Word Count: 1,231/27,373


Chapter 07
Three days later found Brian chasing some asshole through the streets of downtown LA. He was running on anger and frustration and too many energy drinks and too little sleep. He just knew that Dom had to be on his way back to the States right now and he didn't want the other man anywhere near this op.

If he came back, it would only be a matter of time before he got caught and Brian hadn't thrown his life away for him to get away, just for Dom to throw it away now for revenge.

So if Brian ended up being just a little harsher on the asshole than absolutely necessary, so be it. He got the name and made his way back to the office. He reached his floor and met up with Sophie.

"Thank god. Listen, he's in mood today because yesterday was his cheat day and then today, some genius brought in donuts," Sophie said as they made their way to the office together.

"Great," he said, holding the door open for her. "Sorry I'm late," he said.

"No, you're not," Letty said over the com while Stasiak scoffed.

"Complaints keep rolling in after your little downtown Olympics, O'Conner," Penning said. "Tell me reinstating you wasn't a mistake."

Reinstating him wasn't the mistake. Letting him anywhere near Dom's crew was the mistake. He wasn't going to admit that out loud, of course.

"I got a name," he said instead. "David Park."

"That's it?" Stasiak asked with another scoff. "That's all you got? David Park? I could throw a fortune cookie out this window and hit fifty David Parks."

"It's Korean, not Chinese," Sophie said, defensively.

"Whatever."

Brian just gave a mental smirk, but didn't let anything show on his face. "Park is a scout that recruits street racers to be mules for the Braga Cartel," he said, rattling off the information Letty had given him. "We find Park and we bust the bad guys."

"If only it were that simple," Ali said.

Whenever Brian was away from the dinky place he was staying, all three of the others were monitoring his com. They were scrambling right now, trying to get back in front of the other players in the game, hopefully before Dom got involved. They weren't taking any chances with his safety.

Losing Letty would push Dom over the edge. Losing Brian as well would completely destroy him.

"Buster'll get him," Letty said confidently.

Brian just wished that he had the same confidence in himself that she had in him. He had torn this family apart once and he hated that he was helping to do it again.

He felt even worse two days later when he and a few other agents watched from across the street while Mia and several others buried the empty casket. He could see Mia crying and he just wanted to go over there and comfort her. He knew he didn't have the right.

As the casket was being lowered, Stasiak leaned over to him. "Facial recognition software matched Toretto about ten minutes after he crossed the border. I don't get it. I thought he'd show."

Brian just watched Stasiak walk away before looking up at the hill overlooking the cemetery. He hadn't needed Austin's warning to know when Dom appeared up there, watching his girlfriend's burial. He just couldn't believe that the other agents hadn't been able to tell. It had always been impossible for him to not notice Dom.

"It'll be okay, Brian," Letty said.

"I hate this, Tish," he muttered, just loud enough for the com to pick up.

"I know. But everything will work out. You'll see."

"I hope to god you're right," he said as he took one last look over at Mia and got into the Agency sedan, heading back to the office.

Ever since the crash, Brian had been working more or less around the clock, barely taking a couple of hours to go home and sleep, shower and change clothes before coming back and doing it all over again. Tonight wasn't going to be any different.

It was close to ten-thirty when the others were getting ready to wrap it up for the night when Penning came into the office. "I just got off the phone with Deputy Director Lawson," he said. "If we don't make some serious inroads into the Braga case in the next seventy-two hours, they're gonna shut us down."

Brian had been afraid of that. They weren't making much progress and they had just lost their best prospect. He remained sprawled in his chair as Sophie raised her hand.

"I know I'm the newbie here, but why the clock now?" she asked.

"Because it's been two years and the last three agents we've sent to infiltrate the organization have come back in body bags."

Brian looked at the screen and his lips thinned when he saw the picture of Letty. Yeah, he knew she wasn't really dead, but she had been in a body bag. And it would have been permanent, too, if it weren't for Ali and Austin.

"He's moved more heroin across the border than Escobar did in ten years," Penning continued. "This guy is becoming one of our biggest national threats and we don't even have a picture of him. We don't have any prints! Not even a goddamn DOB!" He looked at Brian and Sophie. "What's the status on David Park? Isn't he supposed to be our ticket into the organization?"

Brian let Sophie field that one.

"We're running the name through city and county databases, sorting the possibilities. We've got over five hundred already."

"Maybe you should move this along a little," Austin said. "You know Stasiak wasn't kidding about the facial recognition software. We're running out of time."

"I know you can't lead her right to it, but give Sophie some clues to help her narrow it down. You know he's got a record with the street racing," Letty suggested.

"Park's insignificant. He sounds like another jerk-off to me," Stasiak muttered.

"He's not," Brian said, speaking up for the first time. "Without Park, Braga wouldn't have drivers to move his shipments." He addressed Sophie. "Cross-check traffic. Illegal modifications, street racing. This guy will definitely have a record. We'll find him."

"We better," Penning said, pinning Brian with a hard stare before dismissing them.

Brian and Sophie walked out together, bent over the folder Sophie had.

Stasiak chuckled as he passed them. "Well what do you know? Your boy Toretto's red Chevelle has been spotted in his old neighborhood. I'm going to bring his ass in."

Brian smirked. "Not in your car you ain't," he said as Stasiak disappeared.

"Your boy? Please. It's totally the other way around."

Brian mentally shook his head and said goodnight to Sophie. Once he was out of the office, he addressed Letty. "You know that and I know that," he said, getting into his car. "They don't. Either way, I'm not worried. Stasiak doesn't stand a chance at bringing Dom in. Now if you don't mind, I could really use some time alone. It's been a really rough couple of days."

"No problem, Brian," Austin said. "Ali and I will keep an eye out. If anything comes up, we'll let you know. Otherwise, we'll leave the coms on mute."

"Thanks, Austin. I'll talk to you guys in the morning."