The Lucky and the Strong
Title: The Lucky and the Strong
Author: Ceares
Fandom:Fastlane xover with the Fast and the Furious
Pairings: Billie/Letty, Billie/Sara Van/Deaq, vaguely implied Van/Cassidy
Characters: Wilhemina Chambers, Donovan Ray, Deaqon Hayes, Sara Matthews, Leticia Cortez, Cassidy Shaw, Bob Parish, Roland Hill, various original
Rating: FRT
Warnings: mild violence, non explicit sex
Spoilers:Spoilers for entire season of Fastlane and all four Fast and Furious movies, just to be safe.
Betas: denyce and imshady2
Summary: The Candystore is given a special case during which, past,present and future collide.
Artwork: Art
Author's Notes: First this is for Denyce who is an unbelievable beta, and who made this so much better than it was, and believe me, anything disappointing left is all me. To Felicia who is always there to beta for me, even if she's not into the pairing or fandom. Can.Not.Thank you.Enough. Both of you. Special thanks to bridgetmc for the lovely artwork! Basically, as far as I'm concerned, these two fandoms are made for x-over and I love that I had a chance to do it.
The familiar crack of gunfire had Billie edging cautiously into the room, her own gun drawn. Sara was standing, hand clasped against her side. She looked up, eyes meeting Billie's and then she seemed to fall in slow motion. Billie scanned the room quickly before she ran to Sara. The red stain was already spreading by the time Billie made it over to where she lay. Billie immediately pressed one hand down against the wound, dragging out her phone and calling for an ambulance with the other.
Sara groaned, eyes opening. She grabbed Billie's sleeve. "Shit! I got shot again?"
Billie swallowed hard. "Yeah. You gotta stop that."
She gave Billie a weak grin. "No shit. Are Letty and Cassidy okay?"
Billie had to strain to hear the choked whisper. " I don't know."
"Can you..."
"In a minute, okay?" Billie really hoped they were okay but they weren't her priority right now. Sara's hand loosened, slipping away from Billie's sleeve to fall limp, her eyes closing again . Billie stifled a rising sense of panic. Sara's blouse was soaked crimson and so was the floor under her. Billie pressed down harder, trying to stem the flow.
She couldn't help be reminded of the last time they were in this position. Sara hadn't been hurt badly then, at least not physically but the pain in her eyes told a different story. It wasn't that Sara had asked too many questions, she just asked the wrong ones and Billie let her. It was easier than admitting she'd broken her own rule and fallen for the mark.
"Come on, don't do this. Please. I still owe you lunch."
That got her another weak smile, and Sara's eyes fluttering open again. Billie could hear shouting and gun shots, but not the wail of sirens she was praying for. More gun shots and she couldn't think about what was going on out there. She had to trust that Van and Deaq had her back.
She added more pressure to the wound, sending up a silent prayer for them to hurry. Her only focus was Sara. It had to be when she could lose her between one breath and the next.
Two months ago:
Strong hands slid over her skin, and she arched into them with a groan of pleasure. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Maggie."
The masseuse harrumphed. "Maybe you wouldn't work yourself into knots and you might even learn to relax sometime."
Billie grinned up at the older woman. "Nah, I'd probably just take up smoking again."
Maggie slapped her on the ass, the sharp sting making her jump. "You'd better not."
Billie's phone rang and this time her groan was one of frustration. "Shit!"
Maggie pushed down on a particularly tense spot and Billie couldn't help the sigh of pleasure she released. She swore sometimes this was better than sex. Or well, just as good anyway.
"Just ignore it."
It was tempting. They actually had a rare weekend off, like normal people and she really wished she'd just shut her phone off completely instead of letting it go directly to voice mail, that way she wouldn't even have to feel guilty about not taking calls. She sighed and checked her caller id. When she saw Parish's name though, she knew she had to return his call. He was one of the few--very few, as in she could count on one hand--people she would come running for, no matter when they called. She listened to the message. It was short and to the point. A simple 'call me'. She knew if it had been urgent, he would have used one of their code words, so she wasn't worried.
Maggie wrapped up the massage with a good natured grumble and Billie waited until after she was dressed and on the way to her car before she hit four on her speed dial. Parrish answered after one ring, letting her know he'd been waiting on her call.
"Hi."
"Billie. I was wondering if you're free for lunch today?"
Short notice meant something was up, and the fact that he wanted to talk in person, instead of over the phone meant it was something off the grid.
"For you, sure. Where do you want to meet?"
"Lodies?"
Out of the way meant way off the grid. They hadn't met at Lodie's since she was first trying to put the Candy Store together, and they hadn't wanted anyone to know about it until she had everything in place.
She glanced at her watch. It was two PM and she was going to hit traffic no matter what. "I'll be there in an hour." She hung up the phone with a sigh. So much for a nice relaxing weekend off.
&&&&&&&&&&
Lodie's was a little out of the way diner they had been going to for years, through high school and college and even when she'd first joined the police force. They wanted to avoid anything that looked like favoritism, and a rookie having lunch with her Captain would definitely raise flags. Over the years Lodies had become the place they went when they wanted to be incognito. It was close to where Billie grew up and had great food even though it was all deep-fried and swimming in enough salt, fat and cholesterol to kill an elephant.
The owner had moved to Los Angeles from Georgia years ago and he didn't believe a food existed that couldn't be made better by frying it and pouring gravy over it. The food was good enough to almost make a person believe it too. Billie was glad she lived too far away to make it a habit or she'd have to add an extra hour to her daily workout.
They were both off duty but still in public and so she greeted Bob with a warm smile instead of the hug she would have preferred. He had yet another exemption in her life. He was one of the few she volunteered physical affection to.
Bob Parish though, had saved her life, figuratively and maybe literally as well--more than once.
He was the man who caught her sister's killer, the man who got her angry, stupid, grief stricken sixteen year old self off the streets and back home with her mother. He was the reason she was a cop. Bob was the one who sat with her while she kicked heroin cold turkey the first time. The one who convinced her she could still do the job. The one who supported her when she wanted to put together the Candy Store, who stood behind her when things went to hell the first round. He was the exception to a lot of rules, and always would be. He'd earned the right to be on a very short list.
They ordered lunch and caught up with each other. Billie didn't push him. She knew he would get to the point in his own time.
They were half way finished when he sighed and spoke with obvious reluctance. "Roland Hill."
"Oh hell no, Bob!" She wanted to get up and leave. Only respect for the man across from her kept her in her seat. Her dislike of Hill wasn't faked or exaggerated at all. She hated the man and she had a feeling he felt the same about her. They might have the same aims but they were exactly opposite in the ways they achieved them. He didn't believe in coloring outside the lines, and Billie had been doing nothing but that her whole life.
He held up a hand. "I know how you feel about him, and it's not like he's any fonder of you, but this is his set up and I need you in on this."
Billie sighed. "And what exactly is this?"
Bob took a sip of his drink, and began to fill her in.
&&&&&&&&&&
Hill met them back at the Candy Store. Billie was slightly amused that he'd sent Bob to grease the way. It was actually a smart move. There was no way he'd have made it past the first sentence if he'd approached her directly. He'd brought all the pertinent files, and when they weren't busy glaring at each other, they went over the information.
"All three of the women volunteered.Given a choice, I wouldn't want the Candy Store involved at all. As much as it pains me to admit it though, you're the best game in town for this."
Billie crossed her arms, cocking a brow in disbelief. "Well, color me shocked."
"Don't be. I'm serious. I may think you're little group is going to fall into the abyss at any minute, but this guy, whoever he is, is already there. He's dirtying up my department and I want him. "Let me make this clear though. I think this is going to be a huge cluster fuck. When it is, it's going to be huge black mark against Candy Store." Hill shook his head. "The sad part is, this time I'm actually hoping I'm wrong--I won't be, because I'm never wrong, but I'd actually like to see you succeed with this one."
"Just whose idea was it to use Cassidy Shaw and Sara Matthews?" Like she couldn't guess. No doubt Hill got a chubby just thinking about the kind of trouble he was causing.
Bob stepped in. "It was mine actually. We don't have a lot of time and I figured it might be easier if you didn't have to get used to completely new people." He pointed to the photo of the dark haired, sullen looking woman. "Cortez is the Fed's idea. She's their girl. We don't know anything about her except what's in her file. Look, Billie. I know we're taking a big chance here but unfortunately it's our best option at this point. We don't know who we can trust inside the department. I can understand your hesitation about working with criminals after what happened with McKussik, but you've dealt with Shaw and Matthews before."
Hill shook his head. "Not my idea at all, though your history with them does up the amusement factor. They're still dirtbags though. Captain Parish thinks the AGs will identify with them. A kind of bad girl's club if you will. I don't care how familiar you are with them though. I don't want any of them out of your sight for a second until this goes down. You sleep, eat and shit with them."
Billie rolled her eyes. "You're so charming, Hill."
"I leave charming to you and your pretty boy cops. I'm just here to get the job done." He tapped the top folder. "You've got three weeks to get them ready to go in."
"That's bullshit Roland and you know it."
He shrugged, mouth curving into the smirk that made Billie want to punch him in the face repeatedly. "It's what you've got. This was only okayed in the quarterly budget. If they're not under and showing some results by the time it's up for review, the whole thing gets canceled. The girls are back where they were. The AGs stay on the streets and the Candy Store finally proves what I've been saying all along." He shrugged. "Besides, they're already criminals. It's not like you have to teach them to steal."
"Fuck you!"
He smirked again. "From what I've heard, I'm not your type."
Billie folded her arms giving him her own smirk. "Yeah, but it's because you are a dick, not because you have one."
She could see Bob wincing in the background and she knew they sounded like a couple of toddlers. Filthy mouthed toddlers, but children non-the-less. Hill brought out the worst in her under the best of circumstances, and this certainly wasn't that, but she bit back any additional retorts so Bob wouldn't feel like he needed to step in. It wasn't like Hill wasn't partially right any way, as much as it pained her to admit it. This assignment had the potential to implode in there faces before it ever got off the ground.
