"You think I didn't know that already?" It was a lie, but it was a lie that'd keep them both on their toes until she could get ahold of Jakob and get some answers. Elizabeth looked between him and Hobbs, keeping her body language far more relaxed than she felt. "By the way, you really shouldn't go breaking into people's rooms if you want to see your daughter alive again."

The anger in Luke's eyes went from cool to scalding hot in an instant, yet that self control of his must've been impeccable because he set the phone down next to her left leg, and all without so much as blinking.

"You touch Sam," Hobbs said, "and I'll bury you with your father."

"Hmm." Elizabeth unwrapped her legs from around Jakob's waist and slid off the bench, walking towards the Fed. "That might be a difficult task given he's alive and well. But if you think you can waltz with the best of us, feel free to try."

"This isn't a goddamn dance, Shaw."

Yes, it was. He just hadn't caught on to that fact yet. She'd told him as much last night. Too bad he either hadn't been listening or he'd forgotten their talk during dinner. "Are you sure about that?"

Jakob cleared his throat, stepping up to her left side for a brief moment. "I should go see what Cipher wants. We'll resume this later?"

"Maybe," Elizabeth said, giving him a cursory glance. "If she doesn't keep you too long."

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "You're an asshole."

"Takes one to know one, pretty boy."

"So now you're on their side?" Luke said, stepping forward. His hand went to his right hip, as if to grasp his gun, but nothing was there. "Is that what this is? Cipher bought your loyalty?"

Oh, for fuck's sake. She was going to have to beat him over the head with it, wasn't she? Elizabeth moved as close as she could to him, raising herself up on her toes for an extra inch or two of height.

"Cargo hold," she hissed. "Two minutes."

"What?"

"And stay out of my room," Elizabeth said, snatching the phone from the bench and her shirt from the floor, "or I'll kill you the next time I find you in there."

Luke glared at her as she stormed out of the armory, disappearing into the corridor. But instead of waiting, he was hot on her heels. Hobbs' footsteps echoed behind her as she tucked her phone into her pants pocket and tugged on her shirt, walking straight into the cargo hold.

The heavy metal door slammed shut behind them, blocking out any and all sound from the rest of the plane, and hopefully cutting them off from the microphones that were undoubtedly concealed around the plane.

"What is wrong with you?" Luke said, moving towards her. "You couldn't wait one day to jump in his pants? They've got my kid and you're more interested in getting laid than saving her."

Elizabeth bit her bottom lip, doing her best to suppress the laugh that almost spilled out as Hobbs began ranting. She popped open the back of his SUV and laid on the carpeted floor of its rear section, feet dangling over the tail.

"I asked you two days ago if you were part of it and you said 'no'. Were you lying then?"

"Hobbs."

He gripped the rear door, staring down at her. "Answer the goddamn question!"

"I will if you pull your head out of your arse."

Hobbs didn't get it, did he? Kicking doors down and knocking men out, leaving a trail of corpses—that was how Deckard, Owen and Hattie handled things, not her. She preferred the slow dance. The long game where every move was calculated and recalculated, planned down to the last millisecond. And saving his daughter, going toe to toe with Cipher, was going to be the longest game of their lives.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." The door creaked under his hand as Luke leaned on it and planted his foot on the SUV's rear. "Care to repeat it?"

"You really buried it deep, didn't you? Alright. Turn around and bend over. I'll pull it out for you."

"Shaw."

"How many ways am I going to have to say it? You're in Oz, Dorothy! Adapt to the situation or kiss your kid goodbye."

"You threaten Sam again—"

"That's not a threat. It's a fact." She sat up, staring at the massive DSS agent in his white shirt and loose cargo pants. Dressed like that, he didn't look nearly as intimidating in comparison to when he wore his full protective gear. "You and I both know that on this plane, you're nothing more than a means to an end. A tool on a shelf, and your usefulness will run out the day Cipher has what she wants. After that, she's got no reason to keep either of you alive."

