=Midnight, Coal Harbor=

*Flick Flick*

The crackle from Angie's cigarette mirrored her exhaust. She was sitting on the hood of her Charger, taking in the scene. It was a smaller meetup. No doubt tiny compared to the meetups in the inner city. And that very fact colored Angie red.

Coal Harbor felt like a prison, some sort of cell block that kept her from thriving in the innermost glory of Bayview. After all, it was the reason she came down to race in Bayview anyway. Her appetite was anything but satisfied.

"Ugh…"

Flashes of pearlescent paint jobs passed her by as she continued to idle and study the scene. Most of the cars present were JDM, and everybody knew Angie hated anything that wasn't big, bulky, and American. The meetup was specifically for the Vixens, a group of all-female street racers that Oscar mentioned a while ago. The plan was to have the Nightburners properly challenge them when Rachel felt the time was perfect.

Angie had other plans…

She tossed her head over her shoulder when she heard that familiar timbre from an S2000. It was Suki. Slamming the door and strutting up to her teammate, Suki took an empty spot on the hood next to Angie. Angie took a puff and offered as much of a greeting as she could muster.

"'Bout time."

"Bitch."

It made Angie laugh, almost enough to let her cigarette slip off her tongue. Suki smirked and the two women fist-bumped each other.

"Good to see ya, kid. Thanks for comin' out," Angie playfully nudged Suki's shoulder.

"All good. So, what's so important I had to be here right away? And where's everybody else?"

"No one's coming. It's me and you holdin' the fort tonight."

"For real?"

"Yeah. Roman's helping Kenji with his car. Wolf is God knows where. Brian said he'd be busy. And Rachel's too good to get her hands dirty as usual."

"Damn."

"Yeah, I was even thinking about asking that Oscar guy to come out with us. But I don't know him well enough to trust him just yet." Angie shrugged and winked at Suki. "So. It's just me and you, kid."

Suki nodded and looked out to the Vixen's cars putting on a smokeshow. "Cool, cool. But, what are we up to exactly?"

"The hell you think we are? Take a look at those scrubs. See 'em? We're gonna beat 'em. Right now."

Suki furrowed her brows and shot Angie a look. "Hold up. I thought we were,-"

"-Yeah, yeah, I know. We're supposed to wait for the go-head from Rachel, but I am so tired of waiting around already." Angie hopped off the hood and turned fully toward Suki. "Think about it. We're supposed to be this badass crew, but we're taking our time, walking on eggshells. It's about time we shake things up and raise some hell! C'mon! Aren't you with me?!"

"I mean, yeah."

"Good! So we're on the same page then!"

Suki looked like she was trying so hard to see it Angie's way; her shoulders almost touched her ears as she hesitated. "Mmmm, I mean, nah…"

"Huh? C'mon, make up your mind."

"Alright, look, I don't wanna step on Rachel's toes…"

Angie kept silent for a moment and let her actions do the talking. She reached in her denim vest and pulled out a fat stack of cash.

"Yo, what the hell? Where'd you get that?"

"Remember how Rachel said she'll give everybody on the team five grand at the start of each month? You're lookin' at this month's allowance."

"...And? What are you doing with our money?"

"Rachel was on her way to give it to us, but she up and got busy. Go figure. Told her I'd deliver it for her. And now, here we are."

Thirty grand was in Angie's hand, and Suki couldn't help but stare at it. It's not her first time seeing so much after all, but it was the thought of losing it to whatever plan Angie had.

"*Ahem*." Angie cleared her throat and held out her hand. "There's your five in here, as well as my five…," Angie spoke slower like she was spelling it out for Suki, nodding her head as she did so. It pissed Suki off a bit, but she heard the woman out, "...and the rest of the team makes this thirty. Oh, c'mon don't look at me like that. If we play this right, we can cram a month's work into one night. Screw being 'patient' and 'careful' like Rachel keeps preaching. Let's DO this. I'm sure the boys won't mind if we volunteer their share."

Suki closed her eyes and held her hands up. "Whoa, hold up, Angie, let's slow down a sec."

Angie ignored her and instead wrapped her arm around Suki's shoulder.

Both of them looked out into the crowd as Angie spoke. "Suki, look at them, this is easy money. Easy. I'm telling you."

The Vixens were a bit awkward - most of their members were younger and looked to be a tad ditsy. There was a certain way they carried themselves that made a veteran like Angie pick them apart with many ways to exploit them. Angie was like a bully looking down on the next defenseless kid to suffer. And poor Suki was the girl who didn't want to fall behind.

