"You don't want my...What kind of idiot are you?"

Try as Luke might, he couldn't help but crack. The kind of body-shaking, unexpected laugh that had a smile spreading over his face, forcing him to clap his hand over his mouth as he began to wheeze. A laugh apparently so infectious even Elizabeth started to smile before a car struck the door she'd been sitting beside only moments ago.

The impact sent their SUV spinning, sliding across the road as it went, headed toward the curb. Luke threw his left arm across Elizabeth's chest, forcing her back against the seat and keeping her there while he jammed his own body into the corner. They were almost at the edge of the city now, with more space to maneuver and—clearly—more space to fight. The SUV slowed as it mounted the sidewalk until Jakob wrestled back control, reversed, and got them pointing in the right direction.

Fingers crossed Cipher was monitoring from above, otherwise they were going to have their asses handed to them. One car, three people? Those weren't the kinds of numbers that won road fights, Jakob thought as he gunned it for the highway.

"Beth," Luke said, grip tight as he held her, "you good?"

"Yeah." She didn't try to move or sit up. Maybe it was the shock, or the sight of the metal door bulging inwards, cutting into the space where Elizabeth's left leg would've been if she were still sitting there. "How long until..."

"We've got the intel," Jakob said, using the car's main radio. "Now we need a lift. Hattie's on our ass. Reisner's here too. Anywhere you can land?"

No reply came. In its place was heavy static. Hattie had jammed that signal too, it seemed. Either she was just that good, Jakob figured, there was a mole on the plane, or Cipher had foreseen this and allowed it to happen. Whichever the answer, it wouldn't help thinking about it now. The only thing they needed to focus on right then was survival.

"There's two XM7s under your seat. Use them. Either we survive this or we'll all be locked up by the end of the day. That means we can't afford for you to hesitate, Princess."

She met Jakob's gaze via the rearview mirror and nodded. "I know."

Luke let go of Beth and reached down with his right hand, pulling out a duffel bag from beneath the seat. He unzipped it to reveal three guns and a cache of loaded magazines. "This," he tapped the stock, "goes against your shoulder. Let it dig in. Keep the safety off until we're in the clear. And whatever you do—"

"Don't worry," Elizabeth said, "your arse is too nice to shoot."

He handed her one of the rifles, aligning it properly with her shoulder as Elizabeth lifted it. "Get your earplugs in. Drop your window when I do. Aim at their tyres. Whatever's in your crosshairs is what you should hit."

"I don't think the window will..." Elizabeth fell silent as Jakob pressed a button on the steering wheel, triggering the window to lower. It jammed at three quarters down, but there was still enough space to maneuver. "Thanks, Pretty Boy."

"Thank me when we're safe."

Once Shaw was sorted and in position, Luke got organized himself as the SUV reached the highway. It would only be a matter of time until the shit hit the fan, and Luke was more ready for it than he'd ever been. Elizabeth too, it seemed. She'd strapped herself back in, planted her feet solid on the floor, and had the stock pressed into her shoulder.

"Elizabeth?"

She glanced back over her shoulder at Hobbs. "What?"

"Don't miss."

Cars scattered ahead of them like rats scurrying for cover, not knowing where to go, only that they didn't want to be in the path of whatever was coming. Offramps and exits rapidly filled, leaving only Jakob, Elizabeth and himself in their SUV, accompanied by three other cars. Hattie drove one—Luke could see that clear as day—with Little Nobody in a second, and the third...

"You got a death wish, don't you, you stupid, arrogant baldass sumbitch?" Luke scowled, staring at Deckard. He could see the IV drip hanging out of his arm, Shaw's hospital gown barely covered by a loose shirt and pants. "Oh, I'd whoop your ass, boy, if you weren't already halfway to—"

Taking aim, Elizabeth stared through the scope at the passenger seat of Deckard's car. Her finger trembled against the trigger before tensing. Suddenly, the SUV jerked left, just as her body was pulled backwards, and the gun kicked hard against her shoulder.

Shit.

Deckard's face twisted into one of pure rage and the car shot forward, speeding towards them. The hole in the front windshield was obvious, along with the impact. The center console, not one inch from his hand, had been struck and ripped open.

"I said aim for the tires," Luke said, releasing his grip on Shaw's vest once she was safely back on the seat. "Not the hand your brother jerks off with."

"Wouldn't be much of a loss. He doesn't use it for anything other than wanking to the sound of his own voice!"

