Chapter 177: Shaw's Threat
The electromagnetic pulse jammer, the latest product from MIT, had been patented by Raytheon. However, that didn't stop Ron from having Howard create a prototype, and it looked quite effective.
"Then switch to manual targeting!"
Shaw shouted, and his crew immediately complied, but they were still a step too late. Tank had already tossed aside his empty RPG and pulled a massive rifle, almost as tall as a man, from the vehicle's hull and mounted it on top.
It was the Barrett M82 originally intended for use in the Colombian operation.
Tank, a former Marine Scout Sniper, was infinitely faster than the tank gunner.
"CRACK!" The first shot accurately hit the tank's track, severing one side and turning it into a spinning coffin.
"CRACK!" With the second shot, Tank destroyed the turret's periscope, blinding the gunner. However, relying on the angle he had previously aimed, the gunner still managed to fire the shell.
"BOOM!"
The result was obvious. It was way off target. The shell exploded more than thirty feet away from Tank, and he wasn't even scratched.
On the other side, Ghost immediately grabbed a dirt bike from the back of his truck and gunned it toward the tank as soon as Tank fired the first shot. When the tank gun fired, Ghost's bike passed by the tank's opposite side and he casually slapped a block of C4 onto the remaining track.
"Beep, beep, beep... BOOM!" The track on the other side was also blown off, and the tank completely lost mobility.
"Ron, Letty is still in that tank!" Seeing Ron raise an RPG and move toward the rear of the tank's armor, where it was weakest, Dom shouted a warning.
Whether Shaw and his crew lived or died was no concern to him, but Letty was still with them.
Ron frowned. This complicated things. He'd originally planned to use rockets to send the entire tank sky-high, but since Letty was inside...
Inside the tank, Shaw nervously aimed his pistol at the top hatch. He had to fire the moment it opened. Having tangled with Ron before, he knew his motto of never using a gun when explosives would do, so he had to shoot first to have any chance.
As for Letty, Shaw figured she was only useful to Toretto. The intel he'd gathered showed no connection between Letty and Ron.
But before the hatch opened as expected, a deafening roar erupted from overhead. Shaw felt his eardrums burst, and then he blacked out.
"Are you sure this was safe?" Toretto asked, cradling Letty in his arms.
This was near a NATO base in Spain. Ron had just called in a nearby F-16 to conduct an extremely low-altitude pass over the tank, instantly incapacitating everyone inside and making them prisoners.
"It should be fine, probably," Ron turned around and replied. "After all, it was just a low pass, not supersonic, so the damage should be minimal."
He was discussing career opportunities with Gisele: "I heard you quit the Agency? Where are you headed next? Want to join us at the IRS?"
"No, I'm planning to see the world, and Tokyo is my next stop," Gisele said politely.
"But traveling the world costs money, right?" Ron continued his pitch. "How about joining the IRS and seeing the world on Uncle Sam's dime?"
Ron was determined to recruit Gisele, not just because of her skills, but because she was a highly trained and professional operative.
Unlike Tank and Ghost, two improvised recruits, those guys were more like combat veterans. Tank excelled at long-range elimination, and Ghost at infiltration, but after being influenced by Ron, their infiltration techniques had become remarkably similar.
Pure kinetic infiltration!
So he was eager to get a more refined operative on the team.
"Maybe I could consider it... how much vacation time would you give me each year?"
"Four weeks, paid," Ron gestured expansively. "If operations aren't busy, I can even cover personal travel expenses. We're not like those underfunded Bureau departments. We have so much budget we can't spend it all."
Hobbs, who was hauling Shaw out, twitched his mouth. He was from the very underfunded department Ron was disparaging.
As Shaw's men were zip-tied, Letty stirred in Dom's arms.
"You didn't really think you'd won, did you?" Shaw's attitude was extremely cocky. "Ron, good to see you again. You know I know all about you. Why don't you call your family first and check how your folks in Texas are doing? Your father, mother, brother, and sister.
If I recall correctly, your sister's name is Missy, right?"
"That's a good point. It has been a while since I called home."
Everyone around tensed at Shaw's threat. Who doesn't have family? Even Hobbs' expression hardened. He had a daughter back home!
But Ron, looking completely unfazed, pulled out his phone, though not to call his family: "Hey, Forrest, it's me, Ron. How are things on your end? Have any unusual visitors stopped by my family's place recently?"
"Yes, two strangers came around asking about Missy, and I handled them. Don't worry, I'll definitely keep Missy safe." The voice on the other end was completely reassuring.
Shaw's face went pale.
"Good work, Forrest. I've got business to wrap up here. Give my love to the family," Ron said, hanging up. "So? Got any other cards to play? If not, that big guy over there can haul you off to federal lockup right now."
"Wait!" Shaw struggled against Hobbs's grip. "What about you, Toretto? I told you long ago, if you don't back down, I can destroy you anytime I want!"
Hobbs paused, giving Shaw the chance to straighten up. "Maybe you should call Mia, too."
Dom quickly pulled out his phone and called Mia, but a stranger answered, his face going dark.
Ron immediately glared at Tej. "What the hell happened? Didn't I tell you not to share any family intel?"
"I didn't say anything. I swear, I definitely warned everyone!" Tej looked genuinely confused, and the other members of Dom's crew nodded, confirming that Tej had indeed briefed them on operational security.
If no one from Dom's team had leaked Mia's location, then there was only one person left who knew, and that was...
(End of Chapter)
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