✧ ✦ ✧ ═══ CHAPTER EIGHT :: MY FLIRTY JULIA
Julia Kim didn't dare say a word as she sat in the vehicle, playing with her handcuffed hands, attempting to distract herself.
"Agent Kim," Hobbs called out. "What do you have to say about this?"
The brunette stayed silent, avoiding eye contact as she kept her gaze glued to her feet. She took a deep breath upon hearing her boss call for her, knowing very well what he was about to say.
"I haven't processed your resignation yet," he announced, earning surprised looks from the others.
They hadn't expected the youngest to have turned in her resignation.
"Process it then."
"What the fuck?!" Chato exclaimed, looking back at the woman. "Boss is giving you a fucking free pass after all the shit you pulled, and you are trying to be cool by telling him to process your resignation?"
Julia shrugged, still struggling to make eye contact. "I did what I did, knowing I wouldn't get my job back at the DSS. That's all," she explained.
Chato sighed, looking ahead in defeat, knowing he couldn't get through to his ex-worker.
Julia Kim felt bad for her boss — well, ex-boss now — knowing that everything came to him as a shock, especially since the two always had some special bond between them.
They were like a father-daughter duo at work. Everyone knew that whatever mission Julia went on, their boss, Hobbs, would follow. That's how tight-knit they were.
Just as the woman gathered the courage to apologize, Hobbs' warning grabbed everyone's attention. "Ambush!" He yelled, holding on tightly to whatever he could.
Before anyone could react, the rocket-propelled grenade streaked through the air, landing right on the Yukon in front of the vehicle that carried them.
As if second nature, Hobbs turned back as their vehicle came to a stop over a parked car, instantly locking eyes with the brunette, who looked shaken.
"Julia!" Hobbs called out, his eyes scanning the vehicle as he checked on the others. "Are you alright?"
Brian's worrying gaze left Mia upon hearing Hobbs, looking at their youngest, who was hugging her knees, eyes screwed shut to calm herself down.
"I got her." Brian nodded, moving towards the brunette. "Check the others."
Hobbs took a deep breath, talking into the radio. "Wilkes, suppression fire! Shut them down!" He turned towards Chato, nodding slightly. "Stagger-step. Cover me," he ordered before walking out of the vehicle.
The Toretto siblings watched silently as Brian tried speaking to the youngest, struggling to comfort her with the handcuffs on him.
"Hey, Jules. Talk to me, love." His heart broke upon hearing her sobs, wrapping his arms around her however he could, patting the younger's back. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm okay," Julia croaked out, wiping away her tears. "I'm f-fine."
Brian removed his arms from around her, turning towards Mia for help. The brunette nodded, exchanging seats with her boyfriend before sitting next to Julia.
Mia pressed a chaste kiss on the younger's forehead, pulling her closer. "I'm gonna need you to cover your ears, close your eyes, and stay close to me until I tell you, okay?" She softly ordered, the youngest complying almost immediately.
Bullets continued to rain down on the shell of the vehicle, causing Vince and Brian to turn towards Elena, yelling at her to undo their handcuffs.
"Cut us loose!"
"Come on! Cut us loose!"
Elena fisted her hands, hesitating to make a choice about the moral dilemma she was facing. Unsure of what to do, her gaze darted towards Dom, feeling herself fill with confidence upon meeting his eyes.
He looked confident, too. He knew Elena would make the right decision.
Without wasting a second of their time, the officer pulled out the keys from her pocket, going around the vehicle as she removed all their handcuffs.
Julia Kim took a deep breath, inspecting her surroundings as the men left the vehicle.
"It's Zizi," she muttered, noticing the hitman standing away from the chaos. "We should leave as quickly as we can. There could be more of them."
Before any of the women could say anything, Julia took the initiative, jumping to the front seat, her movements not as restricted now that the handcuffs were off.
"Jules?" Mia knew enough to know the younger choosing to drive was a big deal, checking on her to see if she was fine. "You sure about this?"
"Not really, but yeah." Julia nodded, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she looked at the women in the vehicle.
"Jules, it's okay if–"
"Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing will happen to you and the little guy."
As wholesome as the moment was between the two females, it was short-lived as the door to the vehicle opened, with all the men piling inside.
Julia slammed the throttle, forgetting about all the road laws as she drove through the narrow roads of Rio. The fact she was driving went over everyone's minds upon hearing Vince speak, realizing something was off.
"Hey, Dom ..." The brunette's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "You really gotta meet my son, Nico."
"I will."
"He's a good kid. We named him after you, you know? Dominic."
There's a pin-drop silence in the vehicle, and everyone held their breaths, knowing very well that Vince's life was slipping away from them.
"You got my word, Vince."
All Julia could do was say a silent prayer upon hearing Mia sob, keeping her emotions at bay as she drove them back to the abandoned automobile plant.
|<><><><><>|
"Jules is the one driving."
Han Lue stood from his seat after hearing Roman, eyes darting towards the vehicle that pulled into the building.
The mood was somber as everyone got off the car, no one daring to speak as Brian and Dom carefully brought out Vince.
Even the presence of Hobbs and Elena didn't seem to surprise the others, not as much as seeing Vince's dead body on a table.
Julia Kim stayed inside the Gurkha, leaning her head against the steering wheel as she thought about what happened.
People died. My colleagues died. My friends died. All because Reyes found out we were planning to steal from him.
She heard her side of the door open, turning to see who it was. But of course, she already knew who it was before she even turned her head. Han stood outside; a hand outstretched for her to hold.
She had been crying. Han noticed her watery bloodshot eyes, patiently waiting as Julia slowly got down from the vehicle and placed her feet on the floor.
Before she took another step, Han pulled Julia into his embrace, patting her back softly to comfort her.
No words were exchanged because none were needed.
The brunette melted into the hug, burying her face in his chest as she tried to flush out everything that had happened an hour ago. Han sighed, his grip around the female only tightening as he felt her tears through his shirt.
"Hm?" He looked down upon hearing some mumbling. "Can't hear you, love."
Julia met his soft gaze, still in his embrace. "Sorry for ruining your shirt." Her voice was barely audible, feeling drained after everything.
Han shook his head. "It's alright," he stated. "Are you okay, though?" He asked, gently pushing away the younger's stray hairs.
The brunette hummed, brows furrowed as she thought about the question. "I think so. Just need some time to reset," she replied, forcing a small smile.
"Good, 'cause I need my flirty Julia back as soon as possible, yeah?"