Give him two more weeks. Just two weeks and oh, Luke would be running his mouth like a motherfucker. There was no one present with any interest in holding him back, no one to discourage him from fighting everything and everyone in his path, or to stop him going down a dark road he'd diverted himself from following many times before.

No one except himself, that was.

And if anything, Luke had a feeling that Elizabeth would only encourage his descent into Hell. She'd be his Virgil with that smile just waiting to slip out and entice him deeper until they reached the ninth circle itself.

Talk about a bad influence.

Maybe that was why she'd rubbed Hattie's face in it. Maybe her sister knew as well as Elizabeth did that once she got her claws into someone, there was no undoing the damage she could cause.

"Don't I know it," Luke said, and there was that subtle smile again. It faded the moment Deckard and Hattie attempted to box them in, with Deckard on Elizabeth's side and Hattie on Luke's. Jakob slowed briefly as a plane-sized shadow suddenly passed over them. "Ah, and here comes your brother's competition for the title of world's most self-obsessed wanker."

In an instant, something burst inside Elizabeth. A dam that clearly held back everything bright and colorful about her because she started to laugh. Genuine, honest to God laughter that made him sit up and pay attention, wondering just where it'd come from. Wrinkles formed at the corners of her eyes, her belly shook, and Elizabeth's smile turned to a grin. One she tried to hide by ducking her head and partly covering her mouth with her hand.

The SUV swerved, diverting around Hattie, and began gaining speed. Jakob had to be pushing the car to its absolute limits, getting close enough to the ramp for the SUV's hood to be over it.

But none of it mattered.

Another car—one they hadn't seen, waiting in the wings—came rushing toward them. Jakob swerved again to avoid it, dropping back and bypassing the plane completely.

"We're taking the contingency," Jakob said, glancing back at them. "Rendezvous point Bravo is where we'll meet Cipher. It's fifty klicks west."

Only fifty? Oh, that was a walk in the park. Luke looked behind them, watching the now four cars give chase. Deckard, Hattie, Reisner and...

"Owen," Beth murmured, staring at the cars. She'd strapped herself in again, assault rifle still clutched in her trembling hands with the safety on. "Shit. Why the hell is he here? He got..."

"Keep an eye out for Toretto!" Jakob said, taking the nearest off ramp. "If they're here, he can't be far behind."

"I don't think so," Luke said, pushing himself up. "Deckard's in a gown with an IV hanging out of his vein. He didn't plan this. He saw a chance and took it."

The Shaws were hounding their asses. When one got close, they dropped back just as the next neared. Chasing them, driving them in a certain direction, but there was one thing they'd forgotten.

There was help from on high.

A large shell struck the road behind their SUV, sending Deckard and the others scattering like rats. It was enough of a distraction for Jakob to take the offramp, allowing him to put some distance between themselves and the Shaw. Weaving his way through traffic wasn't easy, but mounting the curb helped to pass most of it until they reached a set of lights that continued in every direction.

The Shaws were behind them somewhere and, no doubt, God's Eye was watching...

If they drove, they could get further while risking being boxed in.

But if they ditched their car, moved on foot, they could hide better yet risked being caught or shot.

Neither was optimal. No, they needed to get out of the city fast. Get off the ground too if they could. Luke ran through every possible plan in his head, eyes scanning his surroundings for anything that might give them somewhere to hide or...

"What's the time?" Luke asked.

"Thirteen hundred." Jakob's response was automatic. "Leaving the city won't be easy. Options?"

"Club, hotel, library, stadium, sports bar?" Luke suggested. "Raiders are playing today, I think."

"Strip club." Jakob and Elizabeth both spoke, looking at each other as some unspoken message passed between them. "Get on your phone," Jakob continued. "Find us one."

Shaw did, pulling it out of her back pocket, searching and scrolling through results. She frowned, almost scowling, like the phone wasn't telling her what she needed to know. Beth tilted her head, seeming to think of something, then smiled and started typing in something else.

"Change of plans," she said, thrusting the phone into Jakob's line of sight. "Hotel. Think you can get us there?"

"A hotel means we're trapped," Luke said. What the hell were the two of them thinking? "We need somewhere—"

Elizabeth handed Jakob the phone then leaned back, fixing her hair and starting to undo the straps on her vest. She reached under the seat, feeling for something, then pulled out a large duffel bag. "Start getting dressed. Now."

She picked up the assault rifle and smashed the overhead light then leaned forward and did the same to the rearview mirror, breaking it off and throwing it out the side window. Elizabeth didn't explain herself, but given Hattie had been in their ears, watching them, it was safe to assume those were where the cameras sat.

