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Somewhere in Mexico
The large man launched his fist at the smaller man's face again, connecting with his eye. The smaller man winced and struggled to break free from the two goons holding his arms. He licked his lower lip, followed by spitting out a mouth full of blood. How the hell did I get into this? he asked himself.
"Let's try this again. Where's my money?" the large man, who was dressed in a nicely-fitting blue suit. He had his Armani shades over his bleach blond hair, revealing his flamed blue eyes.
"I-I don't have it yet. The last few races, I've been coming up short," replied the smaller man, who's previously gorgeous face was bruised and battered.
"See, that's what I thought," said the large man. "Listen up O'Connor. I'm done with your bullshit. I just want my money. Get me my money and you're free to go."
"I'll get you your money," he said, his voice hoarse and choppy. The man snapped his fingers, both goons letting go of his arms. He instantly dropped to his knees, the pain in his legs and ribs too excruciating to stand. He knew he had a few broken ribs and possibly a broken leg, thanks to a steel baseball bat.
"I'll be back to visit in two months, O'Connor. You don't have the rest of my money by then, when they find you, it'll be like putting a jigsaw puzzle together," the man's angry face changed suddenly, a gruesome smile plastered across his lips. "Have a nice day."
Brian waited for them to leave before he crawled over his trashed house to reach the phone. He yanked it down off the end table and dialed a familiar number. One he hadn't dialed in almost a year.
"I thought I told you not to call me anymore White Boy?" Brian couldn't help but smile at his ex-friend's voice.
"Rome, I need you man. I need you," Brian groaned, coughing up blood.
"Bri, you alright man?" Rome's tone changed; he was more than concerned.
"Rome, come to my house please," was all Brian said before blacking out.
"You know Brian, this doesn't change how I feel. I still hate you. I only came cause I wanna be the one to kill your dumb ass," Rome spat, sitting next to Brian in his hospital bed. Brian had suffered a few broken ribs, his leg was broken in three places and he had internal bruising, but all in all he was fine. Brian smirked, but stopped as the cuts on his lip ached.
"C'mon Rome, you still pissed about that? That was a year ago!" Brian exclaimed, surprised at his friend's stubbornness.
"So what!" Rome yelled.
A year ago, Brian and Rome were living the good life. They had money, women, and power. They, along with Tej and Suki, ruled the southern Miami race scene. But on one of the biggest nights of the year, the Team Races, their friendship was tested and eventually ruined again. It was Rome and Brian against two burly men in suped up rides. The race was similar to their race against "Fonzi" and "Fabio", which won them the Camaro and Hemi Challenger. By the time it was time for Brian to race down the strip, the opposing racer was already crossing the finish line. Brian bitched at Rome for being a slow driver, Rome bitched at Brian for betting so much money on the race. Up for grabs? Four million dollars and pinks. Brian was racing his Fairylady 300ZX and Rome had been racing on of the very many of his babies, his Silvia S15. Brian came up with the not-so-smart idea; ripping the goons off. He encouraged Rome to give up the cars and only half of the money, claiming that the men "would never know the difference". They got away with the rip off for about a month, that's when Brian met the man who had been making his life hell for months now -- Heathrow Desamis II.
What Brian didn't know, was that the goons he and Rome raced that night belonged to Heathrow Desamis' street racing team. Heathrow was a sophisticated business man from New York who was not only powerful and well respected, but dangerous. He had just been released from prison a few years earlier after being convicted of smuggling drugs across the country and running the largest cocaine trade in the South. Heathrow paid Brian and Rome a not-so-pleasant visit at Tej's garage, where both men promised to pay back what they owed. Rome did as he promised, and paid the other half of the cut to Heathrow. He was off debt and hadn't seen Heathrow since that day. It was then that Rome had had enough.
He and Brian got into not only a verbal but physical confrontation that ended in Rome walking away from the friendship. He told Brian that he was tired of risking his life to live on the edge with him. The fame and money was getting to Brian's head, and he knew it wasn't long before he had to pay for it. Rome left Brian's life and moved to northern Florida where he became the King of the Streets. Brian packed it up and moved to Mexico, hoping to get away from trouble and start a new life. Little did he knew, trouble was following him.
Heathrow had hunted Brian down, demanding to know where his money was. Brian kept claiming that he'd return the cash, with interest. Letting him off on a warning, Heathrow suggested that Brian not leave the country until he paid back what was owed.
It had been months now, and Brian still hadn't paid back the cash. Racing wasn't that profitable in Mexico and he didn't make nearly as much as he used too. Brian only knew of one way to make the money, and he'd have to leave the country for that. He contacted Sergeant Tanner back in California to ask for a little assistance. Tanner, who treated Brian like a son, claimed that he'd keep Heathrow off his back for a while, but he needed to make the money on his own. Brian knew just how to do that, it would not be easy though.
"Rome, I'm going back," Brian said out of the blue.
"I don't know if Tej wants to see you Rome. He's still pissed about Heathrow's goons trashing his place," Rome informed.
