The racetrack. It was the only legal place left to race in the city. Not that Jack necessarily cared about being legal or not - hell, he'd be the worlds biggest hypocrite if he did - but during day time, it was considered wiser... even by half-wit standards. Right now the former Californian was more concerned with the fact that he was going batshit crazy if he didn't blow off some steam soon. His life was a lot of chaos, even more so than it had ever been, and to say it was a clusterfuck with his brother dead and buried a few months back, his girl's constant worry over him (sweet as it was) and all the shit with his ragtag new 'familia'?... Yeah, clusterfuck didn't even begin to cover it.

In any case, avoiding cops meant staying under the radar. He wouldn't be doing the crew any favors by drawing any unwanted attention on him, so the racer played the good little boy for once, and pulled his black Evo X (yeah, call him a sentimental SOB) into one of the slots in the parking lot at the track. The plan was to wait until a couple more people appeared that he could race. Quite honestly he hoped some real talent appeared; he'd always liked a challenge and this was no different.

Stepping into the Monte Carlo heat, the former Californian shut his car door and leaned against the side of the Mitsubishi with his ankles crossed in front of him, a cigarette already burning between his lips while a pair of old aviators hid the dark circles from lack of sleep under his eyes. While lately he hadn't had a lot of good moments mood wise, with the sun on his face and the roar of several engines competing against each other tearing up the air, this could start counting as one. Simply looking out over the entire area, the racer took to people and car watching for the moment. Eventually someone worthy of his time would show, and eventually, he'd cross that finish line and feel the thrill of the win. It was only time now that he had to endure...

Legal racing. How dull. MacKenzie often wondered what the trill of it was but she supposed it was the next best thing to living on the edge for those who didn't have the balls to step outside the lines. In some ways, she could understand that theory but it had never been for her. Her father had often told her that she hadn't even settled to be born the correct way, much less follow anyone elses rules. It wasn't in her nature then and it sure as hell wasn't now.

Unfortunately, it seemed her boss had other ideas so here she was, looking over the local “talent”. Happy freaking Joy Joy. She'd have told him it was a colossial waste of time but Noah's look of “shut it” had silenced her protests even before they'd escaped her lips. Obviously, the man had no sense of humor for her mouth that day and since it was a beautiful day outside... She'd decided it wasn't worth her time arguing.

Hence, here she was, pulling into the racetrack and parking out of the line of things. Already, cars were lining up and drivers pretending to take each others measures. A few were pro track racers but there were a more than a few of the bored rich tossed in. Those, she quickly dismissed as she climbed out of her Nissan GT-R and closed the door with a quiet click. Yup. Boring. Just how she wanted to spend her afternoon. NOT.

Resigned to another wasted afternoon, the brunette slid her shades further up on her nose as she angled around the front of her car. Sliding her fingers lovingly across the midnight blue finish, she gave it a pat even as she tried to decide if it was worth a stroll through the lot. Not holding out much hope of finding anything or anyone interesting, she started on a slow amble, navigating the people and cars, pausing here and there to take in a nice view. She was almost to the other end when something caught her gaze and her whiskey orbs narrowed as she took in the Evo parked not far away. Surely not.... She thought ideally before making her way towards it and letting her gaze travel over the lines even as they crossed the man standing there.

Well, well, well... Maybe her afternoon wasn't going to be dull after all, she thought inwardly, a small smirk turning up her lips. Having been briefed on the Toretto clan, it only took one look for the brunette to recognize Jack O'Conner and the devil in her got the best of her. Approaching from the rear, she pretended to admire the sleek design of the car before letting her American drawl cut across the noise. “Well, isn't this a surprise. An O'Conner at a LEGAL race? Has hell froze over or is this just my lucky day?” she tossed out, ruby lips quirked up in a friendly smirk. "Please tell me you haven't lost the nerve because I think I'd be heartbroken finding something like that out."

Mornings in Monte Carlo were beautiful, sandy beaches, and luxurious wealth. With all the traveling around that Kennedy had done with her new family, she had never seen anything like this place. Whenever she left the complex where they stayed, she would always see fancy speed cars, and individuals in the latest fashions. Kennedy wasn't one for the fashions of the day, she was more of a jeans and fitted tops kind of girl. With all the stresses that have happened, Brian's death, and then the crew up and moving to here. What more was going to happen this tight knit family?