Billie waited until they were gone to let loose the stream of invectives she'd been holding in, mostly out of respect for Bob. Van actually working with Cassidy Shaw was a train wreck in the making but he could manage. No matter what her personal feelings were, she would manage to work with Sara--she was a professional and she'd keep it that way. Hill could kiss her ass if he thought that after all they'd been through to hold on to the Candy Store, she was about to let this screw it up.
First things first. She had to find out everything she could about the AG's. She was sure the information Hill provided was accurate but she never trusted her people with anybody's research except her own.
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie waited until that night to call Van night and tell him they were going to have to cut short their weekend, and that she expected them early the next morning. She wanted a chance to brief them on things before the women showed up, but she didn't see any reason to ruin the rest of their day off. Van predictably bitched, which made her smile, though she'd never let him know that. She left it to him to let Deaq know since they were usually together anyway these days. She didn't know when they had gone from being more than just partners on the job but she was pretty sure they had.
Not that she cared really, or was in a place to judge. She'd slipped across the line between business and personal more than once. Besides, after everything, they were like family to her and she wanted them to be happy. As long as it didn't interfere with the job, it wasn't a problem for her. She thought if anything it actually seemed to help them on the job. It kept Van from getting so caught up with the mark that he was distracted. She wasn't happy at the though of Cassidy disrupting that.
She sighed and opened up the folder on Letty Cortez again. If they were going to do this, she needed to know their strengths and weaknesses inside and out. She wanted to make sure this went off as smoothly as possible. Billie couldn't help but laugh to herself. Yeah, like that was going to happen. She couldn't remember the last time they'd had an easy one and working with amateurs and the distractions that came along with them wasn't going to make this one any better.
She read through the file and then opened the others again, and started putting together a game plan that was hopefully going to get everybody what they wanted and keep everybody as safe as possible. She was good at this. Billie thrived on the challenge. This was the part of her that could have easily been the lawyer her mother and Bob wanted her to be. The other part of her though knew it would have been a slow death. Sitting in an office every day, wearing a suit, compromising and making deals she couldn't believe in. Billie looked around the Candy Store at all the shiny toys, a story behind each one. A dirtbag off the street behind every story. No, this was her place. She knew that even if in her darkest hours she doubted it sometimes. She knew Bob understood even if he wasn't happy about it, but her mom still threw in hints about how she wasn't too old to go back to school, or told stories about her friend’s kids who had nice, safe lucrative jobs.
It was a good thing Billie loved her mother so much otherwise she'd find ways to avoid their weekly conversations and monthly brunch. She knew it wasn't that her mother wasn't proud of her so much as the fact that she'd already lost one daughter and lived in fear of losing another one. The truth was, Billie couldn't promise her that wouldn't happen. She could only make sure she never, ever told her mother just how close and how often she had brushed hands with death. As far as her mother knew, she delegated, and sat behind a desk--never out in the field. Bob did what he could to keep up the illusion, yet another reason Billie owed him, loved him, like the father she'd never known.
&&&&&&&&&&
Deaq stared at Billie incredulously. "You're kidding right?" It was too fucking early on a Saturday morning to have to deal with this, and all the coffee in the world wasn't going to help.
Deaq wasn't any happier than Van about having their weekend cut short or about having to go in at the crack ass of dawn, but he didn't whine about it like Van did, until Deaq found more interesting things to do with his mouth. Now he was starting to wish he'd agreed to Van's joking plan to just blow Billie off. Instead he was going to be forced to deal with two of his least favorite people. Hill of course went without saying. Anybody meeting the man would instantly dislike him. Cassidy though was a different story. Deaq couldn't get past her part in his brother's death. Hell he appreciated her taking out Kane but still, there it was. Even if he could deal with it, that girl wound his partner up way too tight. So not only did he have to worry about the case, and the girls, but he had to worry about keeping Van's head on straight too.
Billie shrugged, rolling a cigarette between her fingers in an agitated gesture. "I wish I was."
"And we have three weeks to get them ready to go undercover with no experience. Is Hill trying to get them killed? "Deaq really, really hated Hill.
Van leaned forward, leafing through the folder. "Why don't they just use cops?"
"Because they think there's a mole in the department. Four months ago the LAPD received information about a job the AGs were planning. When they made the raid though, the AGs seemed to know they were coming. Two cops were injured. One died later."
"So they decided to use us." Van gestured to the folders on the desk. "And them. What do they get out of it?"
"They get a clean slate. According to Hill, they get off probation, sealed records, and a chance to start over again. At least Cassidy and Sara do. The other girl, Letty Cortez, she apparently has some deal with the Feds. She has a little experience from what I understand. And Sara and Cassidy aren't exactly novices."
Deaq frowned. "Maybe not, but they aren't cops either and they're not trained for this. They're still taking a big chance." Trying to get them ready to go undercover, trying to deal with the history that Sara and Cassidy brought with them...the emotions they engendered in Billie and Van, it was going to be a fucking nightmare. His fucking nightmare.
Billie sighed. "I know. I think maybe they don't though. And we won't be able to go in with them. It's going to be entirely in their hands. That's why we need to make sure they're ready for this."
Deaq found himself watching Van as his partner stared at the files. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. "Hell, I don't think I'm ready for this."
&&&&&&&&&&
Hill showed up with the girls, but to everybody's relief, he didn't stay long. Billie assumed he was there to check and make sure everybody was in place. Sara greeted them all with an abrupt nod, then claimed the end of the table farthest from them all. Cassidy on the other hand, greeted them all like long lost friends, her grin brightest when she settled practically on top of Van. Billie stifled a sigh at the expression that flashed across Deaq's face at that.
The newcomer, Leticia Cortez, was older than in the pictures in her file. The expression was softer too, pretty much neutral as she settled down. The truth was, she didn't look particularly interested at all, and Billie hoped there wouldn't be a problem with her as well. Sara and Cassidy were enough to deal with along with the case. She really needed Letty to be drama free.
After they were all settled, Billie clicked the remote, flashing the first picture on the screen. Three women, a blonde, a brunette and a red head --hair colors pretty obviously courtesy of Clairol--were standing around a white limo, scantily clad and looking like an ad for things illegal in most states.
"These ladies are known as the AGs. AG stands for Armando's girls."
She clicked to the next picture. A close up of a dark haired, mustachioed man appeared on the screen, along with a rap sheet that contained multiple charges of everything from pandering to GTA.
"That is Armando Vega. For years he ran an all girl organization. Fingers in prostitution, drugs, larceny, etc... He was a thorn in the side of LAPD vice division for quite a while, that is until he suddenly disappeared about eight months ago. To the best knowledge of the police department, one or all of his 'girls' had a hand in his death." Billie smirked. "The Armando's Girls moniker is not a tribute. The AGs took over Vega's business, and even though they eliminated the prostitution and drugs, so far they've been just as much trouble as he ever was."
She clicked again, and the screen displayed information on various crimes committed by the AGs over the past year. "We need to get someone on the inside, close enough to get some surveillance on line. We have a shooter we need to identify, a dirty cop and a fence wanted by the feds. We need you to get in, find out as much as you can about how they work and who they work with, leave a few toys behind and get out again."
Click--the blonde appeared on the screen in close up. "This is Elizabeth Connelly. Known as Grace. She has various aliases, as they all do. She's the oldest of the three, and was associated with Vega the longest."
The redhead was next. "Rebecca Smith, called Ginger, for obvious reasons. She's the one seen about town the most. The girl likes to party, usually without her partners. She's a rowdy one too. Been tossed from a few places. She's the one we have the best chance of making contact with."
One more click, and the brunette's picture came up--she looked younger than the others and had a beatific expression. "Finally we have Jessica Lawson--Geri. From witness descriptions, we have reason to believe she's one who pulled the trigger, or at least one of them. So we're particularly interested in her."
&&&&&&&&&&
Letty folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, watching the other people in the room with the blanked expression she'd perfected after months of dealing with the Feds. Three cops and two cons. It sounded like the set up for a bad movie. The chick running things, Billie, was small and pretty. She looked like she should be on a magazine cover somewhere, but Letty could sense the steel underneath as she explained to them what was going down.
The Feds had been running her about six months. Mostly using her driving skills in nothing jobs. Brian kept telling her to be patient. That sooner or later the job they'd been waiting for would come along. The one big enough to let them bring Dom home. They were hoping this one was it. From what she could see, there was nothing usual about this one at all. The feds were running a joint op with the cops but off the books from what she could tell. Plus, she could tell from the get go there was some sort of history between the others. Sara was looking everywhere except at Billie, Cassidy was practically trying to crawl into Van's lap and Deaq was glaring at them while trying to look like he wasn't. She didn't care what their personal stories were--as long as they didn't interfere in getting the job done.
She shook her head as she observed the set up. Pretty cops constantly undercover. Nice work if you could get it. O'Conner would fit right in here. Plus, he'd love the 'candy'. They even called it the Candy Store. She'd have to mention it to him when she saw him again. She could tell he wasn't exactly happy where he was, and they'd formed a kind of friendship since she'd approached him, so she maybe actually gave a damn whether he was or not. She knew if nothing else, he wanted Dom back in the states, wanted him back home as much as she did. There were reasons behind that she wasn't willing to examine, but it tied them together in a weird way.
Letty was forever Dom's girl. She never worried about other women, not really--even though it was fun to get in their faces. Brian was a different story though. Dom had kept up with the other man as best he could, just like he had with the rest of the team. At first she thought it was because Brian had betrayed Dom, and then countered that betrayal by letting him go, but it was more than that.
When she got back to LA she hadn't been sure what to do next. Mia had offered her a room and she'd just rattled around, trying to make plans, half of her wanting to never see Dom again the other half wanting to go back and make him let her stay. Brian found her. Walked up to her one day in Hector's garage and offered her a deal.
