Before I start a belated (very belated) Merry Christmas and a very belated happy new year! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays. I managed to break my laptop and have only recently been able to afford a new one. Here we are things are finally going to start moving for our favourite couple. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Brian Chapter Ten:
By Rosa241
Waking up with Vince's arms wrapped around me isn't something I ever thought I'd be doing again. His body's so warm that I can't help snuggling further into his embrace. This was always my favourite thing about him, he's always so warm. Even when it was cold out he was completely warm, like he had a fire inside of him. The only thing that would make this better is if we weren't on some lumpy couch. As soon as I think it guilt fires up inside of me. They've been living like this, in complete hell, for all this time because of me. Footsteps entering the room force me to sit up and wrench the thoughts clean from my mind.
"Morning." Letty yawns as she collapses in the chair opposite us. Her words manage to wake up Rome who looks far too comfortable curled up in the final chair. Another wave of guilt flashes through me as I think about why he finds that comfortable.
"Morning." Vince mutters from beside me. Sitting up he shifts behind me and manages to make himself somewhat comfortable. Eventually we're joined by Dom, Leon and a somewhat reluctant Mia who hovers by the door. For a while nobody says anything as we all think over the events of the last twenty four hours. This doesn't seem real. This time yesterday I was with Rome thinking about a future without the love of my life. Now we're back together and I have no idea what that means for us. Eventually it's Leon who breaks the silence.
"So what happens now?" With his words the room all looks to Dom who shrugs his shoulders before he speaks.
"You with us?" It shouldn't surprise me. Last night he told me that they had been planning on asking me to join them all that time ago it shouldn't surprise me that he wants me here now. It does though. After everything that I've done they still want me. Feeling a warmth within me I nod my head.
"So that's it?" Oh crap I'd almost forgotten about Rome. "You just going to join them and forget all about our plans."
"Rome I'm sorry but you-" I don't get to finish my sentence before he interrupts me.
"No, no I get it you're in love with your boy over here but can't he just come back to Miami? Or wherever we decide to set up." The room seems to emit a collective sigh and out of the corner of my eye I see Letty roll hers.
"So we're just supposed to roll back into LA and ignore the fact that we're fugitives?" Wait a minute…
"We can't risk settling down anywhere with the cops still on our backs." Sharing a look with Rome I can tell that the same thought is running through his mind. We haven't told them.
"Actually you don't have to worry about the cops anymore." As soon as the words leave my lips the entire room springs into questions.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"What do you mean?"
"What did you do?"
"Alright! Alright! Just slow down here and let me explain." Taking a deep breath I take the plunge. "About a year ago I was down in Miami and I got caught up by the Feds."
"Wait hold up why were you in Miami?" Vince questioned as he manoeuvred himself so that he was facing me. Okay so I didn't really want to get into this part.
"Well after everything that went down with Tran and me letting Dom go I was fired. Figured that there was no point in sticking around so I upped and left, ended up in Miami." The room is strangely silent as I speak.
"They fired you?" Letty speaks almost as if it's the first time the thought has crossed her mind.
"Well yeah I mean after I let Dom go they didn't waste much time getting rid of me." Well after they finished interrogating me that is.
"Wait if they knew that you let Dom go then how come you're not in prison?" Although it's Leon who asks the question I can tell that the thoughts on more than just his mind.
"They couldn't prove that I let Dom escape, I spun them some story and I know they didn't believe it but they couldn't prove I was lying. Dom escaped, there were no wittnesses and no CCTV on the bridge so…no evidence." Waiting to find that out was one of the worst moments of my life.
"What about Tran?" Dom's words have my mind flashing back to the day that Jesse died. I've gone over that day so many times and each time I still feel like I need to put it right.
"My shots were justified any officer would have done the same but…" I almost want to trail off and leave it there. Honestly as much as I expected to lose my job when I let Dom go it was still painful. Taking a deep breath I continue. "They couldn't prove that I let Dom go so they used what happened with Tran as a reason to fire me. Anyway I left and ended up in Miami. That's where I met Tej."
"Tej?"
"Oh he's a friend. A real good guy I met down there, he organised street races. Anyway this one night he calls me about a race he needs me at and I head down there. After it's over the whole thing gets raided by cops." I can see the others wincing as I speak.
"Let me guess you got caught." Leon sighs at my bad luck and I offer a smile in response.
"Yep. I got caught and it turns out these cops weren't just any other cops. Turns out they were working with the Feds who apparently had been looking for me. They offered me a deal. I helped them and they erased my record. As far as anyone would be able to tell I hadn't been fired I would have been clean." Of course I got a little more than that.
"What was the job?" Just thinking about that man makes my blood boil and sends a shiver down my spine. There was just something evil about that man that made me think twice when I first saw him.
"Carter Verone." Seeing the blank faces, not like I'd expected anything else, I continue. "He was an Argentinian drug lord and the Feds wanted him in prison but they needed someone to go undercover to get the evidence they needed. So they turned to me."
"And let me guess either they weren't willing to risk one of their own or they needed someone with a particular skill set in mind." Doms words rang true and I couldn't help smiling.
"The latter. Not every officer was able to drive like me and that was what would grab Verone's attention, that's what was going to get me into his inner circle. Anyway I realised pretty quickly that they must have needed me really badly so I upped the deal a little." Just a little tiny bit.
"Yeah you upped the deal alright." Rome scoffs at my wording and shakes his head. We've had this conversation before and he still thinks it was dumb for me to go so far with this.
"What do you mean you upped the deal?" Vince moves slightly closer as he speaks.
"Well since they needed me so badly I told them that I'd do it but only for a few extras. I told them that if they erased not only my records but all of yours then I'd do it." The room descends into an eerie silence again as my words sink in. Dom's face is a picture as he grasps what that means for him and for the first time since that nightmare of a day the guilt in my stomach lifts a little.
"Are you crazy!?" The explosion from the brunette at my side isn't entirely unexpected. "You realise what would've happened if they'd turned round and said no. You'd have gone to prison! Prison Brian! You know what happens to cops when they go inside right!?"
"But I didn't get arrested did I? It worked!" He shakes his head as he paces the room and I don't need to be a mind reader to know what he's thinking.
"Vince is right that was one hell of a risk Brian. What if they'd have arrested you? What if they'd turned round and said it wasn't worth it? Gone off and found someone else, what then Brian?" Honestly it surprises me that they're so worried. Why would they be so concerned about me getting arrested?
"Alright look. I know it was a risk but it was worth it. The Feds were way more interested in Verone than Dom anyway, as much as they wanted you Verone was high stakes. They needed him behind bars. It took some time but Bilkins managed to convince his bosses it was worth it so they agreed."
"So what does that mean?" Leon questions as he leans forward. Of course he knows what that means but he needs the confirmation, he needs to hear the words before he accepts them. They all do.
"It means that you're records are clean and as far as the investigation goes it's over. No one's looking for you anymore." Every single face in that room has the same expression and it takes less than a second before I name it.
Relief.
Complete and total relief.
Once again the guilt in my stomach lessons.
"We're free?" Letty throws her arms around Dom as I nod and Vince's lips find mine just as quickly. I think we're going to be okay.
And I think we'll leave it there for now.
Spoiler – the next chapter will contain the rest of Brian's exploits from Miami from Vince's point of view.
I hope you enjoy!