Fast Lane ━━ Brian O'Conner

𝟮𝟳. a shot in the dark

     Bullets flew but missed, hitting the concrete walls of the houses around them. Josephine aimed for the stairs as Reyes's men appeared in the alley next to it. Brian made sure they wouldn't be able to follow them before he went after her on the rooftop of somebody's home and they didn't stop running.

     This was a bad call. Josephine cursed under her breath as she jumped onto another rooftop with ease. She shouldn't have brought them way up high ground. But she had no choice, knowing more of them were waiting around the alleys. She made the mistake of looking back, noticing that their pursuers were adding up like persistent flies. It didn't help that they had rifles and they only had━well, nothing but their fists and wits.

     There it was. A dead end. Well, at least that's what it looked like. Because as Josephine abruptly stopped at the edge of the last rooftop, she found the next one way below her and the roof didn't look promising at all. Shit. Brian had caught up to her now, and he looked just as worried as she was.

     A spur-of-the-moment decision was made. Brian and Jo didn't need words. With one look shared between them, Brian grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers into a tight knot. She sent him one last nod which felt like she was reassuring herself more than him, and Brian squeezed her hand in his.

     "Let's go." Then they jumped.

     Jumping from buildings wasn't on her bucket list but she made sure to add it so she had at least one thing crossed off. They made a quick getaway after they landed on the ground, not taking any chance of getting seen. They escaped through the concrete storm drains where Dominic reunited with them, navigating the underground better than the favelas. Their footwear was soaked with water as it splashed on their ankles.

     As they reached the end of the tunnel, light streamed in, the sound of rushing water filling the tense atmosphere. They had gotten away but the fight wasn't over yet. Josephine took a deep breath, her hand subconsciously hovering over her stomach as she stopped beside Brian. She hastily removed her flannel, leaving her in her tank top as she used the fabric to swipe the sweat on her face.

     "They're going to be looking for the three of us together now," Dominic started. Josephine didn't start paying attention to him until his mouth spilled the next few words she didn't want to hear. "We need to split up." He pointed at Brian and his sister. "You and Jo head south, I'll lead them away."

     "No," Josephine said quickly, a frown encasing her features.

     Brian clenched his jaw and looked at her. "Dom's right... Look how lucky we just got. What happens next time? We have no choice but to split up."

     "He's not right," Josephine argued. She glared at Brian and Dominic, shaking her head adamantly. "We're not splitting up, all right?"

     The older Toretto sighed heavily, taking a step forward. "Josephine━"

     "I'm pregnant, Dom," Josephine finally said.

     The revelation hung in the air, momentarily silencing the tension that had built up. Brian's eyes widened, registering the weight of her words. Dominic's stern expression softened, replaced by a mix of surprise and concern as he turned to her. Josephine stood with defiance,. This was the quietest her boys had been and secretly, Josephine reveled in it.

     "I already lost my family once," Josephine said hardly, glancing over at her older brother and her partner. "I'd be damned if I let that happen again. So no, we're not splitting up. No way."
  
     Brian hadn't taken his eyes off her since she said those words. He seemed genuinely speechless, but all her doubts diminished when he gently reached for her and pulled her by the waist, his warm eyes glossing over her face. She stands here in his arms, and he hold her tighter than anything he'd ever held in his life. The way his love for her only continue to grow, and he knew he wouldn't want his current life any other way. Either he lives it with her or not at all.