When she found out that Mia hadn't seen Brian at all since everything went down, she couldn't even convince herself that what he'd done the first time, what he was doing now, was because he was in love with Dom's sister. No, there was something between Brian and Dom, something they'd have to deal with when he got home, but getting him home was the priority--for both of them, and that linked them in a way that just made things more complicated.
For now though she had to get through this. She directed her attention back to what Billie was saying, and thought about what story she'd come up with for Mia this time.
&&&&&&&&&&
Deaq's attention was half on the briefing, and half on what was going on in the room. He'd go over everything again with Van later anyway. Probably with Billie too before it was over.Watching Billie and Sara, Van and Cassidy deal with each other, just made Deaq happier than ever that he had enough sense not to get involved with any of their marks in any serious way. He was more than happy to skip all the drama. Even though he did have to thank Sara in a way. It was the incident outside Girl bar that had lead to him and Van hooking up.
Well, it lead to a drunken game of double dog dare, which lead to kissing, which lead to them waking up the next morning, nude, sore, hung over and pretty much eager to do the whole thing all over again--well, minus the hung over part. They'd been hooking up ever since. Neither of them would claim it as anything more and Deaq made sure that it stayed that way. He knew Van. Mr. Emotional. It didn't take much for him to fall in lust, in love, whatever, and it didn't take much for him to fall right back out. Deaq wasn't planning on being another notch on his partner's belt. So he made sure things stayed casual between them. Friends with benefits. And if he wanted something more, well, nobody ever got everything they wanted.
Letty Cortez was keeping to herself, watching the same way Deaq was, though she didn't have the advantage, or disadvantage of knowing the back stories behind the sub textual stuff going on. He wondered what her story was. He'd looked over the file, or as much as the Feds were willing to include but he knew that was usually only a small part of the story. Thing was, he usually thought it was the soft part, the easy to see stuff--for most people, the stuff the law knew about them barely skimmed the surface. Deaq thought most people were probably a lot worse than the story that got written down. Van was the opposite. He was too trusting, naive, even after growing up with Ray Ray, even after all his years on the force. He gave people the benefit of the doubt--thought they were better than what was on paper. They'd argued about it more than once and would again.
He glanced over at Van and Cassidy again even though he kept telling himself not to. They were both apparently paying rapt attention to Billie, but Cassidy was plastered against Van's side and had one hand resting on his knee. Van glanced guiltily in his direction and eased her hand back onto her own leg. Even before they'd started doing each other, Cassidy had been a bone of contention between them. Deaq didn't trust her as far as he could throw her, and he hadn't like the way she affected Van. The way she made him forget all about the job, forget she was the bad guy.
He'd have to have a talk with Van about Cassidy, about being careful around her and he wasn't looking forward to it at all. The boy was stubborn when he liked someone. It was easy to flip him over the other way. Convince him somebody he didn't like wasn't as bad as he thought but once someone had Van's favor it took a hell of a lot for them to lose it. Deaq hated to watch it happen, hated to see that little bit of light slip away when Van realized somebody wasn't what he thought. He'd take it this time though, if it protected his partner from Cassidy and the world of trouble that girl always seemed to bring with her.
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie finished the briefing. "Save any questions until we've had a chance to go over everything. For now though Hill thinks it would be smart if you all stuck pretty close to us during this whole thing. We need to make arrangements. It's best if you all just stay with us until you go into play. We can take you to pick up anything you might need."
"What is this, some kind of house arrest?" Sara's cool blue eyes stared at her suspiciously.
"No, we just have a lot to go over and a short time to get it together. It's just easier if everybody stays close."
Cassidy bounced up. "Great, I'm staying with Van."
Deaq rolled his eyes. "Yeah, in that little bitty hotel room? I don't think so. I've got enough room for two of you."
"I'll stay with you." Sara spoke up, eyes meeting Billie's defiantly. Billie stifled any sense of disappointment at that.
Letty looked over at Billie with a grin. "Well, I guess that leaves me and you, Chica."
&&&&&&&&&&
Letty had a theory--half formed, about how much you could judge about a person based on their house. Billie's apartment was no exception. Cool and modern. Attractive but not revealing, just like the woman herself. There were a few pictures scattered around and some books but other than that, nothing said personal at all. It could just as easily been something out of a shoot from those home and garden magazines she glanced through in the doctor's office sometimes.
Still, Letty knew she was quick off the mark with her judgments, and once set, it was hard for her to retract them, and at first take, she liked Billie. The woman was clearly smart and tough and she was pretty successful in a boy's club. Something Letty could certainly appreciate. She had to admit, her looks didn't hurt either. Like Jesse, Letty had an appreciation for pretty things.
Billie's place was nice, but small, and it didn't look like there was a spare bedroom. Letty checked out the sofa, knowing she'd settle easily on it. She was used to camping out in various places. Growing up, she'd rather have been anywhere but home and she slept on the floors and sofas of various friends and relatives as often as she could. Once she met the Torettos; the floor in Mia's room became almost a second home.
&&&&&&&&
Billie watched Letty look around intently. She knew what her apartment looked like. Even her own mother admonished her for the impersonal decor, and last Christmas had given her a gaudy, hand knitted blanket to make the place more 'homey'. It was folded up and stuffed in her closet, pulled out only when her mother was visiting.
"You can take the bed. There are clean sheets. I'll take the sofa." She gestured to the second door. "Bathroom, towels, etc...in here. Just shout if you need anything."
"Thanks, but I can take the sofa, no biggie."
Billie glanced at the door. She didn't want to insult Letty but she wasn't crazy about her sleeping between Billie and the door instead of the other way around.
Letty gave her a knowing look. "Look, you don't have to worry. I'm not playing games. No ulterior motives, I need this, so I'm not going anywhere."
"Okay." She got the linens and spare pillows out of the closet. "I didn't mean to...I'm sorry."
Letty shrugged. "Hey, it's cool. I get you don't know me and your boy Hill is kind of a dick, who acts like I'm trying to steal the silverware or some shit. So he probably told you to watch me."
Billie laughed ruefully. "He did but, well heis a dick. I actually conveyed the same sentiment this morning and I should know better than to follow any of his plans."
She made up the sofa, quashing the part of her that wanted to insist on taking it. Part wary cop, part being raised by a mother who placed good manners at the top of the heap. At this point it wouldn't be good manners but an insult to insist. "How long have you been working with the FBI?" Letty's file gave a general idea, but no specifics, since those were apparently 'need to know' and Billie couldn't help but be curious.
Letty snorted. "If you want to call it that--about six months."
"I'm sorry if I seem intrusive. I'm not trying to grill you or anything."
"It's not like you haven't read my file. Hell you probably know more about me than I do at this point."
Billie couldn't help a small twinge of guilt, rare for her. Even though Letty didn't seem particularly upset about it. It wasn't like anybody under the Feds thumb had much privacy anyway, and normally it wouldn't bother Billie at all. Knowledge was power, but the whole situation was a little weird and it was throwing her off kilter and apparently waking some long buried conscience.
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie had been through this before with Nick Mckussik but she'd had a lot more time to work with him. They were going to have to do a down and dirty training with the girls. A quick run through of the basics, enough to convince the AGs that they knew what they were doing. As much as she hated to admit it, Hill was right. Their past criminal records would go a long way in giving them cred with the AGs. it cut a lot of time off having to manufacture something or set up a few robberies to get them established with a rep.
Van had stopped and grabbed coffee and donuts and the caffeine and sugar rush carried them for a little while, making the early hour more tolerable.
"The first rule is, you never break cover. If this goes down with arrests, you get taken in too. It maintains your cover and protects you from retaliation."
Deaq laid out the cells they would be using. Each one was keyed with a 911 code that relayed directly to Billie, him and Van. "One stop shopping. Hit this and the show is over. The cavalry arrives and we shut everything down. But, it increases the chance that someone will figure out you were responsible for the bust. Use it only if you have no other choice. Otherwise, the plan is to arrange to bring you all in once you've got things set up." He handed one to each of the girls. "Keep it with you all the time."
He laid out the other bugs and showed them how to place them unobtrusively in locations that wouldn't interfere with the reception. The wire was next. "Best locations are bra or..."
"Waistband."
Billie stifled a wince at the ice in Sara's voice as she chimed in.
"Or the waistband, whichever works for you." Deaq kept on with the briefing though he cast a look at Billie. She shrugged. What could she say. He knew how it was undercover. He'd laughed before at the bitter feelings Van had generated. It wasn't like Sara's attitude should be a surprise to him. He also knew she'd done everything she could to keep Sara out of jail for the robberies. It was because of her that she got probation instead of taking the rap for the whole thing once Jill was dead.
"By the way, where was yours Van? No bra and it definitely wasn't in the waistband. You were wired, right?" Cassidy grinned mischievously.
Van flushed. "Yeah, ah, somewhere else."
&&&&&&&&&&
"Shit!" Letty dropped the hair pin again. Billie stepped up behind her, laying a hand over hers, and giving her a half smile.
"We don't have a lot of time, and we don't expect you to become experts."
"I don't want to be an expert, I just want to get the damn thing open."
Billie's hand guided hers smoothly until she heard a small snick, and the lock popped open. Letty had to admit it gave her a small thrill, of course, Billie's warm body pressed up against hers might have had something to do with that.
Billie backed off and stood watching all of them a moment. "Like I said, we don't expect you to be experts. You each have your strengths anyway. But we do need you to be able to fake it well enough to be a temptation to the AGs."
Cassidy cast a mischievous look at Van. "I'd say temptation is one of my strengths."
Van grinned, but Letty saw Deaq roll his eyes. The frown he cast their way didn't bode well for that relationship. From the little bit she'd seen of Deaq he didn't seem like somebody that liked trouble, and Letty could tell Cassidy was nothing but.
