The Bet
TFATF-fandom
Author: Angel
Chapter One
Samantha Kinkade brought her Honda Prelude to a stop and shifted into neutral. Adjusting her sunglasses, she glanced in the rearview mirror just before throwing the car into first gear.
The engine roared as the tires squealed, jolting the vehicle forward. Immediately, she could feel the blood pumping through her veins, the adrenaline coursing through every inch of her body.
Sam watched as the needle went to 100, making its way up to 160. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she drifted through the last turn before the straight shot.
"Time for the boost," she thought, reaching to press the small red button marked "NOS 1." As soon as she pressed the button, the car bolted forward, faster than she’d ever gotten it before.
As the adrenaline rush receded, Sam allowed the car to slow on it’s own, not wanting to ever get out from behind the wheel. Pulling to the finish line, she noticed that someone had been watching her. She jumped out of the car and walked towards the person who was sitting next to her stuff.
"What the hell are you doing here Eric?" Sam demanded, "You’re supposed to be at the house."
"I’m sorry Sam, I wanted to see you race. I thought it would be okay," he replied meekly.
"Dad doesn’t want you near these things. He’s afraid that you’ll turn out like your big sister."
"But I want to grow up to be like you Sam."
"Eric, honey, until you are old enough to drive, you’re going to stay away from race cars, understand?"
"Yes ma’am," he said, lowering his head.
"Good. Now, how did you get here?" Sam asked, looking around for someone who could have brought him.
"I got Alicia to drop me off. I told her that I had homework to do and she wanted to go shopping," he answered, grinning.
Sam rolled her eyes at the mention of their sister, "Always shopping, isn’t she?"
He smiled, "Yeah... Hey Sam, could you take me for a ride in your race car?"
"Eric, Dad said that you can’t be near these cars. He’s going to be mad already for you showing up here while I’m practicing."
He gave her his best puppy dog impression, "Please?"
"Eric..."
"I won’t tell dad, I promise."
"I’m sorry kiddo, I can’t. I don’t want to get either of us in trouble. Maybe next year," she said, ruffling his hair.
"Sam! Don’t mess up my hair!"
She laughed, "I’ll stop messing up your hair when you stop asking me to go for a ride. Come on, let’s go home."
"Okay," he said, lowering his head again.
"Hey Kevin, can you put my car in the garage for me?" Sam called out; "I’ve got to take Eric home."
"Sure thing Sam," Kevin said, poking his head outside, "Are you going to use-"
"I’ve really got to get him home," Sam interrupted, raising her eyebrows at him.
The realization dawned on him, "Okay, then I’ll talk to you later."
Leading Eric to her regular car, a ’99 Mercury Cougar, Sam inwardly sighed with relief. If she hadn’t interrupted Kevin, he would have mentioned that she was going to race tonight. If Eric found out, he’d beg her father to take him and she’d be disinherited.
"You can’t live your life behind the wheel of a car young lady," Mr. Kinkade had said, "You’re going to have to find a suitable job. You will not participate in any more street races, or you won’t be allowed to see your brother or sister again, and I’ll write you out of my will. Is that understood?"
The only reason that she’d agreed was to be able to see her brother and sister. She got a job at a reputable bank, and was quickly on her way to a position in management. But every chance that she got; she was out on the track she co-owned with Kevin, practicing for the next race.
Sam took Eric home and ate dinner with her family before heading to her apartment to get ready for the night’s race.
Pulling on her favorite pair of pants, she looked into the mirror. This was her first time to race in New York and she didn’t want to seem like she didn’t belong. Back home in Florida , everyone had their own groups and rarely outsiders were accepted.
Sam applied a coat of mascara and eyeliner and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. When she drove, she felt that she was free of everything. Free from the worries of every day life, free from the fear of being caught street racing by her father, free from the memories of her mother’s death. By having her hair up, it reminded her that some things had to be restrained.
