Chapter 10
About a week later, Brian, Ice, and Dominic sat in Club Phoenix's VIP room relaxing. The local club was where the crew had started hanging out there when Ice had introduced them to it a while ago. Ice's main man owned the club and the environment was well secluded and quiet.
"So, Brian, have you asked my sister to be your 'girlfriend' yet?" Ice asked, leaning back in his chair with his cigarette.
"No, not yet." He replied, confused at Ice and Dominic's strange behavior. They had been rather quiet tonight.
"You said you were done with the cop thing, right?" Ice folded his arms.
"Yeah." He locked eyes with Ice to show he wasn't lying.
"We all know how good of an act you can be." Dominic took a drink of his Corona. "You said yourself you'd prove yourself if ya had to, right?" he raised an eyebrow and folded his arms skeptically.
"Yeah, and I meant it." Brian nodded. His thoughts reverted back to the club situation with Carter Verone. He nervously wondered if they were planning to kill him, seeing as how Tiffany wasn't there to defend him.
"So, we got a test for you." Ice grinned and shrugged.
"A test?" Brian frowned.
"You fucked Dom over for the most part. What's not to say my sister isn't next?" Ice challenged.
"Only my word, I guess." Brian said, unsure of what reply would convince the two. "But it's not like that." He promised.
"I guarantee my sister's done 20 times the stuff you tried to take Dom down for." Ice informed his friend.
"What have I done to loose your trust, Dom?" Brian asked.
"I told you I'd be watching. You've kept your word, far as I know." Dominic acknowledged. "Come on, Arizona, you didn't think I'd let you come back that easy or without proving yourself." Dominic scoffed. "Did ya?" He asked, sitting up straighter.
"Guess not." Brian sighed. He finished his Corona, guessing it was going to be a long night.
"So, you down?" Ice asked.
"For?" Brian asked.
"I'm not tellin you yet, in case you inform someone. We're puttin you on the spot so you got no chance of callin the cops." Dominic said.
"Hey guys. " Tiffany walked up, making Brian jump. She leaned down, her elbows on the table, between Ice and Brian. "Are you up for it, Brian?" She asked, not knowing he hadn't been told was the 'test' was. Brian looked deep into her dark brown eyes and grinned boyishly. She made him feel so relaxed.
"Yeah, I'm down." He assured her.
"That's good cause I betted you wouldn't have the balls to do it." Tiffany said as she kissed him. He looked at her, in shock, of her honesty. "I'm just being straight." She explained. "Come on, let's go for a walk." She grabbed his hand. He followed without a word. "Brian, I defended you. Please don't let me down." Tiffany pleaded as they walked outside. The moon and stars were bright and the sky was clear.
"I'm not gonna let you down, I swear." Brian promised, kissing her passionately. "I'll do whatever I gotta do to convince them." He murmured, between kisses.
"Mr. Arizona might just be for real this time." Dominic commented to Ice.
"He hopes he's for real. If he's tryin to bring us down, he'll have worse problems than Tran to worry about." Ice threatened.
"Yeah, talk to me." Dominic answered his phone.
"It's a go when y'all are ready." Leon informed him.
"Meet us at the spot in 20 minutes. Make sure Tej, Rome, and Jesse stay at the house with Jordan." Dominic ordered.
"See ya in twenty." Leon replied, hanging up.
"Your brother hates me." Brian said, holding Tiffany in his arms.
"No, he's just protective. Just like you and Dom are about Jordan and Mia." She rationalized.
"Mia and Dom used to be close. What happened?" Brian asked, breathing in the sweet smell of Tiffany's thick black hair as he held her close.
"She hasn't forgiven for all the heists, Jesse and Vince almost getting killed, you know." Tiffany tried to explain. "There's a lot of stuff I could say but I won't waste my breath." She said, resting her head on his chest. "So, do you still have feelings for her?" She asked, catching Brian off guard. "I just need to know the truth. Don't bs me." She added.
"No." He answered without hesitation. "I thought I would when I saw her again, but I didn't. I guess maybe there was too much of a time lapse or it wasn't what I thought." He said slowly as he thought about the past. "Are you cold? Want to go inside?" He caressed her hair softly.
"I guess we should." Tiffany sighed, not wanting to move. She was happy and content. Brian wasn't looking forward to seeing Tiffany's brother, either. Dominic and Ice met them outside before they had started to head inside.
"Let's go, Arizona. You're ridin with me." Dominic motioned, getting in his car.
"I'll see you in a little bit." Tiffany kissed him. He got in Dominic's car without a word.