&&&&&&&&&&
Letty couldn't help drooling a little when they allowed them near the cars. She'd had her eye on them since they first walked in to the building. It was all she could do to contain herself. Another lesson in discipline she'd learned while with the Feds. This was finally something she could get behind. The other stuff was interesting, but it wasn't her. She'd never be comfortable with a gun, and as far as telling the expensive shit from the cheap stuff, it mostly all looked the same to her. Cars though. That was her thing, and they bought a little piece of her heart when they pulled out the Dodge Charger. It was new, red and shiny, sleek and gorgeous and she couldn't wait to get her hands on it.
Her connection to Dom and the street racing was no secret, and she'd caught Van giving her a sympathetic look a couple of times when she'd looked wistfully at the cars. Especially the mustang, half restored in the corner. It looked like a sixty-eight, and somebody had done a job on it. Letty itched to get her hands on it.
He grinned at her now, tossing her the keys to the Charger. "Letty is obviously going to do the driving, but we want to make sure that you both can handle yourselves behind the wheel as well."
They spent the day up in the hills. Van and Deaq riding along, but this was Letty's territory when it came down to it and she guided them through some simple tricks that should keep them from getting caught or killed. Cassidy already had some skills and she wasn't afraid to push it. Letty found herself actually having a good time as she, Cassidy and Van raced each other. They all had large, slightly manic grins on their faces as they raced across the improvised finish line seconds from each other.
Sara was a different story. She picked up the techniques easy enough but balked at the speed. Letty noticed, when it was time for them to do ride alongs, Sara made sure she was no where near Billie. She actually sort of latched on to Deaq and stuck with him the rest of the morning. Letty had noticed before that what ever issues she had with Billie extended somewhat to Van as well and she seemed the least discomfited around Deaq.
&&&&&&&&&&
Van popped the car lock, opening the door with a flourish, and casting them a smug grin when Deaq announced the time--forty-five seconds. "Okay, who's next?"
Letty grinned at him, and punched him on the arm. "Dude, you are definitely on the wrong side of the law."
Deaq had to admit, the boy was good, and watching him work made him want nothing so much as to drag Van into the back seat of the car. From the look on Cassidy's face, she was feeling about the same, and he quelled the desire to warn her off. He wasn't a dog and Van wasn't his territory to piss on. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Van about her, partly because they were usually surrounded by the girls and partly because he had to be careful what he said. Van was stubborn, and if Deaq said the wrong thing, Van would attach himself to Cassidy even more just to prove Deaq wrong. So far his strategy instead had been to keep Van distracted as much as possible. Well as much as possible constantly surrounded by 'Charlie's Angels'.
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie stretched her feet out onto the coffee table, taking another sip of wine. "You were good out there today."
Letty stretched her own legs along side, soft leather brushing against Billie's bare skin. She laughed. "I better be, or Dom would kill me."
"He teach you to drive?"
"Yeah." Her expression grew wistful. "He's the one you should see. Nobody can beat Dom behind the wheel. I've seen him do some amazing shit. It's like he was born with oil in his blood, you know."
"Is he still racing?"
Billie could see when Letty remembered who she was talking to. Her face closed off for a minute, shifting to something more calculating. She regretted the loss. She hadn't actually been pumping Letty for information--at least not intentionally.
"Do you want..."
"You know what I want?" Letty leaned over and kissed her, mouth taking hers quickly. She pulled back, eyes questioning.
Surprise kept Billie from responding, though truthfully she wasn't sure what her response would be. Letty was beautiful without a doubt, but frankly Billie had been so wrapped up in stifling any feelings for Sara, she hadn't lingered on any attraction to Letty
Letty sighed and reached out, fingers trailing down Billie's face. "I want to not think right now. Driving always gets me revved up, if you know what I mean." She leaned in again, giving Billie a chance to pull back before full lips closed over Billie's, mouth wet and hungry.
Billie moaned and opened her mouth, sucking lightly on the tongue that thrust aggressively in. Letty kept one hand on her shoulder, fingers squeezing lightly as they kissed, and Billie's own slid onto Letty's thighs. The leather was smooth and warm under her hands and it was very, very tempting to slide her hands up under the hem of the thin shirt Letty wore. The kiss was one thing she could blame curiousity for that, and the fact that she was tired of holding everything in all the time. Anything more though was a temptation she needed to resist.
She pulled back from the kiss reluctantly. "That was um..."
"Nice." Letty ran a tongue over her lips, shooting her a lascivious grin that shot heat through Billie.
She shook her head. "A mistake."
"Relax, Chica. I don't really work for you, Billie. Just think of it as stress relief." She reached out and pulled Billie back into her arms. Billie resisted for a moment before letting herself relax into the kiss. Letty made it easy, and right now, it was all Billie could ask for. This might be wrong but as strong hands moved over her body, Billie couldn't bring herself to care. It had been too long since she'd had this for herself. And it wasn't like either of them was pretending this was true love, or anything at all but what it was. Two people looking for a little comfort and joy on a long night.
&&&&&&&&&&
Letty stretched and snuggled down into the bed contentedly. She was practically purring and Billie understood the impulse. She felt more relaxed than she had in months and she wouldn't mind riding the afterglow into another round.
"So how come you don't have somebody? And don't tell me it's the job. Cause that's the oldest story out there."
"Well it is. Partly. I don't know, I just never found the right person. And yeah I know that's a big cliché too."
"So what, you've never been in love? Never had a long term thing? "
"I've come close. But..." She thought about Carla and Natalie. The closest she'd come to anything lasting. "A couple of near misses." Carla she'd lost and with Natalie she'd fucked up and thrown away what could have been a good thing. Not that she saw it at the time. Then she'd thought she was being smart. Covering her ass. She'd done that all right. Moved up the ladder free and clear too, by abandoning Natalie and any chance she'd had for something real with her.
Letty eyed her shrewdly. "But there is somebody now right? Somebody that could be the one."
Billie sighed. "Maybe. It's just. It's complicated with this person, for a lot of reasons. It's a big chance to take, and I don't know if it’s worth it."
Letty sat up, the sheet falling away, exposing glimpses of golden flesh. "If it's not worth everything, then it's not worth anything."
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie didn't know if it was something about Letty, an illusion of intimacy because of the great sex, or just the transitory nature of their relationship that made her open up. She found herself talking about things she hadn't told anyone, not even Alexa. She told her about her first time, she told her about Natalie and she found herself spilling the beans about the 'person' who could be the one, even though she didn't name names.
When she finished, Letty's dark eyes studied her intently.
"So,why are you here with me, instead of with Sara?"
"How did you know it was Sara?"
Letty laughed. "Seriously, the two of you obviously have history."
Billie shook her head. "Maybe, but I don't do love well. "
Letty tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned back against the pillows, looking thoughtful. "I fell in love with Dom when I was thirteen. I've never loved anybody but him. I don't even think I would know how."
"I was eighteen the first time I fell in love. Carla. She was older than me--in college. She graduated and went to grad school, and she made it quite clear I wasn't being asked along for the ride." Billie rolled over on her stomach, and propped herself up on her elbows, bumping up against Letty's bent knees.
Letty reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic squeeze. "That's cold."
Billie shrugged, not exactly rejecting the sympathy, but she wasn't that heartbroken little girl, and she didn't really like to be reminded of what that had felt like. " What's cold is that she was my Captain's daughter. The funny thing is, most people assumed I was using him to fuck my way to the top."
"What about Natalie? Did you love her?"
Billie sighed. "Telling myself I didn't made it easy to leave her behind. I just passed her on to the next guy like she was a thing instead of a person. If she did love me, what happened between us took care of that."
Natalie was a solid ache she didn't think would ever go away. But she was indulging in enough melancholy. She cocked a brow at Letty, smirking. "So what about you? You're obviously not new to this." She gestured between them. "If it's just been Dom, how did you get so good?"
Letty grinned, inclining in a slight bow. "Gracias, Chica. Lots of girls hang around the races cause they like the cars, and they like going fast. Some of them aren't just interested in the guys that drive. I'd had offers before--when the chick was brave enough, but these two girls -Mandy and Sandy-dumb shit names-but real cute. They were back every week."
She stretched her arms over her head, causing the sheet to drop to her waist, revealing smooth golden skin.. Billie couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate the view. "I can definitely see why."
Letty caught her look and wiggled her brows suggestively with an amused grin. "Thing is, me and Dom fight. A lot. We used to break up every couple of months at least. One of those times, I let the girls take me home. It was wild. We got back together of course, but every once in a while you know, during one of our off times, I'd call the girls up. It wasn't like Dom wasn't getting his somewhere else too."
"The way you talk about him, I expected you to be angry if he even looked at someone else."
"Oh I am." Letty shrugged. "He knows when we're on, we're on, and there's a definite no skanks rule, but me and Dom, let's just say it's not traditional. We're never gonna be that white picket fence, Cosby family. Hell, we'd both probably be bored out of our skulls in six months if we tried. "
"But you're doing all this for him anyway."
"Yeah. We're...us. I can't really explain it. It's just the way it's always been. We'd do anything for each other. He left me because he's pig headed and he wanted to protect me. Now I want to do the same for him. I want him to come home."
"So you went to see this Brian guy? He's the same one that went under cover to bust you, right?."
"Yeah. It's complicated, but he kind of got to be one of us, you know."
Billie wondered about this Brian, wondered what Letty wasn't saying. "He must have. I read the file; he could have wound up in jail himself by letting Toretto walk." He hadn't been under that long, but apparently he'd gone native hard core. She didn't know if he was like Van, and just got too close to the mark or if it was something about Dom Toretto. He certainly inspired plenty of loyalty form the stories she'd heard a few years back.
"Mia, Dom's sister, says Dom is like gravity. I guess Brian felt it too."
Something about the way she said it told Billie a whole story. She reached out, laying a hand on Letty's thigh. It was her turn to offer sympathy. "Toretto's lucky."
Letty shrugged. Her expression impossible for Billie to read, but she put her own hand on top of Billie's, threading their fingers together. "Ride or die."
