CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
but we might just get away with it
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
𝐌exico was a beauty, Josephine thought as she drove through the unfamiliar streets in her 1999 Impreza. There were a lot of cobblestone houses, and little children were running around on the road, playing soccer with each other in the harsh sunlight. They had bright smiles on their innocent faces despite the simplicity of what they found joy in. It was a big contrast to what they were about to face in these same streets.
They knew exactly where Arturo Braga was going to be. The three had been watching him and his goons from afar and tracking his movements all throughout Mexico. For some reason, Braga ended up in an isolated part where a church stood in the middle of it all. They observed as the drug cartel leader stepped out of his vehicle and entered the cathedral with nobody else as he advised his men to stand outside the holy place instead.
Fenix wasn't there. Josephine noticed. It was too bad, but she tried to focus on their sole mission for now. Taking down Braga means taking down the rest of them and that included Fenix. She just needed a little patience to get through this. Her gaze flickered to Brian and Dom as they hid behind the church, waiting for their chance to ambush Braga inside the home of Jesus. Their first mistake was leaving the backdoor unguarded because that's where they were going to be.
How ironic it was for a drug cartel leader to kneel and bow down to God as he prayed? It was almost comical. Then again, Josephine wasn't one to judge. Perhaps it was his way of retribution for his sins. Maybe he believed God's forgiveness would rise over the countless people who would never forgive him for the things he'd done. Well, Josephine was one of them. Not even God could save him now.
Brian looked over to Josephine, reloading his pistol. "You've got this?"
Josephine took out the Desert Eagle she'd been hiding under her shirt and showed it to him with a small dry smile. "You bet."
As soon as the priest left Braga by the altar, together, the three of them surged forward further inside and made themselves known to the drug cartel leader. The firearms in their hands seemed to weigh less even in the presence of God. Because if taking down this man was a sin, they were prepared to be a sinner. The man's praying got cut off short by the sound of guns cocking and urgent footsteps out to get him.
"You ain't forgiven," Dominic spat as he pointed the barrel of his shotgun at the man's head.
"You boys and girls want to arrest me?" Braga almost looked amused to see them, eliciting more suspicion from the FBI agent. "Aquí mismo?"
"No, we're beyond that," Brian said firmly.
His aim was pointed lower than Dom's because one unarmed man didn't need that many guns at him. Braga wouldn't be much of a danger if he didn't have all his men and money that protect him. He and Josephine kept a close eye on their surroundings instead, letting Dominic do all the work. The possibility of anybody walking into this room was high. There were multiple armed men beyond those doors. They knew that.
"You can't buy your way out of this one."
"Hermano, you and me... You and me, we're not so different. You're no hero."
Dominic pumped his shotgun, pointing it directly at Braga's face, which made his companions turn to them. Josephine's eyes narrowed into slits, noticing the hint of acceptance on the cartel leader's face as he shut his eyes. Like he was prepared to greet his fate with no fight. It was almost funny that this well-respected man in his own sick world wanted to die like a little coward. He didn't deserve to die. Men like him needed to suffer with the knowledge of the horrible things they'd done to people.
Josephine saw that Dominic contemplated killing him. Brian did, too, but he turned his head away. He had a duty of his own. To take in Braga and put him behind bars. But he wasn't going to stop his friend from doing what he wanted to do Braga either. His respect for the older Toretto was higher than any law in the world.
"You're right." Dominic stood down but he kept his aim at Braga. "And that's why you're going back across the border."
There was a moment of surprise that came to Brian at Dominic's decision. Even Josephine was surprised. But I suppose no matter how much they wanted to end his life, their moral compass would always claw their way out. Josephine stepped back, letting Brian walk forward to apprehend the man. He took out handcuffs and put them around Braga's wrists as the latter faced the barrel of the Torettos firearms.
Braga could see the resemblance. The same fire in their dark eyes. At this moment, Braga realized the lengths they would go to for each other, and nothing was more dangerous than that.
"But Fenix is ours." Dominic looked at Brian with a certain firmness in his tone.
Josephine glanced at her brother, almost surprised that he included her this time. Maybe he finally understood why she had to do this, too. It was for the sake of her peace, her messy mind that constantly sought an answer to the lives that were lost. If this was the only way to calm down the storm in her head, Dominic was going to help her with that as best as he could. His sister, his responsibility.
"You got it." Brian nodded, knowing there was no room for discussion.