"I'm countin on you, Brian. Don't let us down or betray us again." Dominic said, his voice menacing.
"Dom, I 'm not. You'll see." Brian promised as they headed to the nearby desert.
"If he breaks your heart, I'll kill him." Ice warned his sister, checking his rearview mirror to make sure they were not being followed.
"He's not going to." Tiffany replied confidently. "He's not." She repeated under her breath softly, her hopes high.
"He's got you good." Ice noticed, only half joking. He could tell his sister was falling in love very quickly, something she had always managed to avoid before.
"Shut up, Ice." She rolled her eyes. She, herself, could feel knots I her stomach. Brian had changed her. She was starting to feel real feelings again. She had been so involved in street and gang life that she had almost completely numbed herself of emotions. All that she had taught herself to ignore was there when it came to Brian.
"All right, Arizona, inside." Dominic ordered, once they had reached the secret location. It was disguised as a cave but it was a small building with a very large garage.
"You better check him for wires." Vince suggested inside the hidden building, glaring at Brian hatefully.
"He's clean." Tiffany assured the group with a nod. Ice shot her a look. She smiled and shrugged. "Trust me, I do know." She promised. Ice rolled his eyes, annoyed at the thought of his sister and Brian getting physical.
"If your ass gets caught in another truck, I won't be the one to save your ass." Brian retorted. Vince lunged for him. As usual, Leon was the one to hold him back.
"Calm down, Coyote." Leon laughed.
"Vince, you ain't got to worry about getting caught in a truck this time. Ol' Arizona, here, is gonna do your job this time." Dominic grinned as he circled Brian.
"That's bullshit, Dom." Vince protested with a flare of his nostrils. Tiffany shot him a 'shut up' look. "He's gonna fuck it up." Vince folded his arms.
"It's a test, Vince. He's going to have to show how far he is willing to go for our friendship." Ice explained. "You'll be ridin with Tiff on the left." He explained as Vince shook his head.
"A truck heist?" Brian's jaw dropped, memories of the crew's last attempt, resurfacing in his thoughts.
"None other. You gotta problem with it?" Dominic asked, stopping from uncovering the car he was fixing to drive. He looked at Brian angrily, fearing he would back out.
"No, I'm just worried I might mess it up." Brian coughed and said under his breath, so Vince and the crew couldn't hear.
"Life is all about taking risks." Dominic shrugged. "So, this is how it works…you will be upfront with me." Dominic instructed, handing Brian the spear gun. This is get your hold on the truck. Tiff and Vince will take left. Leon, you got the right side." Dominic said as he handed the group their masks.
"And Ice?" Brian inquired.
"I'll be around to make sure it goes smoothly." Ice assured him with a nod. "And, I will be able to call the house if I need to." Ice's tone implying he would have immediate access to Jordan.
"I'm tellin you, I not tryin to bust anyone. I am not a cop." Brian sighed, tired of reassuring his friends.
"Then prove it. If it's the truth, it shouldn't be a big deal." Ice replied simply.
"Let's do this." Dominic ordered to the group as he always had before. "Nervous?" He asked Brian, as their car led the group. His eyes remained on the road as he drove. Dominic felt strangely happy and it felt like old times. He missed those days, but would never admit it to anyone.
"A little bit, but I'm cool." Brian wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.
"He's gonna have cops all over us." Vince warned Tiffany.
"Shut up. I don't feel like bein civil to you right now." She snapped, tired of his attitude.
"There's our victim." Dominic nodded, gaining lead on the 18 wheeler.
"Any last minute advice?" Brian asked, his nerves working on him.
"Get a good hold cause it has to get you to the other side." Dominic laughed.
"Dom, it's a go when you're ready!" Leon radioed the front runners on the walkie-talkies.
"Gotcha. Put your mask on, Arizona." Dominic tossed Brian the mask and opened the sunroof.
"He is gonna fuck this up." Vince muttered, watching Brian try to get his aim.
"Yo, Ice, Remind me to tell you Vince needs his ass kicked and put back in check when this is over." Tiffany radioed to her brother, severely annoyed. Vince scowled at her. He missed teaming with Letty. Hell, he missed Letty period.
"Your clear. GO!" Ice radioed to the group. Brian stood up through the sunroof and shot the spear gun. He yanked on it a second time for good measure. It seemed secure, so he started climbing his way over to the truck.
"Don't fuck this up, Brian." Brian coaxed to himself as he edged his slowly. The driver swerved, making him almost loose his balance. "Come on!" He yelled out of frustration. He managed to make it inside the truck and immediately shot the driver with the tranquilizer, remembering what the driver of the last truck had done to Vince.
