Ride or Die /// Fast and the Furious (Movie 4) /// Book Two

Along for the Ride

Another night, same place, race night, party night.

Inside, Anna was walking through the crowd, seeing Brian was shooting pool, having been invited into the fold after Dwight had been arrested. She seemed annoyed, turning to the bar, sitting down.

Dom stood nearby, looking at the bartender. "Yeah, Corona." He looked toward Anna. "Make that two."

Brian saw them from the pool table, standing straight.

Dom stepped closer to Anna.

"Looking out for me?" Anna asked.

"I'm not letting what happened to Letty happen to you," Dom told her. "I know she would never forgive me."

Anna smiled a small smile. "You all did treat me like little sis. But I'm not gonna let anything happen to me either, Dom. I'm gonna take this whole operation and burn it to the ground. You and me both are."

"Damn right," Dom told her. "And just so you know, when you do find the guys you're looking for..." Anna looked at him. "You know I'll be there to help you take them down, too."

Anna nodded. "I know that."

The bartender set out the Coronas in front of them, walking away.

Anna and Dom picked up the beers, clinking them, drinking.

Brian stepped up on the other side of Anna. "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 told him.

"What's to stop someone from telling them you're a cop?" Anna asked.

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

Campos walked up behind them. "What up, guys?"

"Hey, how you doing?" Brian asked.

"Great," Campos answered. "Having a great time."

"A great time," Brian agreed.

"Come on, let's have a better time," Campos told them, leading them toward a table, sitting down, looking at Brian. "How's your car? It took a nasty bump."

"It'll be ready," Brian told them, sitting down.

Dom and Anna sat down with them.

Campos looked at Brian. "I also heard you just got out of county."

"Yeah?" Anna asked. Campos nodded. "You know a guy named Jimmy Garcia?"

Brian shook his head. "No. Big place. Lots of names. Lots of faces."

Anna nodded sarcastically, taking a drink.

Campos looked at Dom and Anna. "And you two, you're wanted by a lot of people."

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

Anna looked at Brian. "Yeah, well, that depends on how you look at things. I go down, I do time. I do real time."

Dom looked at Campos, gesturing to Anna. "See, I've known this girl since she was in pigtails. The whole neighborhood knew her as baby sis." Campos smirked. Anna nodded, taking a drink. Dom looked at Brian, but spoke to Campos. "We know what we get ourselves into. We don't abandon each other. We're family. I don't know about your other drivers, but when we see flashing lights in the mirror, we don't stop."

Anna and Dom stared Brian down.

Campos looked between them. "Do you know each other?"

There was a long, tension-filled moment of silence, where they thought about outing the other to Campos.

Anna looked at Dom, shaking her head barely.

Dom looked at Campos. "He used to date my sister."

"Who happens to be my best friend," Anna told him.

"I see," Campos told them. He looked at Brian. "You're a lucky man."

"How's that?" Brian asked.

"You're still breathing," Campos answered. Dom chuckled, taking a drink. Campos raised his shot glass. "To the ones we've loved." Anna, Dom and Brian raised their glasses. "And the ones we've lost."

They each took a drink.

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

"You know, he's just one of us," Campos told them. "Came up from the streets, down for el barrio. Now he's a shot caller. The boss of bosses. See all these cats in here? Any one of them would die for Braga."

"Including you?" Anna asked.

Campos nodded. "Especially me." Fenix walked closer, whispering something into Campos' ear, walking away. Campos looked at Anna, Dom and Brian. "Enjoy the party. Club's yours. Whatever you want. Booze,  broads, it's all good."

Campos walked away, leaving.

Brian looked at Anna and Dom. "Braga's mine. I'm taking the whole house down."

"Good luck," Dom told him.

Brian stood, walking away, following Campos and Fenix.

Girls took Dom from his seat, leading him though the party.

Brian saw Fenix and Campos walk out of a door at the end of the hall, waiting until they were gone to walk toward it, through it, and upstairs.

Downstairs, Anna stood on the dancefloor, dancing to blend in, very mild. A man started to dance with her.

An elevator bell rang as two guys stepped into the party, sliding down the elevator door, continuing on.

Anna continued to dance.

Upstairs, through a crack in a door, Brian saw Campos talking with an elderly man, walking off, leaving.