Climbing into her car, she turned on her stereo and drove to the outskirts of New York , where she knew there would be at least a couple of races.
She heard the engines before she even saw the lights. There was a large crowd of people surrounding several cars, checking under the hoods, and talking to the drivers before the race began. She pulled into the first available spot and got out of the car.
Standing there alone, she was reminded of when she first started racing. She’d stood next to her car, not saying much to anyone. No one had approached her then though. All she did was pay her entry fee and beat the hell out of everyone there. Tonight was a different story though.
As she stood next to her car, she noticed that a man standing at a car not too far away was staring at her. She smiled at him then turned around to check out her car.
Moments later, Sam felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, the man was standing in front of her. "You new?" he asked.
"Isn’t it obvious?" she replied, smiling.
"Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but you looked pretty lonely so I thought I’d come over and say hello. My name is Vince," he said, extending his hand.
"Sam," she replied, taking the offered hand and shaking it.
"Nice grip you got Sam. You racing tonight?"
"Yeah."
"Well, you’re in luck, I’m only a spectator tonight."
"Why?" she asked, arching her brow.
"Why what?"
"Why am I in luck and why are you only a spectator tonight?"
"1,You’re in luck because I’m not racing and 2, I’m not racing because my team isn’t here. Dom’s team doesn’t race unless the others are present."
She smiled, "I think I could handle myself. And that’s nice, that you don’t race unless the other members of your team are around. It was like that with my crew in Florida ."
"You’re from Florida ? Aren’t we privileged?" a voice said behind Sam.
She turned to face the voice. A tall, pretty, dark-haired girl stood there, a scowl on her face.
"So what Vince, you’re deserting us now?"
"Letty, it’s not like that."
Letty rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Look Vince, Brian is gonna be here tonight, but he’s not racing. Mia and Dom are stuck at the store and Leon and Jesse are gonna meet us at the house later on, okay?"
"Sure Letty. Hey, by the way, this is Sam," he said, gesturing to where she was standing.
"Hi," she said, scanning the crowd.
"Nice to meet you uh... Letty, was it?"
"Yeah, it’s Letty," Vince said, knowing that she wouldn’t give Sam another thought.
Hearing the familiar sound of an engine roaring and the bass thumping, Letty turned and walked towards the last spot that was open, "Brian’s here. He should know if Dom is going to show up."
Vince smiled apologetically, "Letty isn’t here for the friendship. She’s already got her crew together, and she doesn’t really pay attention to anyone else."
Sam smiled, "Don’t worry, I understand. Listen, you should go see your friend."
"Come with me."
"I couldn’t, I don’t know him."
"That’s the point, you’ve got to meet people, and Brian’s pretty cool. Well, now anyway."
Her brow rose again, "What do you mean by ‘now?’ "
"When I first met him, he was trying to hit on Mia, Dom’s sister. I liked her and didn’t want some pretty boy to steal her from me," he laughed, "We’ve been through a lot though. I met someone not long after they got together, and he and Mia got married about a year ago. So will you come meet him?"
"I don’t know…"
"Come on, please?"
She couldn’t resist the puppy dog eyes he was sending, "All right, fine. I’ll meet him."
He led her towards the center of the large circle that had formed around Brian’s car.
"Yo Brian!" Vince called, "Come here, I want you to meet someone."
Brian made his way over to Vince and Sam and smiled as he approached, "New girl, huh?"
"How could you tell?"
"The way you’re standing. The first night I came out here, I looked the exact same way."
"And what way is that?" she asked.
"Petrified. You’re wondering if you’re good enough to win. Well, if you’ve been driving for a while, then sure, you’ll do fine. If not, I wouldn’t suggest racing for pinks."
She laughed, "I’m racing for money. I tried racing for pinks once. Man, I miss that car."
"Hey Vince, Brian!" Letty shouted, "Dom just called, I’m going to the store to help them out, all right?"
"Sure, I’ll see you at the fort," Brian shouted back.
