As time passed and they all fell into certain routines, Brian felt himself getting calmer and he knew he had finally settled down. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened for a few weeks now and it gave him the illusion that all of this could somehow work out, even if somewhere deep down he knew that his deal with Chestner wasn't made to last. He was doing a pretty decent job of pushing that thought away whenever it turned up, though.

Of course things had to go south at some point. Afterwards, Brian felt stupid for allowing himself to get lured into a false sense of safety. It was a Thursday evening when Brian noticed his phone had gone missing and he started looking for it. It had somehow got lost between the last time he used it at work and dinner at Dom's house. Mia was helping him searching and had offered to go and look for it in his car.

When she returned, her expression was blank.

"I found it," she announced quietly, standing in the doorway to the living room where Brian had been inspecting the couch. He straightened up, went over and took it from her. He smiled at her and was about to say 'thank you' when he noticed the file she held in the other hand. It was the file Chestner had given to him, the one that contained the trucker's confession and the transcription of it. His heart sank as he realised how much more meaning there had been to her words.

Her eyes followed his gaze. "The phone slipped between the seats. That's where I also discovered this." He knew from the stern tone and the stony features that she'd looked inside. And he realised at once what this must look like to her.

"It's not what you think it is, Mia. Please, you must believe me," he pleaded quietly.

"I thought they'd fired you, I really did. You've played your part very convincingly. Just like you did the last time," she said bitterly. There were tears in her eyes and the hurt look on her face made Brian want to tell her everything.

The point was, he couldn't. "Listen, Mia, I'm not a cop anymore. And I'm not gathering evidence here. I got beaten up for real, the whole thing wasn't set up." He knew the despair he felt was audible, but he didn't care. He wouldn't lose them again and he didn't want them to think of him as a traitor. They did mean a lot to him.

Mia held up the file accusingly. "Then what is this all about?"

"I'm sorry, I can't explain that to you, Mia. You have to trust me. All I'm doing is trying to protect you."

"I should tell Dom," Mia stated and he knew he hadn't convinced her.

Hurriedly, Brian replied, "Please don't. I couldn't explain to him, either. If you tell him, I'll have to leave."

Dom had shown a lot of trust when he let Brian get away with his vague explanation of the situation he was in. But if he saw this file, it would be the last straw. Brian had been working undercover when they first met him, he'd been in contact with a cop from the LAPD lately whom he was working for, he'd kept a secret he couldn't talk about and now there was this file. There was no way Dom wouldn't lose his faith in him if he knew.

Brian moved closer to Mia to put his hand on her shoulder, trying to convey how important it was that she didn't tell anyone. That was when he noticed the figure at the other end of the hall, standing frozen in his spot. Brian's eyes went wide with panic.

Dom moved towards them, his jaw clenched and his gaze fixed on him. "Tell me what, Brian?"

Mia spun around and Brian was suddenly very aware of the file she still held. It was all he could do not to look at it.

Unfortunately, Dom had already laid eyes on it and he frowned. "What's that?" he asked Mia.

His sister remained silent, unable to decide whether she should believe Brian or not.

Dom grew impatient and he grabbed the file from Mia's hand.

His instinct of self-preservation told Brian to run, but his feet felt glued to the spot. He knew that if he fled the house now, he'd never get a chance to explain anything.

He saw Dom's eyes skimming the text, an incredulous look on his face. When he looked up, the disappointment in his eyes quickly changed into rage. "Is this what I think it is?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

"Listen, Dom, I haven't been spying on you, I promise," Brian said hastily, his hands raised halfway, indicating that he meant no harm.

"Then you better have a very good explanation why you keep evidence against my family in your fucking car," Dom stated and took a step towards Brian.

Instinctively, Brian took a step back. He shook his head, sadness in his eyes. He had an uneasy feeling about what would happen next. "I can't. I'm sorry."

Dom didn't move. He took a deep breath before he said, "Listen, I told you I trust you and that I'd be there for you in case you need me. But this file…Brian, I'm gonna ask this only once and I expect an honest answer: are you still a cop?"

"No, I'm not," Brian almost whispered. He put as much sincerity in these few words as he could. They felt like a lifeline to him. This statement might be the one thing that secured his place in this family. His family.

Dom watched him closely for a moment then nodded thoughtfully. "I believe you. I really do. Still, you've got a choice to make. You can either tell me what you're up to and what that cop's got to do with it and where you got this file or you can take your stuff and leave. I know I promised to trust you on the deal you've got with that guy. But as long as I don't know why you possess this evidence, I'll protect the rest of the family from you."

And there it was. The moment Brian felt himself tearing apart. He could stay silent and leave, and thereby protect his family, or he could stay and get Dom and the others involved. And he'd promised Dom he wouldn't put the others in jeopardy. It wasn't really a choice in his eyes although Dom didn't know that. But Brian wouldn't be responsible for them getting arrested just because they tried to keep Chestner from blackmailing him.

He found it hard to breathe as he met Dom's gaze. He bit his lip and shook his head, indicating he wouldn't say anything. He registered the disappointed look on Dom's face just before he passed him on his way to the stairs to pack up his things. He couldn't stand looking him in the eyes for just one more second right then.

Barely ten minutes later he opened the front door, a bag over his shoulder. As he went down the sidewalk towards his car, he heard Mia call out for him. Most of the conversation must have been really confusing for her, since she didn't know about Brian's occasional trips at night.

When he turned around, she came up to him, tears in her eyes although she wouldn't allow them to fall. She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something but she seemed to be at a loss of words. Instead, Mia drew him into a breath-taking hug.

When she let go, Brian said quietly, "Take care."

He was unaware of Dom at the kitchen window, watching as he took off. Had he looked at him, he would have seen the determined expression Dom wore.