Josephine and Dominic convoyed Brian in their respective vehicles as they drove away from the church. The FBI agent had Arturo Braga in his car, left with the responsibility of making sure he stayed this way until they got him out of Mexico. Josephine drove out front, Brian in the middle, and Dominic at the back in his Charger. They broke through traffic in the small streets, ignoring the angry beeping from civilians in their cars.
People were shouting apprehensions from the sidewalk as the three speeding cars broke through them. It wasn't very laying low for them but it was hard in this environment to lay low. Everybody could notice how out of place they looked and it didn't help that Braga had connections everywhere. It was only a matter of time before his men caught up to them and that would end in another challenging car chase.
Finally, they got out of the city and turned to the desert part of the road where they would make their exit out of Mexico. Josephine led upfront with a tight grimace, her grip comfortable on the steering wheel but there was a sense of cautiousness and urgency at every turn. There was no way they were making it out of this without trouble. Her eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, seeing Brian driving behind her through the cloud of dust and sand that rose from under their wheels.
"You know where you're going?" Braga chuckled, seemingly finding the situation humorous beside Brian. It made the FBI agent tear his gaze off the road and Josephine's car who was in front of him. "You want to borrow my GPS?"
He swiftly turned into another corner, following Josephine closely. Brian didn't let Braga's amusement faze him. He knew he was expecting his men to come after and so did they. "Where are your boys at? Huh? Are they gonna show up or what?"
Brian spoke too soon. As soon as he finished jeering at Braga, the sound of multiple gunshots echoed through the vicinity. Josephine who was trying to figure out a way out of the desert let out a curse word as an array of gunfire barely grazed her car. She swerved out of the way, glancing at the mirrors in her car to see if Brian and Dominic were fine. Two cars went to intercept them with blazing rifles but Josephine managed to break through before they cornered her as well as Brian.
Dom had a close call but he seemed to manage it just fine. Now there were more than two vehicles with hostiles in them. Then she noticed that they were gunning for Brian's car real hard, and she decided to move from the front and stay back. Before they could react, Josephine swerved her car into one of the vehicles tailing Brian and ramming him off the desert path. The car uncontrollably drove onto a steep hill and flipped over, incapacitating a few of them that followed.
"Jo!" Brian's worried voice cracked through the walkie-talkie on the passenger seat.
A familiar green Torino sped ahead of her and did the same to the one in front who was shooting at Brian'scar. Fenix. She pressed the gas with a new purpose, her eyes twitching with annoyance as she bulldozed forward to get ahead of him. Fenix seemed to notice her but he looked more thrilled than scared. Far ahead of them, Dom purposely crashed into the bigger truck that was trying to hit the black and white Impreza.
Her head turned to the Torino speeding next to her, making forceful eye contact with Fenix who had the nerve to smirk at her. With a loud grunt, she forcefully swerved into this side and hit the side of his door with the bumper of her car. She managed to swing him off his path and Josephine drove past him to regroup with Dominic and Brian further ahead where the vastness of the hot desert stretched for miles.
"Guys, head to the tunnel," Brian said through the radio, realizing it was the same sand that they'd gone through a couple of days ago. Josephine grabbed the communication device so she could hear him clearly with one tight grip on the steering wheel. "Let's use the tunnel."
Her eyes flickered to the side mirror, noticing two muscle cars catching up to them. They ignored her and Dom, more focused on the other Impreza in front of them. She looked at the Charger to see her brother already looking at her. They shared a silent agreement. Just as the two cars decided to sandwich Brian, she and Dom split up to take care of each of them. Dom broke his window so he could aim his shotgun at the wheels and Josephine automatically turned her own down and put her arm out with a finger on the trigger of her gun.
Then they both shot at the hostiles, their wheels bursting which caused them to flip upward and crash into the other vehicles in pursuit of them and away from Brian. That was the most important part. Smoke billowed out behind them and the friction of the cars against the desert made clouds of dust that made it harder to navigate through them. At least for their enemies. The siblings left a wreckage for them to make it hard to push through.
In the Impreza, Brian glanced back with a small smirk on his face. Impressed at the calamity of destruction that Josephine and Dominic did. The latter's voice broke through the radio with urgency: "Get out of here, Brian!"
"You sure you know where the tunnels are?" Braga taunted as Brian kept straight for the mountains with confidence. He didn't look at the cartel leader. His gaze remained on the boulder that was alarmingly getting nearer and nearer. "You sure?"