Part Two
Author: Ceares
Fandom:Fastlane xover with the Fast and the Furious
Pairings: Billie/Letty, Billie/Sara Van/Deaq, vaguely implied Van/Cassidy
Characters: Wilhemina Chambers, Donovan Ray, Deaqon Hayes, Sara Matthews, Leticia Cortez, Cassidy Shaw, Bob Parish, Roland Hill, various original
Rating: FRT
Warnings: mild violence, non explicit sex
Spoilers:Spoilers for entire season of Fastlane and all four Fast and Furious movies, just to be safe.
Betas: denyce and imshady2
Summary: The Candystore is given a special case during which, past,present and future collide.
Artwork: Art
Author's Notes: First this is for Denyce who is an unbelievable beta, and who made this so much better than it was, and believe me, anything disappointing left is all me. To Felicia who is always there to beta for me, even if she's not into the pairing or fandom. Can.Not.Thank you.Enough. Both of you. Special thanks to bridgetmc for the lovely artwork! Basically, as far as I'm concerned, these two fandoms are made for x-over and I love that I had a chance to do it.
The familiar crack of gunfire had Billie edging cautiously into the room, her own gun drawn. Sara was standing, hand clasped against her side. She looked up, eyes meeting Billie's and then she seemed to fall in slow motion. Billie scanned the room quickly before she ran to Sara. The red stain was already spreading by the time Billie made it over to where she lay. Billie immediately pressed one hand down against the wound, dragging out her phone and calling for an ambulance with the other.
Sara groaned, eyes opening. She grabbed Billie's sleeve. "Shit! I got shot again?"
Billie swallowed hard. "Yeah. You gotta stop that."
She gave Billie a weak grin. "No shit. Are Letty and Cassidy okay?"
Billie had to strain to hear the choked whisper. " I don't know."
"Can you..."
"In a minute, okay?" Billie really hoped they were okay but they weren't her priority right now. Sara's hand loosened, slipping away from Billie's sleeve to fall limp, her eyes closing again . Billie stifled a rising sense of panic. Sara's blouse was soaked crimson and so was the floor under her. Billie pressed down harder, trying to stem the flow.
She couldn't help be reminded of the last time they were in this position. Sara hadn't been hurt badly then, at least not physically but the pain in her eyes told a different story. It wasn't that Sara had asked too many questions, she just asked the wrong ones and Billie let her. It was easier than admitting she'd broken her own rule and fallen for the mark.
"Come on, don't do this. Please. I still owe you lunch."
That got her another weak smile, and Sara's eyes fluttering open again. Billie could hear shouting and gun shots, but not the wail of sirens she was praying for. More gun shots and she couldn't think about what was going on out there. She had to trust that Van and Deaq had her back.
She added more pressure to the wound, sending up a silent prayer for them to hurry. Her only focus was Sara. It had to be when she could lose her between one breath and the next.
Two months ago:
Strong hands slid over her skin, and she arched into them with a groan of pleasure. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Maggie."
The masseuse harrumphed. "Maybe you wouldn't work yourself into knots and you might even learn to relax sometime."
Billie grinned up at the older woman. "Nah, I'd probably just take up smoking again."
Maggie slapped her on the ass, the sharp sting making her jump. "You'd better not."
Billie's phone rang and this time her groan was one of frustration. "Shit!"
Maggie pushed down on a particularly tense spot and Billie couldn't help the sigh of pleasure she released. She swore sometimes this was better than sex. Or well, just as good anyway.
"Just ignore it."
It was tempting. They actually had a rare weekend off, like normal people and she really wished she'd just shut her phone off completely instead of letting it go directly to voice mail, that way she wouldn't even have to feel guilty about not taking calls. She sighed and checked her caller id. When she saw Parish's name though, she knew she had to return his call. He was one of the few--very few, as in she could count on one hand--people she would come running for, no matter when they called. She listened to the message. It was short and to the point. A simple 'call me'. She knew if it had been urgent, he would have used one of their code words, so she wasn't worried.
Maggie wrapped up the massage with a good natured grumble and Billie waited until after she was dressed and on the way to her car before she hit four on her speed dial. Parrish answered after one ring, letting her know he'd been waiting on her call.
"Hi."
"Billie. I was wondering if you're free for lunch today?"
Short notice meant something was up, and the fact that he wanted to talk in person, instead of over the phone meant it was something off the grid.
"For you, sure. Where do you want to meet?"
"Lodies?"
Out of the way meant way off the grid. They hadn't met at Lodie's since she was first trying to put the Candy Store together, and they hadn't wanted anyone to know about it until she had everything in place.
She glanced at her watch. It was two PM and she was going to hit traffic no matter what. "I'll be there in an hour." She hung up the phone with a sigh. So much for a nice relaxing weekend off.
&&&&&&&&&&
Lodie's was a little out of the way diner they had been going to for years, through high school and college and even when she'd first joined the police force. They wanted to avoid anything that looked like favoritism, and a rookie having lunch with her Captain would definitely raise flags. Over the years Lodies had become the place they went when they wanted to be incognito. It was close to where Billie grew up and had great food even though it was all deep-fried and swimming in enough salt, fat and cholesterol to kill an elephant.
The owner had moved to Los Angeles from Georgia years ago and he didn't believe a food existed that couldn't be made better by frying it and pouring gravy over it. The food was good enough to almost make a person believe it too. Billie was glad she lived too far away to make it a habit or she'd have to add an extra hour to her daily workout.
They were both off duty but still in public and so she greeted Bob with a warm smile instead of the hug she would have preferred. He had yet another exemption in her life. He was one of the few she volunteered physical affection to.
Bob Parish though, had saved her life, figuratively and maybe literally as well--more than once.
He was the man who caught her sister's killer, the man who got her angry, stupid, grief stricken sixteen year old self off the streets and back home with her mother. He was the reason she was a cop. Bob was the one who sat with her while she kicked heroin cold turkey the first time. The one who convinced her she could still do the job. The one who supported her when she wanted to put together the Candy Store, who stood behind her when things went to hell the first round. He was the exception to a lot of rules, and always would be. He'd earned the right to be on a very short list.
They ordered lunch and caught up with each other. Billie didn't push him. She knew he would get to the point in his own time.
They were half way finished when he sighed and spoke with obvious reluctance. "Roland Hill."
"Oh hell no, Bob!" She wanted to get up and leave. Only respect for the man across from her kept her in her seat. Her dislike of Hill wasn't faked or exaggerated at all. She hated the man and she had a feeling he felt the same about her. They might have the same aims but they were exactly opposite in the ways they achieved them. He didn't believe in coloring outside the lines, and Billie had been doing nothing but that her whole life.
He held up a hand. "I know how you feel about him, and it's not like he's any fonder of you, but this is his set up and I need you in on this."
Billie sighed. "And what exactly is this?"
Bob took a sip of his drink, and began to fill her in.
&&&&&&&&&&
Hill met them back at the Candy Store. Billie was slightly amused that he'd sent Bob to grease the way. It was actually a smart move. There was no way he'd have made it past the first sentence if he'd approached her directly. He'd brought all the pertinent files, and when they weren't busy glaring at each other, they went over the information.
"All three of the women volunteered.Given a choice, I wouldn't want the Candy Store involved at all. As much as it pains me to admit it though, you're the best game in town for this."
Billie crossed her arms, cocking a brow in disbelief. "Well, color me shocked."
"Don't be. I'm serious. I may think you're little group is going to fall into the abyss at any minute, but this guy, whoever he is, is already there. He's dirtying up my department and I want him. "Let me make this clear though. I think this is going to be a huge cluster fuck. When it is, it's going to be huge black mark against Candy Store." Hill shook his head. "The sad part is, this time I'm actually hoping I'm wrong--I won't be, because I'm never wrong, but I'd actually like to see you succeed with this one."
"Just whose idea was it to use Cassidy Shaw and Sara Matthews?" Like she couldn't guess. No doubt Hill got a chubby just thinking about the kind of trouble he was causing.
Bob stepped in. "It was mine actually. We don't have a lot of time and I figured it might be easier if you didn't have to get used to completely new people." He pointed to the photo of the dark haired, sullen looking woman. "Cortez is the Fed's idea. She's their girl. We don't know anything about her except what's in her file. Look, Billie. I know we're taking a big chance here but unfortunately it's our best option at this point. We don't know who we can trust inside the department. I can understand your hesitation about working with criminals after what happened with McKussik, but you've dealt with Shaw and Matthews before."
Hill shook his head. "Not my idea at all, though your history with them does up the amusement factor. They're still dirtbags though. Captain Parish thinks the AGs will identify with them. A kind of bad girl's club if you will. I don't care how familiar you are with them though. I don't want any of them out of your sight for a second until this goes down. You sleep, eat and shit with them."
Billie rolled her eyes. "You're so charming, Hill."
"I leave charming to you and your pretty boy cops. I'm just here to get the job done." He tapped the top folder. "You've got three weeks to get them ready to go in."
"That's bullshit Roland and you know it."
He shrugged, mouth curving into the smirk that made Billie want to punch him in the face repeatedly. "It's what you've got. This was only okayed in the quarterly budget. If they're not under and showing some results by the time it's up for review, the whole thing gets canceled. The girls are back where they were. The AGs stay on the streets and the Candy Store finally proves what I've been saying all along." He shrugged. "Besides, they're already criminals. It's not like you have to teach them to steal."
"Fuck you!"
He smirked again. "From what I've heard, I'm not your type."
Billie folded her arms giving him her own smirk. "Yeah, but it's because you are a dick, not because you have one."
She could see Bob wincing in the background and she knew they sounded like a couple of toddlers. Filthy mouthed toddlers, but children non-the-less. Hill brought out the worst in her under the best of circumstances, and this certainly wasn't that, but she bit back any additional retorts so Bob wouldn't feel like he needed to step in. It wasn't like Hill wasn't partially right any way, as much as it pained her to admit it. This assignment had the potential to implode in there faces before it ever got off the ground.