"Then help me save her!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" On one hand, dry humping Jakob wasn't all that necessary to the plan. On the other, she couldn't very well vent to Luke, could she? He hadn't yet grown well-versed in Cipher's premium grade psychoanalytical bullshit. "If you hadn't barged in, I would've had Jakob right where I wanted him."

"Between your legs," he scoffed.

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

God, Cipher was right. As loathe as Elizabeth was to admit it, the woman she'd once been—the her of decades past—was exactly who she needed to be to help Hobbs save his daughter. The brutal, ruthless ice queen who'd taken a page from her psychopath brother's playbook and thrown her conscience out the window.

"You said you wouldn't—" Luke seemed to hesitate, opening and closing his mouth as if he really didn't want to have this conversation with her. "Why…"

"That blind eye? It's time to turn it."

"Shaw."

"How do you say it again?" Elizabeth asked. "Bliss and ignorance go hand in hand?"

"Something like that."

"Then be blissful, Hobbs. The less you know, the better."

That was easier said than done when he was being tipped off, manipulated, by Cipher and others. "Elizabeth."

"Stop asking questions. Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. If she gives an order, follow it. You'll both live longer."

"You're asking me to betray Dom and the team."

"Who matters more to you? Sam, or the man whose actions resulted in your team being killed? If not for Dom, they'd still be alive, right?"

He hesitated. That was certainly one way to interpret how things had played out. If Dom had never pissed off Reyes, his team wouldn't have been ambushed in the favelas.

"It's not that simple," Luke tried to argue.

"Yes, it is. Someone else makes a choice and we're the ones who face the consequences of it."

When she phrased it like that, it did seem—much to his disgust—to be that simple. The butterfly effect in action, so to speak. But the past was the past, and Hobbs didn't like to waste time on looking backwards.

"What about your orders?" he said. "You want to preach to me, but I don't see you practicing your bullshit."

She scooted forward as if to step past him but Luke blocked her. Shaw glared at him, fingers drumming on the SUV's carpet. "Move."

"You're not going anywhere until we've finished—"

"This isn't a debate. You move, or he makes you move."

He? Luke turned to look toward the door, checking to see if it was still closed. Elizabeth slipped out the side and ducked under his arm, walking up along the SUV toward the corner workbench.

"Hey! Answer the question, Shaw."

She hotfooted it for the door, sliding it open partially, only to freeze. In an instant, her entire body went rigid.

"Breathe. In and out."

Jakob.

Shit.

Why the hell was he here? And why was the lying sumbitch talking like some half-assed yoga instructor?

"That's good. Now open your eyes."

"I can't." Shaw's words came out like a mouse squeak. A terrified, broken noise that sounded all too familiar. It was the sound of Sam's voice over the loudspeaker. Fear so raw and primal it was crippling. "I can't do this. I can't…"

Luke stepped forward, coming closer until he could see just what had Shaw on the brink of shattering. Jakob stood to her left, a gun in his hand, with the barrel pressed to her head. "Jesus. Put the gun down."

"You don't have a choice," Jakob said, completely ignoring him. "Two weeks, remember? Or was she right about you?"

There was a tremor in Shaw's voice as she said, "Fuck you."

"Only if you open your eyes, princess."

"Jakob."

"You're not going to die. Now look at me. Tell me Cipher's wrong."

"She's wrong."

"Elizabeth."

She whimpered, but slowly, her head turned in Jakob's direction. The gun scraped over her skin as she shook; all five feet, seven inches of her trembling like a rabbit. Luke didn't know whether to step forward and snap Jakob's arm at the elbow, or hurl him into the nearest wall.

"I'm not…" Elizabeth stammered. "She's wrong."

"There we go. Now what are you thinking?"

"What?" She turned around, her back against the door jamb. "I don't know. I can't focus. I just want to—She told you. Why did she tell you?"

"Then what are you feeling?"