"Almost home." Dominic nodded, his smile detectable through the walkie-talkies talkies. Brian drove the truck, following the crew to another undisclosed meeting place.
"That was good. Impressive, even." Dominic said, making Brian feel like he had earned Dominic's trust back.
"Good job, Brian." Tiffany kissed him for what seemed like a long time.
"Am I trustworthy yet?" Brian asked, his hands in his jean pockets, to the crew.
"So far, so good." Ice said, watching him wipe sweat from his forehead. "Let's see what we got ourselves in here." Leon fiddled with the locked steel double doors that held the freight inside. Brian, himself, found he was also curious.
"Well, look at that." Vince shook his head. The trailer was completely empty. Brian was stunned. "Did you warn the cops? Are we gonna get stormed by SWAT?" He asked suspiciously.
"Hell no. How the hell would I have known? How the fuck could I have told them?" Brian threw up his hands angrily, his face red. "All that for nothing?" He shook his head in disgust. He stopped ranting to find the group was staring at him with smiles on their faces.
"It was all a test. A test you passed." Dominic pulled Brian under his arm and rubbed his head playfully. Brian shook his head in disbelief.
"Although I was serious about my sister and being loyal. The whole heist was too see how far you were willing to go." Ice explained as Brian stood in shock.
"But, the driver…I shot him." Brian climbed up in the cab to check on the driver that had been tranquilized.
"Boo, white boy!" Hector, who had a mask on his face, popped up. Brian jumped and almost fell off of the cab. The group started to crack up as Hector took off the mask. Hector pulled out the dart that had been stuck in his thick coat. "It was all a set up, Boy." He laughed.
"Damn." Brian shook his head. Tiffany came up behind him and put her arms around him.
"Hope you're not mad. I'll make it up later." She whispered in his ear.
"I need a drink." Brian rubbed his face, amazed.
"I hear that. Getting robbed is traumatic." Hector joked. "We got your ass good." He yelled happily as they headed for their cars.
"That was a rush." Brian admitted to Dominic, bask at the Toretto house.
"That it is." Dominic opened a Corona and agreed. "Just remember, if you join our family, there is no betraying anyone." He warned.
"You don't gotta worry about me." Brian held up his Corona. They clanked their bottles together and prepared to get drunk.
"Cheers." Dominic nodded, relieved Brian had kept his word. "You got just one more thing to do." He said after he took a drink.
"That would be?" Brian asked, hoping Dom was just messing with him again.
"You need to go hook it up with that girl over there." He looked towards Tiffany. "My homegirl doesn't have a lot of patience. She's usually a player but since you came into town, we think she is seein things differently." Dominic said, watching the girl that was closer to him than his own sister.
"Hey." Brian rubbed Tiffany's back as she sat with the boys at the bar.
"Whasup?" She asked, kissing him. Brian kissed her, tasting the Gold Slogger she had been drinking.
"I just wanted to know if you ..would consider being my girl." He said, a little slowly and smiling shyly.
"THAT is a silly question." She kissed him, wrapping her arms around him.
"I just wanted to make it 'official', ya know." He whispered in her ear.
"That it is." Tiffany smiled, playing with the back of his head and neck. She loved his blonde hair.
"Good." He picked her up. "Let's call it a night." He carried her to the door, where he ran into Ice.
"Oh, I like it when you take charge." Tiffany playfully teased.
"Where you takin her?" Ice asked, his arms folded.
"To a hotel, Ice." Tiffany joked, rolling her eyes.
"We'll be taking our honeymoon for about a week." Brian smiled.
"Honeymoon?" Ice's smile diapered.
"Yeah, didn't we tell you we are getting married?" Tiffany asked, her eyes wide with surprise. She playfully followed Brian's lead.
"The hell you are." Ice said, shaking his head and glaring at Brian.
"But I love him, Ice. He passed your stupid test." Tiffany frowned. "He proved himself." She defended him.
"No." Ice said, ready to pounce. "Fuck that." He looked at the two as though they had lost their minds.
"Gotcha." Brian grinned at Ice, happy he had paid him back. "It was just a test." He joked. Tiffany started to laugh and Dominic stood there trying his best not to laugh.
"Did I pass?" Ice asked coolly, knowing Brian had one upped him.
"Hell no. You failed." Brian answered with a grin. He stuck his hand out to Ice for a handshake. Ice shook his hand. The group busted up laughing.