To let off steam after a couple of days of just straight working, dealing with Dom breathing down her neck, or just to escape it all Kennedy liked to just get into her car and drive as fast as she can. Unfortunately, she would run the risk of have a group of cops chase after her, and the last thing she wanted was to get a ticket in her new home. She needed to find a place to get the adrenaline flowing through her like back at home. Kennedy lived for speed and pink slips. But where to go. She had seen this place that does some racing, and it's legal to do so! There's not much thrill in racing without a police chase, but this will do for now. Might as well keep her nose out of trouble. Today, Kennedy had the morning free, no cars to fix up and no recons to run, so she took this chance to go and do some exploring. Pulling up into a parking spot in her Nissan, she put the car in park with the music still blasting, and she stepped out. She wore her favorite pair of ripped jeans, a little black fitted shirt with a mustang on it, and her motorcycle work boots. She brushed her hair back and lifted her aviator shades. This was the place, and a small smile came to her face. She noticed a car nearby and saw the male figure leaning against it. She knew the guy anywhere, Jack O'Conner. Working in the same crew as her ex-boyfriend, was....interesting, but they got along well enough. "Fancy seeing you here. Come to race," she asked ad took off her shades and held them in her hand.

OOC: This is going to be a really long post...feel free to skip to the last three paragraphs if your eyes hurt

When he heard a few days ago that Circuit de Monaco was going to open up to street prepped cars for some loosely organized racing, Cole wasted no time in putting a car together specifically for this event. That was probably the reason no one really saw him for the past few days. He was locked away in a garage putting his own tweaks on a Corvette Z06X track car. At least the car came from the factory already tuned for a racetrack, but of course that wasn't enough for Peyton. The engine now had a much higher lift cam, ported heads and valves, and a high flow intake with pretty much a straight pipe exhaust. Suspension and roll bars were also tuned for Cole's driving style, and to cap it all off, some racing slicks were bolted on for good measure.

The reason for all this? Cole wanted to see if he still had it. Surely a legal track race would bring out the people with more money than brains, but just as much so, it would also bring out the racing professionals. In other words, the caliber of drivers he use to race against in his rather brief but successful professional career. He wanted to see if he could still beat these guys. Taking on a bunch of street thugs was elementary now, 99% of them overdrove the shit out of their cars because they had no idea of the concepts pros use. Smooth in, fast out. Look far out ahead. Late apexing. Technique was everything out on a circuit.

Cole ended up being one of the first guys there in the morning. To say he was a little too amped would even be an understatement. His first race of the day was disappointing. Just a bunch of money bags in cars they thought would be quick. It was an easy win, but at least easy money.

His second race of the day, however, was shaping up to be an interesting one. 4 drivers, Cole and two other guys who weren't too much to talk about. But the 4th driver, well he was a current racer in the FIA GT1 World Championship. His car matched the status as well, a track prepped Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

Well, this was the test he was looking for. It was actually the first time in quite awhile that Cole was genuinely nervous for a race. Buy in ended up to be 25k each, winner take all. It was a 25k that he really couldn't afford to lose either (This Corvette pretty much sucked up what money he had left). Either way, he had to do it, this was an opportunity he'd been waiting for a long time.

The call came for the cars to enter the grid, and Cole's somewhat obnoxious Z06X fired up. At first the engine protested in idle as that big cam did no favors for the engine while warming up. Soon enough though, they were out on the track for their warm-up lap. Nervousness turned to focus as the cars lined up for their standing start. All in one quick blur, the green light illuminated and all four cars left the line, rocketing to the first corner.

Almost immediately, Cole could tell his other two competitors were not up to snuff with this track stuff, as they were way off line entering the first few corners. As a result, Cole made quick work of them and chased after that pro in his Ferrari.
The first three laps of the five lap race were rather dull. The time was spent by Cole trying to chip away ever so slightly at the Ferrari's lead. They were two very evenly matched drivers. Cole had a moment of pride just in the fact that he was able to run with this guy. But of course, that wasn't enough in itself. He really wanted to win this race. It took all those three laps of flawless driving to make up the few car lengths separating the Corvette and Ferrari, but made up it was. Now the vette was on the tail of the Italian stallion. Cole knew he had one advantage over the pro, that was that even though these cars we're track prepped, they were still largely street cars, and street cars have massively different characteristics than an actual racecar. Given that he pretty much made his living out on the streets racing street cars, the blonde's confidence grew. Further growing that confidence was the fact that he was all over the Ferrari.