Once again, Angie pressured Suki, "Wanna double up?" She winked again and plucked her cigarette away. "C'mon. Just trust me. I would never steer you wrong."/

Having had enough of just showing off, the Vixens decided it was time to race. They called out for any possible takers to line up for an entry, and that's when they noticed a commotion at the back of the crowd. It was Angie, pushing and shoving her way through the crowd with Suki tailing right behind her. She walked up to Sue Yen, leader of the Vixens who was posed next to her Acura NSX.

"Alright, sign us up."

Sue looked back and forth between the two girls and chuckled. "I've never seen either of you before. I'm afraid you'll have to wait your turn."

"Never seen me? That's too bad." Angie asked with a smirk. She pulled out the stack of cash and tossed it onto NSX's frunk, the sheer weight of it making a decent thump. "But, have you ever seen thirty grand?"

The crowd got silent when that number dropped, only a few chuckles, murmurs, and rumbling of engines audible. Sue sat up and gazed at the money. "Geez, who the heck are you walking around with that kinda cash to toss around?"

"Glad you asked," Suki said, confidently crossing her arms. "We're a new crew. Call us the 'Nightburners.' You'll be hearing that name a hell of a lot more."

Angie lounged her arm on Suki's shoulder and nodded. "Yep, you should consider yourselves lucky! You'll be the first set of losers to get officially crushed under our wheels."

Sue, knowing no better, giggled and hopped off her car. "You are so on."*

On the way back to her Charger, Angie heard Suki calling her from behind. "Angie!"

Angie paused and turned around. "Mm hm?"

"Look, girl, I'm down for going all out. But that's this month's entire goddamn budget that's supposed to be for the whole team! If we lost that shit, Rachel would straight up murder us!" Suki spoke frantically and her anxiety was also evident in her body language as she used her arms to speak.

Angie groaned and put her hands on Suki's shoulders like a disappointed parent. "Do we seriously have to argue about this again? Okay, hun. First of all, you hit the nail on the head. Rachel gave us the cash for the team to use riiight? Well, look around!" Angie playfully swiveled herself left and right with her shoulders shrugged. "If you wanna get technical about it, we are the only ones racing for the team right now, so the responsibility of the money falls under us anyway!"

"Okay, but what'll happen when Rachel finds out how much we made from this race?!"

"She'll be too happy to care! Hell, she better be thankin' us!"

Unbeknownst to them, the Vixens and the crowd were all looking in amusement at the very animated argument Suki and Angie were having.

Sue revved the engine of her NSX and waved out the window. "Heeey! Are we gonna race or what?!"

Angie and Suki paused mid argument and looked over to her. Angie huffed and put her hand on the top of Suki's head this time. "Look, there's a reason why Rachel chose us, kiddo. All of us. We are not losers. Now let's prove it, okay?" She playfully slapped her shoulder and ordered, "Now buckle up."

Angie ran over to her Charger and practically dove in while Suki walked over to her own ride, doubtful about whether or not this was a good call. Deep down inside, she knew there was nothing she could do. Once a bet was placed and accepted, there was no taking it back. Not unless you wanted to be made a fool in front of everyone. And since this was the first official "crew" race for the Nightburners, they couldn't afford to lose any shred of respect they had. So she sucked it up, got in her car, and followed Angie to the start line.

Static came through her walkie-talkie, followed by Angie's voice. "Ya know how these two-on-two races work, right hun? The team that has all their members cross the line first, wins. I got your back, so stay on my ass as much as you can."

With sprints, you had to be careful. They were straightforward and simple point A to B. Quick and easy, but left little room for mishaps. If you screwed up on a sprint, it was nearly impossible to fish a comeback out of your ass. And Suki was no miracle worker, but confident in her abilities. Just, not so much with money on the line - here right now, and the possibility of it being gone just as fast. The fact that it was someone else's money, someone Suki had so much respect for, at that, made it so much worse. Suki was on edge. The fuzzy fur on her steering wheel was indented with her grip. She took her hands off the wheel, suspended them in the air to assess them as they shook.

"Fuck! Stop shaking!" She cursed her body and all the nerves shooting through it faster than any speed a car could muster. Suki closed her eyes, and fought tooth and nail to compose herself. "Cmon, girl. Keep your head in the game," she preached to herself among the revving engines in her ear. "Angie's counting on you. Brian chose you. Time to prove 'em right. C'mon, Suki!"

"-AAAND GO!" The voice of the flag girl threw her back into the real world.

