"Looking forward to it, Hobbs," said Jakob, walking toward the cargo bay's rear door. "Assuming she lets you live that long."
"That's a little presumptuous, don't you think?" She'd sworn to herself she wouldn't play this game. Not now that Hobbs was onboard. But Jakob needed a good kick up the arse for thinking he was in a position to order her to do anything. "I never said I'd let you live that long either."
Elizabeth stepped into the doorway, rounding on Jakob before he could get within three feet of it. The look on her face said she wasn't impressed. The smug look on his own, however, suggested she was playing right into his hands.
"Well, maybe later you'll let me change your mind." He came to a halt in front of Beth, positioning himself just far enough to the left that his shoulder didn't block the view of her face. So if Hobbs hadn't already clued into who'd just crashed the party, he would now. "I can be very persuasive, you know."
"Maybe." She patted Jakob lightly on the shoulder. "If you learn to be a good boy."
"Yes, ma'am." That smug smile turned into a shit-eating grin as Jakob winked. He didn't want to say it out loud, lest Hobbs or Roberts overhear, but perhaps this flight wouldn't be so boring from now on. "Do you need anything else, ma'am?"
"No. You can go. You too, Roberts, thank you. I'll deal with Agent Hobbs from here."
Roberts had just secured the second cuff around Luke's other wrist when Shaw spoke. Cipher's lackey looked up at them both, nodded, and left the cargo bay. The fake Toretto, however, seemed to need another nudge or three. Despite her reply, he remained standing in front of Elizabeth, not moving an inch.
She sighed and tilted her head back, studying him. "What is it, Jakob?"
"Should I let Cipher know she has new orders?"
"No. I'll tell her myself. Just keep the plane on schedule."
For a moment, the tone of her voice became serious enough that Hobbs fixed his attention on Elizabeth. He might have called bullshit if it were an obvious bluff, but something about her demeanour suggested otherwise.
Had the mask finally come off, he wondered, or was she wearing yet another one while putting on a show to impress the kevlar-wearing clown? Or — and it was a big, old, worst case scenario 'or' — could this plan have been in place the whole time?
A little over two weeks ago, on the day the Shaws arrived at the base, he'd queried Elizabeth about her meetings with Cipher in Cuba. She'd denied them, as expected, yet this sudden show of strength raised more questions than answers.
Hell, it changed everything.
"Understood."
With that, Jakob finally packed it up, leaving the two of them alone. The cuffs on his wrists creaked as he pulled, but the chain didn't give. Again, Hobbs clenched his fists and strained against them, earning himself little more than a few cuts where they dug into his skin.
"What the hell are you doing, woman? You killed two men. Trashed multiple vehicles. Now you're—"
"Unless you want to be thrown off this plane, I'd keep your mouth shut."
"...Tell me it hasn't been you this whole goddamn time." When he thought about it, it made more sense than he liked. Tipping him off about the truck. The password on Cipher's plane. Jakob's late night visit to the kitchen. It'd all been so easy. So convenient. "Tell me you had nothing to do with—"
"It scares you, doesn't it?" Elizabeth smiled. The look on Hobbs' face was absolutely priceless. A combination of horror and the desperate need to know that the monster under the bed wasn't her. "The idea that the enemy was right under your nose. Again."
"You lay a hand on Elena," Luke growled, "and I'll do more than break your ribs."
Owen was supposed to be the sibling with the psychopathic tendencies, not her, he thought. Yet for Elizabeth to reveal a glimpse of the monster within, well, that was something he'd never thought her capable of until now.
She tucked her hands into the pockets of her fluffy purple bathrobe and took a step forward, cutting a path to the other side of the ATV. "But you won't, will you? Because you aren't certain."
Luke frowned, never taking his gaze off of her as Elizabeth circled around the vehicle. Despite his restraints, he was still more than capable of killing her. Afterwards, he'd struggle to forgive himself, but one look at that photo of Elena and every bit of self-loathing would fade away.
"God," Elizabeth scoffed, staring at him, "I finally get close to what I want and then you show up, right on time."
It wasn't enough that he'd cracked her ribs, or almost killed every one of her siblings. No, Hobbs wanted the gold prize. The ego trip. The story of how he'd truly beaten every last one of the Shaws.
"You know, I thought I'd get at least two weeks' reprieve. A month, perhaps. Long enough for my ribs to heal." For her to gain some trust back. "Now I have to babysit you instead."
What the fuck are you talking about? he wanted to ask. What kind of twisted mind game is this? But Luke had a feeling he already knew. Warily, he took a step forward, then another, closing the remaining distance that separated them. "You're having fun up here, aren't you?"
