Authoress' Notes: Thank you all again for all your support. I have over 6,000hits, and over 100reviews to this story. I am so happy. Writing is my passion and being able to share it with you brings me so much joy. This part is quite a bit longer than the last one.
A special "Thank You" to Frida Vaccari, she helped me with some more Spanish translations, which were very important to one of the scenes here.
I know this story has been intense and believe me I'm not slowing down. So hang-on tight. I hope you enjoy this next part.
Ticket To Berlin: Part Ten
Berlin, Germany: 6:05am (Sunday)
"I outta knock you on your ass for that shit. Almost ten hours on a plane with a couple of Feds." Roman gave a Brian shove as he caught up to his friend on the private side of the airport.
"I'm sorry man. Thank you for coming." Brian gave Roman's hand a quick shake. "They didn't see you?"
"Naw, but I had to hide in the bathroom for like a half-an-hour while they cleared the plane. You owe me big."
He shook his head. "I know, Rome, but I didn't know who else to call."
"It's cool, braw." Roman looked down the tarmac and laughed. "Well I guess there's the rest of your backup, huh?"
"What are you talking about?" Brian questioned.
"That's Giselle, the chick from Rio." He pointed in the direction of two people walking towards them.
Brian squinted in the dawn light. "How can you tell?"
"A brother does not forget a set of legs like that." He whistled.
"I'm sorry, Mr. O'Conner, I had a client contact me earlier last week and asked if I had any flights from the mainland to let him know. I hope it's alright that I told him I was landing here today." The pilot apologized.
"It's alright, Eduardo." Brian assured the older man. "I know him, but could you give us a minute?"
"Of course." Eduardo nodded and went back to the front of his plane.
"Hey girl, damn are you looking good in that dress and them boots." Roman complimented.
Giselle narrowed her eyes slightly, but her lips curled into teasing smirk. "I have a gun in my right boot."
"I was just saying hi." Roman held up his hands defensively.
"Hey, Brian, what are you doing in Berlin?" Han questioned, as the two shook hands, "We were trying to arrange a trip to see you and Mia."
"It's good to see you, Han." Brian looked around. "Can I ask why you two are here first?"
Giselle nodded, "There was a speed bike competition here on Friday. I wanted to see some of the new models."
"Yeah, we've been relaxing and taking in the sights. Eduardo called me last night, while we were at dinner and told me he was flying here from the island. I figured better than flying commercial." Han noticed that Brian's hands were clenched tightly at his sides. "I take you aren't here to sightsee?"
"No." Brian drew a deep breath. "I'm here because of Letty."
"Dom's Letty?" Han questioned as Giselle looked just as confused at the mention of the dead woman's name.
"Yeah, a former friend of mine at the FBI sent me some information on heist that happened here in Berlin, and Letty's prints were found at the scene."
"Are you sure they were her prints?" Han couldn't believe it.
Brian cleared his throat, "It was her handprint, but a perfect one. I mean it might be a plant, something to lure us out, maybe. I just don't know."
"Have you told Dom?" Han dared to ask.
"No. I gotta be sure first."
Roman shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hobbs is here too. I saw him and another FBI agent on the plane. They were talking about two cases, so, I don't think this is fake."
"You were on a plane with Hobbs?" Giselle's eye opened wider, "How did you get away?"
"I'm smooth, girl. Can't nobody put hands on me." He grinned.
Brian laughed, "He hid his ass in the bathroom for most of the flight."
Giselle shook her head, before questioning, "What kind of heist?"
"Military Convoy."
"That's a tall order, very complicated. You'd need resources for that." She tapped her finger against her lips as she thought. "I have a few contacts here, but I wouldn't be able to get a hold of them for a few more hours at least."
Brian sighed, as much as he wanted to pound down doors, he didn't know where to start. If Giselle could get them some information, he was willing to wait. "Sounds good."
"Good." Han nodded. "Come on we'll pick up some breakfast on the way back to our hotel. Giselle and I haven't slept, and I'd like to at least catch a nap."
"God yes." Roman agreed, than looked at Brian. "I don't wanna hear it. I had to fake puke and panic attack for like nine hours. I'm fucking exhausted."