It was time to release the training wheels of the Nightburners, and put their crew on the spot./

=Two Minutes Into the Race=

The race was simple. Point A to Point B. One end of Coal Harbor to the other. Easy. Right? So why did everything seem like it was going so wrong for Suki?

For starters, she was last off the line; frantic nerves and granny shifting didn't mix too well. Now, here she was, two minutes into the race later, and she was still at the back of the pack. Somewhere, deep down inside with the butterflies in her stomach, Suki felt like laughing. Because of course, everything that could go wrong went wrong for her. The left corner of her bumper sparked along the asphalt from where she shunted past a barrier a minute ago. Then, she could've sworn she had some suspension damage from landing awkwardly when she hit a jump in the road. The digital portrait on her dashboard computer didn't do enough justice to how absolutely pissed she was.

Nevertheless, Suki bit down on her lip just a little bit harder, and sought to make a comeback. She could see Angie's taillights up ahead in first, past the NSX in second, and the 300ZX in third. The group of four were approaching the center of Coal Harbor, which was a bit more modernized and merged with a highway that led into northern Bayview. In tandem, the four cars drifted, splattering the bland concrete buildings with their bright paint jobs.

Piping hot pink bled into the peripheral of the 300ZX driver; it was Suki edging her as they concluded the drift. Straight up the highway, Sue raced Angie for first, and Suki did so for third. The woman in the 300ZX busted out the NOS, and kept Suki's hopes just a bit further away.

"...Shit…"

Suki couldn't afford to do the same. She'd burned through her first bottle of spray at the beginning of the race to catch up. Her second and last bottle sat ready for use for the last leg of the race. Just a bit too early. Instead, she upshifted and stepped on the gas, squeezing as much power out of the S2000 as possible. All of a sudden, the 300ZX swerved at the last minute to avoid a sedan in their lane. Suki barely reacted in time as well, shooting to the left just enough to narrow out a horrific head on collision.

"SHIT!"

Her own heartbeat screamed louder than the horn of the lucky civilian behind her. Not to mention the loss of speed she suffered from the maneuver. Everything just seemed to be going wrong. Why did everything have to go so wrong?

Angie's taillights got further in the distance… and so did the confidence in herself. But if she could just make it past third at least, their team would win by technicality as long as Angie stayed in first too.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon…"

Now in the last leg of the race, toward the other end of Coal Harbor, Suki fought tooth and nail with the Nissan that was dead set on keeping her down in the gutters. The four cars were on a two lane street, weaving in and out of traffic on both sides, desperate to avoid crashing, but moreso for maintaining speed. Speed was everything; their reason for living. And Suki could feel it slipping away second by second. She said, "Fuck it," and jammed her thumb into the NOS button on her console. She was so close. She'd prefer to win the race right by Angie's side, like it was supposed to be, but the universe made it clear she wasn't getting her way in any shape or form tonight. The taillights of the 300ZX were like lasers in the dark next to her convertible, right on her shoulder.

Side to side, neck to neck, they fought one another on the long straight to victory; both drivers could see the victory smoke just down a couple of blocks. Suki could spot Angie still in first. Angie was winning for sure, which meant they still had a chance.

Then the unexpected happened - A near collision with a box truck, turning the corner.

Angie had dodged it, thank God. But Sue had to pump the brakes a bit to avoid a T-bone that would've most certainly been fatal. Both Suki and the Nissan quickly approached the obstacle, veering to the right to avoid the box truck that stalled in the street, and Sue struggling to get her speed back. Angie had won, that was already a given. But Sue wasn't giving up. Suki found herself in the middle of the two Vixen cars - the NSX to her left and the 300ZX to her right. All out of NOS and all out of options, Suki shredded her teeth to dust, closed her eyes, and prayed for a close victory.

A victory that just passed her by...*

Angie slammed on her brakes, barely stopping in time to avoid swerving into the eager crowd. Ignoring her clumsy driving, she fumed out of her car and slammed the door, as Suki skidded to a stop next to her. Not even giving Suki time to get out, Angie rushed over and stopped herself from exploding, opening her mouth multiple times just to close it at the last second to avoid hurting the teammate that she actually gave a rat's ass for. She leaned on her car with both arms outstretched and glared at Suki.

"I want to know what happened to staying on my ass," Angie hissed out.

Ignoring her livid teammate, Suki opted to stare out of her windshield and into the haze of the streetlights cascading them. She huffed and gripped her wheel with her hands, threatening to break her steering wheel with the frustration coursing through her like fire as Angie continued to yell at her.