"Not to Miami. To LA. I'm going back to LA," Brian said, staring straight ahead. He knew what he had to do. He turned to Rome with pleading eyes. "Come with me Rome."
"Hell naw!" Rome yelled, standing up. "I told you I wasn't rolling with you no more Brian. Either it's a female, or it's money. Your like a trouble magnet, man," Rome exclaimed, running his hands over his head.
"C'mon Ro. I can't do this without you man. Quit fronting like you don't wanna go," Brian spoke, a smirk creeping onto his face. Rome looked away, grunting and groaning, then looked back at Brian. "Fine man, whatever."
(Deacon)
"Daddy, when are we gonna see Mia and Vince again?" that was the question of the day.
We had the day off work today, and I decided that we would stay home and in bed. Except, Emma wanted so badly to be out of the house.
"Why do you like Vince so much?" I asked, rolling on my stomach and looking at her. She shrugged, sitting up playing with her cars.
"He's nice," she said simply. I think maybe she had been around the gas fumes too long. Vince...nice? No way.
"Anything else?" I asked her, laughing at her claim.
"He looks like Grandpa Lou," she stated again. I thought hard about what she just said. Vince really did look like Grandpa Lou. The deep, blue eyes, the scruffy beard, the smile. Oh my God, I thought to myself. "Daddy? You kay?" Emma asked, her tiny hand on my cheek. I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts. Impossible, they are nothing alike.
I shook my head and turned to Emma. "Yeah baby, I'm okay. Go get dressed, let's go see the Team."
Smiling wide, she jumped off the bed and ran out the room. I ran my hands down my face and sat on the edge of my bed. Something is definitely not right there, I thought. I stood and pulled a t-shirt from my dresser, pulling it over my head. I grabbed my keys from the dresser and walked out into the living room, where I was met by Emma. She had on some jeans and a t-shirt like me, one of her RC cars in her hand.
"How 'bout you leave that here today?" I suggested, walking to the door.
"But Daddy," she pouted, "I told Vince I would show him my other ones. Can I pwease take it?" she asked, resorting back to her five year-old persona. I was taken aback, considering she tried to act like an adult all the time.
"Fine, let's go," I nodded as she bounded happily out the door. I smiled and shut it behind me.
"Mia, you're boyfriend's here again," Vince mutter from the couch. He just stared at the current Nascar race on the TV, not bothering to look at the door. He didn't answer the door, even after hearing Deacon exclaim how he could see Vince through the window.
She raced down the stairs, nearly falling on her face in the process. She ran her hands down her jeans, smoothing out the wrinkles and took a deep breath at the door.
"It ain't gonna open itself," Vince spoke, his voice plain and hoarse.
Mia turned and scowled at him before turning the knob and pulling the door open. She gave Deke and Emma her prettiest, loving smile and invited them in. Emma ran straight to Vince, who perked up at the sight of her.
"Hey Kid," he smiled, lifting her onto the sofa with him.
"Miss me?" she asked, unzipping her RC bag.
"Of course," Vince replied, kissing the top of her head.
Mia excused herself to go get drinks while Deke stood at the door. He watched the interaction between Vince and Emma. He stared at Vince while thinking about Lou. He wanted so bad to ask him if he knew Lou, but he didn't want to stir up any trouble.
"There a reason you staring at me, Georgia?" Vince asked, mentioning his nickname for Deke. He didn't look up, only stared at Emma's car as she explained the 'sweet stuff' it had.
"Can I ask you a question, Vincent?" Deke emphasized Vince's full name, receiving a flaming scowl from him.
"What's that Pretty Boy?" Vince tossed out what was supposed to be an insult, which only amused Deke.
"Why is that my daughter's clinging to you? Of all the other decent Team members, why does she cling to the psychotic, unstable one?" Deacon asked, immediately feeling guilt. He never intended his little feud with Vince to come to this. He was not naturally a cruel guy.
"Hey, fuck you Pretty Boy!" Vince growled, standing from the sofa. Deacon stood too, ready for anything Vince was about to give him. Emma clinched her hands to her ears as Mia walked in empty-handed.
"What's going on in here?" she asked.
Vince gave Deacon one last evil glare before sitting back down with Emma. He pulled her hands from her ears and kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry sweetie. Didn't mean to scare ya. Your Daddy's just itching for a beating right now," he smirked at her, then at Deke.
"Yeah, Mia, everything's all right," he lied, tossing Vince a fake smile. "Where's everyone else?" he asked, curious to know why the house was so quiet.
"Everyone went to pick up parts for the garage. Dom insisted that Vince stay and babysit. Although I dunno why, all he does is eat and stare at the TV," Mia spoke, as if Vince wasn't even in the room.
"Um, excuse me, sitting right here," he spoke, pointing to himself.
"Whatever, V," Mia said, rolling her eyes. "Say, I was thinking. How 'bout we go grab some lunch?" Mia suggested, wrapping her arms around Deke's waist.
"What about Emma? I ain't leaving her with the Beast," Deke said, making sure his words were loud enough for Vince to hear.