As they say in racing however, catching someone is one thing, passing is a whole other thing. That was magnified when you're dealing with someone who makes a career out of it. The typical tricks Cole would use on a street racer wasn't working here, so he figured his best bet was to try to beat the Ferrari through the center of the corner, therefore carrying a little more speed on the exit, and out-pacing him on the straight. Trouble was, the Ferrari driver was defending against this beautifully by slowing a little excessively in the center to stop Cole from carrying the momentum on the exit.

Laps were running out as they neared the white flag signaling the final circuit around the track. Frustration began to settle in for the young driver as every move he made was countered. It all changed however when the Ferrari apexed a corner just a little too early and lost a little speed leading into a straightaway. It was just the slightest of errors, but it was enough for Cole to get a run on him. Predictably, the Ferrari defended his position by moving to the inside right edge of the straight. The Corvette quickly darted back to the outside as Cole had a quick idea to deceive the pro and cut back to the right in the braking zone. The Ferrari actually fell for the trap, and Cole wheeled the Corvette hard to the right while both cars were braking hard. The back of the Z06X went away almost completely as its limits were way exceeded. Cole quickly caught the backend with a swift countersteer but not before the car tank-slapped the right side wall as the Ferrari pinched him to the right. As a consequence of the Ferrari pinching the semi out of control vette into the wall though, Cole couldn't do anything to keep the car from broadsiding the Ferrari in the left rear quarter panel, which sent both cars into a very high speed spin. In a frantic, the blonde fumbled for 2nd gear and tried to engage the clutch all the way before both the Italian exotic and the Corvette backed up hard into the outside wall, causing a resounding "boom" to echo through the track. Fortunately, Cole caught the clutch just in time before the engine stalled and swiftly threw it in first gear and left the scene with a trail of smoke right before the other two racers caught up. A glance in his mirror showed the Ferrari sitting there up against the wall, not looking too drivable. Ignoring the condition of his own car, Cole hustled it back to the finish line to take an exciting but expensive win.

Even as Cole got out of the car and saw the rear diffuser hanging on the ground and both rear quarter panels crushed, he was still about as happy as he could be. Now he had a new goal for the day, win as many as possible while he still could...that is if he could somehow tape the battered Corvette back together...

Hold on, was that Jack he just saw?? At least he was coming back out to the world now. Since that "day" he'd neither seen or heard anything of the younger O'Conner. Maybe it was just a tick surprising that Jack would be out circuit racing though...Regardless, Cole went back to his attempt to mend what he could of the damage. He wasn't totally sure he wanted a meeting with Jack anyway. God only knows if he held Cole at all responsible for Brian...Hell, Cole himself did.

It wasn't the first time the former Californian had been sized up being at a scene quite similar, though far less legal as this. He had gotten accustomed to the local color taking a brazen look at the outsider, this quiet unknown, and deciding they wanted to give him a left hook welcoming party. But at the racetrack, he could already tell, things went down differently. While there were still plenty of your run of the mill rich-ass hotshots with more bark than they had bite, the overall nature of the beast was far more civilized when it came to goading another driver to a race, or when one of those races or a bet was lost.

Nodding his acknowledgment to a few passersby and taking a last drag of his cigarette before flicking the butt away, he felt the unmistakable prickle of eyes on him even while he watched the current race. A shrink would call it paranoia and Jack would call it instinct. Fuck the shrinks.

Turning his head a bit, the racer caught sight of the slender brunette looking over his car, instantly knowing that those were the eyes he'd felt on the back of his neck, because everyone else was having too much god damned fun to notice the surly guy. She could just be some racer chaser, maybe; some little airhead who just happened to have a battle-hardened aura about her...

Sure. And Jack was the fucking President of the United States.

Even before the brunette spoke, something about her caught his eye and it wasn't just aesthetics. Something about posture or the look in her eyes that made him jump to several conclusions, none of which did anything to make him less than curious.

“Well, isn't this a surprise. An O'Conner at a LEGAL race? Has hell froze over or is this just my lucky day? Please tell me you haven't lost the nerve because I think I'd be heartbroken finding something like that out."

Her accent said she wasn't from Monaco, but rather from the States, like he was. Still, the former Californian didn't worry about her knowing of him just yet. If it was nothing, than it was nothing, and if it was something than he could handle it. He'd handled plenty of shit life had thrown at him for the last twenty-eight years.

