Dom led Lawson over to the handsome dark-haired young man, who was surrounded by several bodyguards in black suits.
"Young Master Martin, long time no see!"
"Dom, I was just looking for you!"
The handsome young man exchanged a warm hug with Dom; they seemed to be good friends.
Lawson quietly observed the young man.
His name was Martin. Could he be Martin Bonanno Jr., the one organizing this underground race?
The answer came quickly as Dom introduced Lawson.
"Young Master Martin, this is Lawson. He's an incredibly skilled driver! Remember the guy who toyed with the LAPD on the LA freeway loop back in early May? That's him!"
Hearing that, the previously laid-back Martin instantly changed his expression.
"Really? Nice to meet you, I'm Martin Bonanno!"
"Lawson. Nice to meet you too."
"Are you Japanese or Korean?"
"Neither."
The other racers came over to greet Martin, including the Black guy Lawson had just seen with Megan.
Lawson also spotted Brian in disguise. The guy was wearing heavy makeup, but Lawson saw right through it.
Most people were polite; nobody dared to act tough in front of Martin.
Since infiltrating the Bonanno family through Phil and Dennis hadn't worked out well, Lawson planned to use Martin's connections.
However, he didn't want to rush it, as that would look too suspicious.
Just then, after greeting Martin, someone walked over and started provoking Dom.
It was a man with distinct East Asian features. Svafa leaned in and whispered in Lawson's ear.
"Little Lawson, is he one of your people?"
"No! He's definitely Korean."
While Westerners often struggle to tell people from the three East Asian countries apart, East Asians can easily tell the difference.
"Dominic Toretto. Didn't think you'd have the guts to show up with your driving skills."
That comment wiped the smile off Dom's face, but he stayed relatively calm, knowing this wasn't the place to start a fight.
"Johnny Tran, back off! I don't want to start anything with you here!"
"I don't care about fighting you either, but isn't it time we settled our old score?"
"We can settle it after the race!"
"Better be!"
The crowd, including Martin, just watched the standoff between Dom and Johnny Tran. It was a personal beef, so outsiders couldn't really interfere.
The underworld has rules. Speaking up for Dom right now meant making an enemy of Johnny Tran.
Even Martin couldn't just step in randomly.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's almost midnight. Get ready!"
Martin's words served as an ultimatum; he didn't want anyone causing trouble at his event.
The racers headed back to their cars for final prep.
Lawson was surprised to see Martin get into his Porsche 911 to race. He thought the guy was just the sponsor, not a competitor.
The fact that the young master of the Bonanno family was actually racing himself struck Lawson as highly unusual.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Svafa explained.
"Martin Bonanno Jr. is obsessed with racing. Everyone in the LA underworld knows it, so don't be too shocked."
Lawson raised an eyebrow.
"I bet Old Man Martin isn't too thrilled about his hobby."
"True, but Old Martin can't keep him chained up forever. Little Martin always finds a way to sneak out and let loose."
Lawson understood.
Just then, one of the men in black approached the window and told Lawson to tune his radio to a specific frequency.
Turned out, Martin had set up a private radio broadcast to provide live commentary for the race, allowing the crowd to follow the action.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm your host Bob, and I'll be calling tonight's race!"
A deep, magnetic voice came through the radio.
Martin had really set this up professionally. A live radio broadcast? Next thing you know, it'll be on TV.
And honestly, depending on how things played out, it might actually end up on TV.
After all, the cops already had intel and were laying a trap. They'd definitely want to broadcast a bust like this for the PR.
"...All 16 racers are lined up and ready. Just waiting for midnight, and the race will officially begin!"
Along the starting line, the crowd was already screaming for their favorite drivers.
Martin naturally had the loudest cheers, waving to the crowd like a superstar.
Dom and Johnny Tran also had decent followings, as both were established racers in the LA underground scene.
Even Lawson, thanks to a face that was arguably better-looking than Martin's, had a few supporters.
Franklin was the only one without any fans; he was a nobody and didn't exactly stand out.
But Megan, riding shotgun, couldn't care less. She was busy filming everything with her camcorder. This was the first time in her twenties she'd seen anything like this, and she was thoroughly fascinated.
"Megan, I... I'm a little nervous!"
"What are you nervous about?"
Megan didn't even look back, keeping her camera focused.
"Truth is, this is my first time in an underground race!"
"Huh?"
Megan looked at Franklin in shock.
"What do you mean? You've never raced before?"
"Yeah! But being a racer has always been my dream, so I scraped together the entry fee to get in!"
Megan was speechless.
"Uh, Franklin, is it too late for me to get out?"
It was obviously too late. The radio announcer had already started the countdown.
A tall, stunning woman holding a flag walked to the front of the cars.
"10, 9, 8..."
Franklin instinctively copied the other drivers, revving his engine and doing a burnout.
A burnout is when a rear-wheel-drive car holds the brakes while stepping on the gas, causing the rear tires to spin in place.
The intense friction between the tires and the asphalt creates massive noise and smoke, which looks incredibly cool. It also quickly heats the tires to their optimal operating temperature, massively increasing grip.
That's why you see drivers doing burnouts before almost every race.
Megan suddenly felt a wave of anxiety. She gripped the 'oh shit' handle with one hand while desperately holding the camcorder with the other.
Right then, she looked at the purple Dodge Viper next to them. The face of the handsome Asian driver suddenly clicked perfectly with a memory in her head.