Brian didn't head back to the house directly. Instead, he made a detour to the beach and sat in the sand, watching as the sun started to near the horizon. The sound of the waves in his ears and the quietness that surrounded him soothed his anger. He couldn't allow Chestner to get to him like that again. The guy was an arsehole, sure, but if he really opened up that case again, Brian had a lot more to lose than he did. After all, the career of some detective was nothing compared to a family being torn apart.

Brian rubbed a hand over his face before looking at his wristwatch. Shit, he'd be late for dinner and Dom would be worried by now.

He got up quickly and drove home – a term he was still getting used to - at record speed. As he got out, he could already hear the others talking and he spotted Dom at the kitchen window looking at him with a serious expression.

Brian hurried towards the front door, hoping they wouldn't be too angry that he'd made them wait.

"Sorry guys, I'm late," he called out, as he rushed in.

"Hey, look who's finally made it," Vince muttered.

They were all already seated at the table and Brian was told to get the food from the kitchen where Mia had left it to keep it hot. As he entered the kitchen, Dom turned away from the window and gave him a strange look that caused an uneasy feeling in Brian's stomach. He could tell that something was off but Dom just walked past him telling him to get a move on before they all starved.

Things seemed to be normal as they ate, although Brian noticed that Dom didn't say much. He wasn't exactly the talkative type but he usually made a few comments every now and then.

When they were finished eating, Mia retreated to the kitchen to wash the dishes while the others went into the living room. Brian was about to follow them but Dom's hand on his shoulder held him back.

"We need to talk, Brian." His tone left no room for discussion, so they grabbed two Coronas and sat on the porch outside.

Brian waited for Dom to start whatever conversation they were about to have, but he stayed silent, absentmindedly playing with the label of his bottle.

"So…what is it you wanna talk about?" Brian finally asked hesitantly.

A deep breath, then, "Who did you meet today, Brian?"

Dom received an irritated look in return. "Nobody you'd know."

"That doesn't answer my question, Buster," he said matter-of-factly.

Brian got up and leaned against the rail, facing his friend. "We talked about this before, Dom. You know there's something I can't share with you and I thought you'd accepted that."

"Never said I did. I was just hoping you'd tell me of your own accord sometime."

A pause ensued but Brian kept still and looked away, making it clear that he had no intention of explaining anything.

"Alright, you've made your point." He took a swig of his beer. "I followed you today because I had a bad feeling about your sudden disappearance…"

"You did what?!" Brian interrupted him. "You," he pointed at Dom accusingly, "always talk about trust and how important that is in a family. So, how does tailing me fit in there?"

"If you'd heard me out, I would've explained it," Dom replied, annoyed. "As I was saying, I simply followed my instincts that told me you weren't meeting with someone nice. And that suit guy definitely reeked of LAPD. You said they kicked you out, Brian. So, what business do you have with him?"

That wasn't just a simple question. Brian knew what Dom was implying there and he raised his voice in anger. "You really think I'm still working for them? I got fired months ago! And in case you forgot, it was because I helped you!" He took a calming breath, moving towards the door. "If you think I'm still working against you, I'm out of here, I'll just get my stuff."

"Brian," Dom said and his tone made Brian hesitate. There was worry and irritation in there but that wasn't it. No, it almost sounded a bit pleading. He was trying to tell Brian something without actually saying it.

And then it dawned on him. "You're asking because of the others, right? You're worried that if I'm still in contact with some damn cops, it will jeopardise the others' safety. You know what? That's insulting. It's insulting you actually expect me to be reckless enough to not care about their wellbeing."

"Brian. This family is everything to me, I have to protect them. I need to know that I can still trust you. Not for me. For them."

Brian took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He understood Dom's motives but he couldn't help feeling like an outsider. Dom was putting the others first and…that hurt. On the other hand, he'd been back just a few weeks, he used to be a cop and he had already betrayed them once, so it was just logical that Dom would ask questions if he acted strangely. So, how could Brian keep protecting them and win their trust without telling Dom what business he had with Chestner?

Brian was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Dom's steady gaze on him until he got up and stepped closer.

"Okay, so here's the deal. You tell me as much as you're comfortable with and in return, I will stop snooping, okay?"

Brian looked at him, surprise in his features. "Okay…fair enough."

"So, what's the connection between you and that cop?"

Brian sat back down and so did Dom. He placed his elbows on his knees and spoke up. "I got to know him a few weeks ago. He…asked me a favour and I helped him. It worked out well for him, so now he sometimes asks me to do stuff for him."

"It didn't exactly seem like you get along well. I mean, you slammed him into his car. So, why do you keep working for him?"

Because I have to. "Because it's a good thing to be on his good side. Especially if you have to lie low like I do or you, for that matter. He just crossed a line today and I wanted to make that clear, so he won't do it again."

"So, he texts you on short notice and you go and do…stuff for him, right?"

Brian nodded. "Yeah, that's about it. And usually, I'll leave at night, just so you know."

Dom raised an eyebrow. "Huh, okay. And that beating you took, does it have something to do with that as well?"

Brian stayed quiet for a second, choosing his words carefully. "Kind of. I was on a job for Chestner when they came along and they didn't like what I was doing. Sort of."

Dom nodded slowly but didn't comment. They stared into the night silently for a few minutes. Then, Dom got up with his empty bottle in hand and moved to go inside. At the door, he turned around again.
"I don't think you would put any of us in danger deliberately, Brian, but I had to ask." Brian gave a curt nod. "And I want you to know that whatever problem you might have, I'll be there when you need me."

With that, Dom went into the house and left Brian to mull over his words.

Things worked out a lot better for Brian after that conversation. Dom didn't bother him about sneaking off the weekend after their talk, even though Brian ran into him on his way through the front door. And seriously, didn't that guy ever sleep like most people would at one a.m. in the morning?

But he just watched Brian take off and actually waited for him to return, which he did about three hours later. Dom even let him sleep in the next morning, instead of waking him up for breakfast.

So, yeah, Brian was almost starting to relax a little and enjoy his current situation. Granted, Chestner and his jobs were still a pain in the arse but, on the other hand, Brian never would've ended up at Dom's garage if it hadn't been for the job on Jordan's car and the run-in he'd had with that guy and his buddies. Not that Brian was actually feeling any different towards Chestner just because of that.