CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
our secret moments in your crowded room
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
𝐁rian O'Conner was such a petty little shit. I guess that's why Josephine ended up liking him in the first place all those years ago. He also seemed to always find a way to get himself involved in things he shouldn't even be messing with. That's how he ended up being a fugitive a few years ago because he just had to personally involve himself with his undercover mission. (In all honestly, Brian O'Conner did not regret any part of it).
Josephine was just making herself comfortable by the bar counter when a certain blond decided to approach her. The party had been going on since past midnight and she had only been there for half an hour mingling with strangers and a bunch of other racers who took notice of her ride which she parked outside the club building.
"You smoke?" Brian asked first thing when he noticed the unlit cigarette between her fingers that she mindlessly twirled around. He slid onto the space next to her, leaning his elbows on the counter, his sleeves riding down his wrists.
Josephine didn't look at him, taking another bottle of Corona from the bartender. "I quit."
Brian slightly frowned. That meant she did start smoking before. A part of him made him think it was his fault. His heart clenched. Josephine didn't mean to start smoking, but I suppose, as you get older, you find other ways to cope. Most of the time━dangerous ways.
"You're really stubborn, you know that, right?" Josephine gave him a small glance before taking a swig of her usual Corona. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Dominic enter the club across the room full of party people. "It's kind of annoying."
Brian subtly followed her gaze, noticing the unhappy look that immediately flashed across the older Toretto's face when he realized he was also there. Josephine decided to stand up and walk her brother's way as the man ordered his own Corona. Brian was already holding his own as he subconsciously followed her breaking through the crowd with purpose.
"That's too bad about Dwight," Brian chimed in, taking a seat next to Dom was standing beside the counter. Josephine shook her head at the sarcasm in his tone as she went to stand within a safe distance from the blond. "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," Dominic muttered, grabbing the opened bottle of Corona. He glanced around as if he was threatening him. "What's to stop someone from telling them you're a cop?"
"Trust me, brother," Josephine scoffed, making Brian look at her longer than he intended to, his blues softening the slightest every time they landed on her. "I've thought about it.
Brian only looked amused. "Probably the same thing that's keeping me from telling them why you're really here."
"What up, fellows?" Campos suddenly appeared out of nowhere, clapping a hand on Brian's back and patting Dominic's shoulder. He sent Josephine a big smile that made her feel uneasy.
"Hey, how you doing?" Brian feigned a smile and exchanged a greeting with the man.
It was something he was pretty good at. Acting. Josephine thought with a slight scowl that disappeared as soon as Campos glanced at her. She gave their temporary boss the genuine and fakest smile she could muster.
"Great. You having a good time?"
"Yeah, a great time."
"Come on, let's have a better time."
The three exchanged looks with each other, Brian looking a lot happier than the siblings who had mutual blank expressions. They followed Campos somewhere at the party, the music becoming fainter as they gathered in a secluded area away from the dancing and rowdy people. The man made himself comfortable on a silk-green single couch in the middle of two other long couches where a few ladies were already seated.
"How's your car?" Campos asked Brian. "It took a nasty bump."
Brian nodded slightly. "It'll be ready."
He let Josephine walk around him and she sat near Dominic instead and he had no choice but to settle across her. His jaw clenched slightly, and he took a sit on the space next to a couple of women whom he paid no mind. The grip he had around his Corona became tight when a man sitting around them decided to flash her an award-winning smile. Josephine merely ignored him.
"I also heard you just got out of County," Campos stated and by the smile on his face, Josephine had a feeling he could also figure out a lot about them if he tried enough. (Although she did almost scoff at the idea of Brian being in jail).
"Yeah?" Dominic seemed amused at what he said. The younger sister crossed her legs, watching them with a certain glimmer in her eyes. "You know a guy named Jim Garcia?"
"Nah. Big place. Lots of names, lots of faces." Brian said calmly, earning not-so-convinced nods from Dominic. His blue eyes flickered toward Josephine who smirked ever so slightly which she hid behind her bottle of beer.
"And you, you're wanted by a lot of people, homes." Campos turned to Dominic. Then he briefly smiled at Josephine who didn't look the least worried. She had nothing to hide. They probably think she was there for the money, too. "And you, chica, you're quite the law-abiding citizen."
Josephine almost laughed. Campos was being sarcastic. Obviously. Because nothing about her petty crimes filled up the files the cops had on her screams law-abiding citizen. I suppose she does have quite a rap sheet that made Campos think she was the best person for the job. At least he wasn't sexist for a drug dealer.
"Yeah, that kind of heat can't be good for business," Brian retorted.
"Yeah, well, that depends on how you look at things. I go down, I do time. I do real time," Dominic said, hidden meanings behind his words, which made the undercover agent scoff under his breath. "I don't know about your other drivers, but when I see flashing lights in my mirror━I don't stop."
"Cheers to that," Josephine muttered, slightly tipping her bottle as she eyed the irritated blond across her.
Campos soaked in their words for a second. Then he blinked at the three street racers around him. "Do you know each other?"
That made each of them show their different reactions to his question. Josephine shook her head slightly, downing the rest of her Corona as spite began to claw out of her throat. Know each other? Oh, Campos had no idea. There was a moment of silence before one of them decided to break the tense silence between them and answer his question.
"He used to date my sister," Dominic revealed, earning a quick glare from the said sister and a dry smile from Brian.
"I see." Campos immediately looked at the scowling girl next to Dominic, his amusement just growing and growing. "You?" Then he went to grab a bottle of alcohol and grinned widely at Brian. "You're a lucky man."