"D'I know you? You don't look like the typical gash that tend to come sniffing at these races."

There was no smirk on his face, no wariness to be found in his attitude even as he made a point to give her another once-over, his expression unchanging behind his dark shades. The younger O'Conner wasn't one to play games anymore - hadn't been since they buried his brother. But if she was more than the average bitch in heat that flocked to racers as his gut was telling him, and if she knew more about him than just his street-rap as he suspected she might, then he wasn't against learning who she was.

"Fancy seeing you here. Come to race,"

Aw fuck. Talk about great timing, huh?

"Haven't decided yet. Hey Kennedy," he said by way of greeting, flashing Kennedy a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes - not that that little fact was noticeable behind his shades.

Looking from woman to woman, there was a calculating expression in the slender brunette's eyes and an oblivious one in Kennedy's. However, before anything else could be said, a loud 'BOOM' reverberated from the tracks, made to catch the attention of pretty much everyone, including Jack's. Craning his neck and catching both the tail-end of the race and the sight of the scrapheap that used to be a Ferrari, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. This was the second time he'd seen Cole wreck an expensive car, though the first time was a little less amusing to him with that gushing bullet hole in his side...

...Oh yeah, good times.

Watching the man behind her shades, Mac knew the moment she had his complete attention. Letting a smirk curve up her lips, she continued on around the car even as he spoke. "D'I know you? You don't look like the typical gash that tend to come sniffing at these races."


Well, wasn't he observant? the brunette thought ideally even as she heard another voice join the fray. Shifting her gaze sideways a bit, she noted the newcomer and almost laughed. Jesus, the ex-girlfriend. What was O'Conner doing these days? Keeping a harem or something? Piper was a bigger woman than she was because had Mac been in the blonds place? She'd have had words to say about it. Actually, probably more than words since Mac didn't share well. Men or toys. Call it one of her "quirks".

Observing the two's interaction, the brunette arched one slim brow just before the sound of metal crashing into metal pulled their attention to the track. For a moment, it seemed as if the race were going to come to a premature end but somehow, the Corvette pulled out and made it across the finish line. Noting the fancy driving, Mackenzie watched as the car pulled in not far off and a blond jumped out of the drivers seat. Once more, her keen memory caught his familiar features and she blinked in surprise. Hell, was the whole Toretto crew here today? Maybe this wouldn't be so boring after all.

Twisting her dark gaze back around once more, she caught a flicker of surprise on Jack's face too and smiled. So, obviously, not everyone was on the same page these days. Interesting. Maybe she could use that. Food for future thought.

Deciding that now wasn't a good time to continue her encounter with the youngest O'Conner, Mac tipped her head to the racer and then decided to use his distraction to slip away. Let him wonder. It would do him good, she thought idly before starting to move off, drifting with the crowd while everyone was distracted. Pausing at the next car over, she gave it a look over, a bored expression on her face even as she kept an eye on the others under her shades.

Ok, so maybe she was curious too.

It had been a while since Dom had raced anything but last nights race against Regan had sparked something in him that made him want to get back into it. Last night, he won by sheer luck and he could tell he was out of practice. For 6 months he had not raced even once on or off the track but that didn't mean he wasn't busy. He had one thing that had kept his mind from going completely insane and it was a project that still wasn't completed, but enough so to take for a test run and see what needed to be tweaked and what could stay. Safest place to do that was on the local track where things were legal. Not one person knew where Dom spent most of his time or what he was doing and he didn't expect anyone to be at he track this morning. At least not anyone who knew him or his past. While doing so, He promised himself and Piper that he would take a trip to Jack's place and talk to him so he might as well kill two birds with one stone. Whatever parts he would need, he could stop at the parts store on his way to Jacks. 

For the last six months, Dom had bought a garage secret from everyone else and had his mind set on doing what he liked to call reruns. He'd take a car that he once owned and rebuild a replica with the addition to the newer parts and upgrades that had recently come out. These last months, he had picked up an RX-7 and spent many nights  working on it when he couldn't sleep. Whenever Letty came into mind, he ran to his garage and worked on it, tinkering and putting something new on it or even just sitting there to look at it. It helped to remember all the good times and this car was his way of getting away and letting go at the same time. It had memories of both Brian and Letty and he was going to recreate this car in order to move forward. At least that was his theory behind it. So far, it helped him cope with life rather than putting a bullet into it. 

