Gone

‘It’s been a long day without you my friend.’

Sat outside 1327 Echo Park, Grace took a deep breath and climbed out. It had only been a week since she had lost her brother, but there were things that he’d wanted doing and she wanted to get everything in order before the funeral.

Approaching the front door, she knocked loudly and waited anxiously for someone to answer. It wasn’t long before she heard a yell from inside and watched as the door swung open, revealing a young brunette-haired girl.

“Can I help you?” the girl asked with a frown.

“I’m looking for Dominic Toretto.”

“Come on in, we’re out back...”

Unsure if she should follow or not, Grace hesitated momentarily and closed the door as she headed inside.

“Mia, who was at the door?” a deep voice inquired as they stepped out into the yard.

“Some girl looking for you.”

“She’s a bit young for you isn’t she, Dom?” one of the other men joked as he stared at her.

“Shut it, Vince,” Dom replied with a glare, “You’re looking for me?”

“My names Grace O'Connor, I’m here on behalf of Brian...”

“The buster too scared to show his face after everything he did to our family?” Vince spat angrily, “Coward.”

“That ‘buster’ is my brother,” Grace snapped, “He would have come himself if he could... he wanted to explain everything and tell you he was sorry for how things went down.”

“Why couldn’t he come himself?” another man asked, causing everyone to fall silent and watch her expectantly.

“He’s dead... he was killed whilst doing one last job to free himself from the FBI’s grasp,” Grace mumbled, feeling tears form in her eyes and continuing, “There were a few things that he wanted you to have... there’s a letter that goes into more detail and the keys to the Skyline he has in lockup.”

Taking a few steps forward, Grace handed over the envelope she had been holding and left before anyone could speak. Tears rolled freely down her face as she approached her car, hearing her name and freezing.

She wanted nothing more than to run, but something about the person’s tone made her stay and she glanced back over her shoulder to see Dom walking towards her.

“Do you have a date set for the funeral?” he inquired as he reached her, “I’d really like to come and pay my respects.”

“It’s next Wednesday at 10 o’clock.”

“We’ll be there.”



The day of the funeral soon arrived and Grace stood outside the church, shaking people’s hands with a forced smile as they arrived. She was just about to head inside, when the sound of engines caught her attention and she looked back to see Brian’s Skyline pull up accompanied by three other cars.

“Who invited them?” one of Brian’s colleague’s said as Dom emerged from the driver's seat of the Skyline, removing his sunglasses and leading the small group over to where Grace was waiting.

“I did,” Grace replied, taking a deep breath and entering the church.

Motioning for Dom to sit with her, she kept her eyes on the wooden casket and looked up when a large, calloused hand gently wrapped around hers. Loads of people had kind words to say about Brian, but then it was Grace’s turn to speak and she nervously made her way up to the podium.

“There were a lot of things that Brian loved about his life, but cars and his family were by far the most important things to him. To most of you he was just a colleague, but he was my big brother... my superhero without a cape and the best friend that any girl could ever wish for,” Grace stated, closing her eyes momentarily and turning so that she was talking to Brian, “You once told me that it was your job to protect me, that although you’d never be able to solve all of my problems, you’d always be there to face them with me and I never got to thank you for that... I love you, Bri.”

The rest of the service went by in a blur and before she knew it, everyone was gathered around to watch the casket get lowered into the ground. Now that Brian was in his final resting place, Grace had no idea what she was going to do or how she would carry on without him.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as people began to leave, departing with a few words of condolence and one final glance at the open grave. Unsure of how to reply, she was thankful for the comforting arm that Dom placed around her shoulders and allowed him to lead her over to the Skyline.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” he told her as they pulled away from the church, “Despite everything that happened, Brian never stopped being family and we take care of our own.”

“He always said that the best decision he ever made was walking into your store and buying that tuna sandwich,” Grace mumbled, causing Dom to chuckle and reach over to wipe a stray tear from her cheek.

‘And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again’