Elizabeth smiled again. "Is it that obvious? But really, did you think Cipher would give me access because I came back? No. I have to earn it."
The frown on Hobbs' face deepened as she stepped past him, toward her SUV, forcing him to rotate his body as well. "How?"
"That doesn't concern you."
"It does if it puts the team at risk."
"The team is irrelevant," Elizabeth said, glancing over her shoulder. "Anyway, they'll soon be so busy chasing their tails that when it matters most, they won't even see us coming."
And there it was. Us. Elizabeth had only been on this plane for less than three days and already she'd thrown in with—
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Hobbs."
He knew that voice. Luke had only ever heard it once, on the day she and Dom came to take God's Eye, but there was no forgetting it.
Cipher.
Her footsteps echoed in the confines of the cargo bay, loud and foreboding, until the hacker came into view. The woman who was the real source of his nightmares, having kidnapped both Elena and Marcus, and almost killed them.
"I see Elle's been catching you up. What she hasn't told you, however, is that I have a job for you."
"...Dad?" Samantha's voice came over the PA system, cracked and scared. "Dad, where are you? I tried to fight them but they killed Aunt Lisa...I...Dad, I'm so sorry. I love you."
"I swear to God if you touch her—"
"Do what you're told," said Cipher, "and Sam will live."
"Will she?" The chain binding his hands finally snapped. Luke drew his revolver in the seconds that followed, stepped forward, and wrapped his left arm around Elizabeth's throat, pressing the gun barrel to her head. "Release my daughter or I put a bullet in her right now."
"Go ahead." Cipher gestured as she walked toward the rear doorway. "I have no use for a traitor."
For the second time in a month, Elizabeth's hands trembled. She stared blankly, heart pounding so fast it might explode. The seconds ticked by in her mind, but nothing suppressed the feeling of that revolver against her temple.
"Please," Samantha begged. "Please don't hurt my dad. I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt him."
Elizabeth's knees buckled, although Hobbs' arm kept her upright even as she struggled to gain any control over her body, until suddenly the cargo bay door slid shut and she slipped from his grasp, hitting the floor with a thud.
"This is all on you," Luke said. "You and your—"
His words went in one ear and out the other as Elizabeth let herself collapse against the floor. Oddly enough, the dull ache in her neck was nothing in comparison to the sting of acid rising in her throat.
"My daughter. She took my fucking daughter!"
Was he expecting a response or just venting his anger? Whichever it was, it'd be nice if he could stop while she tried to get it together. Slowly, Beth pressed one shaky hand to the floor and pushed herself up into a sitting position.
What Jakob had said to her, the night of their first encounter in the kitchen, kept coming to the forefront of her mind as she sat there. Cipher's team was 'uniquely qualified', he claimed, thus the hacker apparently had no use for Elizabeth's services...
Why it'd taken her so long to figure it out, she wasn't sure, but in hindsight it seemed obvious that no one could be more qualified than Hobbs.
"I'm sorry." Luke offered his hand, but she pushed it away instead. He held it out a second time and she knocked his hand aside. "Shaw—"
I need a drink, Elizabeth thought, getting to her knees. A stiff one. There was a bottle of bourbon, pilfered from the galley, now stashed under the driver's seat of her car. She hadn't planned on cracking the seal yet, but this grand revelation seemed to call for it.
With one foot, she managed to stand. Shaw staggered towards the Marussia, clambered in, and activated the central locking system. Then she reached under her seat and found the bourbon, popping it open without a second thought. Beth took a swig then screwed the lid back on, setting it down in the centre console.
"That's your solution?" Hobbs said in disgust. "Getting drunk?"
They'd tried to tell her. She hadn't listened. Owen. Deckard. Jakob. Even herself, when she labeled Cipher as being among their enemies. Now look where she was: stuck on a plane for what might be the rest of her very short life.
"I wish." Elizabeth glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror then tugged the bathrobe off and threw it on the back seat. God, she looked so stupid wearing that thing. "No, I'm going back to the kitchen, getting an ice pack and—"
Shaw winced again as she peeled her shirt up, revealing a line of dark bruises covering the right side of her chest and stomach. Jesus. This was going to take far longer than two weeks to heal. More like two months.
"—watching a movie."
"How do you know that door isn't locked?"
"I don't."
But someone had to come in and strap down that car sooner or later. And she couldn't stand being in this room with him for even one more second.
"You think she's going to let us walk around unrestrained."
"She has your kid." Elizabeth tugged her shirt down and unlocked the car, pushed the driver's door open only to stand on the side step. "I think that sends as clear a message as any regarding your behaviour."
