Loving the Buster//Brian O'Conner

Fifteen

I catch up with Brian in a seedy back alley.

"Did we really have to meet here?" I ask.

"No one can know that you're working for the Feds," Brian reminds me. I nod. "I figured out a way to get into Braga's crew. We bought Dwight in on distribution of meth charges this morning."

"That guy does meth?" I ask. "I woulda thought cocaine."

Brian shakes his head. "No but we found a lot of it in his apartment." I roll my eyes. "Oh and in case you were wondering, he's a foot guy."

"Dude looked like a cowboy magician, I'm not surprised," I tell him.

Dom and I are walking up the stairs of some club that Braga owns. It's dimly lit with people dancing all over and drinking at bars.

"Stay by me," Dom whispers. "I'll never hear the end of it from Jason if any of these guys mess with you."

"Gisele won't like that," I tease.

As we reach the top of the stairs I see Brian at the pool table. I can tell Dom isn't too happy to see him. Dom and I make our way over to the makeshift bar.

"Yeah, two Corona," Dom tells the lady.

Brian walks over to stand next to us. "That's too bad about Dwight. Having the Feds raid your house the same night you make the team. So unfortunate."

"I wish I could say I was surprised to see you here," Dom tells him. The woman comes back with the Coronas. "What's to stop someone from telling them you're a cop?"

"Probably the same thing that's keeping me from telling them why you're really here," Brian reasons.

Campos walks over towards us. "What up, fellas?"

Brian shakes his hand. "Hey, how you doing?"

"Great. You having a good time?" Campos asks.

"Yeah, a great time," Brian tells him.

"Come on, let's have a better time," Campos tells us. We follow him to a booth. "How's your car? It took a nasty bump."

"It'll be ready," Brian assures.

"I also heard you just got out of County," Campos adds.

Brian nods. "Mmm-hmm."

"You know a guy named Jim Garcia?" Dom asks.

Brian shakes his head. "Nah. Big place. Lots of names, lots of faces."

"And you, you're wanted by a lot of people, homes," Campos tells Dom.

"Yeah, that kind of heat can't be good for business," Brian argues.

"Yeah, well, that depends on how you look at things. I go down, I do time. I do real time. I don't know about your other drivers, but when I see flashing lights in my mirror, I don't stop," Dom says.

"Do you know each other?" Campos asks.

"Just used to run in the same circles is all," Brian says.

"My sister is dating her brother," Dom says.

Campos turns to me. "And what about you, mami, showing up both of them at the race?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Just a better driver."

Dom rolls his eyes as Brian scoffs.

"And which one of them did you date?" Campos asks.

I gesture to Brian with my head. "That one."

Campos laughs. "If I were him I would have never let you go."

The way he looks at me is creepy.

"So, what's Braga about?" Brian asks.