racetrack again; but I definitely need a car and the Corsa is out of question."

"Why, driving the Charger could be fun?" Vince grinned. "I mean, we could really make some money with the funny videos."

"Well, it's automatic. If you want funny videos, you can drive it yourself and I'll hold the camera." I snapped.

"We'll meet again tomorrow night." Bilkins said. "Here's a sound proof box; you can put the pendant into it as soon as it's dark so you don't have to tiptoe around it."

"I don't think tiptoeing is their problem, as far as I know those two there are doing other things that make noises." Vince grinned, making the whole team laugh.

"Well, anyway, I'll send some agents to the apartment at two in the morning so they can examine the pendant there. I want to know what exactly it's transmitting; and if it's also sending a GPS signal, it's better not to move it." Bilkins laughed.

"Yes, if we find out how it's transmitting, we may be able to use the cameras in the house against Verone. Sort of double surveillance for your own safety, you know?"

"Honestly, I would feel better if there weren't all eyes in the world on me while I'm with Dom."

"I can imagine that." Roman laughed.

"And where will I sleep tonight?" Leon muttered. "I swear, Dom, if you and Dana don't clean the sheets I'll kill you both."

We all laughed, then we got up and departed into various directions - Dom and me back to Leon's apartment.

"I just hope we'll get this whole thing right." I said while we were still driving. "And honestly, Dom, if you want to put up a show, there's no way I'll do that as soon as the FBI has found out how that damn thing is transmitting. Don't want them to hang in front of those monitors, getting off on us both having sex."

"Right," He grumbled. "But then, we still have all day to do that, right?"

"Right. Damn, I'm tired." I yawned.

"Well, we can still have some hours of... sleep."

"I really don't necessarily like how you say 'sleep', Dom..." I grinned.

"Sleeping's sleeping, right?" He smiled over.

"With each other isn't the same..."

"No? What a pity." He laughed.

We slipped into the apartment as quiet as possible, undressed, tried to remember where exactly we had placed our clothes the last time and got back into bed. I just hoped the dim light from the windows wouldn't make too much of a difference when I slowly but surely pulled the shirt from the lampshade, revealing the ever onlooking damn pendant.

I tried to sleep, but it just didn't happen. I thought about the others, the pendant, Dom, Michael, the cars, Verone, oh, and did I mention the pendant? And I was tired, so damn tired...

Dom seemed to notice my shifting, tossing and turning. "You awake?" He whispered, still probably loud enough for the microphone.

"Yeah, had something like a bad dream."

"Tell me about it?"

"Not really. So tired... but can't go back to sleep."

"Come here." He said and pulled me into his arm, placing my head on his chest. "Better?"

"Much." I said and dozed off almost instantly.

Someone was hammering around on something. Cursing. More hammering.

"What the hell..." I groaned and pulled the pillow over my head.

Metal falling to a stone floor. No pillow in the world would muffle that.

"Ohhhh - DOM!" I shouted and looked over to the Charger. A head - his head! - appeared under it.

"Hmmm?"

"I'm trying to sleep here!"

"Well, and I'm trying to adjust something here." He growled, disappearing under the car again.

TOCK-TOCK-CLANG!-TOCK-"OUCH!"-TOCK...

I groaned out loud and swung my legs over the side of the bed. A look at the clock told me...

"It's noon?" I shouted surprised.

"Yeah, noon, sleepyhead." Came the voice from beneath the car. "Could need a hand or two here, get up."

"Hmmm..." I grumbled and placed the necklace around my neck, and, after a short visit to the bathroom. wandered over to the sofa and stared at the D&G-clothes that Verone loved so much. Helping Dom wearing those clothes which cost almost as much as an engine for my Corsa? The decadence... the fun when Verone would see those clothes getting all oily and stained...

I grinned to myself and put them on.

"What can I help you with?"

His head appeared, he looked up and down on me.

"You don't want to wear that when working on a car, right?" He grinned.

"Why not?" I shrugged innocent. "Just Carter's style of clothes, not mine."

"And what exactly would be your clothing style?" He said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Pink dresses?"

"Not really." I laughed, remembering the 'pink dress' threat from Racewars. "But I'll show that to you... eventually." I got down on my knees and looked under the car. "Now, tell me what I can help you with."

"Not much, I guess. I need a pit or hoist for this, I don't have enough space here. "See, I need to take the steering gear off in order to adjust it, and there's no way I can do that here. A friend of mine has a garage, however, so..." He started reattaching the screws that were already missing, "I'll just fix this for the moment and we'll go there."

"Good idea." I grinned. "Perhaps I can have a look at the piece of shit that's my own car there, too? Think it needs some fixing."

"Oh, what kind of car could be yours? Dreamy white convertible with a hell of an engine would fit you." He laughed, referring to my Corsa; all just for Verone's camera.

"Yeah, would fit me greatly. However, no, I have an AMC Pacer."

"Pacer?" He almost broke down laughing. "Not really, right?"

"I think it's super cute." I grumbled.

"That's probably the reason why I think that it doesn't fit you." He said, coming up from under the car.

"Hey, I'm super cute!" I protested and elbowed him.

"Super sexy is more like it." He pulled me into his arms, his hands wandering over my back.

"Ya think?" I laughed.