Billie waited until they were gone to let loose the stream of invectives she'd been holding in, mostly out of respect for Bob. Van actually working with Cassidy Shaw was a train wreck in the making but he could manage. No matter what her personal feelings were, she would manage to work with Sara--she was a professional and she'd keep it that way. Hill could kiss her ass if he thought that after all they'd been through to hold on to the Candy Store, she was about to let this screw it up.
First things first. She had to find out everything she could about the AG's. She was sure the information Hill provided was accurate but she never trusted her people with anybody's research except her own.
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie waited until that night to call Van night and tell him they were going to have to cut short their weekend, and that she expected them early the next morning. She wanted a chance to brief them on things before the women showed up, but she didn't see any reason to ruin the rest of their day off. Van predictably bitched, which made her smile, though she'd never let him know that. She left it to him to let Deaq know since they were usually together anyway these days. She didn't know when they had gone from being more than just partners on the job but she was pretty sure they had.
Not that she cared really, or was in a place to judge. She'd slipped across the line between business and personal more than once. Besides, after everything, they were like family to her and she wanted them to be happy. As long as it didn't interfere with the job, it wasn't a problem for her. She thought if anything it actually seemed to help them on the job. It kept Van from getting so caught up with the mark that he was distracted. She wasn't happy at the though of Cassidy disrupting that.
She sighed and opened up the folder on Letty Cortez again. If they were going to do this, she needed to know their strengths and weaknesses inside and out. She wanted to make sure this went off as smoothly as possible. Billie couldn't help but laugh to herself. Yeah, like that was going to happen. She couldn't remember the last time they'd had an easy one and working with amateurs and the distractions that came along with them wasn't going to make this one any better.
She read through the file and then opened the others again, and started putting together a game plan that was hopefully going to get everybody what they wanted and keep everybody as safe as possible. She was good at this. Billie thrived on the challenge. This was the part of her that could have easily been the lawyer her mother and Bob wanted her to be. The other part of her though knew it would have been a slow death. Sitting in an office every day, wearing a suit, compromising and making deals she couldn't believe in. Billie looked around the Candy Store at all the shiny toys, a story behind each one. A dirtbag off the street behind every story. No, this was her place. She knew that even if in her darkest hours she doubted it sometimes. She knew Bob understood even if he wasn't happy about it, but her mom still threw in hints about how she wasn't too old to go back to school, or told stories about her friend’s kids who had nice, safe lucrative jobs.
It was a good thing Billie loved her mother so much otherwise she'd find ways to avoid their weekly conversations and monthly brunch. She knew it wasn't that her mother wasn't proud of her so much as the fact that she'd already lost one daughter and lived in fear of losing another one. The truth was, Billie couldn't promise her that wouldn't happen. She could only make sure she never, ever told her mother just how close and how often she had brushed hands with death. As far as her mother knew, she delegated, and sat behind a desk--never out in the field. Bob did what he could to keep up the illusion, yet another reason Billie owed him, loved him, like the father she'd never known.
&&&&&&&&&&
Deaq stared at Billie incredulously. "You're kidding right?" It was too fucking early on a Saturday morning to have to deal with this, and all the coffee in the world wasn't going to help.
Deaq wasn't any happier than Van about having their weekend cut short or about having to go in at the crack ass of dawn, but he didn't whine about it like Van did, until Deaq found more interesting things to do with his mouth. Now he was starting to wish he'd agreed to Van's joking plan to just blow Billie off. Instead he was going to be forced to deal with two of his least favorite people. Hill of course went without saying. Anybody meeting the man would instantly dislike him. Cassidy though was a different story. Deaq couldn't get past her part in his brother's death. Hell he appreciated her taking out Kane but still, there it was. Even if he could deal with it, that girl wound his partner up way too tight. So not only did he have to worry about the case, and the girls, but he had to worry about keeping Van's head on straight too.
Billie shrugged, rolling a cigarette between her fingers in an agitated gesture. "I wish I was."
"And we have three weeks to get them ready to go undercover with no experience. Is Hill trying to get them killed? "Deaq really, really hated Hill.
Van leaned forward, leafing through the folder. "Why don't they just use cops?"
"Because they think there's a mole in the department. Four months ago the LAPD received information about a job the AGs were planning. When they made the raid though, the AGs seemed to know they were coming. Two cops were injured. One died later."
"So they decided to use us." Van gestured to the folders on the desk. "And them. What do they get out of it?"
"They get a clean slate. According to Hill, they get off probation, sealed records, and a chance to start over again. At least Cassidy and Sara do. The other girl, Letty Cortez, she apparently has some deal with the Feds. She has a little experience from what I understand. And Sara and Cassidy aren't exactly novices."
Deaq frowned. "Maybe not, but they aren't cops either and they're not trained for this. They're still taking a big chance." Trying to get them ready to go undercover, trying to deal with the history that Sara and Cassidy brought with them...the emotions they engendered in Billie and Van, it was going to be a fucking nightmare. His fucking nightmare.
Billie sighed. "I know. I think maybe they don't though. And we won't be able to go in with them. It's going to be entirely in their hands. That's why we need to make sure they're ready for this."
Deaq found himself watching Van as his partner stared at the files. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. "Hell, I don't think I'm ready for this."
&&&&&&&&&&
Hill showed up with the girls, but to everybody's relief, he didn't stay long. Billie assumed he was there to check and make sure everybody was in place. Sara greeted them all with an abrupt nod, then claimed the end of the table farthest from them all. Cassidy on the other hand, greeted them all like long lost friends, her grin brightest when she settled practically on top of Van. Billie stifled a sigh at the expression that flashed across Deaq's face at that.
The newcomer, Leticia Cortez, was older than in the pictures in her file. The expression was softer too, pretty much neutral as she settled down. The truth was, she didn't look particularly interested at all, and Billie hoped there wouldn't be a problem with her as well. Sara and Cassidy were enough to deal with along with the case. She really needed Letty to be drama free.
After they were all settled, Billie clicked the remote, flashing the first picture on the screen. Three women, a blonde, a brunette and a red head --hair colors pretty obviously courtesy of Clairol--were standing around a white limo, scantily clad and looking like an ad for things illegal in most states.
"These ladies are known as the AGs. AG stands for Armando's girls."
She clicked to the next picture. A close up of a dark haired, mustachioed man appeared on the screen, along with a rap sheet that contained multiple charges of everything from pandering to GTA.
"That is Armando Vega. For years he ran an all girl organization. Fingers in prostitution, drugs, larceny, etc... He was a thorn in the side of LAPD vice division for quite a while, that is until he suddenly disappeared about eight months ago. To the best knowledge of the police department, one or all of his 'girls' had a hand in his death." Billie smirked. "The Armando's Girls moniker is not a tribute. The AGs took over Vega's business, and even though they eliminated the prostitution and drugs, so far they've been just as much trouble as he ever was."
She clicked again, and the screen displayed information on various crimes committed by the AGs over the past year. "We need to get someone on the inside, close enough to get some surveillance on line. We have a shooter we need to identify, a dirty cop and a fence wanted by the feds. We need you to get in, find out as much as you can about how they work and who they work with, leave a few toys behind and get out again."
Click--the blonde appeared on the screen in close up. "This is Elizabeth Connelly. Known as Grace. She has various aliases, as they all do. She's the oldest of the three, and was associated with Vega the longest."
The redhead was next. "Rebecca Smith, called Ginger, for obvious reasons. She's the one seen about town the most. The girl likes to party, usually without her partners. She's a rowdy one too. Been tossed from a few places. She's the one we have the best chance of making contact with."
One more click, and the brunette's picture came up--she looked younger than the others and had a beatific expression. "Finally we have Jessica Lawson--Geri. From witness descriptions, we have reason to believe she's one who pulled the trigger, or at least one of them. So we're particularly interested in her."
&&&&&&&&&&
Letty folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, watching the other people in the room with the blanked expression she'd perfected after months of dealing with the Feds. Three cops and two cons. It sounded like the set up for a bad movie. The chick running things, Billie, was small and pretty. She looked like she should be on a magazine cover somewhere, but Letty could sense the steel underneath as she explained to them what was going down.
The Feds had been running her about six months. Mostly using her driving skills in nothing jobs. Brian kept telling her to be patient. That sooner or later the job they'd been waiting for would come along. The one big enough to let them bring Dom home. They were hoping this one was it. From what she could see, there was nothing usual about this one at all. The feds were running a joint op with the cops but off the books from what she could tell. Plus, she could tell from the get go there was some sort of history between the others. Sara was looking everywhere except at Billie, Cassidy was practically trying to crawl into Van's lap and Deaq was glaring at them while trying to look like he wasn't. She didn't care what their personal stories were--as long as they didn't interfere in getting the job done.
She shook her head as she observed the set up. Pretty cops constantly undercover. Nice work if you could get it. O'Conner would fit right in here. Plus, he'd love the 'candy'. They even called it the Candy Store. She'd have to mention it to him when she saw him again. She could tell he wasn't exactly happy where he was, and they'd formed a kind of friendship since she'd approached him, so she maybe actually gave a damn whether he was or not. She knew if nothing else, he wanted Dom back in the states, wanted him back home as much as she did. There were reasons behind that she wasn't willing to examine, but it tied them together in a weird way.
Letty was forever Dom's girl. She never worried about other women, not really--even though it was fun to get in their faces. Brian was a different story though. Dom had kept up with the other man as best he could, just like he had with the rest of the team. At first she thought it was because Brian had betrayed Dom, and then countered that betrayal by letting him go, but it was more than that.
When she got back to LA she hadn't been sure what to do next. Mia had offered her a room and she'd just rattled around, trying to make plans, half of her wanting to never see Dom again the other half wanting to go back and make him let her stay. Brian found her. Walked up to her one day in Hector's garage and offered her a deal.