"Oh, Deke she'll be fine. Vince will take care of her. Won't you Vince?" Mia spat through clenched teeth. When Emma turned to them, Mia put on a fake smile, her eyes pleading with Vince.
"Yeah, of course. No need to worry, Deacon, I can handle it," Vince replied.
"Is that okay Em? You wouldn't mind staying here with him while I go get lunch with Mia would you?" Deke asked her, wrapping his arm around Mia's shoulder.
"Uh-uh. I wanna stay Daddy," Emma replied, her biggest begging smile flashing.
Deacon didn't speak, he only nodded. He pulled her into the den with him and kneeled down to her level.
"You be careful, okay? I don't trust Vince. Tell me if he hurts you in any way," Deacon spoke softly, running his hands through Emma's curly hair.
"Kay Daddy. Have fun," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugged her tight, his love for her evident in his expression.
"You too Puddin'," he walked out of the den with her, both wearing smiles on their faces.
"Ready to go?" Mia asked. Deacon nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He looked back at Emma and told her he loved her. She return the affectionate term and waved goodbye. Vince waited for the door to close, then he turned to Emma.
"Let's have some fun!" he cheered, lifting her in the air and grabbing her RC bag. He ran out the back door, a rift of giggles filling the air.
(Dom)
I sent the Leon, Jesse, and Letty to Harry's to get the rest of the parts while I made a detour to the other side of town. Stopping in front of the last place I wanted to be, I took a deep breath. Shutting off the car, I got out slowly. I took long, quick steps, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. Pushing the door open, I was taken aback by the frenzy inside the building. People were running every which way, phones were ringing off the hook, and crooks were thrashing around frantically in handcuffs.
"I hate this place," I muttered to myself as I walked to the front desk.
"Dom Toretto? What is the world coming too? Mia was just in here the other day," the front desk clerk, Mrs. Jenkins, said with surprise.
"How you doing Clarise? How's the boys?" I asked politely, signing my name on the entrance sheet. It was to make sure the wrong people weren't there for the wrong reasons.
"They are good. You know little Pete, he can't ever stay out of trouble. And Douglas? That boy is gonna be a genius one day," she smiled, stamping the sign-in sheet next to my name.
"That's good to here. Say, you wouldn't happen to know why Mia was here the other day would you?" I asked, hoping to get some info out of her.
"Yeah, she said she was looking for Sgt. Tanner. Wanna see him?" I nodded, sticking my hands in my pockets. I never did like Gene Tanner. He had been a pain in my ass for years. "Sgt. Tanner, you have a visitor."
I waved goodbye and walked over to the waiting chairs, sitting a few down from a weird-looking guy in handcuffs. His hair was scruffy and it was no doubt that he was high on something.
"Who is it?" a voice said, coming out into the lobby. Clarise pointed over to me with a smile. Tanner turned, his face forming a smirk at seeing me. I felt like a teenager again going to see the principal.
"What a pleasant surprise. Come on back," Tanner nodded, walking ahead of me to his office. "Take a seat," he ordered. I obeyed, sitting down in front of his desk. "What can I do for you?"
"I wanna know why Mia was here. What'd she want?" I asked him, not beating around the bush.
"That's confidential, Mr. Toretto. Without her consent, I don't have to tell you a thing," he replied, his usual attitude clear in his words.
"Well see, I'm afraid she's in trouble. I need to know what's going on before shit starts blowing up. Tell me what's going on Tanner," I demanded, trying to keep my temper in check. One false move and I'd be in handcuffs like the addict in the lobby.
Tanner fixed his glasses on his face and sat on his desk.
"Toretto, Mia wanted me to lock your files. Everything there is to know about your little 'family', she wanted me to lock up and toss away the key," Tanner replied, sipping his coffee. I looked at him with confusion.
"But why would she lock our files? We have nothing to hide," I told him, now sitting on the edge of my chair.
"Well see, she's afraid of someone new to your family finding out about your pasts," there was something Tanner was holding back.
"What else?" I asked him, knowing there was more.
"She's thinks Brian's disappearance has something to do with your new friend showing up. She thinks Brian's still a cop and that this Deacon is working for him. Mia thinks Brian's still after your family," Tanner explained.
My head was pounding with all this information. Why would Mia think we were in trouble still? It had been years, the cops had nothing on us. No proof of the heists, all they had was petty racing tickets. Why would she lock our files? I understand why she thought Brian was still a cop, he had been gone for years with no word from him. But Deacon did show up as soon as Brian disappeared. Could he be a cop too?
"Is Brian still a cop?" I asked him.
"As of now, no. He worked a few odd-jobs for us after he quit the force, but he doesn't work for a department. He's in Mexico," Tanner finished, a fake smile on his face. "Now if that's all, I have some paperwork to get to. You know where the door is," he said rudely, returning to his seat. I stood and thanked him for the information and left.
"They always said we Toretto's were nothing but trouble," I mumbled as I got in my car and pulled off.