"How's that?" Brian didn't tear his gaze off Josephine who stared back at him with mixed emotions swimming in her hazel eyes.
Campos grinned. "You're still breathing."
Brian's expression fell a little, knowing all too well that this man was right. He faintly remembered Dominic threatening to break his neck if he broke his sister's heart. Now sitting across that same sister Brian promised he wouldn't hurt━he might as well shoot himself with his gun. He broke his promise, and he was still alive. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better.
"To the ladies we've loved and the ladies we've lost. Salud."
"So what's Braga about?" Brian asked as they finished taking shots of their preferred alcohol.
"You know, he's just one of us. Came up from the streets. Down for el barrio." Campos leaned back into his seat. The guys listened. "Now he's a shot caller. The boss of bosses. See all these cats in here?" He gestured around the room and they glanced around. "Any one of them would die for Braga."
"Including you?"
They looked at Campos expectantly when Brian asked.
"Especially me."
A guy suddenly appeared and leaned down beside Campos to whisper something in his ears. Brian shifted on his seat, making eye contact with Dominic and Josephine who took notice of the situation in silence. They didn't hear a thing but it seemed like it was pretty important for Campos to suddenly decide to ditch them at his own party.
"Enjoy the party, fellows. Club's yours. Whatever you want, booze, broads, it's all good."
"Braga's mine," Brian said hardly as soon as the man left them to themselves. A bunch of women began surrounding them and Josephine stood up, giving them the space next to her brother who was ever so glad. "I'm taking the whole house down."
"Good luck," Dominic said absentmindedly, becoming busy with the girls and booze that began to surround him.
Josephine sighed and walked away shaking her head at her older brother's antics. She was never one for booze and parties but she did enjoy them better with cars and women who shared the same interests as her.
Brian was at her side in an instant, his hand briefly hovering behind her back before putting them back where Josephine wanted it━which was away. She kept walking, trying to stay around longer to figure out things while Dominic did his thing. He seemed like he wanted to say something but the club wasn't really the best place for having meaningful conversations.
"Hey. Do me a favor." Josephine cleared her throat, stopping in the middle of the dancefloor as Brian gazed down at her. The dim flashing lights with their vibrant colors made it a little hard to see but Brian would never miss that face even in a crowded dark room. "Try not to get yourself killed."
Brian pursed his lips, watching her disappear into the crowd just as fast as she opened her mouth to say those words. Then he went on to do what he came here to do, going further into the club and following suspicious people that might lead him to something that could help his mission to take down Braga's cartel.
Josephine thought Brian O'Conner would've at least tried to follow what she said to him countless times before. But she should've known by now━that guy never listens. And trouble pretty much follows him everywhere so it wasn't a surprise when she found him sneaking around like a little shit. Did he really think nobody would notice him? (For an FBI agent, he was bad at this part of the job).
Just as Campos's eyes flickered toward the ajar door and before he could realize it was Brian standing over there and listening to his conversation with somebody inside the room━Josephine came to rescue him. The Toretto girl did the first thing that came to her mind. Probably not the best one but hell, nothing she ever thought was good these days. That's how she ended up in this situation anyway.
His body slammed on the wall, a pair of hands making their way around his head as the feeling of familiar lips touched his own. Brian didn't even need to look to see who it was. His mind and body just knew. And as soon as he realized what was happening━which was fast━his larger hands immediately went to grab the back of her head and he deepened the distance between them.
Josephine definitely did not plan on making out with him, but with the baseball cap on her head that she snatched from someone in the club, she was able to hide Brian with her face all up in his when Braga's men walked past them.
Then Josephine broke off with a deep breath and Brian leaned down at her height, making her forehead pressed against his. His calloused slid on her warm cheeks, subconsciously tracing the line below her red-stained lips. Unbeknownst to him, there were traces of smudged red on his own, too. Their shallow breaths caught up with each other, too dazed to say a word as they looked into one another's eyes.
Suddenly, everything didn't seem so bad.
"Why'd you do that?" Brian uttered breathlessly, his voice deep and a little hoarse.
"Because you're an idiot." Josephine forced out of her throat but her gaze seemed a little conflicted. She made sure they were far from anybody's line of view so that they wouldn't suspect Brian being the horrible cop he was. "They almost caught you."
Brian just stared at her for a minute, a hint of years of longing and yearning for this bravest woman he'd ever known. Her tanned cheeks were flushed and her amber eyes were darker in the flashing disco lights of the halls in the club. His fingers subconsciously untangled themselves from her dark hair, the soft strands easily slipping away. He'd always liked the way they framed her face and fell down her back.
He would be lying if he said he didn't love her anymore. In his heart, he loved her all the time. The years that he had been gone, everywhere he went, every woman he met━nobody could ever compare to his feisty and beautiful Jo. No one will ever be able to knock the wind out of him again. Not like that. Not like her. He'd always come looking for her, and if he had to, he would burn the whole world down to find her again and again.
Then Josephine caved back into her shell, painfully remembering where they stood. Brian was an FBI agent. Her older brother was a criminal. She might as well be, too. Nothing ever good comes out of that. She gulped slightly, stepping back and brushing off imaginary dust over her jeans.
She looked at Brian one last time, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Go home, Brian. Don't find any more stupid things to do."
One of these days, Brian was going to break and tell her everything that had been going on in his head. After all, the only reason he accepted the FBI's offer to make him an agent was because of her. He thought that being an agent was better than being a wanted fugitive. Because in this way, he had hope that he would see her again. Maybe not in the way she wanted, but this was his only way even though it hurt him to know that Josephine would never tangle her life with a cop. Not when she'd already learned her lesson.