He pulled up to the front gates and in, driving around the parking lot towards the back entrance where most of the racers entered in when presenting themselves before lining up at the starting line. Remind you, He had no idea that anyone was going to be here today until he put the pedal to the floor and exited the gates onto the track. He took the first turn slowing down to feel the car in his hands, but picked up pace until he hit the second turn. He lifted up on the parking brake and cut the wheels into a drift around it. That's when he noticed some cars at the end of the track but couldn't really see who it was until he came around the third turn. This time, he backed off the pedal and slowed down to a crawl, pulling up to the rest of the cars slowly. Now he recognized some faces and some cars. Cole, Kennedy, and Jack. At least he wouldn't have to go very far to talk to Jack.....that is if Jack even gave him the time of day. Seemed like the two had a lot in common as of recently so Dom knew how this might play out. He'd save it though for the end when Jack was done racing or doing whatever it was he was doing here. There was another car that he didn't recognize though and the face that went with that car he was also not sure of. 

Dom pulled in to a spot and parked, looking out the window to observe things. He wasn't racing anyone today so he'd sit this one out and watch for the moment. Putting the car in reverse, he backed up a bit and turned the wheel to move off to the side and shut the low rumble of his car off. Stepping out of his car, he looked to all of them as he leaned against his RX-7 and called out. "You gonna actually race those things or bicker like a bunch of school girls?" he said with a smile. "Some of us real racers would like to use the track sometime today."

It was only few moments after Cole pulled his Corvette to a rest that a battered Ferrari 430 Scuderia was towed into the pit lane. Occupying the destroyed exotic was it's driver who gave Cole a firm one-fingered salute. This boiled the blondes blood a little, as the crash was almost completely his competitor's fault from his perspective. Something with those European guys, they were always hardasses when it came to racing, much more so than those typical street thugs you'd get in America.

Further examination of his vette showed minimal internal damage, but all the bodywork in the back was torn up to hell. Cole brought out a massive roll of duct tape for the rear diffuser and began trying to pound the quarter panels back into shape the best he could with a rubber mallet. It probably looked pretty barbaric but it was the best idea he had at the time.

The sound of a 13b rotary engine pierced through the air and was enough to make Cole look up from his work. Dom. Now that he didn't expect. Hell, he would've thought Dom would've criticized him if he found out Cole was out doing some legal stuff for once. Maybe the chance of a good race brought his boss out...or god knows what these days.

Cole contemplated joining the group until he saw the brunette part ways with Jack and walk in his direction. Fat chance she was actually headed his way, he couldn't match the face to the name even as hard as he tried. Nonetheless, he made himself look busy for the moment, just in case he actually was in her sights.

The thing that most people missed was that racing was the easy part of what they did. Getting behind the wheel, putting that car in gear and rolling out became almost automatic after you did it for so long. Some people were better than others but when it all boiled down to the end of the day.. it was an addiction that drove you and became a part of you.


The hardest part of what they did though? That was what Mac thrived on. Putting pieces together and making things work when everything pointed to the contrary. Puzzles and tests fascinated her and today was no different as she drifted along on the perimeters of O'Conner's little entourage.


Keen eyes took in little nuisances even as her lips quirked up at the other blonds intentional avoidance of her gaze. Seriously? Did he really think that was going to work if she truly wanted to talk to him?she thought ideally, letting her long legs carry her in that direction even as the sound of another car made her glance around. 

And promptly feel one slim brow arch as she took in the sight of the familiar figure who'd just arrived on the scene. Dominic Toretto.


Immediately, Mac slowed her pace, almost afraid to go any closer for fear of capturing his attention at the moment. Having seen him a few times in LA, she wasn't sure if he'd recognize her or not but with her mothers family being prominent in the Hispanic racing community there, there was a chance he might. She'd just been a kid running around with her uncle but the rivalry between the families had been friendly if strong. 


However, when he spoke, she couldn't help the smirk that crossed her features even as she used the blonds car to conceal her interest in the whole situation. It was only after she did this that she realized that was probably a bad idea as it left her looking at a member of his team and she now was in a worse situation. 

Happy Joy Joy though, right? In for a penny, in for a pound. 


"So.. you do realize that the objective of the game is to win AND keep your car in one piece, right? This isn't' a demolition derby, dude." she tossed out, keeping her face shielded by her shades even as she put her back to Toretto.