In Letty's living room, Dom Toretto sat stoically, staring at his restless sister.
Mia avoided his gaze, looking instead at Letty with a hint of blame in her eyes.
Letty shrugged helplessly. She had called Dom immediately after Mia arrived.
Dom had rushed over as soon as he finished work. He hadn't said a word, but the vein throbbing on his forehead told Letty everything she needed to know about his anger.
"Dom," Letty interjected, trying to break the tension. "Mia isn't a child anymore. She has her own mind."
Dom's cold eyes swept over Letty before snapping back to Mia.
"And?" he barked.
"There are plenty of good men around. Even if you don't choose Vince, why pick that Chinese kid?"
"Apart from a decent face, what does he have? With that flimsy body, can he even protect you?"
Mia bristled instantly.
"Dom, you're being prejudiced."
"Hunter is much stronger than you think. He handled me all night yesterday—he lasted way longer than you usually do with Letty!"
Letty blushed furiously and shot Mia a warning glare.
Mia realized she had overshared. She was barely eighteen, after all, and her filter wasn't fully developed. Still, despite her burning cheeks, she glared back at her brother.
"You know I hate Vince! Why do you let him harass me?"
"If I didn't grow up with you, I'd think Vince was your real brother and I was adopted!"
Dom ignored the comment about his bedroom performance—he knew his own stamina perfectly well and refused to believe a skinny teenager could outlast him. He assumed Mia was just bragging to defend her new boyfriend.
Actually, seeing Mia defend someone so fiercely made a rare smile crack his stony expression.
"I never supported Vince harassing you," Dom said, his voice softening slightly. "He likes you, and you never explicitly said no, so I didn't stop him."
"If you don't like him, why didn't you just tell him clearly?"
Mia stood up in anger.
But her legs were still weak from the previous night's activities. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed back onto the sofa with a groan of soreness.
She cursed Hunter internally for being so relentless, but she wasn't going to let this opportunity slide. This was her chance to finally be heard.
"You think I haven't told him?"
"Since he started chasing me two years ago... I've rejected Vince at least fifty times!"
Mia's chest heaved with indignation.
"He always uses you as an excuse. He says you support him."
"He harasses me right in front of you. And what do you do, Dom?"
"You laugh!"
"Maybe you didn't explicitly support him, but you didn't stop him either. Vince took your silence as permission."
"Including Hunter, Vince has beaten up over seventy guys because of me."
"Most of them just came into the cafe to buy a sandwich!"
Letty, who had been amused earlier, frowned.
She realized Mia was telling the truth.
Dom had never encouraged Vince, but he had never drawn a line either. They had treated Vince's jealousy as a joke, ignoring the reality of his toxic behavior.
Dom wasn't stupid. He had raised Mia alone after their father died and he got out of prison. He had built a reputation in LA and pulled off dozens of highway heists without getting caught.
Hearing Mia's outburst, he realized he had failed her.
Under the guise of "protecting" his sister, he had allowed his best friend to torment her for years.
Dom felt a lump in his throat.
He wanted to apologize. But his pride—and his image as the patriarch—kept the words locked inside.
Letty saw his struggle. She knew him better than anyone.
She walked over and hugged the angry Mia, blocking her view of Dom while mouthing a silent cue to him.
Dom caught the hint.
"Vince won't bother you anymore," he said gruffly. "I'll call him over and set things straight."
"And Hunter?" Mia asked, her voice muffled against Letty's chest.
"Vince probably went to see him already," Dom admitted. "Don't worry. I'll tell Vince to go easy on him."
Dom played the protective brother, but deep down, he was still pissed at the kid who defiled his sister. A few bruises seemed like fair payment.
"Dom!" Mia tried to protest.
Letty squeezed her tighter, pulling Mia's face into her cleavage to muffle her.
"If you don't want the kid to suffer more later," Letty whispered, "let Dom vent a little now."
Mia stopped struggling.
But she was terrified. She remembered why she dropped out of high school. A boy had liked her once. Vince found out, beat the kid, broke his ribs, and rammed his family's car.
The boy's family called the police. Dom fixed it, but Mia was ostracized at school.
If Vince went after Hunter...
Mia prayed that Hunter's confidence this morning wasn't just talk.
Dom pulled out his phone and dialed Vince.
It rang. And rang. No answer.
He dialed again. Nothing.
On the third try, someone finally picked up.
Before Dom could speak, a female voice answered.
"This is Maxwell Private Hospital. Hello? Are you a relative of the phone's owner?"
Dom froze.
"I'm his friend. What happened to Vince?"
"Yes, sir," the nurse replied professionally. "Your friend was assaulted by an unknown assailant."
"By the time the ambulance arrived, he was already unconscious."
"According to the diagnosis, he has seventeen fractures, including ribs, arm bones, and scapula."
"He also suffered severe facial trauma."
"Please notify his family immediately. While his life isn't in danger, his condition is serious."
"And you should contact his insurance provider. He's going to be here for a long time."
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