"Dominic, are you absolutely certain Johnny Tran's target is only me?"
The question made Dominic frown.
"Lawson, what do you mean?"
"We have an old saying: The person who understands you best is always your enemy! Johnny Tran is your old rival. He knows damn well that if he touches Mia, you will hunt him to the ends of the earth. Therefore, his plan from the very beginning must have been to wipe us all out in one fell swoop!"
Dominic instantly grasped Lawson's logic. Despite his massive, brawny appearance, he possessed sharp street smarts.
"So this is a trap. Tran never intended to let Mia go!"
"Exactly. If we storm that Korean restaurant right now, we're walking straight into an ambush!"
"So what's our move?"
Lawson's gaze swept over the Toretto crew, eventually landing heavily on Brian.
Johnny Tran had the backing of the Bonanno family. Lawson and the Toretto crew alone definitely weren't enough to handle them. They needed outside leverage.
The LAPD might just be the perfect tool to exploit.
"Dominic, first we need intel on the layout of that Korean restaurant. Best move is sending someone inside as a mole!"
Jesse immediately agreed.
"Lawson's right. But Tran knows all of us. How do we get inside?"
"Who said he knows everyone? Don't we have a new guy right here?"
Lawson pointed at Brian. Brian's face instantly registered shock.
"What? You want me to infiltrate the Korean restaurant?"
Dominic thought Brian was scared. After all, that Korean restaurant was essentially a tiger's den right now.
"Brian, we need your help! You joined us after the street race. Tran shouldn't know your face. You're literally the only guy for the job!"
Brian wasn't actually scared; he was just surprised to be handed such a crucial mission so soon after joining the crew.
In reality, Brian was thrilled to operate solo. This gave him the perfect opportunity to contact his handler.
So, the blonde guy pounded his chest confidently.
"Say no more, Dom! I'll take the job. Heading to the Korean restaurant right now to run recon!"
Unaware of Brian's ulterior motives, Dominic thought the kid was showing deep loyalty and felt incredibly moved.
He slapped Brian hard on the shoulder and gave a firm nod.
"Thank you, Brian! From now on, you're a brother to me!"
Dominic hit like a truck. Brian winced, baring his teeth in pain.
Lawson watched with sympathy. He'd taken similar hits from Dominic before he got the Iron Man Trump Card.
Brian left quickly, stepping out of Letty's apartment and getting into his car.
After ensuring he wasn't being tailed, Brian immediately dialed his new handler.
After Donnie killed Vincent Murphy, the lack of a body meant Murphy was officially classified as a missing person.
In America, unless a body is found, a case cannot be classified as a homicide; it's just another missing person. The country literally has massive numbers of people vanishing every single day.
Otherwise, as the nation receiving the most immigrants worldwide, why hasn't its total population seen massive spikes over the decades?
Since Donnie had abandoned his badge and fled to Texas with his pregnant wife, Brian had to re-establish contact with the LAPD. After reviewing his file, command assigned him a new handler.
To his credit, Brian kept his mouth shut about Donnie and Clown. In that regard, he was actually highly loyal.
"Officer Bradford, this is Brian O'Conner."
"O'Conner? Calling me this late? Did something massive go down?"
"Yes, sir. Massive situation. The Toretto crew is about to go to war with Johnny Tran's gang!"
"What? Give me the full rundown right now!"
Brian briefly explained the entire situation. Because he was driving while talking, he accidentally let Lawson's involvement slip.
"So Dominic Toretto does know the driver of that purple Dodge Viper?"
Brian hesitated. His gut told him that while Lawson street raced, he wasn't actually a bad guy.
Johnny Tran kidnapping an innocent girl like Mia Toretto—that was true criminal scum behavior.
"Yes, but..."
"Why the hell didn't you report this sooner!"
Officer Bradford clearly didn't share Brian's perspective. As LAPD brass, his absolute priority was bagging the Dodge Viper driver who publicly humiliated the department.
As for the Tran gang and the Toretto crew wiping each other out, Bradford couldn't care less, as long as it didn't spill over to civilians.
Honestly, if the two street gangs annihilated each other, the LAPD would be thrilled. It would save them massive headaches and relieve pressure on the American prison system.
Brian had to lie to cover himself.
"Sir, I only found out about it today myself!"
Bradford didn't suspect anything. Since taking over as Brian's handler, the kid had been compliant and reported in regularly.
"Are you secure right now?"
"Dominic Toretto sent me to infiltrate the Korean restaurant to gather intel. I'm driving there now."
"Excellent. Proceed to the restaurant, but do not engage. Text me any updates and wait for my orders!"
"Hold on! Sir, Johnny Tran kidnapped..."
"You only need to follow orders!"
The line went dead, replaced by the rapid beeping of a disconnected call. Bradford had hung up.
"Dammit!"
Brian dialed the number again, but only got an automated response.
"The number you have dialed is currently busy. Please try again later."
"Fuck!"
Brian cursed, tossed his phone onto the passenger seat, and slammed the gas pedal, speeding toward downtown LA.
Back at Letty's apartment, Dominic was still pacing anxiously.
"Lawson, are we really just going to sit here and wait for Brian's intel?"
"Of course not! We need to prep vehicles, weapons, and a solid tactical plan. Don't you agree?"
Jesse immediately nodded.
"Vehicles are handled! Dom's car is fixed. Between that and our other rides, we're solid!"
"What about weapons?"
Dominic looked at Vince.
"Dom, we only got a few handguns. Nothing heavy."
"Then go buy some!"
A few handguns definitely weren't enough. Dominic's anxiety spiked.
Lawson patted Dominic's shoulder, motioning for him to stay cool.
"It's the middle of the night. What gun shop is open right now? Relax. The exchange is set for tomorrow night. We have plenty of time! Right now, we wait for Brian's intel, study the layout around that Korean restaurant, and wait for the perfect opening!"
Dominic finally clamped his mouth shut.
(Fast & Furious 1 screenshot)