"You just put a gun to my head!" Shaw snapped. "What do you think I'm feeling?"

Luke frowned. He wanted to know her thoughts and… "Cipher's trying to fix you, isn't she?" he said, looking at her. "With mindfulness."

The technique had never worked on him, but Shaw was fuelled by fear. An entirely different ball game compared to the guilt that'd weighed upon him for months after Brazil.

"I could guess," said Jakob, "but why don't you tell me instead?"

"Fine. I'm feeling like I want to take that gun and shove it down your throat if you ever do that again," she said, glaring at Jakob. "And no, she's not trying to fix me, Hobbs. She wants to break me since that's what your—"

"Elle." There was a warning in Jakob's tone. Like Shaw had just been about to put her foot in her mouth and say something she wouldn't be able to take back. "Don't."

She took a deep breath and pushed off the doorway, taking off down the right corridor. Her hands shook as Elizabeth walked, bare feet thudding against the carpet. Yet despite the fact she remained standing, his instinct said Shaw was moments from falling apart.

"Why did you say she doesn't have a choice?" Luke rounded on Jakob. "And what the hell is two weeks away?"

"The only present threat to Cipher's plans is her," he said. "They both know it. So Cipher has issued her an ultimatum—cease being a liability, or she ceases to be whatsoever."

"What?"

Jakob wasn't serious, was he? It had to be some kind of farce. Yet another sick game. But if that was true, why did Luke's gut say he wasn't lying?

"If Elizabeth can't hold her own in two weeks, you'll be told to kill her. If you don't, your daughter will be next." Jakob began walking off in Shaw's direction, then paused and looked at him. "Welcome to Oz, Dorothy."

"No, you know what?" Elizabeth's voice echoed down the hallway, preceding her reappearance. "Why shouldn't he know all his boss's dirty little secrets?"

"Elle."

"He'll find out sooner or later."

Luke frowned, looking between the two of them. "Which boss?"

"Mr. Nobody," said Elizabeth. "The guy with the bad taste in suits. Prior to Cipher going rogue, he was her boss. Yeah. The guy who taught her all the tricks of the trade, down at good ole Camp Seven. You remember what that place is like, don't you, Hobbs?"

Shaw was lying. She had to be. There was no way Cipher could have ever been one of them. The woman was a psychopath, on par with…a certain former member of the British SAS and MI6.

"If you're done," Jakob said, "I need a drink."

"Oh, has putting a gun to my head left you feeling tired?"

There was that fickle bitch again, and the anger Jakob had known his actions would provoke. Now if she could just hold onto that focus and drive, sans the rage, Elizabeth might somehow survive the next two weeks.

"I didn't say that." He grasped her by the shoulder, forcing her back against the wall. "Did I? Now read my lips so there's no mistaking what I do say: I need a drink." Jakob lowered his gaze, letting it rest on the waistline of her pants. A smile tugging at his lips as he looked back up at her and hooked one of her belt loops with his thumb. "Are you coming or not, Miss Shaw?"

"I'd almost believe you if not for the look in your eyes," Elizabeth said. She pressed her hand against the middle of his chest and tilted her head half an inch to the right, the look in her eyes changing as she spoke. "You want soft heat, not a burning flame. Not yet, at least. Of course, some men like it when you take them by the tie and lead them where you want them, but that won't work on most women."

"Answer the question, princess."

The burning desire she hinted at shifted back to hot anger in a split second. "Go fuck yourself, pretty boy."

"Elizabeth."

"He said you aren't really Dom's brother, then you put a gun to my head. Consider the buzz thoroughly killed. But I'll take that drink if it's bourbon, and an explanation or two."

All things considered, he did owe her at least that. Jakob stepped back and gestured to the corridor, narrowly avoiding crashing into Hobbs. "After you."

"Is there enough in that bottle for three?" Luke said. Elizabeth turned her attention to him, nodded, then pushed off the wall and led the charge to the galley. "Alright then."

