Page 64 of Spark

“My dad used to bring us here all the time.” Aurelio pulled onto one of the lanes and parked, letting the car idle. “The owner used to direct people to my dad's shop, offering free entry to us for discount service for his patrons. My dad was happy to do it, and we came here almost every weekend.” He smiled at Mia, his hand on her thigh.

“That's amazing.” She rested her hand on top of his as the other played with the hem of the skirt she had on.

“Yeah.” Aurelio's smile faded slightly, the corners of his mouth falling with his shoulders. “When Dad got sick, the owner tried to keep sending people our way. He was a great guy; he called when Dad was in the hospital to check-in and had me come down and race when I was seventeen. He was like a grandpa.” Aurelio had lost so many people. He had been through a lot in very few years.

“When the owner heard my dad died, he called and said to come down. Business was slow, and he was ready to leave, so he handed me the keys and left.” Aurelio grabbed the set of keys he used to open the gate. “He signed the deed over to me and everything.” His smile came back for a moment, but it quickly disappeared as he continued. “Since I started working for Boss, I couldn't have it open. I shut the doors, never told anyone it was mine, and to this day, it sits like this, forgotten.”

“Maybe not forever?” Mia inquired, her mind conjuring images of cars racing around the track, bleachers full of fans, and Aurelio winning every race. She could see them here, together, with a family; Aurelio would be the best dad, taking his kidsaround the track. She smiled and stopped herself. Was she picturing a life with him?

“Maybe,” Aurelio agreed, unaware of the thoughts Mia was stumbling through. “But not with Boss out there. He would use it against me like he is with you and with everything I have ever loved.” His free hand gripped the wheel, knuckles white.

“I know.” She leaned close, her free hand grazing his on the wheel, her touch calming him.

“We need to talk about what happened.” Aurelio’s eyes met hers with a ferocity that gave her goosebumps.

“Yeah.” Mia took in a deep breath and explained what happened, the man, his unnerving amount of knowledge about her, and the punch. Mia gave a shudder as the memory of his cruel smile, like a predator spotting prey, crossed her mind.

“What did he look like?” Aurelio inquired, his eyes taking on an intensity she had never seen.

Mia explained the details she remembered, guessing his height and age, but every word she said seemed to confirm to Aurelio who the mystery man was.

“Dominick.” The hand on her thigh tightened as if she would float away if he let go.

“So, you know him.”

“Yes.” The Aurelio she had seen the night Detective Daniels visited the diner was back; he was stern and hard.

Mia felt a flutter of fear in her stomach; her boyfriend was never like this around her. “What did he want?”

“To scare you, to taunt me.”

“Why?” Mia lifted his chin to look at her, and his eyes softened. “Please, let me in.”

Giving her a little nod, Aurelio exhaled slowly, gathering his thoughts. “Dominick is one of the lieutenants, like me. You could say we are equal, but he loves working for the boss.” Aurelio’s contempt for the man was clear from the tone of disdain as he spoke. “He is a sneaky little weasel, running to Boss with anything and everything he can, convinced someday he's going to take over.”

“You think he found me to tell the boss?” Mia asked, fear rising in her chest. “I won't be used against you by him or anyone.” A sense of protectiveness for her love overcame the fear for herself.

“I know you won’t.” Aurelio smiled, but his eyes betrayed his fear. “But it may be too late.” He shook his head, reaching into his pants and pulling her cell phone out. He dialed quickly, and Mia watched on in confusion.

“Mac,” Aurelio said into the phone. “Exit seven. Fifteen minutes.” He clicked the phone off and turned back to Mia. “Mac is going to take you to a safe house we use; only a few of the crew know about it, only the ones I really trust. He is going to stay with you till I figure this out.”

“Wait.” Mia shook her head, pulling her hand away from him. “No.”

“Mia,” Aurelio began, reaching for her. “I need you—”

“No!” She refused to hold his hand, crossing her arms.

His hand fell to her thigh. “Mia,” he repeated, his voice gaining an edge. The man was not told “no” very often. “Go with Mac and stay safe.”

“And leave you behind? No.”

“I will be fine, but only if I know you are okay.” Aurelio turned away from her, shifting the car into drive and shooting off around the track.

Mia, refusing to be ignored, scoffed and looked around for something to get him to stop. The car was picking up speed quickly; Aurelio was wasting no time to get her out of there. When they pulled up to the gate, and he went to open it, Mia jumped out and took off back towards the track.

“Mia!” Aurelio yelled, running after her; his legs were longer, and in moments, he caught her by the waist.

“No!” she shrieked, slapping his hands away.

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