Bogota, Colombia: 2:30am (Sunday)
A little known fact to anyone, Dominic Toretto hated to fly. He liked having four wheels on the ground and the option to get out if he felt like it. Planes were tin cans that you were trapped in until you reached your destination. He didn't like the claustrophobic feeling they always gave him. He hadn't slept much the night before, so hopefully he'd sleep through most of what was supposed to four hour flight.
.:.
"Eres por siempre mi amor (You are my forever love). Nada en este mundo nos podria separar
(Nothing in this worldcould ever separate us). Te amare mas que a nadie en este mundo(I will love You more than anyone on earth)." She swayed back and forth, singing slightly off key. She cracked the eggs into the pan and beat them in rhythm with her song.
"Nada que desee me podra satisfacer como lo haces tu. (Nothing I desire could ever satisfy me the way that You do). Eres por siempre mi amor (You are my forever love)." She continued, not noticing the man walking up behind her.
"Love songs this early?" Tony Toretto wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. "Pareces sentirte mejor que ayer, pero no deberías estar descansando (You must be feeling better than you did last night. But shouldn't you be resting)?"
She shook her head and added the peppers and onions to the eggs. "Es su cumpleaños, soy su madre, quiero prepararle el desayuno (It's his birthday. I should make him breakfast, I'm his mother)." She turned her head and covered her mouth with a tissue as she started coughing.
He had to support her body as the coughs racked her entire frame. She was so thin and frail compared to how she strong she'd been before this all started. The handkerchief she wore was covering her bald head. Only six months ago, she had, had long, dark curls and twenty more pounds on her petite frame. "No estás bien, te regresare a la cama(I'm putting you back in bed)." He told her sternly.
She wiped the blood away from her lips and argued. "Por favor, déjame hacer esto, necesito sentir que todavía puedo cuidar de mi familia (Please let me do this, I need to feel like I can still take care of my family. I'll rest later, when they go to school)."
He pressed himself against her tightly as they stood in front of the stove. "No creo poder hacer esto solo (I don't think I can do this on my own)." His voice cracked slightly, "Te necesito, Bella (I need you, Bella). How am I ever going to raise them right without you to help me?"
"Todo va a estar bien, yo los estare cuidando desde el cielo (You'll be fine. I'll be watching you from Heaven)." She promised, turning the omelet over carefully. "Your boy is just like you, stubborn. So just give him room to be. Help your daughter with her homework and let her be the good girl she is. Now, no more of this unhappy." She turned around to face her husband. "Hoy va a ser un dia muy feliz, entiendes (It's going to be a happy day today; understand)?"
"Okay." He kissed her gently and tapped her nose. "Your English is getting better."
She stood up on tip-toe and kissed him. "It could not be much worse."
Tony chuckled and warned his wife, "He's gonna want a later curfew, once he gets his present."
"That will lead to trouble."
"He's a Toretto, we're kinda born for that."
Bella laughed and turned back around to check on the omelet.
A sixteen-year-old Dominic Toretto stood in the stairway listening to his parents, wishing to god that his birthday present was his mother's health. He waited another moment before intentionally thumping down the last two steps. "Morning." He tried to sound more tired, so they wouldn't know he'd been listening.
"Aqui esta mi niño (Oh there's my baby). . ." Bella turned around and stared at her son. "Donde esta tu cabello (Where is your hair)?"
"I shaved it off." He shrugged.
"Por que harias algo asi (Why would you do that)?" She questioned walking up him.
He pulled his mother into a tight hug, "Now we match. I wanted Mia to do it too, but she wouldn't."
Bella smacked him on the chest playfully and chided him in English. "Don't tell your sister to do such things. She looks up to you and she just might. . ." She started coughing again.
Dom caught his mother as her legs gave out and held her up, part of his heart breaking. How could a disease make someone so sick, so fast? He remembered his mother being strong, his protector from the monsters in the closet, when he was little. This was the first time in his life that he noticed his mother was only five foot, two inches tall. "Te sientes bien mama (Are you okay, Mom)?"
She nodded and drew a deep breath, "Pensé que ya no querías hablar español, que te causaba vergüenza (I thought you weren't speaking Spanish anymore. I thought it embarrassed you)."
"Perdóname mama, nunca debí decir eso, no me avergüenzas, y no quiero que creas eso, jamás (I'm sorry I said that. I'm not embarrassed of you. I don't want you to think that)." He dropped his head down in shame."Te amo mama (I love you, mom)."
