Guldrin’s Gluttony: Family Bound by Speed & Food

(Bonus Chapter Due to Power Stones, Thank You to all who support my work!)

Mia's brow furrowed as she listened to Brian, his words low and urgent, his face intense as he spoke. Guldrin strained to catch pieces of their conversation, feeling Shiro tense beside him. He didn't know why, but his gut screamed at him that Brian's presence spelled trouble. As Brian continued to whisper, Mia's eyes widened, a mixture of disbelief and betrayal settling over her face. She took a step back, her arms crossed defensively. Emily sensing the change in mood, leaped from Shiro's arms and landed on Guldrin's head.

"What are you talking about?" Mia asked, her voice thick with shock. "You're telling me this now? After everything?"

Brian ran a hand through his hair, the weight of his decision evident in the slump of his shoulders. "Mia, listen to me, things are about to get real ugly. I didn't want it to go this far, but you deserve to know the truth." He glanced over his shoulder, as though expecting Dom to appear any second and clock him across the face. "I didn't come here just for cars or for you. I'm a cop working with the FBI."

Mia's gasp cut through the night, her voice barely a whisper. "You lied to me… this whole time?"

Brian looked down, guilt written all over his face. "I didn't know it would come to this. But Jesse's in danger, and Dom's getting in deeper. If I can't stop this heist, if I can't get him out before it all comes crashing down-"

"Get him out?" Mia interrupted, anger mixing with the hurt. "You don't understand anything about Dom or what he's done to protect us! You think you're doing the right thing, but you're tearing us apart!"

Guldrin clenched his fists, hearing every painful word. He didn't fully grasp what being FBI meant, but he understood betrayal. Brian had wormed his way into their lives and gained their trust, and now… now he was tearing them apart.

Just then, the roar of engines sounded in the distance. Dom and the crew were heading out for the heist. Mia turned away from Brian, her face hardening as she looked at Guldrin. "We can't stop them now." She glanced back at Brian exasperated. "If you're here to help, then prove it. Stop treating us like suspects and start acting like someone who actually cares."

Brian nodded, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "I'll do everything I can. I promise. But you have to help me find them! The truckers aren't messing around anymore, they are armed and will shoot to kill." Brian seemed desperate, whether it was due to wanting to help or to arrest Dom, was still to be seen. Whatever the case, Guldrin had already decided he hates Brian, no one makes Aunt Mia sad, and stays a part of the family, if he ever was, to begin with.

As the three of them climbed into Brian's car, Guldrin sat in the back, a million thoughts racing through his mind. Shiro held his hand, her expression as serious as ever, her resolve mirroring his own. They needed to get to the heist scene before things went south, before Tran or the cops could make everything worse. Hopefully, it wouldn't be both, because that would lead to a really rough time.

The drive was tense, silent but for the hum of the engine and the occasional crackle of Brian's radio as he tried to gather intel without raising suspicion. Guldrin's mind raced as he thought about Jesse, alone and vulnerable, hiding somewhere in the city. Would he even want to come back after this? What if he was hurt, or worse, by the time they found him?

Finally, Brian couldn't get a good lead on where they were and asked Mia to give him Dom's phone number. Receiving it, he called an LSPD connection and read them the number, requesting a phone trace. "Ughh, I knew I hated you…" Guldrin grits his teeth, dark thoughts of using the gun he picked up crossing his mind for brief seconds but helping his Mom and Dad outweighed the urge at least for now.

It didn't take long for the LSPD connection to trace Dom's cell, and Brian was given an exact current location. They arrived at the outskirts of the heist, hidden by a line of trees. From their vantage point, Guldrin could see Dom and the crew preparing to intercept the moving semi-truck, timing their approach to perfection as the massive vehicle barreled down the highway.

But something was off.

In the distance, blue and red lights flickered, faint but unmistakable. Guldrin's heart dropped. "Brian… the cops… they're here."

Brian's face went pale as he glanced out the window. "They weren't supposed to move in this fast. I thought we had more time…"

"Right, because you didn't think to expect that when you called in a request that they wouldn't send people to that location?" Guldrin was angered as he watched more cars showing up. This was going to be a chase like those video games that Jesse had shown him. But there wasn't a restart button, this was real.