"...Tell me one thing," Luke said, forcing the words out as if they were too painful to speak. "Did you know?"
Anger flashed across her face as Shaw stepped down off the SUV. "Fuck you."
"Fuck me? You helped her take my—"
"Yeah, fuck you!" She walked straight up to him and jabbed him in the chest with her finger. "You and your ego. I told you: there are lines I won't cross, and this is one of them!"
Her shoulders heaved as Shaw yelled her last words in his face. Luke didn't flinch once, even when she slammed the Marussia's door shut. Or as she turned around to face him once again, seemingly a little calmer this time.
"But go on. Point that gun at my head again if it makes you feel better."
"Shaw..."
"It's Elizabeth. Nine letters and four syllables. Not that hard to pronounce if you try it."
Luke stepped back, allowing himself to collapse against the ATV. He rested his arms on its side, staring at the wall behind Shaw and her car. It seemed they'd both, finally, run out of steam, allowing their heads to clear. "How long do you think Cipher will…"
"As long as it takes to find out where your kid is and save her."
"There's one problem with that plan. You can't fight your way out of a paper bag."
"Have you got any better ideas?"
No, as a matter of fact, Luke thought, he didn't. Although Shaw was heavier than she looked, she had no combat skills beyond busting balls and noses. But, in terms of advantages, he supposed her size and speed could be enough. If she ran fast, dodged all of Cipher's goons, she might not have to fight at all.
"Yeah," she muttered, giving him one last glance, "I didn't think so."
With that, she made her way to the door and tested the handle. Luke pushed himself off the car and waited, watching to see if it opened. Sure enough, it did. Shit. He quickly caught up to Elizabeth and stepped warily out of the cargo bay, into an empty corridor that led both left and right.
He almost asked 'which way?' but stopped himself, instead opting to stay quiet. The last thing he wanted was to get into another argument.
Elizabeth turned right, forcing Luke to follow, then left into a corridor they walked down for a good minute before she suddenly ducked through a door on the left. After several uneasy seconds, Shaw stepped out, ice pack in hand, and pressed it against her ribs.
Metal flooring and walls gave way to wood paneling and a plush white carpet. Luke glanced around, taking notice of the wall-mounted security cameras, and the armed men standing beneath them, armed to the teeth.
His concern grew the further they went. Biometric scanners secured doors, and there wasn't a corner of the plane that could remotely be considered a blindspot.
Up against all of that, Shaw expected to somehow obtain his daughter's location, not get killed, and find them an escape route? Jesus Christ. They'd need all the luck in the world to pull this off.
"Do me a favour," Elizabeth suddenly said, gesturing to a lounge chair to his right, "sit down and don't move."
Where was he supposed to go anyway? Luke sat, hands coming to rest on his knees, as Elizabeth walked towards a door at the end of the corridor. Two scanners, one camera, and a guard, were all positioned outside it.
That had to be Cipher's office.
Shaw knocked on the door twice then looked up at the camera, foot tapping the floor. A second later, the door slid open, revealing darkness, and the faint flicker of LEDs. Before Luke could say anything, Cipher stepped into view, face illuminated by the corridor lights.
"You want to talk, don't you?"
"Yes."
Elizabeth stepped in. The door slid shut almost immediately behind her. She blinked a few times until her eyes adjusted to the darkness, enabling her to find a seat.
"You understand I can't have Hobbs thinking you're playing both sides."
"Fine, but his daughter—"
"Isn't your concern."
No matter what Elizabeth said, the issue wasn't up for debate. Nor was it something she had any business being involved in. Keeping things separate, compartmentalised, was critical now. Besides, Elizabeth had made it clear many times how she felt about things like blackmail.
"As far as what does concern you...your brother's alive. Be glad I adjusted the algorithm before shooting him."
"You shouldn't have done that in the first place."
"It sells the story. Oh and I found your sister. She's back in London if you want to catch up."
"I...It's been seventeen years." Beth had always thought they'd catch up, but 'when' was another issue entirely. "I wouldn't even know where to start."
"Try a 'hello'. I'll have a phone set up if you decide to call."
"Seems awfully generous of you," Elizabeth said, a sceptical tone underlying her voice. There was always some kind of debt attached to these things, with the expectation it'd be repaid sooner or later. "What's the catch?"
"When all of this Toretto business is over," Cipher stood and crossed the room, tilting Elizabeth's head back so there was no question as to what she was about to say, "you grow a spine, stop hiding from the world, and come work for me."
"I have a—"
"You slept with Hobbs. Allowed him to live instead of killing him. Of all people, I'd have thought you understood revenge isn't had by clinging to morality."
"And if I decline?"
"Will you?"
"...No."