Bella kissed her son's head. "Yo también Corazón, ahora siéntate que te prepare el desayuno (I love you too, Dominic. Now sit I made you breakfast)."
"Esta bien(Okay)." Dom sat down at the table and nodded at his father.
Tony walked over to the stove with Bella and whispered something Dom couldn't hear. She shook her head and accepted the plate; he'd gotten down for her. He hugged her from behind again and kissed her behind her ear, "Eternamente mi amor. I love you, Bella."
"I love you too, Anthony."
Dom wasn't looking for anything like this, yet. But he thought that when he did decide to settle down, he wanted a kind of love like they had.
.:.
The shacking of the plane woke him up instantly. The red-head in the seat next to him; was digging her nails into the armrests. She wasn't crying and she didn't look frightened. She looked very, very pissed off.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we should be through this patch of turbulence in a matter of moments. Please remain in your seat until the fasten seatbelt light turns off." The announcement boomed over the loudspeaker.
"How could you sleep through this?" She asked him.
Dom shrugged, "How long have we been in the air?"
"About three hours. Nice dream I take it." The woman ground her teeth together as the plane dipped again. "Fuck, you think as long as this industry has existed they would have come up with a better way to deal with turbulence."
He chuckled. The plane stopped shacking and the seatbelt light turned off. He unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up, making his way to the restroom.
The woman watched him walk up the aisle then flipped over the I-Pad; she'd dropped into her lap as he woke up. She flicked through the pictures of Brian O'Conner and his known associates, most notably her target, Mia O'Conner and Dominic Toretto, who was sitting next to her. He was variable that she had hoped to avoid on this job, but no matter she always came prepared. She pulled out the I-Pad's cover and slipped the small vile out of one of the pockets. She glanced back up the walk away, just to be sure; then dumped the contents of the vile into the glass of soda next to her. She put the vile away and I-Pad away, and smirked as she heard his heavy footsteps walking back down the aisle.
She reached for the glass of soda on the other side of her seat and took a drink as he sat down next to her.
He looked at her drinking from her glass and arched his eyebrow at the one in the cup holder next to his seat.
"It's regular cola." She answered the unasked question. "I didn't know if the attendant was coming through again and you didn't strike me as a diet guy."
Dom smirked and picked up the glass to take a drink. "Thanks."
"No problem."
Berlin, Germany: 9:45am (Sunday)
DSS Agent Hobbs was pissed off. The German authorities were not happy to see two American agents on their turf and after he demanded access to the files; they had kicked him out of the conference room.
Monica was turning on the charm to a younger officer and it seemed like it was getting her somewhere. He watched her flash a smile at the kid and run her fingers up his arm.
The officer looked around and handed her a file and she nodded. She hurried into the hallway, where Hobbs was sitting and dropped the file into his lap. "Look fast, we've got three minutes."
He flipped through the pages as she snapped pictures with her phone. "Any idea who any of these people are with Verone?" The surveillance photos showed Carter Verone with two other men, one blond and one grey haired. Another showed him with an Asian girl in a gothic looking dress.
Monica tapped on the first picture, "No idea about blonde, but I think other man might be Adolf
Eisenberg. The girl looks familiar, but I can't place her."
"Who's Eisenberg? He questioned a bit too loudly and the hallway got eerily quiet.
Monica snatched the file from him and shushed him. She returned the file to the young office and motioned for Hobbs to get up and follow her. When they walked out into the street she informed him, "This is about to be a bad form a déjà for you. Eisenberg is a power player in Europe, lots of money and lots of powerful friends that don't play by the rules."
"Great." Hobbs growled as he hailed down a cab for them. "So I guess this thing with Verone might be bigger than we thought. We should probably call Interpol."
She bit her lip, before agreeing. "Probably, but they won't let you take the Ortiz girl into custody without a fight."
"We'll just find her first."
Berlin, Germany: 10:35am (Sunday)
Roman was still sleep on the couch, when Giselle and Han came out of the bedroom. Brian looked up from the BBC newscast. "Morning."
Giselle nodded, and poured a cup of coffee for herself.
"You get any sleep man?" Han asked.
Brian shook his head. "No. I called Mia and checked on her. She says 'hi'; and 'thanks for the pictures'? Not sure what that last part was about."
Han accepted a coffee from the Giselle and immediately put the stir stick in his mouth. "It's the baby gift I promised her. She uploaded all of her family pictures to a website, before you guys sprung Dom."