"You're going to have to help me when you're done," Shaw said, looking at him seriously. "I can't get this vest off myself."

Luke nodded and started ditching his tactical gear, stripping down to his briefs right there in the car while Elizabeth fished out a set of clothes for him. She dumped an entire four piece suit and wristwatch next to him then pulled out what he could only think of as the kind of outfit that suited a secretary in an X-rated movie—a white shirt, belt, and a very short grey skirt that wouldn't hide anything the minute she leaned down.

"Woman, where the hell are we going?"

"Home."

But she was...Shit. She'd said a hotel. No doubt like the one he'd found her working in, which meant it was likely Russian-owned and operated by the mob. For all intents and purposes, that was home, wasn't it?

"You sure about this?" Luke asked. "We can go somewhere else. If anyone recognizes you—"

"We'll be protected. That's all that matters."

Not that it would matter at all if they didn't survive this thing. The car shook with the impact of being bumped. Luke looked outside to see they had company—Owen Shaw rode their ass with Reisner in tow—and frowned. They needed to disappear, get underground, not run to a hotel while the assholes chased them.

Yet if it was the safest option...

"Jakob," Elizabeth said, starting to undo her vest clips, "phone."

She fed him a number to call and had it put on loud speaker. No questions, no arguments, just Shaw seemingly stepping up to some plate. The phone rang, and rang, until it seemed like no one would pick up, then...

"Who is this?"

"Sergey Andreyevich?"

"Speaking?"

"Yuri Vladimirovich is sending an associate to visit. He has an interest in sales, but there's been some interference. Can you send an escort? They're driving toward your hotel now."

"Now?"

"Unless you'd like Lena and Misha to face the consequences of your inaction."

"Suka—Where are they?"

Luke gave the nearest cross street before Elizabeth hung up. Once she did, he removed her flak vest and started tugging down her zipper. In any other situation, he might have cracked a joke but the serious look on her face said Shaw's sense of humor had been thrown out the window. She got dressed as quickly as she was able to, slipping on a stylish silver watch of her own and leaving all but the bottom three buttons on her shirt undone.

"You want me to talk," said Luke, "or stand there and look pretty?"

"The latter. That goes for both of you. If Sergey realizes what's going on, he'll kill us, no questions asked. The man is a paranoid piece of shit."

"And if he—" Tyres screeched somewhere in the distance, then there were three black sedans rushing toward them. They quickly took up protective positions and boxed them in, blocking out Deckard and the rest of his team. Luke sat back against the seat, as casual as he could be, like none of this fazed him. Elizabeth attempted to do the same, but she winced each time. Instead, she leaned into him, relaxing as best she could with her cheek against his bicep. "You said this is the mob, right? How about we trade jobs today? I'll do the talking, you figure out how to keep us alive."

"It's fine. I can handle it."

"You're injured, princess," Jakob glanced back at her, "and although you've got the largest balls I've seen on a woman, we both know his dick's still bigger than yours. You stand there and look pretty this time. Let us handle the rest."

"Listen to your boyfriend. Be our winged fierce tiger instead."

There was a flicker of recognition in Elizabeth's eyes when she looked up at Luke, lips curved in subtle amusement. "You're quoting Zhuge Liang at me?"

"Yes."

She pursed her lips, the conflict all too apparent on her face. Elizabeth didn't cede control to anyone. Not willingly at least. That much Luke had figured out in the first two weeks of them working together. Neither did he, for that matter, but if Shaw didn't get off the proverbial plate, Luke would damn well drag her back to the dugout and make her sit this one out. "...Okay."

Okay? That was it? No argument or fight or...Elizabeth winced as she moved, her breathing shallow and uneven. She had pushed herself pretty far today, and it seemed that was plenty enough to leave her a little less argumentative than usual.

Luke put his arm around her waist, and Shaw settled in even more. She twined her arm around his, grasping his forearm loosely. "How long has it been since you..."

"A while." She only managed to get out two words before the car on their right was struck from behind. Craning his neck to look, Luke frowned at the sight of his former brother in arms trying to force some room for himself. Deckard went to hit them again and the entire convoy sped up, taking a left at the next intersection and going straight for an underground parking lot. "Alright, this is it. We need to—"

"Nine o'clock!" Jakob yelled, flooring it as a car came speeding toward them. It hit the vehicle guarding their left, driving it into them, trying to push them away from the ramp that led down to safety. "Hold onto something."