----------
Brian acted in Dom’s place, setting the rules for the night’s race and how many races would happen.
"Okay, since we have someone new, one race, usual price. Everyone who’s racing, hand over your money."
Sam looked at Vince, confused.
"It’s $2,000 to enter, and there’s only one race," he explained.
"Oh. Well in that case, here you go," she said, handing Brian a wad of bills.
When Brian had all the money, he handed it to Vince. Everyone climbed into their cars and went to the spot that had been checked out and declared "cop free."
Sam pulled her car to the starting line and checked her gauges. She looked up at Brian, who was standing in front of the cars. He held up his hands, made eye contact with each driver, and dropped them. The race had started. She threw the car into first gear and sped off. The other cars took off a split second after her, but she was already in the lead. The guy in the blue Mitsubishi hit the NOS injection button and sped up to reach her. She let him drive next to her for a second, making him think he had a chance, before pressing her own NOS button. Her car flew into the lead once again and crossed the finish line. She didn’t even break a sweat.
Afterwards, Vince met her at the finish line, "That was some pretty good driving."
"It was all in the car hon," she said, smiling.
Brian walked up behind them; "I think a lot of it had to do with the driver. Congratulations," he said, handing her the money, "You earned this."
Smiling, she accepted her prize, "Hey, we’d better get going. The cops just love to bust up a race, even after it’s over."
Brian nodded, "You’re right. Let’s go guys."
Sam started towards her car but Vince stopped her, "Hey Sam."
"Yeah?"
"Are we going to see you again?"
"I’ll be around," she said, and climbed into her car.
Chapter 2
Over the next few weeks, Sam raced every time she heard that there was going to be one. She didn’t see Vince, Brian, or Letty during that time, but she had met someone claiming to be the infamous “Dom.” Each time she saw him, he was the one who set the rules of the race, but he didn’t race himself.
“I don’t get it Kevin,” she said, washing her car, “This guy never races, he only acts as the emcee.”
“Maybe he doesn’t race,” he answered from the other side of the car.
“No, I’ve heard about him before. In that circle, he’s like a god or something. Apparently, he only drives in the bigger races now.”
“You’ve got that look again,” Kevin said, walking around to her side.
“What look?”
“You’re attracted to him.”
“How the hell do you do that? It’s like you can read my thoughts,” she said, putting her hand to her forehead.
“It’s a gift. Now tell me why you want him to race so badly.”
“I want to see if he’s as good as they say he is.”
“You mean, if he’s worthy of you?”
She glared at him, “If he’s worthy of racing me.”
“Is that what you’re calling it these days?” he asked, a grin spreading on his face.
She rolled her eyes, “Look Kevin, he seems really nice, but I just want to see how he drives. After everything I’ve been told, I’m expecting someone who will just disappear and then reappear at the finish line.”
“But you are attracted to him, aren’t you?”
“What girl wouldn’t be? He’s tall, and handsome, he has gorgeous eyes, a great body, and arms to die for.”
“You want him bad, don’t you?” he asked.
“Oh yeah. But I’ve met his girlfriend Letty. She’s very pretty, and from what I’ve heard, a great driver.”
“You’ve never seen her drive either?”
“I haven’t seen her since the first race. I think she went out of town or something,” she said, rinsing off the hood.
“Has she seen you drive?”
“No, she left before the race started. Dom and Mia needed her for something.”
“And Mia is Dom’s sister, right?”
“Yeah. Hand me the towels please Kevin.”
“And she’s married to Brian.”
“Right.”
“Okay, just so I’m all clear,” he said, handing her the over-sized towels to dry off the car, “Isn’t there going to be a race tonight?”
“Sure is,” she said as she towelled off the car, “And I’m going to win again.”
“Then I guess you won’t need me to say good luck then, will you?”
“It always helps,” she said, turning to her old friend to give him a hug, “Thank you Kevin.”