"Yeah. I'd hold on." Brian almost scoffed, making Braga uneasy instead. Maybe he was the one who wasn't sure. He narrowed his eyes at the boulders, visioning the entrance before switching the gear to put more speed. "This might hurt."
"Jo, get to Brian!" Dom told her on the radio as he lagged behind to deal with the rest of the hostiles. There was a certain firmness in his tone that told her it wasn't up for discussion. "I'll meet you on the other side."
Josephine gritted her teeth, her grip around the radio tightening. "You better."
The Toretto girl was so glad Brian knew where the entrance of the tunnels was because she didn't hesitate to press her foot on the gas as she barrelled after him. He had Fenix close on his tail, and there was no way she was going to let him get too close to Brian. The darkness of the tunnel greeted them, the complex turns and the close calls with the narrow walls were almost familiar (but boy, it was annoying).
Brian made quick turns after turns, trying to shake off Fenix, but the latter knew the tunnels all too well. There was no confusing him. They had to do something different━unorthodox, strange, unexpected, which were usually Brian's specialty. But he was in the front with the important baggage and Josephine, well, she could just crash into the green Torino and call it a day. But then she thought of her family and hesitated the reckless decisions she was thinking of.
Her little sister was probably worried out of her mind. Mia was waiting for them. They have to get home. There was no other way.
Fenix tried to bump into Brian's car, which forced him to decide between turning into another tunnel. Fenix didn't follow him, so Josephine followed Fenix. Then came the slightly not narrow tunnel. Brian managed to not crash into a wall and joined them in the front after his miscalculated turn into a tunnel with no ending. Josephine hit the Torino with the bumper once again, just distracting him briefly so Brian could push through ahead with less difficulty.
He gained beside her, looking at her with a death glare on his face. Josephine scowled at him. Then he suddenly switched gears and swerved in front of her in an attempt to run her off the tunnel. She reacted fast and veered her car onto the opposite lane just as he hit the brakes and tried to make her crash. Then she retaliated out of spite and tried to push him to the wall, her arms straining from keeping the steering wheel controlled.
"Cabrona!" Fenix spat and proceeded to take over her again as they neared what looked like the actual end of the tunnels.
Brian looked at his rearview mirror, noticing the complicated situation Josephine was in. He hastily grabbed the radio and exclaimed: "Get ahead of him, Jo! Get ahead!"
"Shit." Her jaw clenched. There was a tough blockage ahead of them and one safe turn and Brian wanted her to ram into the green Torino so she could run him off and take his place in front. She inhaled a deep breath and shook her head before coming to a decision. "Fuck this."
Then she rammed into the Torino's rear, her car losing control as she spun around for a second and accidentally hit a pole but Josephine wasn't letting him win. Ahead of her, Brian had successfully got into the tunnel and she stopped spinning right in time, back on the pace of the chase and floored it like never before. Behind her, Fenix cursed in anger as he tried to get back on track.
Josephine wanted to say that they'd get away from this easily but the moment Fenix made the unexpected decision to completely make her lose control of her car━she knew the end was imminent. Brian had never been so scared his whole life. He hadn't felt the impact of it. Too worried about Josephine whose car suffered the brunt of it as Fenix crashed into her which made her car hit him and they both flew out of the tunnels with no control.
She thought she knew pain until she raised her arms and found ounces of blood covering her skin. She remembered her car flipping over multiple times, as well as seeing Brian's car rolled over to the side with the impact of hers. Then it stopped. But then the insurmountable pain appeared. Her breath was ragged as she struggled to breathe with something tight holding her to the upside-down wreck of her car. Something was penetrating the side of her stomach, and every movement she made hurt like a bitch.
The lack of darkness should've made her feel relieved but she was more worried when she noticed the green Torino in front of them. The blood rushed through her head and she tried to remove her seatbelt, realizing that a piece of glass from her windshield had embedded itself on her stomach. Shit. Her eyes fluttered with nausea when she hit her back as she removed the seatbelt.
Her condition was bad. But Josephine pushed through the pain and searched for her gun in the mess inside the wrecked car. There was a slight relief when she found the pistol and she crawled out of the wreck with difficulty. Fenix was already out of his car and he was staring at the upside-down Impreza where Brian was unconscious and his boss, Arturo Braga, was shaken up from the crash.