With one hand, Luke grabbed the roof handle and braced his right leg against the empty passenger seat in front of him. He used his other arm to pull Elizabeth in closer, securing her against his body. No hello, no how are you, just a face full of pectoral muscle and her waist locked in a death grip.

"God, even your tits are bigger than mine," Elizabeth muttered into his chest. "Now that's a little unfair."

"You jealous?"

"Maybe."

Luke couldn't help but chuckle. Right now he needed to focus, though. No distractions or snarky women talking about the size of his pecs. Jakob pushed forward as the front car sped down into the underground garage, giving them just enough space to move and avoid an oncoming Deckard. He slammed into the car behind them instead, and finally they were plunging into a dimly lit level one, playing follow the leader all the way to another ramp. Down to level two, then three, until they came to an emergency fire stairwell.

Their escort signaled them to get out.

They did.

"Fuck was that?" The driver shouted as the three of them climbed out. "Sergey says get in car, I get in car. I don't sign up to die."

"I'm marrying their sister," Luke said, bracing himself for a fight. "They don't like that very much."

The awkwardness dissolved in an instant as the driver chuckled and gestured for them to follow him into the stairwell. "We go up two floors, change cars, then go to hotel. You are safe now, eh?"

"Sir?" Jakob looked toward Luke, still wearing his tac gear. Without it, Cipher wouldn't be able to track them, and that would be an issue when it was time to get picked up. "We should get inside before they try anything else."

"In a second." He slid his hand down Elizabeth's back, and kept on going. She smiled at him, all that intelligence and cunning suppressed—it was strangely uncomfortable to look at her and see nothing but the gaze of an empty-headed woman who wanted only to please him. "Mila?"

"Yes?"

"Don't go wandering off now."

"I won't." Elizabeth giggled into his chest as he squeezed her ass. Doing that, treating her like a goddamn piece of meat, didn't sit right at all, but there was no question she'd tear him a new one after all this bullshit was over if Luke didn't do his job and play his role just as well. "Do you need anything else, sir?"

"What do you think?"

"We have company..."

"I don't care about them, sweetheart. They ain't why you're here."

"Of course."

Luke straightened himself out, looking Jakob in the eye. "You go on ahead. Make sure these Russians have what I want and that they're not trying to screw us. Dimitri here can keep you company."

Their escort frowned but said nothing as Jakob started walking upstairs, forcing him to move as well and leaving the two of them behind. Playing the asshole was both easier and harder than Luke expected, yet it was the shit coming out of his mouth he despised. The cold, harsh tone that suggested he might hurt Mila if she didn't do what she was told.

As soon as the fire exit door shut and Jakob was out of sight, Luke let his shoulders drop, released his grip on Elizabeth, and leaned up against the car behind him. "How am I doing?"

"For a rich piece of shit with a trophy on his arm, you're doing fine."

"Beth."

"Grab whatever you want as long as it's not the stomach. I'll freeze on instinct."

So that's why she'd tensed up in the hangar the other day. Jakob had put his arms around her and for a second, it'd been like Elizabeth wanted to get the hell out of Dodge. Not just escape him but her own skin. "Yuri really did a number on you, huh?"

"You try waking up to a knife in your gut. Scares the shit out of you."

"You know why he did it?"

"Yeah. He thought I was pregnant."

"Were you?"

Elizabeth looked away. He knew a haunting when he saw one, and she was sure as hell haunted by this, no doubt about it. Shaw swallowed, barely managing to get the words out when she said, "...Not anymore."

"Jesus."

She scoffed and started walking toward the stairs. "He left Russia a long fucking time ago. You coming or what? The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we're on the..."

"What?"

"I just thought of something."

"No shit. Care to share it with the class?"

"You got a picture of Sam on you?"

"On my phone. Yeah."

"Good. We'll get the mob to do half the work for us."

"You want them to search for my daughter."

"Yes. We need eyes on the ground. Right now, we don't have any. They do."

Luke smiled and walked after her, grabbing Elizabeth's hand and pulling her against him. She barely resisted, opting to rest her cheek against his bicep and loop her right arm around his forearm yet again. "You know something? You and I make one hell of a team, woman."

"I say this with complete sincerity: you're delusional. Now wipe that smile off your face. Getting your dick wet doesn't mean you have to act like the village idiot."

"Call me an idiot again and see what happens."

"I'll save you the anticipation. You have two options: kiss me or grab my arse. The choice is yours...idiot."