Getting tired of Suki ignoring her, Angie slammed her hand on her door seal and shouted. "Suki! Look at me! We lost the race 'cause of you!"

In a flash, Suki swung herself over in Angie's face and gritted her teeth. "Me?! Bitch! YOU'RE the dumbass that thought it was a good idea to bet ALL of our money! What the hell was I thinking?! Fuck! I should've never trusted you!"

Before the two could fight any further, Sue, the Vixens and their fans approached them. "Come on! Cough up that cheddar!"

Angie looked her up and down and rolled her eyes. "Kiss my ass. I beat you."

"Angie…" Suki started with a stern look. She didn't have to elaborate further. Angie knew that she had to give up the money whether she liked it or not.

Sue decided to rub salt in the wound. "Yeah, so what? Ha! Ya might've beat me alone but at the end of the day, it's your team that lost. Guess ya either forgot about that, or you're not the sharpest tool in the shed. Mm… probably both."

Angie put her hands on her hips and walked up to Sue. "Think you're hot shit just 'cause ya managed to pull a win outta your ass?" Angie fished the stack of cash and tossed it onto the ground, next to Sue's feet. "Bet that money you just won that you won't run me one on one."

Sue giggled, bent over to pick up her prize and replied. "Nah. I think I've snatched enough of your money for one night. But if it's a rematch you want, then you're on! You two are fun!"

"No. Not a rematch. A race between you and me. I'm the fastest driver on my team with the fastest car, so that screw up behind me doesn't count," Angie said, pointing toward Suki.

Sue looked over at the twenty-one year old and studied the sadness on her face. "Ouch. Some way to treat your people. I know you're a new crew and all but gosh. A little mutual respect wouldn't hurt, don'tcha think?" Sue tucked the cash in her jeans and reached her hand out for Angie to shake. "You got yourself a deal! We're on tomorrow night! Vixens versus Nightburners round two! Everyone write that down!"

Sue shouted while turning around and practically skipping back to her car. Angie picked up on some of the commotion from the crowd and could hear people talking trash about her crew, and betting that the Vixens would win again. She groaned and pulled another cigarette out and let the tip rest in between her lips, ready to be lit. However, she paused when she saw Suki looking up at the clouds in the night sky. As Angie walked closer, she could see tears flowing down the young girl's cheeks. And she'd die before she would admit it, but her heart broke to see Suki in distress. It hurt even worse when Angie realized it was for sure due to her harsh words. Lighting her cigarette and taking a puff, Angie perched herself beside Suki's car, and looked up at the sky with her, taking in the smooth air of the night. The two women rested together in silence like that until they were the last few in the street. Finally, Angie finished her cigarette and looked at her partner, who was still making small sniffles.

"C'mon, Suki, let's get outta here."

Suki wiped her eyes with her fingers and did what she was told.

Both of them got in their cars and sped off, seemingly on the way home. Unbeknownst to Angie though, Suki wasn't on her way home at all, opting to speed off toward an opposite direction. At first, Angie pondered to follow her. Instead, she dropped a gear and continued to head back to the garage, deciding that it was best for the younger racer to have as much time to herself as needed./

=Ten Minutes Later, Six-One-Nine Customs=

Under the hood of the RX-7, Kenji and Rome toiled away at the car, and paused when they heard Angie's Charger approaching from outside. Interestingly so, it lacked the hardocre rock that was often played when she arrived. Not too long after, they were further intrigued when she trudged into where they were with a disgruntled look on her face. For a brief minute, the three drivers stared at each other, waiting for either one to start talking.

"What?" Rome asked, finally breaking silence.

Angie sucked her teeth. "So… you boys haven't heard yet…"

"Actually, I have…" Kenji started, flipping his phone out to read a text. "Just got a text not too long ago. Rachel said you got the team's boost for the month." His eyes flicked from his phone back up to Angie.

"Damn, that lady is rich as hell, man." Rome chimed in.

"So where is it?" Asked Kenji. He held onto the hesitant look in Angie's eyes, feeling like he already had a hint about the money's whereabouts, knowing Angie. He hoped to God he was wrong.

"Um… it's in good hands," she half-way joked, imagining Sue and her girls spending the money already.

Rome smirked and eyeballed Kenji. "*Phew* Man, imagine if she told us she lost it on the way here. Heh, probably spent it all on those bargain bin Newports."

Kenji didn't laugh, and instead swept his eyes back toward Angie. "What's so important that cat's got your tongue? You're never this quiet. Something's up."

