Chapter 171: Parting Ways
"This is insane! We're not in Rio, and you're talking about flying cars. You think this is some James Bond movie? We can't pull this off!"
Roman paced around the room frantically. This was the location Hobbs was temporarily using as headquarters. Ron walked around, taking in the surroundings.
The upside was its proximity to the Thames. The view from upstairs was decent, and the accommodations were reasonable. In London, where real estate was at a premium, finding a place this close to the city center was actually pretty good.
The downside was equally obvious - it was way too exposed! Ron was certain that with Owen's cunning, there had to be surveillance nearby, and Hobbs would be made the second he stepped outside.
Wait! There was no need to post lookouts at the door. If Ron remembered correctly, Hobbs's temporary female aide was Owen's inside woman!
Ron casually studied the sturdy woman standing beside Hobbs, who was built like a linebacker. If Ron recalled correctly, her name was Riley. She stood at attention, looking like the perfect soldier.
If Ron hadn't seen the movie, he never would have suspected such a woman could be the mole.
Hobbs seemed to have some kind of curse that guaranteed his female assistants would betray him. In the fifth film, down in Brazil, his temporary aide had been turned by Toretto's crew, and now here in London, the same thing was happening. She'd end up running off with Owen, even playing him like a fiddle.
"Hey, man, you should get your throat checked. Your voice went from Donald Duck to some yappy Chihuahua. You scared? We gonna start barking, woof, woof..."
Tej mocked mercilessly, imitating the pathetic yelps of a kicked dog, drawing laughter from the group.
Roman complained, "When some chick's shooting at you, you should just run away. We can't keep this up. What if she actually hits me in the head, man?"
Roman was referring to Letty shooting Toretto today, and, of course, his own close call with one of Owen's blonde operatives, though he'd luckily escaped without a scratch.
"Nah, your head's way too big a target to miss," Tej continued ribbing him. This was their dynamic. He and Roman went at each other like this constantly, trading barbs for entertainment, though Roman usually came out on top.
"Tell Dom, and everyone else, to keep the family talk to a minimum around Hobbs," Ron casually approached Tej and whispered a warning.
Tej was the tech genius of Dom's crew, seemingly laid-back but sharp as a tack.
As expected, Tej kept joking with Roman, acting like he hadn't heard a thing. When Ron caught his eye, he just gave a subtle nod, no dramatics or obvious acknowledgment.
Ron was confident he'd pass the message to Dom in his own way without tipping off anyone who might be listening.
"Mia, it's confirmed. It's Letty, but the situation's complicated," Ron reported to Mia over the phone.
"Letty's alive, and that's what matters. Nothing is more important than family being together."
"Did Dom teach you that?"
"No, Dad did when he was still with us."
"Well, how's life at the shelter? If you don't like it there, you're always welcome to come back," Ron said, rubbing his nose, feeling a bit awkward. If it weren't for Dom's lifestyle, he wouldn't have known that Mia had started working at a women's shelter, dedicating her time to helping others.
Although it was Mia's own choice, Ron felt somewhat guilty. If it weren't for his sudden involvement in their lives, Mia and Brian might have had kids by now, instead of her working at a shelter.
"No, you don't need to worry about me, Ron. I'm doing well," Mia said gently. "Besides helping these women, the only thing I care about right now is my family. If you can help me look after my brother and Letty, I'd be very grateful. Can you do that for me, Ron?"
"Don't worry," Ron assured her firmly. "As long as I'm around, I promise your family won't come to any harm."
"And you too, Ron. You're family to me as well. You need to take care of yourself."
"Don't worry about me. Anyone in this world who could actually hurt me hasn't been born yet," Ron said matter-of-factly.
They say guys like to talk tough around women they care about. Ron couldn't quite sort out his feelings for Mia, but he knew her personality was different from Fiona's. She'd never accept sharing someone she loved. Maybe this was the best outcome after he'd disrupted their lives?
Damn that male ego!
CLAP! Ron clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"I'm not trying to blame anyone," Ron said, his eyes fixed on Hobbs. "But I think tonight's operation was a complete disaster. Anyone disagree?"
Even the usually arrogant Hobbs looked away after a moment, conceding the point to Ron.
"Hobbs! You've got the best team in the world, and what do you have to show for it?" Ron said sternly. "I think it's time we went our separate ways."
"What? You just got here and now you're bailing?" Riley glared at Ron with contempt, standing rigid at attention. "If I remember correctly, that's called abandoning your post. That's court-martial territory, sir."
Ron couldn't help but secretly admire her performance.
This move was brilliant. It appeared to defend Hobbs, but actually mocked Ron's supposed desertion. It both undermined Ron, the outside agitator, and damaged morale among Hobbs's people.
"It's not a sergeant's place to lecture me on protocol. Besides, there's also a charge for command failure in the military justice system. You might want to brush up on that, Sergeant," Ron shot back with a smirk.
"Besides, I never said I came here to join your little party. My assignment was purely as a special consultant to MI6, to conduct a risk assessment of your pursuit operations. Now that my mission's complete, isn't it natural for me to head back?"
Ron shrugged. Hobbs opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but held back.
"Don't worry, I won't write too many negative comments about you in my report. Even though we're from different agencies, at least we're both Americans." Ron offered consolingly.
Only now did he understand Mycroft's devious game plan.
Britain couldn't afford to antagonize the United States right now. In terms of international standing, it was basically America's junior partner. If the big brother wanted to operate on little brother's turf, little brother certainly couldn't stop them.
But they couldn't openly support it either, so let your own people police themselves, right? That was the whole point of making Ron the special consultant.
"Well, catch you all later."
(End of Chapter)
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