Quarter Mile Back || Fast and Furious

5

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America
Aged; 14

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Blake Toretto sat off to the side, watching as the cocaine was separated and poured into bags in a rhythmic fashion. The warehouse was dark, only the tables were lit as the well paid teens worked over them. She leant her head back tiredly against the cold concrete wall, waiting the moment Fenix and Campos came to collect her to do yet another drug drop off.

It was well past midnight, and she had been working every night for the past three weeks. Though Fenix did his best to get her time to sleep, he was the only one who ever looked out for her in the place. She looked up when the side door opened, reached for the knife that was slid into the side of her boot, but as she saw Fenix she relaxed and sat back.

'Alright, Rose. Let's go,' He called.

She stood, wrapping her jumper tightly around her as the walked quickly across the warehouse and over to the man as he stood in the doorway. She was greeted with a quick hug, before ushered to the car parked outside. The thirteen year old smiled slightly at the sound of the engine as it was started, looking over to Fenix who winked her way. He had always promised her the car when he was done with it, she was willing to take it no matter what condition it was.

'Any word from that friend of yours? Uh, Roman, was it?' Fenix asked.

'He got three years,' Blake muttered.

'Well, hopefully we'll still be in town when he gets out.'

'He'll find me wherever I go.'

'I'm sure he will.'

The girl nodded, looking at the almost hidden block of apartments on the other side of town. She hated doing business on this side of town, the people there scared her. But if she wanted to get paid, she had to do her job and do it right. She slid out of the car, keeping her head low as Campos approached them with a knowing grin.

'This is our biggest sale yet,' He rubbed his hands together.

'You sure we should be doing a load this big, boss?' One of Braga's henchman asked.

'It's what Braga wants.'

No one had ever met this Braga, he was a faceless figure behind a name. Fenix had been working for him for almost five years and he still didn't know the face behind the name of his boss, he had always dealt with Campos and him only. She wasn't sure she wanted to meet Braga, he didn't seem like the nicest guy.

'Unload it,' Campos commanded; 'Rose, you're with me.'

Blake doubted that most of the men she worked with on a daily basis knew her actual name, it was all thanks to Fenix's nickname for her. He had given to her from the day they met, and he never failed to use it. The girl followed after Campos, walking up to the door behind him. He held it open for her, inside was pitch black; a single light in the middle of the room. Campos sent her along the wall in pitch blackness, hiding her from the people he would be doing business with.

She ducked into one of the back rooms, running her hands along the wall until she found something. She pulled her flashlight from her pocket, flicking it on as she searched the shelves she had found. The Toretto tried to stay as quiet as she could as Campos' voice echoed throughout the warehouse, footsteps marching behind him as the men carried the drugs inside.

'King, you here, man?' Campos called out.

Blake shoved a pistol into the waistband of her jeans, and a few bags of pills into her pocket. She clicked her flashlight off and moved out of the room, ducking up the wall again in search of another room. She slid along the wall and into the next room, her flashlight lighting up the wall. It was a bedroom of sorts, which she raided quickly. She grabbed the gold chain she found and slipped it over her head, hiding it under her shirt.

The girl pulled out a suitcase from under the bed, glad to find it unzipped as she flipped it open. Packages of drugs filled it, all wrapped tightly. She grabbed three of the packages, holding them tightly to her chest, before she flicked the suitcase back. After grabbing a few more things, she snuck back along the wall; standing by the door as she waited for the exchange to finish so she could sneak out without being caught.

The men swapped the drugs for the money, silence among them, before they went their separate ways. Blake slid amongst the group easily, leaving without being noticed. She rushed to Fenix's car and got inside, the man sliding into the driver's seat before he reversed out onto the road quickly. They took off up the road, leaving Campos to deal with the rest of the men.

'What'd you get?' He asked as he looked over at her.

'Three bags of herb, bag of ecstasy I think, gold chain and a pistol,' She rattled off.

'Damn, Little Rose. For your third run, you're pretty good.'

'I try.'

Fenix chuckled as she pulled the chain from over her head, leaving the pistol tucked away in her waistband.

'How much we get tonight?' She muttered.

'About forty grand for you,' Fenix answered.

'And for you?'

'About eighty.'

'Grand?'

'Yeh.'

'Why don't I get as much?'

'You don't handle the drugs, Rose, or guard them.'

'I'm just the rat.'

'Rat?'

She smirked, 'The one that scavenges without being noticed.'

'Who called you that?'

'One of the guys. And he is right.'

Fenix nodded, turning into the apartment block he lived in; Blake staying with him.

'When's our next run?' She asked as the walked up their third flight of stairs.

'Probably tomorrow night,' The man replied as he pushed his door open.

The girl dumped the drugs on the bench along with the gold chain and the pistol, brushing her hands on her pants. She nodded and pulled her knife from it's spot, dropping it on the coffee table as she wandered over to the lounge; pulling her ratty boots from her feet.

'Get some sleep tonight, kid,' Fenix muttered as he wandered to his room.

'I'll try,' She yawned as she laid down.

The lights went off, leaving her in the dark as she stared up at the almost invisible rook. She got herself comfortable on the old lounge, closing her eyes as she drifted off into the nightmare plagued sleep.