"She didn't dare access it, in case Hobbs was watching it. So we told her that we would download the pictures to a card and give it her as a gift." Giselle looked around the room.
"What are you looking for?" Brian questioned.
"My purse." She answered walking to the closet and retrieving it. "My phone is in it and the pictures are on the memory card. There are some very funny pictures in there now."
Giselle sat down next to Han and pulled the phone out of her purse. The screen was dark, since it was in lock-out mode. "I think some of these, might even make you laugh." She smiled at Brian and swiped her finger across the screen, unlocking it. Her phone displayed the application that she had opened last night, before Verone called her. It was the picture of that Versace dress that she'd taken at the restaurant. She was about to close it, when she felt Han's hand grip painfully tight on her wrist.
Han had glanced over at Giselle as she unlocked her phone and his jaw had nearly come unhinged. He grabbed her wrist on reflex, and stared in shock at the image on the screen. The woman in the picture was pale, thinner than he remembered, and in make-up, hair and a dress she probably hated, but it was her; Letty.
"Ouch." Giselle stated to make Han understand that his grip was tighter than she appreciated.
Brian was staring at the pair from across the table. "What's going on?" He demanded.
"Sorry." Han let go of Giselle's wrist, but took her phone away from her, "Is this what you were going to show me last night?"
She nodded and Han set her phone on the table so Brian could see it. "Is that her?" She asked total disbelief as she realized why Han would be reacting this way.
Brian stared at the image on the screen for a moment before demanding, "When the hell did you take this picture?"
"Whoa, what's goin' on ya'll?" Roman muttered, startled awake from Brian's exclamation.
"Twelve hours ago at The Günnewig Rheinturm, in the woman's restroom." Giselle answered her shock bringing out her automatic attention to detail. "I didn't realize. . ."
"How did you not know it was her? You did background checks on all of Braga's drivers! You led the runs across the border! How the fuck do you not remember the woman that tried to escape; that Fenix chased down and supposedly killed!" Brian exploded, jumping back from the table.
"Hey, lay off her." Han stood up next to Giselle, who was staring blankly at the picture.
"Seriously, ya'll." Roman was up on his feet looking around at the very tense room. "What the hell is going on?"
Brian pointed at Giselle, "She was in the same room as Letty last night and she says she didn't recognize her!"
"I didn't. . ." Giselle muttered almost numb from shock.
Brian fist clenched reflexively. "If anything happens her, it's on you! I swear. . ."
"Take a walk, O'Conner." Han warned the former cop, with a deathly calm.
"No, I . . ." Brian began, but Roman interrupted.
"I need some air." Roman nudged Brian towards the door, "Lets you and me take a walk, Brian. You can get me caught up on what's going on."
Brian looked like he might argue, but finally he stormed out of the room with Roman on his heels.
Han leaned down to look at Giselle's still stunned face, "Hey, you okay?"
She looked up at him, her eyes misting over with guilty tears, "I didn't make the run that night. I sprained my wrist the day before and I didn't go. I only saw Letty's picture from her driver's license and she didn't look like. . . Oh God, if something happened to her. Dom will never forgive me."
"Don't worry about that right now. This isn't your fault. Brian's angry, but he'll calm down." He kissed her cheek. "Try and remember. Did you talk to Letty last night?"
She nodded and gripped Han's hand. "She was complaining that the dress, it had to be taped to her skin. I asked her where the dress came from and she said her boss gave it her, but she didn't know where it came. . ." She trailed off, trying to remember.
"That's good, just let it come back." He encouraged. "Did she anything that might give a clue to where she's staying?"
"Ritz-Carlton." Her eyes focused. "She said the bag the dress came in was from the Ritz-Carlton. She has to be a guest there for them to loan out a dress like that."
Ritz-Carlton, Berlin, Germany: 10:40am (Sunday)
Letty was exhausted, god how she missed coffee and caffeine. AJ had slept through most of the night, but she hadn't gotten more than three hours of accidental naps. She had been waiting all night for Collins to storm back through the door. She had been ready with the knife, but now her body was screaming for rest.
She heard the lock pop on the door and her body tensed up, ready to spring. The door opened slowly and a man came into view. She sighed involuntarily and relaxed slightly. Thank god, it was only Hans.
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