After three years, their bond had finally reached the level of close friends. Looking at Brian's "Abandoning Darkness for Light" skill, Luca couldn't help but wonder if he'd been subtly influenced by it. The skill increased trust while infiltrating a criminal organization—and after betrayal, it flipped the script, boosting trust from criminals while tanking official credibility.
And now? Brian had completely turned his back on the FBI and, in one clean move, nearly maxed out Luca's trust.
In simple terms, Luca now found this blond idiot oddly… likable. No matter what he did.
Even Luca himself found that a little disturbing.
Good Heaven… Lil Blond, you really do a big thing to gain my trust?
"Drive," Luca said, tossing the keys over. "We're heading back to Los Angeles."
On the way, Luca casually spent 160 Skill Fragments to learn Arthur's [Infiltrator] and Brian's [Man and Machine as One]. Both were solid picks.
"Man and Machine as One" wasn't just for racing—it was basically a survival buff. At the very least, it meant nobody was flattening him with a dump truck anytime soon.
[Remaining Skill Fragments: 310]
The "See You Again" skill had now linked as well—granting a related buff whenever Brian left the field.
Luca's expression immediately turned… complicated.
Brian's skill set was weird. Like, weird weird. A passive buff that only triggered when he wasn't there?
Back in the original timeline, after Brian and Mia retired, Toretto somehow escalated from street racing to racing against aircraft carriers—and then casually drove into space.
Yeah. Totally normal progression. Nothing weird about that at all.
(TN: Bruh, i've never watch Fast and Furious Saga anymore after Furious 7, that movie is dogshit, from street racer to become some agent movie)
Now that same logic was applying to him. The question was: what counted as leaving the field? Full retirement? Or just keeping some distance?
Luca made a mental note to test it later. For now, Brian still had a role to play in Toretto's upcoming truck heists, so letting him walk away wasn't an option yet.
Over the next few days, the Vegas incident quietly died down.
The FBI's official report mentioned only the hotel shootout, labeling it an assassination attempt on Buddy. As for the hospital? Just a brief note—Buddy died during surgery despite best efforts.
No mention of Sparazza.
And absolutely no mention of the name "Heller."
The truth was buried. Cleanly. Efficiently.
To the public—and even most FBI agents—it was just another botched hit. Only a handful of people knew what really happened, and none of them were suicidal enough to expose it.
On the Mafia side, though? More people had a rough idea. At the very least, Luca showing up at the hospital was definitely tied to Sparazza's death.
That night, in Beverly Hills, Luca met again with Milano, head of the Los Angeles family.
Luca, of course, played dumb.
"No idea what you're talking about," he said smoothly. "By the time I got there, the old man was already dead. I was too late—couldn't get Buddy's heart."
Milano had heard a different story from Sparazza's men—that the Dove of Peace had rallied everyone, stormed the hospital, and tried to snatch the heart by force.
Now? Luca was acting like he'd just shown up late to a funeral.
Yeah… sure.
Still, the matter was over, and Milano wasn't in the mood to dig deeper. Buddy was dead—that alone made things easier for everyone. As for Sparazza… well, the old man wasn't long for this world anyway.
A pity, maybe. But not a tragedy.
Soon after, a group of Russians arrived at the estate, clearly pissed.
"One of our guys got killed by a cop in a Vegas casino!" one of them snapped. "I'm gonna make that bastard pay with his life!"
Luca and Milano exchanged a look, then calmly offered some half-hearted sympathy.
Honestly? Who didn't have a guy killed by police at some point?
The Russian continued, "The cop's from LAPD. Stay out of this when I make my move."
Milano waved it off—no problem.
Luca, however, chimed in casually, "The guy's already dead. Better to cut your losses. Killing a cop just brings heat. Make him pay instead—buy his life."
The Russian paused, thought it over… and nodded.
Fair enough. Compensation worked too. At least it gave his people something to report back.
[Ding! Your suggestion moved the Russian mafia, giving a police officer a chance to live.]
[Gain 5 Skill Points]
[Gained 2 Skill Fragments]
Just like that, Luca pocketed a few fragments for saying a single sentence.