"Hey!" Braga forced out, struggling from his position. Fenix went to get him out. "Get me out of here!"
Fenix went around the car and saved Braga from the wreck, putting him over his green Torino. Before he could open the door to let him in, Josephine surprised him. She shot at him, winging him right in the shoulder. Fenix stumbled back in pain, but when he returned to his feet he began marching towards her with a dark look on his face. Her arms raised, trembling a little as she pointed the gun at him although before she could shoot him again━Fenix barreled toward her and socked her in the face with a right hook.
Her head turned aside, the impact of his punch making a stinging sensation on her cheeks. Before he could do anything else, Josephine threw him over the car with her whole body. Fenix retaliated by punching her in the gut which made her double back in pain. Her feet stumbled back and she quickly reached for the pistol but with her state, Fenix had the upper hand. He marched forward and harshly grabbed her wrist, bending them the opposite way that she swore it almost broke. Her grip around the gun lessened and she dropped it.
He kicked the gun away. Then he turned to her again with a menacing scowl on his scarred face. Josephine stared back at him, her body weakened as he gripped the collar of her shirt. Then she spat at his face, making the man even more furious. Fenix didn't hesitate as he delivered a punch on her face. Again. And again. She swore she could no longer feel her face or even lift her head.
But then Brian woke up and he kicked off the broken door as he stumbled out of the car.
Fenix seemed agitated. Do these people even die? He threw her weakened body on the ground and marched around his Torino to greet Brian with a gun in his hand. He kicked his head, the FBI agent grunting in pain at the sudden action. His gaze fell on Josephine's unmoving body and almost stopped breathing. Fenix kicked him off again and pointed the golden gun at his head, and Brian stared back at him. He did not want to die. But he was too weak to even move and he hated it. He couldn't protect Josephine.
But Dominic saved the day again. He angrily rammed a car into Fenix and rendered him dead. Then he stopped in the unfamiliar car and found Brian and his little sister on his lap. His heart almost stopped. Instantly, he was on their side, ignoring Braga who had accepted his fate. The only thing that mattered now was his sister. She was unconscious, barely breathing, but she was alive and he wasn't sure for how long if they didn't get any help.
"Dom," Brian croaked out, forgetting his own pain as he worried about the love of his life. They both were in a bad state with various wounds on their body but nothing compared to the pain of seeing her so lifeless. "We need... She needs help, Dom."
Dominic tried to take Josephine but Brian didn't want to let her go. He let him hold her. His eyes swam with worry and fear. He couldn't lose his little sister. That wasn't going to happen. The sound of police sirens and helicopters was nearing in the distance but Dominic wasn't worried. He kept his attention on Jo as if the moment he stopped looking at her━his baby sister would suddenly disappear. A part of him blamed himself for this but Josephine wouldn't want that.
"You gotta get out of here." Brian glanced at Dom with a sense of urgency. He adjusted Josephine in his arms carefully.
Dom shook his head lightly. "I ain't running anymore."
Josephine stirred, a quiet breath escaping her lips and the men had never been so relieved. Her voice cracked when she tried to say something. "Dom."
"I'm here." Dom moved closer, grabbing her to grasp them in his in a firm grip but not enough to hurt. Just to let her know that he was right there. Brian almost wanted to cry. "I'm right here, baby sis. I've got you."
"We're going... we'll be fine," Josephine croaked out, giving his hand a weak squeeze of assurance. He didn't let her go as he looked at her in the eyes. Determined. Her weak gaze fell on Brian, noticing the blood dripping from his head.
"I'll be fine." He seemed to notice her apparent worry and gave her a small smile. His eyes fell on Dom, the moment was fleeting but right there, Brian had made his decision. Choosing this family had always been the best decision. "Hey, I gotta ask you something."
"Yeah?"
"You know I would have won that race if you didn't cheat, right?"
"You hit your head hard," Dominic said humorously, which made Brian laugh, and had to stop because it was making his insides turn. Josephine even had the energy to smile weakly through her half-unconscious state. Everything was going to be fine. She repeated like a mantra in her head.
"Don't make me laugh," Brian grunted between labored breaths as he tried not to crack a smile. He held onto Josephine, the only thing that was keeping him rooted in reality at the moment.
"Don't be ridiculous," Josephine breathed, both men looking at her with a questionable stare. She cracked a smile even through the pain she was enduring inside. Literally. "We all know I would've won that race."