When she found out that Mia hadn't seen Brian at all since everything went down, she couldn't even convince herself that what he'd done the first time, what he was doing now, was because he was in love with Dom's sister. No, there was something between Brian and Dom, something they'd have to deal with when he got home, but getting him home was the priority--for both of them, and that linked them in a way that just made things more complicated.
For now though she had to get through this. She directed her attention back to what Billie was saying, and thought about what story she'd come up with for Mia this time.
&&&&&&&&&&
Deaq's attention was half on the briefing, and half on what was going on in the room. He'd go over everything again with Van later anyway. Probably with Billie too before it was over.Watching Billie and Sara, Van and Cassidy deal with each other, just made Deaq happier than ever that he had enough sense not to get involved with any of their marks in any serious way. He was more than happy to skip all the drama. Even though he did have to thank Sara in a way. It was the incident outside Girl bar that had lead to him and Van hooking up.
Well, it lead to a drunken game of double dog dare, which lead to kissing, which lead to them waking up the next morning, nude, sore, hung over and pretty much eager to do the whole thing all over again--well, minus the hung over part. They'd been hooking up ever since. Neither of them would claim it as anything more and Deaq made sure that it stayed that way. He knew Van. Mr. Emotional. It didn't take much for him to fall in lust, in love, whatever, and it didn't take much for him to fall right back out. Deaq wasn't planning on being another notch on his partner's belt. So he made sure things stayed casual between them. Friends with benefits. And if he wanted something more, well, nobody ever got everything they wanted.
Letty Cortez was keeping to herself, watching the same way Deaq was, though she didn't have the advantage, or disadvantage of knowing the back stories behind the sub textual stuff going on. He wondered what her story was. He'd looked over the file, or as much as the Feds were willing to include but he knew that was usually only a small part of the story. Thing was, he usually thought it was the soft part, the easy to see stuff--for most people, the stuff the law knew about them barely skimmed the surface. Deaq thought most people were probably a lot worse than the story that got written down. Van was the opposite. He was too trusting, naive, even after growing up with Ray Ray, even after all his years on the force. He gave people the benefit of the doubt--thought they were better than what was on paper. They'd argued about it more than once and would again.
He glanced over at Van and Cassidy again even though he kept telling himself not to. They were both apparently paying rapt attention to Billie, but Cassidy was plastered against Van's side and had one hand resting on his knee. Van glanced guiltily in his direction and eased her hand back onto her own leg. Even before they'd started doing each other, Cassidy had been a bone of contention between them. Deaq didn't trust her as far as he could throw her, and he hadn't like the way she affected Van. The way she made him forget all about the job, forget she was the bad guy.
He'd have to have a talk with Van about Cassidy, about being careful around her and he wasn't looking forward to it at all. The boy was stubborn when he liked someone. It was easy to flip him over the other way. Convince him somebody he didn't like wasn't as bad as he thought but once someone had Van's favor it took a hell of a lot for them to lose it. Deaq hated to watch it happen, hated to see that little bit of light slip away when Van realized somebody wasn't what he thought. He'd take it this time though, if it protected his partner from Cassidy and the world of trouble that girl always seemed to bring with her.
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie finished the briefing. "Save any questions until we've had a chance to go over everything. For now though Hill thinks it would be smart if you all stuck pretty close to us during this whole thing. We need to make arrangements. It's best if you all just stay with us until you go into play. We can take you to pick up anything you might need."
"What is this, some kind of house arrest?" Sara's cool blue eyes stared at her suspiciously.
"No, we just have a lot to go over and a short time to get it together. It's just easier if everybody stays close."
Cassidy bounced up. "Great, I'm staying with Van."
Deaq rolled his eyes. "Yeah, in that little bitty hotel room? I don't think so. I've got enough room for two of you."
"I'll stay with you." Sara spoke up, eyes meeting Billie's defiantly. Billie stifled any sense of disappointment at that.
Letty looked over at Billie with a grin. "Well, I guess that leaves me and you, Chica."
&&&&&&&&&&
Letty had a theory--half formed, about how much you could judge about a person based on their house. Billie's apartment was no exception. Cool and modern. Attractive but not revealing, just like the woman herself. There were a few pictures scattered around and some books but other than that, nothing said personal at all. It could just as easily been something out of a shoot from those home and garden magazines she glanced through in the doctor's office sometimes.
Still, Letty knew she was quick off the mark with her judgments, and once set, it was hard for her to retract them, and at first take, she liked Billie. The woman was clearly smart and tough and she was pretty successful in a boy's club. Something Letty could certainly appreciate. She had to admit, her looks didn't hurt either. Like Jesse, Letty had an appreciation for pretty things.
Billie's place was nice, but small, and it didn't look like there was a spare bedroom. Letty checked out the sofa, knowing she'd settle easily on it. She was used to camping out in various places. Growing up, she'd rather have been anywhere but home and she slept on the floors and sofas of various friends and relatives as often as she could. Once she met the Torettos; the floor in Mia's room became almost a second home.
&&&&&&&&
Billie watched Letty look around intently. She knew what her apartment looked like. Even her own mother admonished her for the impersonal decor, and last Christmas had given her a gaudy, hand knitted blanket to make the place more 'homey'. It was folded up and stuffed in her closet, pulled out only when her mother was visiting.
"You can take the bed. There are clean sheets. I'll take the sofa." She gestured to the second door. "Bathroom, towels, etc...in here. Just shout if you need anything."
"Thanks, but I can take the sofa, no biggie."
Billie glanced at the door. She didn't want to insult Letty but she wasn't crazy about her sleeping between Billie and the door instead of the other way around.
Letty gave her a knowing look. "Look, you don't have to worry. I'm not playing games. No ulterior motives, I need this, so I'm not going anywhere."
"Okay." She got the linens and spare pillows out of the closet. "I didn't mean to...I'm sorry."
Letty shrugged. "Hey, it's cool. I get you don't know me and your boy Hill is kind of a dick, who acts like I'm trying to steal the silverware or some shit. So he probably told you to watch me."
Billie laughed ruefully. "He did but, well heis a dick. I actually conveyed the same sentiment this morning and I should know better than to follow any of his plans."
She made up the sofa, quashing the part of her that wanted to insist on taking it. Part wary cop, part being raised by a mother who placed good manners at the top of the heap. At this point it wouldn't be good manners but an insult to insist. "How long have you been working with the FBI?" Letty's file gave a general idea, but no specifics, since those were apparently 'need to know' and Billie couldn't help but be curious.
Letty snorted. "If you want to call it that--about six months."
"I'm sorry if I seem intrusive. I'm not trying to grill you or anything."
"It's not like you haven't read my file. Hell you probably know more about me than I do at this point."
Billie couldn't help a small twinge of guilt, rare for her. Even though Letty didn't seem particularly upset about it. It wasn't like anybody under the Feds thumb had much privacy anyway, and normally it wouldn't bother Billie at all. Knowledge was power, but the whole situation was a little weird and it was throwing her off kilter and apparently waking some long buried conscience.
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie had been through this before with Nick Mckussik but she'd had a lot more time to work with him. They were going to have to do a down and dirty training with the girls. A quick run through of the basics, enough to convince the AGs that they knew what they were doing. As much as she hated to admit it, Hill was right. Their past criminal records would go a long way in giving them cred with the AGs. it cut a lot of time off having to manufacture something or set up a few robberies to get them established with a rep.
Van had stopped and grabbed coffee and donuts and the caffeine and sugar rush carried them for a little while, making the early hour more tolerable.
"The first rule is, you never break cover. If this goes down with arrests, you get taken in too. It maintains your cover and protects you from retaliation."
Deaq laid out the cells they would be using. Each one was keyed with a 911 code that relayed directly to Billie, him and Van. "One stop shopping. Hit this and the show is over. The cavalry arrives and we shut everything down. But, it increases the chance that someone will figure out you were responsible for the bust. Use it only if you have no other choice. Otherwise, the plan is to arrange to bring you all in once you've got things set up." He handed one to each of the girls. "Keep it with you all the time."
He laid out the other bugs and showed them how to place them unobtrusively in locations that wouldn't interfere with the reception. The wire was next. "Best locations are bra or..."
"Waistband."
Billie stifled a wince at the ice in Sara's voice as she chimed in.
"Or the waistband, whichever works for you." Deaq kept on with the briefing though he cast a look at Billie. She shrugged. What could she say. He knew how it was undercover. He'd laughed before at the bitter feelings Van had generated. It wasn't like Sara's attitude should be a surprise to him. He also knew she'd done everything she could to keep Sara out of jail for the robberies. It was because of her that she got probation instead of taking the rap for the whole thing once Jill was dead.
"By the way, where was yours Van? No bra and it definitely wasn't in the waistband. You were wired, right?" Cassidy grinned mischievously.
Van flushed. "Yeah, ah, somewhere else."
&&&&&&&&&&
"Shit!" Letty dropped the hair pin again. Billie stepped up behind her, laying a hand over hers, and giving her a half smile.
"We don't have a lot of time, and we don't expect you to become experts."
"I don't want to be an expert, I just want to get the damn thing open."
Billie's hand guided hers smoothly until she heard a small snick, and the lock popped open. Letty had to admit it gave her a small thrill, of course, Billie's warm body pressed up against hers might have had something to do with that.
Billie backed off and stood watching all of them a moment. "Like I said, we don't expect you to be experts. You each have your strengths anyway. But we do need you to be able to fake it well enough to be a temptation to the AGs."
Cassidy cast a mischievous look at Van. "I'd say temptation is one of my strengths."
Van grinned, but Letty saw Deaq roll his eyes. The frown he cast their way didn't bode well for that relationship. From the little bit she'd seen of Deaq he didn't seem like somebody that liked trouble, and Letty could tell Cassidy was nothing but.