“For what?”
“For being there for me, for not telling my father that I still street race… You know, everything.”
“It’s no problem. Now go get ready Sam.”
She rushed home and pulled on a tight-fitting shirt and baggy pants. Clipping her chain to her belt, she pulled her hair back. Checking her appearance in the mirror, she frowned.
“He’ll never go for someone like me, especially when he’s got someone like Letty waiting for him,” she said to her reflection. Sam got in her car and took off for the appointed meeting place of the night.
Chapter Three
She pulled into the spot next to Vince’s car and climbed out.
“Hey Vince, what’s goin’ on?”
“Not a whole lot, we’re waiting for Dom, Letty, Brian and Mia to get here.”
“Good, then I’m not late.”
“Nope, you’re right on time. Hey, the whole team’s gonna be here tonight, but Dom is making it an all girl race. Mia doesn’t drive anymore, so you’ll be going against Letty.”
“Really? Why is it an all girl’s race?”
“I don’t know, Dom said before I left that it was about time for one. I think he’s going to drive tomorrow night. Hey, Letty’s good. Be careful.”
“Thanks for the warning Vince. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Vince heard the approaching cars before anyone else; “They’re here.”
“How do you know? I can’t hear them.”
“I’ve spent my entire life around Dom and I know what his engines sound like.”
She smiled at him, “I should have known.”
“Come on, let’s get you entered so you can win another race,” Vince said, pulling her towards the area Dom and Brian would be parking their cars at.
“What about Letty?”
“I’ve kept tabs on you, you’re on fire girl.”
She laughed, “Let’s hope that fire doesn’t burn out tonight.”
-------
Dom, Letty, and Brian’s cars all made their way through the crowd. When they stepped out of the cars, a resounding cheer sounded. It was race time.
“Okay listen up,” Brian shouted over the crowd, “It’s strictly a girls only race tonight. One race, 2G buy-in.”
Sam made her way over to Dom and handed him her money; “I’m in.”
Letty glared at her and handed over her own large wad of bills, “So am I.”
Sam walked towards her car to get away from the bad vibe she was getting from Letty. As she reached her car, a voice called from behind.
“Sam!”
She turned around to face the voice. It was Letty, walking towards Sam’s car.
“What’s up Letty?” Sam asked, trying to be polite.
“I’ve heard that you’ve been winning a lot lately, but that’s because I haven’t been racing.”
“We’ll just have to see how the race turns out,” she said, trying not to lose her cool.
“I know how it will turn out Sam, I’ll win, and then I’ll go home with Dom, while you go home to no one.”
Sam’s pride took over then, “I don’t think so Letty. I’m going to win this race.”
“Care to make a bet on that?”
“Sure.”
“If I win, I get the money and your pretty little car,” Letty said, glancing over at the blue and white Honda Prelude
Sam narrowed her eyes, “And if I win, I get the money and one night with Dom.”
That statement temporarily threw Letty off, but she quickly recovered, “It’s a deal.”
“You’re so willing to give up Dom for the night?”
“I know I’m going to win. And after the race, I’ll have a nice new car to show off.”
Sam glared at Letty, “Oh you wish. After this race, I’ll still have my car, a handful of cash, and a night with Dominic. You’ll be the one going home to nothing.”
Letty rolled her eyes, “You’re dreaming little girl. I’ve been working on cars since I was 10 years old, and racing since I was 16. I’ve never been beaten in a street race.”
“There’s a first time for everything Letty.”
“Ladies!” Brian shouted, “It’s race time, let’s go!”
“See you at the finish line Letty. I’ll be the one holding the cash when you get there.”
-------
Before Letty could respond, Sam was in her car and driving to the spot that had just been scouted. Everyone arrived quickly, and the girls took their places at the starting line. Brian stood in front of the cars, and signaled for them to go.
Letty shot out in front followed by Sam. Sam concentrated only on Letty’s car. She did some quick power shifting and pulled up to the end of Letty’s car.
