When Lawson arrived at Letty Ortiz's apartment, he found a crowd already gathered inside.
Dominic's two ride-or-die boys, Jesse and Vince, were there, along with the recent addition, Brian O'Conner.
This was essentially the original Fast & Furious crew.
Dominic's bald head was pulsing with veins. He radiated a terrifying, lethal aura, looking like he was ready to snap and murder someone at any second.
Noticing the tense atmosphere, Lawson turned to Letty, who had opened the door for him.
"Letty, what exactly happened?"
"Mia got kidnapped."
"What did you say? By who?"
Lawson absolutely didn't expect this curveball.
Dominic slammed his fist onto the coffee table and glared at Lawson with pure, unadulterated rage.
"That mad dog, Johnny Tran!"
"Johnny Tran? Wasn't he locked up by the LAPD? How the hell is he out already?"
Lawson instinctively glanced at Brian. As an undercover LAPD cop, he should have known something.
But Brian looked completely clueless. Instead, Jesse chimed in to answer Lawson's question.
"I heard Francis Ricci, the acting boss of the Bonanno family, personally bailed him out. Tran came looking for trouble with Dom a few days after he got out."
Hearing Francis Ricci's name, Lawson frowned slightly. He realized this was likely tied to the Bonanno family's internal power struggle.
"And then what?"
Dominic suddenly stood up.
"That mad dog stormed the cafe looking for me. When Mia refused to give up my location, he just grabbed her! If Brian hadn't showed up at the cafe and realized what happened, I wouldn't even know she was taken!"
"Dominic, you need to cool down and explain clearly!"
Seeing Dominic teetering on the edge of losing control, Lawson tried to get him to calm down.
"Lawson, she's my sister! She's all I have!"
Dominic glared fiercely at Lawson. Thankfully, Letty stepped in to soothe him.
"Dominic, everyone is worried about Mia. But Lawson is right. You need to keep a cool head!"
The bald man took several deep breaths, barely managing to rein in his fury.
Lawson continued his questioning.
"What is that mad dog's actual angle? Just trying to mess with you?"
When nobody answered, Brian hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"He said if Dominic wants Mia back in one piece, he has to bring the guy who wrecked his car during the street race."
Lawson: ???
So the asshole was gunning for him?
Both Dominic and Brian knew exactly who Johnny Tran was looking for. Their eyes instantly locked onto Lawson.
Dominic's stare was especially piercing.
"Lawson, what's your play?"
"What do you think? We flatline that mad dog!"
Lawson's immediate answer softened Dominic's expression slightly.
Honestly, Dominic was in a brutal spot. Lawson was a solid friend, but Johnny Tran had his sister. There was absolutely zero chance Dominic would ever abandon Mia.
"Good! We gear up and hit Tran right now! I'm wiping out Johnny Tran and his entire crew tonight!"
With that, Dominic, Vince, and Jesse all stood up, ready to roll out. Only Brian looked conflicted.
As an undercover LAPD cop, Brian obviously didn't want Dominic and Johnny Tran getting into a massive gang war.
But as the newest member of the crew, Brian had absolutely no standing to voice his concerns right now.
Fortunately, Lawson stopped them.
"Hold up! You seriously planning to just kick down Tran's door like this?"
Vince glared at Lawson. He'd always had a massive crush on Mia, so he naturally harbored deep resentment toward Lawson for causing his goddess to get kidnapped.
"What else? Mia could be getting tortured by Tran right now! We have to move!"
"Do you know how many guys Tran has with him? Do you know if he pulled in outside muscle? Do you know what kind of leverage he's holding?"
Those three questions completely silenced the Toretto crew. The reality was, aside from knowing Johnny Tran did it and the exchange was set at a Korean restaurant, they knew absolutely nothing.
Brian quickly backed Lawson up.
"I think Lawson makes total sense. Even for a rescue op, we need a solid tactical plan! Or... maybe we should just call the cops?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Vince and Jesse looked at Brian like he was clinically insane.
"The fuck are you talking about? You think the LAPD gives a shit right now? You think we live in Beverly Hills?"
In America, police precinct funding is directly tied to local district tax revenue. Richer districts get better cops, superior gear, and high security.
Poor districts generate no tax revenue, leaving their precincts broke. It's a miracle if the cops there aren't actively colluding with the gangs. Expecting them to maintain order is a joke.
Some precincts in impoverished areas literally go bankrupt.
Brian clearly hadn't considered the location of the exchange. He actually just wanted to contact his new handler to resolve the situation, but Dominic's crew obviously had zero trust in the LAPD.
Dominic looked at Lawson. He knew Lawson wasn't the type to shoot off his mouth for no reason.
"You got a solid plan?"
"Give me a sec. I need to hit the bathroom. Drank too much tonight."
Lawson used the bathroom excuse to pull out his phone and open the Payday app. Sure enough, a new job was listed.
[New Job: Family]
[Difficulty: ☆☆]
[Primary Objective: Rescue Mia Toretto]
[Bonus Objective 1: Complete job with zero participant casualties or arrests.]
[Bonus Objective 2: Ensure Johnny Tran faces appropriate punishment.]
[Current Status: Prep Phase]
[Available Intel: 3 pieces]
After accepting the job, Lawson immediately purchased the intel.
-$15,000
[Intel 1: Bonanno family capo Alberto Bruno is involved in the kidnapping.]
[Intel 2: Francis Ricci hosted a dinner for the Bonanno family capos at the Korean restaurant on the night of the exchange.]
[Intel 3: The Korean restaurant owner uses meat from an illegal processing plant. They load the meat into the freezer through the back door precisely at midnight.]
Lawson frowned at his screen. Intel 1 and 3 made complete sense, but what the hell was Intel 2 about?
Did that mean Francis Ricci was dining with the Bonanno capos at the exact same Korean restaurant where the exchange was happening tonight?
Something felt seriously wrong here!
Head spinning with questions, Lawson finally left the bathroom. Any longer, and Dominic probably would have kicked the door down.
Before stepping out, Lawson threw on his Hostility Sunglasses to read the room.
Unsurprisingly, Vince and Brian glowed a neutral yellow. The other three glowed a friendly green.
Seeing Lawson emerge, Dominic immediately pressed him.
"Lawson, what exactly is your plan?"