Mia shot him a look of pure fury. "You set this up, didn't you? You led them here."

"No! I didn't know they'd catch onto that; you have to believe me! I wanted to give Dom a way out, not to trap him." But the remorse on his face did little to ease Mia's anger, or Guldrin's. Shiro understood little, but she at least understood that Brian had led the cops right to the heist and Guldrin was livid. Holding Guldrin's hand, she kept it away from the gun he had in his pocket that he stole from Lance, she didn't think he would use it but something in her gut told her to prevent it.

Dom and Letty were already on the move, zooming dangerously close to the semi when the flashing lights closed in. In an instant, the peaceful night turned chaotic. Sirens blared as squad cars sped toward them from all directions, cutting off escape routes and boxing in the crew.

Dom's voice crackled over the radio. "Cops! Get out, now! Everybody, split!"

Leon and Vince split off, doing a 180 turnaround as they crossed into the other lanes; in doing so they passed right by an oncoming cop allowing them to get a perfectly clear look at who was driving the car. Even so, they should be free and clear since there weren't enough cops to follow all three of them. Dom and Letty crisscross each other as they bolted up the on and off ramps.

But it was too late. The cops had surrounded them, lights flooding the highway. Guldrin's chest tightened as he saw Dom trying to swerve around the blockade, tires screeching as he dodged spike strips and maneuvered through the mess of police cars. Letty was in her element, matching Dom's moves, pushing her car to its limit as she skillfully evaded capture. But it was clear they were outnumbered by this point, as 3 more squad cars appeared.

Guldrin watched, breathless, as Dom broke free, racing down an open strip of the on-ramp, Letty following his actions, just on the other, the off-ramp. But one of the officers, desperate to make an arrest, swerved in front of Letty, forcing her off-course and into a ditch.

"No! MOM!" Guldrin's heart pounded as he leaned forward, clutching the seat in front of him.

Mia's face was a mask of terror, and even Brian looked horrified. Without another word, Brian gunned the car toward Letty's location, tires screeching as he veered off-road. They found her in the ditch, struggling to get out of the car, wincing in pain. The only good part of this was the officer who cut her off, in his panic had crashed and flipped his car into the highway. This made it nearly impossible for them to know what had happened and where Letty was.

"Guldrin, help me get her out!" Mia yelled, and together they pulled Letty to safety, just as more officers began converging on their position. But Letty was in no shape to run, her leg was injured, bleeding an unknown amount under her torn pants, and her face appeared twisted with pain.

Guldrin's heart raced as he supported Letty, her weight heavy against him, as they tried to put distance between themselves and the incoming officers. Shiro moved ahead, her gaze sharp, calculating every possible escape route. Mia shot a look of grim determination to Brian, who stood nearby, conflicted but with a resolve setting into his features.

Brian took a steadying breath and quickly made a decision. "Listen, we're not going to outrun them all together," he whispered urgently. "But if I lead them away, you might have a chance to get Letty out."

Mia's eyes narrowed. "Why would I trust you now?"

Brian met her gaze, an unspoken plea lingering there. "You don't have to trust me, I can't force you… It's not like you have many choices, but I can still do what's right. I owe you that much."

With that, Brian ran out from behind their cover, calling out loudly to the officers, drawing their attention. "Over here; I'm Officer O' Conner, she went this way!" he shouted, waving his arms as he sprinted toward a side road, leading several officers away from the group.

Guldrin felt a surge of conflicted emotions. He still didn't trust Brian, but he couldn't deny that this one selfless act might buy them precious minutes. Letty struggled to her feet, wincing but pushing through the pain. "I can't believe he did that…" she muttered, watching Brian's form disappear in the distance with the officers in pursuit.

"Let's go," Mia urged, her voice laced with urgency. "We have to keep moving."

They limped forward, Guldrin and Shiro taking turns supporting Letty as they tried to find a safer spot, away from the police headlights slicing through the night. But even with Brian's distraction, they were far from out of danger. Engines had stopped being heard, car doors shut and they knew they were closing in. The sound of footsteps drew closer, other officers were sweeping the area, and they'd be on them in moments.

