THE ROAD IS LONG

Oh…My…God! I'm so sorry for not updating in like million years! Life's been hectic and with things going wrong for me on my degree I kinda had to re-evaluate my life. S'okay now though, I got my first commission for a painting. Woohoo! Fingers crossed it goes well and if you know anyone who wants a painting done tell 'em I'm their girl!

Right, sorry this chapter is sooooooo short. Like majorly short. I'm really starting to resent having to write the Tran bits. I think they're all a little melodramatic. Lets have a vote. What do you reckon? Ditch Lance and his Lackey's? Or keep 'em in? I dunno. I'm so stuck with them. I know I'm not paying that part of the story enough attention but I'm getting ready to do a big one on Letty and the Mia thing has to develop, I mean she's gonna be popping out her sprog soon! And then there's Donni and Vince and Frankie and Jesse and Tino…well, I won't say anything about Tino just yet…Plus the garage and Dom and Letty's partnership. Do you think that I'm attemting too much with adding in the Tran's?

Oh yeah, the title (which I might say makes me giggle a lot) is my attempt at being witty, lol! Sorry about it's corniness!

Happy Reading.

Gem

xxx

Chapter 25: In Transit.

The air outside the car boiled and shimmered, writhing with the heat, coaxed into a barely visible dancing mirage of water, coming alive of it's own accord. The unrelenting sun beat down with growing intensity and it was unbearable, even from the tiny amount that he had wound down the window. Scalding hot air roared in through that two inch gap, tainting the fresh, icy-cool breeze emitted by the jaguar's air conditioning system.

It would have, admittedly, been much simpler for him to fly down to his destination. Probably cheaper as well, but Lance had never been one for flying. Just the thought of trusting the great, man-made metal bird with his life, thousands of feet in the air, made him giddy, his stomach lurching and a cold sweat breaking out over the back of his neck.

Everyone was entitled to have their phobias and no matter how scared of his Uncle, Lance was, he was far more nervous of aeroplanes.

Besides, driving down to Baja was less likely to draw attention to him and the, now four remaining bruiser's who served his Uncle. Four large, muscled men with various scars, crooked noses and missing teeth were a sight to behold anywhere in the country, looking as if they would be more at home in a prison cell than calmly boarding a plane or browsing the confectionary stands within the airport.

Lance's mind shifted briefly to the previous month's events, back to what had occurred into what used to be Toretto's garage. It was nothing more than an empty, charred shell now, blackened and depressing for all who looked upon it. The final resting place for the incompetent Finney. Finney's death, while Lance had not directly caused it with his own bare hands, had been the direct result of his orders. He had, technically, killed the man, though an annoying and inept man he had been, and Lance had been assaulted with a curious mixture of guilt and pride. He had killed a man. He had killed another man! The guilt, however, he had shirked long weeks ago when he had recalled his visit to his Uncle's residence.

Hikaru's last words to him upon that day played themselves continuously though his mind as if telling him that what he had done was okay, was acceptable if he wanted to survive in this game.

'There may still be hope for you yet, nephew."

And perhaps there was truth to those words. Perhaps he could become like Hikaru Tran. Maybe he would take his dead cousin's place as the older man's successor in his business and power…And just maybe Hikaru would tire of him and kill him, as he had so many people, in his due time. The more that little Jia Li grew up the exact carbon-copy of her father, the more likely it looked as if she would inherit the family legacy. And there was no doubt in Lance's mind that she would rule with an iron fist, as harshly as he dear father did.

Everything hung in the balance. Lay upon a knife's edge. It was possible, just barely possible, that if Lance succeeded in his mission of destroying Toretto, if he did so amazingly, with a flare that his Uncle would appreciate, he could blow Jia Li's competition out of the water and save his own life in the process. Maybe…

In the end, it all came down to what was about to go down in San Felipe. In San Felipe, Lance Tran would be made…or broken.

-00000-

Sorry it's so short. I should have the next instalment out by tomorrow at the latest…some time tonight at the earliest. I'm gonna work on it and see how far I get. Lemme know what you think. I'm starting to get bored of the Tran storyline but what can I do?

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