Letty looked into the rearview mirror and found that Sam had pulled closer. Thinking of the terms of the bet, she reached for the NOS button. She couldn’t give up Dom for a night. As soon as she pressed it, the car shot ahead.
Sam smiled as she watched Letty’s car speed up; “Didn’t anyone teach her anything? Too early,” she said as she pressed the button on her steering wheel, “Sorry Letty, it looks like I’ve got Dom tonight.”
Sam’s car accelerated to more than 180 as she sped past Letty’s car.
“FUCK!” Letty shouted, “DOM I’M SORRY!”
---------
When Letty met Sam at the finish line, she was trying to find a way out of the bet.
“Hi Letty,” Sam said as she approached, “What took you so long?”
“Hey Sam, about that bet,” she said, “I was just playing around.”
“What bet?” Dom asked, walking over to the girls.
“Oh nothing,” Letty said, looking over at him.
“It’s not nothing Letty,” Sam said, “You should probably tell him the terms, since it affects him as well as us.”
Dom turned to Letty, “What’s going on?”
“We made a stupid bet that if I won, I’d get the money and her car,” Letty said, looking away from Dom.
“And what if she won?” he asked.
“She’d uh…” she trailed off.
“She’d what? Come on Letty, tell me,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“She’d get to spend one night with you,” she mumbled.
His eyes widened, “Did I hear you right?”
“Yes you did,” Sam said, “Now who’s got the money?”
“I do, and what’s wrong with you two?” Brian asked, looking at Dominic and Letty.
“Letty just lost a bet,” Dom said.
“What did she lose?” Brian asked, amused.
“She lost me for the night.”
Brian’s jaw dropped, “You bet Dom?”
“I thought I was going to win,” Letty said, “But I injected the NOS too soon. I was afraid that she was gaining on me too fast.”
Sam just stood there, enjoying the sight of Letty squirming.
Brian looked at all three as the smile spread wider on his face, “Well, a bet is a bet. Here’s the money Sam, and Dom’s all yours. Time to go Letty.”
“You can’t just allow this Brian, I mean, Dom’s a human, not cash or a car,” Letty said, her eyes pleading with him.
“Sorry Letty,” he said, “But you’ve got to keep your end of the deal. And in the future, don’t bet when you’ve never driven against the other person.”
Dom stared at Brian as if to say, I can’t believe you’re doing this, “Hey Brian, can we talk privately for a minute?”
“Sure. Excuse me ladies.”
Brian and Dom walked away from them to a spot where they could talk.
“Brian, are you crazy? Letty would never forgive me if I went through with it.”
“Look Dom, she made a bet. You’ve always said that we have to honor out bets, remember? Now I don’t know what Sam has in mind, but I do know that you have to at least go out with her tonight.”
“Brian-“
“Look Dom, I know that Sam has a thing for you, Vince and I both saw it when she looked at you earlier. And with the way that you were looking at her before the race, I’d say that you’re attracted to her too. So this is a way to see what happens without Letty getting mad at you.”
“You know Letty,” Dominic said, “She’ll get pissed and probably try to kill either me or Sam.”
“That’s the thing with bets Dom, she can’t get mad at you because she wagered a night with you and she lost.”
Dom scratched the side of his head, “I guess you’re right.”
“I know I am. Let’s go talk to the girls,” Brian said, gesturing towards Sam and Letty.
“Sam, this has gone too far. You can’t go through with this. It was just a stupid bet that’s all,” Letty pleaded.
“Letty,” Sam said, looking Letty in the eyes, “You know damn well that if you would have won, you’d be taking my keys from me right now.”
“That’s different.”
“How so?” Sam asked, “That was my end of the bet Letty. And I would have handed over my keys if you had won. But you didn’t, I did. Now you’ve got to hold up your end of the deal.”
Dominic and Brian walked back over to the girls. Brian spoke first.