Jakob frowned but said nothing. He'd no doubt be on thin ice himself now, albeit with her instead of Cipher.

"The short version is my brother was part of Dom's original crew," he said, taking a seat at the galley table. "He got shot, and Dom left him for dead. Jesse bled out on their front lawn."

"But instead of leading with that," Elizabeth said in disbelief, pulling three glasses from a cupboard, "you feed me a crock of shit. He did that to my family as well, Jakob. Twice!"

"It was a bad decision."

"You think?"

Hobbs came in behind them, sitting on a chair by the door. He watched and waited as Shaw filled each glass just a finger shy of the rim, sliding two across the table toward himself and Jakob.

"Cheers," Luke muttered before taking a sip from his glass. Within moments, he'd drained it dry, the liquor burning his throat on the way down. "Exactly how many bottles have you got back there?"

"Depends if you want to get tipsy, drunk, or completely plastered."

"I'll take drunk."

Elizabeth's revelation about the man he'd come to know as Mr. Nobody was still kicking around in his head, and the more Luke thought about it, the more it made horrible sense. How else would Mr. Nobody have known what Cipher—a hacker almost no one could locate—looked like?

Even Ramsey had thought it was an organization, which it kind of was as well, he supposed, given the amount of manpower Cipher had onboard.

"Elizabeth," Jakob said. "It doesn't—"

"I don't know why I thought she might not be manipulating me." She handed him a bottle, only to stop and wince. Slowly, Elizabeth sat, hand going to her side. Instead of drinking her own glass, she leaned back on the seat, her eyes closing. "It's always some kind of deceit with her, or mind game."

Luke frowned. There was no blood on her shirt to suggest external injury, but if all that walking around caused an internal one…

"Shaw?"

"I'm fine. It bloody hurts is all."

"You don't feel lightheaded or any kind of woozy?" he asked.

"Trust me," she said, opening her eyes and taking a sip of bourbon. "If I puncture something, you'll know it."

"Elle—" Jakob began.

"You don't get to call me that."

Oof. There went those nickname privileges. Luke checked the corridor, anticipating the surprise arrival of Cipher or one of her goons, but no one was around. That was a surprise since Jakob's words had proven even the cargo hold was rigged with some kind of listening device.

A fact he'd have to surprise Elizabeth with later, when he had the means to do so without anyone seeing.

"Elizabeth."

She scowled at Jakob. "Next time, don't sink to her level."

Luke busied himself with pouring yet another drink, avoiding eye contact with either of them. Sitting there felt as odd as eating pizza with her had last night, only now, Elizabeth wasn't trying to extend an olive branch.

Or was she?

Did the two of them sitting in the same room, drinking bourbon, count as one? Him showing the slightest bit of concern for her wellbeing while also tolerating Jakob's presence?

"Refill?" Luke offered once her glass was empty. She shook her head, hand sliding over the tumbler like one would to signal a waiter they were done. "Okay."

"Elle," Jakob tried again.

"Fuck your mother."

…What?

"You're speaking English, princess, not Russian."

"I could be speaking Surzhyk and the point will still stand. Don't tell me I need to remind you about what I did to Yuri Makarov."

Luke coughed and spluttered, almost dropping the bottle of bourbon he held as his attention leaped from it to Elizabeth. "The hell did you just say, woman?"

"I thought you read my file. Doesn't it say who my ex was?"

"No," he said, "they left that part out."

"Well, here's some news for you and the American government: Yuri Makarov has been dead for fourteen blessed years, ever since I drank wine with him, fucked him, and cut his throat while he slept like a fat, happy lamb."

The most wanted Russian mobster on the planet. Someone the alphabet soup and three letter agencies had been hunting for almost twenty years since his sudden rise to the throne, and Shaw was sitting there saying she'd… "You killed Yuri Makarov?"

"Why do you think no one has seen him in a decade?" Elizabeth said, raising her glass. "The king is dead. Long live the king."