Guldrin looked around frantically, his mind racing for a way out. "Shiro, any ideas?" he whispered, hoping she had a plan. She was the only person he knew who could keep a level head in most, if not, all situations. Mia wasn't much help right now, and Letty couldn't be trusted to think clearly. So Shiro was the only one he could rely on as his full attention was stuck on Letty.

She nodded, a spark of confidence in her eyes. "Culvert up ahead. It's risky, but if we hide in there, they might pass us. With Brian running the other way, it should distract them enough. Dry ground, so they can't track us easily."

With no time to spare, they moved quickly, slipping into the shadows of the culvert, their breathing shallow as the footsteps grew louder. Mia, Letty, Guldrin, and Shiro huddled close, pressing against the damp walls as officers passed above them, flashlights sweeping the ground mere inches away from where they hid.

In the silence, Guldrin's mind drifted to Jesse, alone and scared somewhere in the city, possibly unaware of the storm brewing around them. He clenched his fists, a determination settling within him. He would find Jesse; he had to. But first, they needed to escape this situation.

After what felt like an eternity, the footsteps faded, and the night fell silent once more. Guldrin and the others waited a few more minutes, just to be safe, before carefully climbing out of the culvert. Letty managed to steady herself, though the pain was clear on her face.

"Thanks for not leaving me behind," Letty said, her voice soft, a rare vulnerability breaking through her tough exterior.

Guldrin nodded, giving her a small but sincere smile. "Mom… Family doesn't get left behind." Letty smiled painfully and thought about the time she met Guldrin and all the changes he brought to their life.

Emily wanting to be helpful, hopped out of Guldrin's shirt and went to look and see if it was clear. The cops had been successfully led away and she communicated this to Guldrin, 'The cops seem to have gone the other way, the car is clear, Brian is driving a cop car he seems to have taken from one of the other officers, he looks to be leading the search on the other side.'

They quickly made their way to Brian's car, taking one last look around to make sure they were in the clear. But as they began to pile in, a flash of headlights appeared on the horizon, approaching fast. It was Dom's Charger, barreling toward them, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. It seems he ditched the car somewhere and had gotten his charger before returning to help.

He skidded to a halt beside them, his eyes wide with a mix of relief and anger as he took in the scene. "What happened?" he demanded, his gaze shifting from Letty's injured leg to Mia's tense expression. Figuring it would be better to ride with Dom, Mia left Brian's keys in his car and urged everyone to get in the charger.

As she was helping everyone into the car, Mia shot him a look. "It was a mess, Dom, Letty was forced off the road, totaled the car, and we had to pull her out. The cops were all over the place. Brian tried to help, but-"

Dom's expression darkened at the mention of Brian's name. "Brian? He's part of the reason we're in this mess, Mia. He's a cop. He's been lying to us this whole time. I heard him talking to someone as I was coming back, he was wearing an LSPD jacket and coordinating the search."

"I know, Dom!" Mia's voice cracked, the weight of the revelation still fresh. "But he helped us. He risked his cover, probably his job, to lead them away. If he is still covering for us, we need to leave!"

Dom's face was a mask of disbelief, anger warring with something softer. "So he finally tells the truth, after all this… Now he tries to make it right by helping us?" He clenched the wheel, shaking his head. "I don't know if I can forgive that. Looks like you were right all along Son."

Guldrin, sitting silently in the back, couldn't shake the hurt and anger he felt toward Brian either. But he knew there was more at stake than their betrayal. "Dad, let's not worry about this right now, we still have to find Jesse and get help for Mom!" he said, his voice breaking through the tension. "He's out there alone, and Tran… he's not going to stop until he finds him. Plus Mom needs treatment."

Dom's eyes softened, and he gave a nod, a quiet promise forming in his gaze. "We'll find him, Guldrin. Whatever it takes. Your mom is tough, we will clean up her wound when we get home and stitch her up. Then we will go out looking for Jesse, remember, we don't leave ours behind. He may have made a terrible mistake but we still have his back."

As they finished unloading from the Supra, they all piled into Dom's charger and drove off into the night, a determined silence settled over them. The city lights blurred past, casting shadows across their faces. Mia tried to call Jesse's phone, but every call went to voicemail. Letty rested, her leg carefully propped up, her jaw set with grim resolve despite the pain. Shiro squeezed Guldrin's hand, a silent reassurance, her own quiet strength radiating through her touch.

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