SWNOVELXO Chapter 14: 14: Causing Trouble for the FBI
14: Causing Trouble for the FBI
What would happen if Ron got caught?
Not much, really. As a member of a law enforcement agency himself, Ron could easily justify his illegal street racing as part of an undercover mission.
However, the word would likely spread quickly through the FBI's channels, making Ron the laughingstock of intelligence agencies across the nation.
Especially the CIA; if Ron stumbled, they would be the first to revel in his misfortune, given how much he loved to trouble them.
If you're not going to play fair, then don't blame me for being ruthless. Ron pulled out his phone and dialed Toretto's number.
Toretto had just parked in a second-floor garage when he saw Ron's call and immediately answered, "Toretto, where are you? I'm on my way to pick you up."
"What happened? Ron?" Toretto asked, sensing urgency in Ron's voice.
"Don't worry about the details. Just find a place to hide and tell me your location. I'll come get you." Trusting Ron instinctively, Toretto cautiously shared the location of the parking garage and stayed inside.
The garage was just a block away from the street where they had raced earlier, and Ron quickly arrived to pick up Toretto.
As Ron drove away with Toretto, a green sports car illuminated its headlights from the opposite alley—it was O'Connor's Mitsubishi Eclipse.
O'Connor dialed a number from memory, not far away in another police car sat the two FBI agents who had pretended to arrest Ron earlier.
"Reporting in, sir. The operation has failed; the target has escaped."
The bald agent exclaimed, "How did you lose the target? Weren't you following his car the whole time?"
"I parked across from the garage where Toretto was hiding, waiting for him to come out. Just as he did, I hadn't had time to call for backup before Ron picked him up," O'Connor explained, frustration evident in his voice.
The tall Black agent slammed his hand on the steering wheel, "Damn it! That guy again! How did he know about our operation tonight?"
Ron: Sorry, I've seen the movies; I'm just being clever.
"Jack, I've told you before, we should just focus on Toretto. There's no need to provoke that guy," the bald agent shrugged.
The Black agent, clearly of a higher rank, shot him a piercing look, "Are you teaching me my job?"
"No, sir! But what do we do now?"
"Not much. Let Agent O'Connor come back. We'll find another opportunity next time," the Black boss said, reluctantly canceling the operation for the night.
Tonight's mission was initiated at O'Connor's suggestion, a coordinated effort with the Los Angeles police targeting Toretto. The goal wasn't to capture him but to create a scenario where O'Connor could appear as a savior, rescuing Toretto and gaining access to his crew.
Everything had initially gone according to plan until a wrench was thrown into the works by Ron.
"I have a suggestion. Are you willing to listen? Boss, when Ron comes for intel tomorrow, let's not make it difficult for him. Whatever he wants, we give it to him."
"But…" the Black agent still struggled with the idea.
"Think about it. With his connection to Toretto, he could easily disrupt our operations. Unless we can directly capture Toretto for interrogation, we won't gain any useful information," Jack, the bald agent, reasoned.
His glasses reflected a glint of wisdom as he continued to persuade. "And we're running out of time to solve this case. So instead, let's give him what he wants, keeping him occupied and preventing him from causing us more trouble."
The Black agent sighed, "Alright, we'll do it your way."
…
Meanwhile, Toretto felt something was off about Ron tonight.
"What's going on? Ron, why did you come back to pick me up? I thought you'd be off partying with those two girls you just met."
"I wanted to go to the party; God knows how long it's been since I've been with a woman. But a few jerks just ruined my mood.
Dom, would you be happy to know that tonight's operation was specifically targeting you?"
"What? Are you saying we have a traitor among us?" Toretto's eyes widened in disbelief.
He treated his crew like family, which is why he called them "the family." He couldn't fathom the idea of a "family" member betraying him.
"It could be someone among you, or someone about to join you, or maybe one of you accidentally let something slip. Who knows? I just hope you guys can keep a low profile for a while."
Given his position and the promise he made to the FBI, Ron decided to keep things vague but still wanted to warn his friend.
"Ron, we've been laying low lately."
Toretto said this while nervously glancing out the window, unable to meet Ron's gaze.
"Dom, I'm not a fool. The amount you reported on your tax forms aligns perfectly with the value of the stolen goods from the recent truck heist on the black market.
And you even miscalculated—there's an extra $0.35 in your figures. I appreciate you paying your taxes on time; please keep that up, just as I mentioned before.
If you ever get into trouble, I and the IRS behind me have a vested interest in helping a proud taxpayer, even if he's involved in some not-so-legal activities.
If you keep throwing races like tonight, with your financial situation, you shouldn't be struggling for cash, Dom. Be honest with me: what's really going on?"
By the end of his statement, Ron's tone had turned somewhat stern.
"Ron, I…" Toretto shook his head. "Alright, I admit it. This all started with a botched deal with the Korean gang, and I shouldn't have slept with that guy's sister."
With no other option, Toretto confessed.
"Alright, I've told you; you've been targeted. You need to be careful. I've been investigating a drug case and haven't had time to watch over you too closely. So, was the recent truck heist your crew's doing?" Ron asked, confirming.
*P.S.:*
I know this section might seem a bit unreasonable—why would Toretto bother paying taxes for illegal activities? But it will all make sense in the next few chapters, so please hold off on the criticism for now.