She was so close to firing back another insult, but for once in her life, she paused and stayed speechless. Angie tucked her hair behind her ear and perched herself on the car lift.

"Now, what I'm about to tell you, stays between us," she commanded, jabbing a finger at both of them. "I don't want anyone snitchin" to Rachel, 'cause if she finds out, we can all kiss this dream team of ours goodbye."

"Okay, so tell us what's up," Roman persisted.

Angie clapped her hands once and shrugged her shoulders. "Sooo, that money we just talked about? It's gone!"

Both Kenji and Rome looked at each other for a second, then back at Angie. Roman chuckled a little bit, wiping grease on his work shirt. "Go back outside and try again. Stand up's my thing, not yours."

A wave of shame washed over Angie. She stuffed her hands in her back pockets and looked them in the eyes. "Listen, I'm not screwing around here. It's all gone."

All it took was one proper look at Angie and he knew she was dead serious. "Hold up, what?! You lost ALL of it?! Girl, how the hell does thirty Gs get lost in one damn night?!"

"Look, it doesn't matter, 'cause I'm gonna make it right back!"

"Wait. You aren't done explaining yourself," Kenji persisted with an angry glare at her. "How did you lose the money?"

Angie paused, suspended in mid-animation before she let her arms droop to her side. "It was a team race against the Vixens. Me and Suki. I bet the money and we lost it," she snapped her finger once, "just like that."

"Are you serious?! How the hell could you be so reckless?!" Kenji shouted, and the tiredness in his voice made him sound like a worn-out parent.

Angie held her chin up high and stood her ground. "No, it was not my fault. I came in first, but that girl Suki?! She came in dead last." She emphasized those last two words dragging them out slow and loud. "That girl needs to step up her game! She's supposed to be on the team of the world's best street racers, huh?! Well, there's no reason she should be comin' in last against some girls that looked like they missed the turn to a PTA meeting!"

"Hey, hey, slow your roll, Angie," Rome started. "Where is Suki right now?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I'm not the girl's babysitter for Christ's sake, she ran off after we lost!"

While Roman flipped out his phone, he glared at her and responded. "That 'girl' is like my damn sister, so you watch your mouth when you speak about her. She could lose the race to Fred Flintstone for all I care, but you still gonna put some respect on her while I'm around."

Angie looked up and took in all the words he said. She knew he was right. And if Angie could, she'd find Suki and apologize to her. She never deserved to be humiliated, and the regret from her words ate her up.

Angie stood up and loomed next to Roman's shoulder, peeking her ear towards his phone as it rang. "You're callin' her, huh?"

Roman pulled the phone away and gave her a sideways glare. "Nah, I'm callin' the damn pizza man at three o'clock at night."

The ringing stopped and went to voicemail. Wherever Suki was, she wasn't answering and clearly didn't want to be found.

Rome looked at his phone and cursed. "Shit. It's too late for her to be out by herself like this."

"I'm sorry," Angie said, as genuine as possible. "After the race, I said some mean things to her and-"

"-'Sorry's not gonna to bring her home to us, will it Angie?" Kenji interrupted. He got up and stood next to Roman. "As much as it sucks, we can't worry about Suki. She's an adult like the rest of us, I'm sure she'll be fine. Our priority is to find a way to get that money back before Rachel can find out that we…" Kenji paused and looked over to his other teammate. "-that Angie lost it."

Rome shook his head as he went through his phone to dial Brian's number. "Nah. She's a twenty year old kid that has a bad habit of gettin' into trouble. She is my priority right now. Y'all look into gettin' the dough back, and imma find my homegirl," he ordered, heading out the front door.

=Meanwhile, Bayview Outskirts=

Right in the bustle of a random crowd of fellow street racers, Brian stood like a lost child, a ghostly gaze in his eyes. An invisible hand choked him. Couldn't breathe. Not when he caught his eye of something… someone he thought he'd never see again.

Brian could recognize that car from a mile away. There was no mistaking it. It was a gorgeous car. A tricked out, magenta, candy painted S14. An amazing machine with a just as amazing driver behind the wheel - Leticia Ortiz, Dominic Toretto's infamous girlfriend.

It was the first time he had seen her since that day…, that God-awful day, and he could feel his anxiety shooting through the roof. What made it even worse was that Brian knew. He knew Dom was just around the corner. He knew that both of them would never forgive him. Hell, he even knew that Dom would probably try to fight him in front of all these people given the chance. But he had to at least try and hope for the slim possibility that they could give him another chance.