&&&&&&&&&&
Letty couldn't help drooling a little when they allowed them near the cars. She'd had her eye on them since they first walked in to the building. It was all she could do to contain herself. Another lesson in discipline she'd learned while with the Feds. This was finally something she could get behind. The other stuff was interesting, but it wasn't her. She'd never be comfortable with a gun, and as far as telling the expensive shit from the cheap stuff, it mostly all looked the same to her. Cars though. That was her thing, and they bought a little piece of her heart when they pulled out the Dodge Charger. It was new, red and shiny, sleek and gorgeous and she couldn't wait to get her hands on it.
Her connection to Dom and the street racing was no secret, and she'd caught Van giving her a sympathetic look a couple of times when she'd looked wistfully at the cars. Especially the mustang, half restored in the corner. It looked like a sixty-eight, and somebody had done a job on it. Letty itched to get her hands on it.
He grinned at her now, tossing her the keys to the Charger. "Letty is obviously going to do the driving, but we want to make sure that you both can handle yourselves behind the wheel as well."
They spent the day up in the hills. Van and Deaq riding along, but this was Letty's territory when it came down to it and she guided them through some simple tricks that should keep them from getting caught or killed. Cassidy already had some skills and she wasn't afraid to push it. Letty found herself actually having a good time as she, Cassidy and Van raced each other. They all had large, slightly manic grins on their faces as they raced across the improvised finish line seconds from each other.
Sara was a different story. She picked up the techniques easy enough but balked at the speed. Letty noticed, when it was time for them to do ride alongs, Sara made sure she was no where near Billie. She actually sort of latched on to Deaq and stuck with him the rest of the morning. Letty had noticed before that what ever issues she had with Billie extended somewhat to Van as well and she seemed the least discomfited around Deaq.
&&&&&&&&&&
Van popped the car lock, opening the door with a flourish, and casting them a smug grin when Deaq announced the time--forty-five seconds. "Okay, who's next?"
Letty grinned at him, and punched him on the arm. "Dude, you are definitely on the wrong side of the law."
Deaq had to admit, the boy was good, and watching him work made him want nothing so much as to drag Van into the back seat of the car. From the look on Cassidy's face, she was feeling about the same, and he quelled the desire to warn her off. He wasn't a dog and Van wasn't his territory to piss on. He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Van about her, partly because they were usually surrounded by the girls and partly because he had to be careful what he said. Van was stubborn, and if Deaq said the wrong thing, Van would attach himself to Cassidy even more just to prove Deaq wrong. So far his strategy instead had been to keep Van distracted as much as possible. Well as much as possible constantly surrounded by 'Charlie's Angels'.
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie stretched her feet out onto the coffee table, taking another sip of wine. "You were good out there today."
Letty stretched her own legs along side, soft leather brushing against Billie's bare skin. She laughed. "I better be, or Dom would kill me."
"He teach you to drive?"
"Yeah." Her expression grew wistful. "He's the one you should see. Nobody can beat Dom behind the wheel. I've seen him do some amazing shit. It's like he was born with oil in his blood, you know."
"Is he still racing?"
Billie could see when Letty remembered who she was talking to. Her face closed off for a minute, shifting to something more calculating. She regretted the loss. She hadn't actually been pumping Letty for information--at least not intentionally.
"Do you want..."
"You know what I want?" Letty leaned over and kissed her, mouth taking hers quickly. She pulled back, eyes questioning.
Surprise kept Billie from responding, though truthfully she wasn't sure what her response would be. Letty was beautiful without a doubt, but frankly Billie had been so wrapped up in stifling any feelings for Sara, she hadn't lingered on any attraction to Letty
Letty sighed and reached out, fingers trailing down Billie's face. "I want to not think right now. Driving always gets me revved up, if you know what I mean." She leaned in again, giving Billie a chance to pull back before full lips closed over Billie's, mouth wet and hungry.
Billie moaned and opened her mouth, sucking lightly on the tongue that thrust aggressively in. Letty kept one hand on her shoulder, fingers squeezing lightly as they kissed, and Billie's own slid onto Letty's thighs. The leather was smooth and warm under her hands and it was very, very tempting to slide her hands up under the hem of the thin shirt Letty wore. The kiss was one thing she could blame curiousity for that, and the fact that she was tired of holding everything in all the time. Anything more though was a temptation she needed to resist.
She pulled back from the kiss reluctantly. "That was um..."
"Nice." Letty ran a tongue over her lips, shooting her a lascivious grin that shot heat through Billie.
She shook her head. "A mistake."
"Relax, Chica. I don't really work for you, Billie. Just think of it as stress relief." She reached out and pulled Billie back into her arms. Billie resisted for a moment before letting herself relax into the kiss. Letty made it easy, and right now, it was all Billie could ask for. This might be wrong but as strong hands moved over her body, Billie couldn't bring herself to care. It had been too long since she'd had this for herself. And it wasn't like either of them was pretending this was true love, or anything at all but what it was. Two people looking for a little comfort and joy on a long night.
&&&&&&&&&&
Letty stretched and snuggled down into the bed contentedly. She was practically purring and Billie understood the impulse. She felt more relaxed than she had in months and she wouldn't mind riding the afterglow into another round.
"So how come you don't have somebody? And don't tell me it's the job. Cause that's the oldest story out there."
"Well it is. Partly. I don't know, I just never found the right person. And yeah I know that's a big cliché too."
"So what, you've never been in love? Never had a long term thing? "
"I've come close. But..." She thought about Carla and Natalie. The closest she'd come to anything lasting. "A couple of near misses." Carla she'd lost and with Natalie she'd fucked up and thrown away what could have been a good thing. Not that she saw it at the time. Then she'd thought she was being smart. Covering her ass. She'd done that all right. Moved up the ladder free and clear too, by abandoning Natalie and any chance she'd had for something real with her.
Letty eyed her shrewdly. "But there is somebody now right? Somebody that could be the one."
Billie sighed. "Maybe. It's just. It's complicated with this person, for a lot of reasons. It's a big chance to take, and I don't know if it’s worth it."
Letty sat up, the sheet falling away, exposing glimpses of golden flesh. "If it's not worth everything, then it's not worth anything."
&&&&&&&&&&
Billie didn't know if it was something about Letty, an illusion of intimacy because of the great sex, or just the transitory nature of their relationship that made her open up. She found herself talking about things she hadn't told anyone, not even Alexa. She told her about her first time, she told her about Natalie and she found herself spilling the beans about the 'person' who could be the one, even though she didn't name names.
When she finished, Letty's dark eyes studied her intently.
"So,why are you here with me, instead of with Sara?"
"How did you know it was Sara?"
Letty laughed. "Seriously, the two of you obviously have history."
Billie shook her head. "Maybe, but I don't do love well. "
Letty tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned back against the pillows, looking thoughtful. "I fell in love with Dom when I was thirteen. I've never loved anybody but him. I don't even think I would know how."
"I was eighteen the first time I fell in love. Carla. She was older than me--in college. She graduated and went to grad school, and she made it quite clear I wasn't being asked along for the ride." Billie rolled over on her stomach, and propped herself up on her elbows, bumping up against Letty's bent knees.
Letty reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic squeeze. "That's cold."
Billie shrugged, not exactly rejecting the sympathy, but she wasn't that heartbroken little girl, and she didn't really like to be reminded of what that had felt like. " What's cold is that she was my Captain's daughter. The funny thing is, most people assumed I was using him to fuck my way to the top."
"What about Natalie? Did you love her?"
Billie sighed. "Telling myself I didn't made it easy to leave her behind. I just passed her on to the next guy like she was a thing instead of a person. If she did love me, what happened between us took care of that."
Natalie was a solid ache she didn't think would ever go away. But she was indulging in enough melancholy. She cocked a brow at Letty, smirking. "So what about you? You're obviously not new to this." She gestured between them. "If it's just been Dom, how did you get so good?"
Letty grinned, inclining in a slight bow. "Gracias, Chica. Lots of girls hang around the races cause they like the cars, and they like going fast. Some of them aren't just interested in the guys that drive. I'd had offers before--when the chick was brave enough, but these two girls -Mandy and Sandy-dumb shit names-but real cute. They were back every week."
She stretched her arms over her head, causing the sheet to drop to her waist, revealing smooth golden skin.. Billie couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate the view. "I can definitely see why."
Letty caught her look and wiggled her brows suggestively with an amused grin. "Thing is, me and Dom fight. A lot. We used to break up every couple of months at least. One of those times, I let the girls take me home. It was wild. We got back together of course, but every once in a while you know, during one of our off times, I'd call the girls up. It wasn't like Dom wasn't getting his somewhere else too."
"The way you talk about him, I expected you to be angry if he even looked at someone else."
"Oh I am." Letty shrugged. "He knows when we're on, we're on, and there's a definite no skanks rule, but me and Dom, let's just say it's not traditional. We're never gonna be that white picket fence, Cosby family. Hell, we'd both probably be bored out of our skulls in six months if we tried. "
"But you're doing all this for him anyway."
"Yeah. We're...us. I can't really explain it. It's just the way it's always been. We'd do anything for each other. He left me because he's pig headed and he wanted to protect me. Now I want to do the same for him. I want him to come home."
"So you went to see this Brian guy? He's the same one that went under cover to bust you, right?."
"Yeah. It's complicated, but he kind of got to be one of us, you know."
Billie wondered about this Brian, wondered what Letty wasn't saying. "He must have. I read the file; he could have wound up in jail himself by letting Toretto walk." He hadn't been under that long, but apparently he'd gone native hard core. She didn't know if he was like Van, and just got too close to the mark or if it was something about Dom Toretto. He certainly inspired plenty of loyalty form the stories she'd heard a few years back.
"Mia, Dom's sister, says Dom is like gravity. I guess Brian felt it too."
Something about the way she said it told Billie a whole story. She reached out, laying a hand on Letty's thigh. It was her turn to offer sympathy. "Toretto's lucky."
Letty shrugged. Her expression impossible for Billie to read, but she put her own hand on top of Billie's, threading their fingers together. "Ride or die."
Part Two