"I do." He kissed me, those hands never stopping to wander over my back, ass, sides, breasts...

"Uhm, didn't we want to have a look at the charger? See, it's already quite late. Plus, I'm hungry again."

"Right." He said. "We'll still have time for that later."

Yeah, later, I thought. As soon as that damn thing is in its sound proof box and the Charger is out of this room...


I realized that I suddenly hated the thought of being watched by Verone or anyone else who might be overlooking those monitors now or in the near future. Or, in case of just the pendant - which could by no means transmit images of myself when I wore it except when I was looking into a mirror - even just the idea of him hearing whatever I was doing with Dom.

And I was still wondering where that came from.

This was what I thought about when we drove back to the garage. Dom obviously noticed that I was brooding and also didn't talk.

"Oh, hey, wait a minute. We'll have to get my Pacer!" I said.

"Right. Where is it?"

I told him the name of the street where I had left it, and he brought us there. I was immensely thankful that he obviously knew the street, because there was absolutely no way I would have found it again without a map.

"There it is." I said and pointed at the small vehicle standing at the side of the street.

"Funny car." He said, as if he had never seen it before - still playing along.

"I'll drive after you." I said, kissed him and got over into the Pacer.

Backseat full with clothes; and one look at them told me that Michael had participated in selecting them from my trailer: One of my trusted jumpsuits, the rest... dresses. None of my comfortable shirts and trousers. GRRRR.

I would kill him as soon as, well, I would meet him without the necklace. A grinning smiley was finger painted into the dust of my windscreen; yeah, that had been Michael, too - definitely.

On our way we picked up Pizza, enough to feed about ten people because we didn't know who would be in the garage.

The garage was surprisingly clean; the monitors and all the stuff from last night were gone.

Michael was hanging with Otto over some car's motor, definitely in his element. No Sway, Memphis, Brian, Roman, Letty, Hector around, all others were there. Of course - no gathering in one place for all of us as long as my freaking spy necklace was around. I was officially 'introduced' to the others, then we handed out the Pizza.

We ate, everyone was happy about the Pizza; then worked on the cars together, laughing and having fun for the rest of the day. Michael did some good work on the Pacer together with Otto, expanding his engine knowledge to the V8 that was put in there. Dom, Leon and Vince worked on the Charger, cursing most of the time.

And I? I tore out almost the entire interior from the Pacer, cleaned it with a steam blaster, dried it in the heated paint cabin in under an hour and put it back in. "See, just like new." I smiled happy. "Looks like a luxury living room, don't you think? But one thing is missing. Say, do you have black paint here and a small brush that I could use?"

They all stared at me as if I had gone mad.

"Black paint? That car is white, just in case you didn't notice..." Michael said.

"Yeah, I know, but it's missing something. Thanks, Otto."

I took the paint and the brush and painted eyelashes over the headlights. The reactions were divided; some of the others laughed, the rest groaned. Dom just shook his head, grinning.

"Ya, well, I just needed to do something to make it 'mine'. Now it is." I laughed.

My cell phone rang. I frowned, looked at it, no number on the display. Hmmm.... I took the call, still kneeling on the floor before the Pacer.

"Yes?" I said.

"Hi darling." He was grinning again, I could hear it. "Cute lashes, but the car is ugly."

"Thanks, Carter." I looked around, making sure that the others would know who I was talking to. They all tried to look thoroughly unimpressed, but I knew that all ears were on me now. "What do you want?"

"Yeah, see, I'd like you to pick up something from your home. Won't take long."

My home? For a moment I was totally confused, but then I remembered that he told me to use his house as my home.

"Huh?" I said, not really wanting to let it sound as if I was passing information on to the others.

Instead, I took the brush and painted the words 'Wants me to come to his house' on the floor next to me, where the pendant would never be able to catch what I was doing. The Charger, being parked behind another car, also wouldn't be able to record this, so I was safe.

"You got half an hour to get here. Tell the others you'll be back in two hours; tell them you've forgotten something at my home or whatever you want."

"Okay, Carter." I grumbled.

"Oh, and...come alone. And by the way, the shower is waiting for you." He was grinning again. "Don't want you to stain my house's interior, you know?"

I just groaned in reply and hung up, finding it safer for Dom's and probably at least Michael's sanity not to paint anything concerning that last sentence to the floor.

"Okay, boys, my ex thinks I've forgotten something in his house, so I'll just go there and pick it up." I tried to sound cheering, convincing.

Dom came closer, wrapping his arms around my waist and looked at me with that typical, skull-breaking frown. "You'll come back, won't you?"

"Sure, two hours, that's all. Have to pick my Charger up, you know?" I tried to smile, but didn't really manage.

Looking past his shoulder, I saw Vince kneeling down next to the Pacer behind Dom and attaching a certain, hockey-puck like thing which I instantly recognized as one of Brian's tracking devices to the floor beneath the car's door and nodded at him.

Good, I was being tracked by them, something that I, for the first time, felt comfortable with.

"Bye." Dom said, still holding and looking at me.

"Bye." I kissed him and got into the Pacer. I was so close to crying. Another look around in the garage, the others had stone faces. I shrugged at them and drove off.

What the hell did Verone want from me now? I had one or a hundred ideas, but I liked none of them...