Letty crossed the line first with a cloud of smoke accompanying her as she skidded her car to a stop. Following the motions of the crowd, Brian retreated from the hood of his car and stuck his head out to see if he could get a glimpse of the winner and maybe her boyfriend. He flinched, getting slightly startled when he felt a vibration in his right pocket. Placing his hand over his thigh, he realized it was only his phone and he knew he had to calm his nerves. He could only focus on one thing right now, so he decided to ignore the call, and continued further into the sea of people.

The cries of praise for Letty's victory said much about how much she was respected by her fellow street racers and fans, especially as they cheered her name. Still no sign of Dom, Brian could make out Letty's figure just up ahead. She was posing for a picture next to her car when the deep grumble of an engine sent waves through the crowd. Brian shot his head to the left and saw his biggest fear.

There he was.

In a glossy red Chevelle with black stripes, Dom carefully eased his way through the crowd that steadily backed up for him, and parked next to his girl. As soon as he stepped out of his classic muscle car, he joined the crowd in cheering her on.

"That's her! That's my queen! My trophy! Not a person in this city can keep up with her! That's a promise."

He rushed up to her, snaked his arms around her waist, and lifted her up. They both stared into each other's eyes before they finally kissed, earning a smile from Brian on the sidelines. It was good to see them still together and just as happy as when he first met them. After wrapping up their impromptu makeout session, they both looked out into the crowd, smiling for more pictures until Dom looked to his left...

A lump the size of a mountain grew in Brian's throat, but he stood his ground as he saw the way Dom looked at him. The man went from being as happy as he could be, to being clouded with shock, confusion, and anger.

It seemed too absurd to be real.

The Buster was back.

Dom loosened his grip and let Letty gently slide back down to the ground. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and saw his uncomfortable expression. "Dom, what is it?"

As soon as her words left her lips, she looked for herself and saw a glimpse of a man she never thought she'd see again. In the flash of a second, somewhere deep in the crowd, he disappeared.

"Nuh uh. Was that…?"

"Brian." Dom answered for her.

"We both saw him, right? So we both aren't seeing things. Dom, tell me mind's not playing tricks on me."

"I know what I saw…"*

Brian wished he could get it all back. The trust of Dom and his crew. The love of Mia Toretto. There wasn't anything that he regretted more in his entire life. Vibration in his right pocket startled him again, away from his thoughts. Even though he was going around eighty miles per hour, he looked away from the road just for a second to reach into his pocket and see who it was. He flipped the phone open and focused back on the road.

"Yeah, what's up, Rome?"

"Bruh, I've been tryna call you for a whole hour! Where the hell are you?!"

"I'm straight. I'll fill you in when I get back. Is everything copacetic?"

"No, it ain't. Suki's gone. No one knows where she is."

"What?! Agh ...Shit." Brian cursed through his clenched teeth. "Are you rolling right now?"

"Duh. I'm making my way around tryna see where she is, her and that Barbie car should stick out like a sore thumb. But morning's almost here and not too many races are going on anymore."

"Okay, go back to Oscar's. I'm on my way there. We'll talk about this when I get there." Immediately, he closed the call and dialed Suki's number. While it rang, he stopped at a red light and looked behind him to make sure no one was on his tail. Sure enough, he appeared to be in the clear, for now at least, and turned onto the street where the garage was only a few blocks down. Finally, after the phone rang for what seemed like forever, Suki finally picked up.

"...Hey."

"Suki? Say, are you alright? Where are you? What happened?"

Over the phone, he could hear a brief giggle before she responded. "Slow down, B. I'm safe. But am I alright? Nah… not really…"

Brian pulled into the alley where the garage was and let the car idle. Giving a sigh, he questioned, "What's going on?"

"I'm chillin' at a hotel right now. Just don't have the energy to be with the team at the moment. Kinda don't wanna talk about it either, but I figured I'd just tell you and be done with it so no one worries about me. Rome's been tryna call me all night but I just don't have the energy to match his' right now."

Brian shut his car off, sitting in the dark, glad that she was safe but still frustrated that he didn't know what caused her to leave. "I feel you. Take as much time as you need, but I do want to know what happened. You're keeping me in the dark here."

He heard a sniffle and some rustling come over the receiver. She was probably already swaddled in blankets on the bed for the night. "I know I am. But I just… I can't. It's so stupid. Get that bitch, Angie, to tell you about it. I'm gonna get some sleep. I'll hit you guys up at the garage later in the day. Bye."

Static came over the phone, followed by a single beep.

She hung up the phone.