Word Count: 1,051/27,373


Chapter 17
Brian had a blank face as he stared at the table.

"He was under your nose the whole time. Now Braga's escaped. Toretto's heading south, probably long across the border by now."

He wasn't. Dom still had unfinished business with Braga and Fenix. He would still be in LA, probably at the house in Echo Park, considering it was the last place they would look for him.

"Do you have any idea the kind of trouble you're in, O'Conner?"

The fucking IA investigator had refused to listen to him about Stasiak and now he was going to take the fall for the entire screw up. Once this was over, he was handing in his badge and gun. There was no way he could continue working for the FBI if they were going to blame him for all of this.

"He ain't the first bad guy you've helped escape the law's grasp.

Brian clenched his jaw, but didn't say anything. It hadn't been his fault that Braga got away. That honor went to Stasiak. The only person he had ever helped escape was Dom. Always Dom.

"As of now, you're being taken off active duty until this house can mount a formal inquiry."

Yeah, like that would actually do its job. The guy would be gunning for him going into it and he would take the fall. No way was that going to happen.

"What about Braga?" he asked instead of letting his fury show.

"That's no longer your concern." The two IA guys left the room, leaving the four man team.

"We now know where Braga is, right?" Brian asked as Penning moved to sit across from him.

"Customs tracked him via satellite to his home in Tecali, Mexico," Sophie said.

"Mexico is out of our jurisdiction," Penning said. It was slight, but Brian could hear the apology in his voice. "The fact is, the brass will be so busy holding press conferences over the seizure, we'll skate under the radar."

"I thought we signed up to do the right thing," Brian said.

Penning held his gaze. "Like it or not, unless we can get him back over the border, our hands are tied."

"And if I can?"

"You and what army?" Stasiak asked with a scoff.

"You know what, Stasiak, you just shut up, okay? If you hadn't been so fucking cocky and determined to one-up me, Fenix and Braga wouldn't have gotten away. You were supposed to wait for my signal."

"Hey," Penning said.

Brian subsided. So far, Penning had done right by him and Letty. He hadn't been officially suspended just yet, so he'd give the guy the respect his position deserved. For now.

"Can you do it?"

"Maybe. Won't need an army, though."

"Toretto."

Brian just looked at him.

"You know where he went?"

"I could make a guess."

"But you won't."

"But I won't," Brian agreed.

"What is it about Toretto?" Stasiak demanded. "He's a fucking monster! You've seen his jacket! And the sister isn't that pretty."

"He did not just say that," Letty snarled.

Brian growled and rounded on Stasiak, but again, Penning stopped him, getting between them.

"What did you have in mind?" Penning asked.

Brian glowered at Stasiak long enough for the other agent to start squirming before answering. "I can't say," he said.

"Can't? Or won't?" Brian looked at Penning but didn't say anything. Penning studied him for a long moment. "You sure he'll help?"

"Yeah. He holds Braga directly responsible for what happened to Letty. He wants revenge."

"Let me rephrase that. You sure he'll help you bring Braga back across the border? Or will he just kill the man where he stands?"

Brian couldn't answer that. Not to Penning's satisfaction, at least. Mostly because he wasn't entirely certain himself.

Penning nodded. "I don't want to know. I don't want to know any of it. I certainly don't want to know what happens when you're over there. What happens in Mexico better stay in Mexico. Give me your badge and gun. You'll get them back after the inquiry."

Brian put the gun and badge in Penning's hand. "For what it's worth," he said, "I'm sorry."

"I know. Just like I know I can't stop you so I'm not even going to try. Just be careful."

"I will. And thanks. For everything."

He left the conference room and headed for his desk, boxing up his personal things. As he headed to the elevator, he ran into Sophie.

"What are you doing, Brian?" she asked when she saw the box in his hands.

"I'm on suspension, Sophie. It's SOP to clear out your desk. That way if the inquiry comes back guilty, I don't have to come back to the building."

"But they can't blame you for what happened. It was Stasiak who screwed up. Not you."

"It doesn't matter. My sting, my neck on the line. Besides, my record's against me. It always has been and that's all they're going to see."

"You sound like you're not coming back."

"I don't think I am."

"Not even if they clear you?"

"No. The other agents will never forget that I let Toretto run again. They won't trust me. And I'll always have to wonder if backup will show if I call."

"I would."

Brian smiled at her. "I know you would, Soph. But you're not a field agent. I may take a lot of stupid risks, but that's the one thing I won't do."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too. You've been a great friend, Sophie. And I'm sorry it has to be this way."

She gave him a sad smile. "Good luck," she said, giving him a hug.

"Thanks."

He left the building and headed to his place. He didn't have much. Most of his stuff was still in storage back East. He threw a couple of things in a box and some clothes in a duffle bag and put both in the trunk. He spent the rest of the afternoon running through various routines he had learned, working through his frustration.

When the sun went down, he drove away from the trailer one last time, heading for the last place the FBI would ever bother looking for Dom, knowing full well that's where the other man would be.