Ride Home To Me

Chapter 23

A month and a half later nothing much has changed. The funeral was agonizing. Mia and Dom stood above the grave crying with my ma there to hold them. Letty gripped my arm the entire time and Vince, Leon, and Jessie just stood silently behind us with tears running down their faces. Dom finally started eating properly again, but I know it was only for my ma's and Mia's sakes. It took us weeks to get back to saying grace at the table before dinner, and every night Mia and Dom fall asleep together in their dad's room. Letty and Vince tend to spend lots of time together, too.

"Gabi can you help me with the paperwork for the Ford? I can finish that up for you." Leon says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah sure." I wipe my hands and turn to head into the office, smacking right into Dom.

"Shit sorry Gabi," he says, steadying me.

I wave my hand. "It's fine. I gotta go do paperwork." I make a weird exaggerated face and my chest warms when I see a crack of a smile come across his face. As I turn away from him, though, I see a man walk into the shop. There's something about the guy that seems familiar, but I can't quite place it. I go over to him.

"Can I help you?" I ask.

He looks nervous. "Yeah, uh, I'm looking for Toretto?"

I frown, eyeing him. "Who's asking?"

"Name's Linder. Kenny Linder. I just wanted to talk to..."

But the rest of his words are blocked out.

And Kenny Linder takes the lead!

I hear the sirens again, the screaming.

Our paramedics are getting out on the track as we speak...

I don't realize what he's saying until I feel myself being pulled backwards, which shakes me out of my trance. I start stammering, trying to bring myself back.

"Linder... wait Linder, you- Dominic what are you doing?!"

I cry out in horror when I see Dom bring a wrench down onto Linder's head.

"Stop, stop it Dom, stop it, what are you doing-!" I scream, bringing Vince, Leon, and Letty out. I try to grab his arm and stop him but he keeps swinging, doesn't stop. When I finally grab the wrench though, he reacts, flinging his arm out. Pain blooms in my side and I double over, falling to my knees. Did Dom just hit me-?

I can hear the boys and Letty yelling, Letty grabs my arms and pulls me backward while Leon and Vince go to pull Linder and Dom apart. I'm sobbing, Letty looks horrified, and Vince is calling my ma while Leon calls for an ambulance. I look up to see a look of horror wash over Dom's face before he stills and drops the wrench, looking down at what he's done.

"Dom," I hear Letty say. He turns and covers his mouth when he sees me holding my side. I shake my head and reach out to him, but he backs away.

"Dom it's okay, listen to me it's okay-"

"Gabi, I-" He's cut off by the sound of sirens headed our way.

"Dominic!" I hear my ma running up the driveway.

He turns to her and lets her gather him into her arms.

"Vanessa I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"It's going to be okay, you hear me? Just go with them mijo, we'll get a lawyer, and you don't cause any more trouble for yourself, you hear me? You hear? You're going to be okay, baby."

The police show up and just like that, there are handcuffs around his wrists and he's being taken away in the backseat of the car.

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