“Letty, Sam, listen up. Since I made the rules to this race, I’m the one who decides what happens about this bet. Now Sam, I heard you tell Letty that if she’d have won, she would be demanding your keys. You’re absolutely right, she would. And you wouldn’t be fighting to keep your car because you would know that she won, fair and square. Well she didn’t, you did. That means that she has to keep up her end of the deal. Dom goes with Sam tonight. Letty, you can’t get angry about it because you were the one who agreed to the bet. Is this all clear?”
Letty didn’t answer. Instead, she stomped off to her car and sped off. Sam, who had been quiet during most of this finally spoke, “Thank you Brian. Although I didn’t really expect Dom to go along with it.”
“A bet’s a bet Sam,” Dom said, “So where are we going?”
“I’m not sure. Why don’t we go to my place so I can get my other car? I don’t like driving this one on the street when I’m not racing.”
“I guess so,” he said, “I’ll see you later Brian. Tell Vince I’ll talk to him later.”
“Sure thing. See you Dom and Sam. Have fun,” he said, smiling.
Brian walked to his car and left. Soon, Dom and Sam were the only ones left there.
“Why don’t we drop my car off at my place,” Dom said, “That way we only have to take one car.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sam replied, feeling both scared and exhilarated at the same time.
Sam followed Dom to his house and was surprised not to see Letty’s car there. He pulled into the driveway, locked the doors, turned on his alarm, and made his way to Sam’s waiting car.
“Let’s go,” he said, climbing in.
She pulled away from his house and turned to go to her house, “Look Dom, I don’t actually expect you to spend the night with me. I just got tired of hearing Letty talk shit about me when she’d never seen me drive before.”
He smiled, “I know how she gets. But she’s a really competitive person. She loves to race, and she thinks that she’s invincible.”
“So you’re okay with me beating your girlfriend?”
“Yeah, everyone loses at one point or another.”
“Except you,” she said, glancing over at his handsome face, “You’ve never lost.”
“You’re wrong on that one. I’ve lost once before.”
“To who?”
“Believe it or not, Brian.”
Her jaw dropped, “You’re kidding me!”
“No, not at all. You see, a few years back, some shit went down with Brian. We got into a race and he beat me by a second. But like I’ve said before, it doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning.”
She laughed as she pulled into her driveway, “You know, the only time I’ve ever heard you say this much is either when you’re talking to Letty, Vince, and Brian, or when you’re addressing a large group of people that are preparing to race.”
“What can I say? I’m shy.”
“HA! Yeah right,” she laughed, getting out of her car, “You’re not shy.”
“I am when I’m around pretty girls,” he said, looking at her.
She smiled, “Thank you for the compliment, but it’s not necessary. I need to run inside for a minute. Do you want to wait out here or come in?”
“I’ll come in,” he replied, moving to follow her.
She walked up to the front door and pulled out a second set of keys. Unlocking the door, she smiled, “I keep the keys to Angel separate.”
“Angel?”
“It’s my car’s name. Back home in Florida , we all named our cars.”
She led him inside and walked to the kitchen. The phone was ringing as she walked in, so she sent Dom a smile and picked it up.
“Hello? Hey Darla. What’s going on?”
Dom watched her facial expression turn from happiness to alarm. He wondered what was being said on the other end to make her so worried.
“What happened?… Slow down and tell me Darla! …WHAT!?”
Dominic knew something was wrong at that point. The blood drained from Sam’s face and she looked scared. He watched the phone slip from her hands and clatter to the floor. If he had moved a second slower, she would have joined the phone on the ground.
“Sam, are you okay? Dominic asked, “Sam, talk to me. What happened?”
“Kevin,” she whispered.
“Kevin what? You gotta talk to me Sam.”
“Kevin was shot. I have to go to the hospital,” she said, standing up and trying to regain her composure, “I have to go see him. Take Angel and go home. I’ll be by tomorrow to get her.”