Not bad. Influence really was a cheat code.
Toward the end of the conversation, the Russian brought up another issue.
"Hey, Dove… you still haven't caught those fuel thieves? Another tanker got hit two days ago."
"Give me time," Luca replied. "I'm working on it."
Internally, though, he was annoyed.
Why the hell were people so obsessed with his tanker trucks? First Detroit, now Los Angeles… what was next, a global tour?
Hopefully Brian would wrap things up with Toretto soon.
Over the past few days, Brian had gone back to Toretto's garage, keeping an eye on their modifications while casually fishing for information. The goal was simple—figure out when they'd strike next and tip off the Dove of Peace so they could be caught red-handed.
"Mia, where's your brother?" Brian asked one afternoon, looking around the shop. No sign of that big bald guy—just Mia.
"He went to buy parts for Luca's GTR," Mia said casually.
Brian frowned. Buy parts? Or hijack a truck?
"What parts?" he asked, instantly launching into a rant. Once cars came up, he talked like he knew them better than his own reflection.
"Toretto's setup is way too conservative. What, does he think the Dove can't handle more power? You can't build a proper car like this."
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously upset?"
"I'm just stating facts," Brian said, dead serious. "Your brother knows cars, sure—but he doesn't know him. I do."
Mia studied him quietly.
In just a few days, something about him had changed. He seemed lighter. More open. Like he'd dropped a weight he'd been carrying for years.
And for the first time, she saw genuine admiration in his eyes when he talked about another man.
"You really know your boss that well?" she asked.
Brian grinned. "We've been through hell together. You wouldn't believe how many places we've 'brought peace' to—New York, Detroit, Boston… crime rates dropped like crazy. I played a small part."
Mia: "…"
If you're gonna brag, at least write a script first.
Still, she wasn't exactly annoyed. The flirting was… obvious, but harmless.
"So what, you're here to bring peace to L.A. too?" she teased.
"Why not?" Brian shrugged. "This place needs it."
Yeah, okay, hero.
After chatting a bit longer, Mia suggested, "There's a race tonight. Dom will be there. Since you've got complaints, why not settle it on the track?"
Brian smirked. "Hope he doesn't lose too badly."
That evening, Brian drove his little green car to the track. Just as he and Toretto were mid-race, his phone rang.
"Luca, what's up?"
"Where's Toretto?" Luca's tone was serious.
"Right next to me. We're racing."
"Racing?" Luca sounded puzzled. "What about the rest of his crew?"
"Most of them are here too." Brian frowned. "Why?"
Luca sighed. "Another tanker got hit."
Brian froze for a second.
"You sure they're all with you?"
"Yeah. They've been here all night."
"...Then it wasn't them."
Luca didn't press further. He gave a few quick instructions, hung up, and headed straight for the scene.
By the time Luca arrived, police had already cordoned off the area. The tanker was recovered—but completely drained.
The driver, who had reported the incident, was still shaken.
"Did you see their faces?" Luca asked.
"No—masks," the driver said, still cursing. "And they had submachine guns. I brought a shotgun, but it didn't matter."
Luca frowned.
If it wasn't Toretto's crew… then who?
If this kept up, how the hell was anyone supposed to run a business?
Just then, another police car pulled up. A middle-aged man stepped out.
Luca turned—and paused, slightly surprised.
[Rare Card Discovered: Vincent Hanna]
[Vincent: A]
[Source: Heat]
[Skills: Fire Tracking; Heat]
[Bond: Strangers]
The moment Luca saw him, he understood.
This wasn't just another robbery.
Because in Los Angeles, aside from Toretto's crew…
There was another group.
And they were far more dangerous.
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TN: We hit the milestones last week, so here are 2 bonus chapters for today! Also, the original story ends at Chapter 242, plus one final announcement from the author.
Thanks to Wilnet Duverne for becoming my P Knight, my cats eat a lovely fish tonight
If you guys like this story, Support me on P Site/OrbisTranslate, for three bucks you got 15 advance chapters