Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Sean rested his head back against the scratchy synthetic material of his seat and closed his eyes, hoping to get at least a few hours of sleep. The lights on the plane had been dimmed a while ago and most of the passengers had already drifted off, but sleep just wasn't coming to him at the moment.

He heard the rustle of denim against synthetic beside him and cracked his eyes open slightly.

Han shifted slightly in his seat again, his gaze fixed on the dark night-time sky, as his fingers drummed a silent tattoo on his armrest. Sean had never seen the older man this agitated before and he wondered again why Han had agreed to come to L.A. with Dom if he was this nervous about returning to the States.

Almost as if he sensed that someone was watching him, Han turned his intense stare back towards Sean, who quickly let his eyes fall shut, feigning sleep. After a minute or two, the rustling started up again, along with the faint tapping sound of flesh against plastic.

Keeping his eyes closed, Sean turned his thoughts back to Han and Dom's earlier conversation. Dom had said something about this girl, this Mac, working at a garage somewhere in the States. Was this what was making Han so tense? Sean mentally shook his head, deciding that even if Twinkie claimed she'd been the love of Han's life, the older man couldn't be that worked up about a girl. He was never serious about girls, they were like disposable playthings to him, not some sort of goddess to be placed on a pedestal and worshipped. This thought stuck in Sean's mind, as things began to grow hazy and he quickly fell asleep.

It was only ten A.M., but the heat was already pressing down on the crowds at Race Wars like a steamy blanket. Sean wiped some sweat off his forehead and squinted against the brightness.

Suddenly a hazy shape appeared in his field of view and he squinted harder, until the shape began to focus and Twinkie came into view, a dark spot against the brightness that surrounded him on all sides.

"What's up, man?"

"Not much. Just been casing a bit. Found some primo targets."

Sean shot Twinkie an incredulous look and scowled at his friend.

"Man, you're kidding right? You're not planning on pulling that shit here are you?"

Twinkie folded his arms over his chest and frowned back.

"I thought you'd have my back on this. Plus it's not like I'm planning on selling them here. The hulkmobile arrived today, so we'll just store 'em in there and then sell 'em later, somewhere else. Now are you gonna help me or not?"

Sean shook his head, but sighed.

"Alright man, but just so I can keep your ass outta trouble."

The temperature dropped as night fell over the desert but it wasn't enough to deter most of the racers from crowding into a half-destroyed storage facility to party. Sean arrived with Dom's crew, but then excused himself when his phone vibrated, signalling that Twinkie had texted him. Slipping out of the building, he made like he was heading back to the trailer before ducking off in the direction of market, where most of the wares were stored in the canvas booths that the vendors used to show off their latest products. Strolling down one of the aisles, he thought he saw a flash of color the same shade as Twinkie's shirt ahead of him, but was surprised when a hand reached out of the darkness and dragged him between two of the booths.

Opening his mouth to shout, he was cut-off when Twinkie pressed a finger to his own lips, silencing him and then motioned for him to follow, before disappearing further into the darkness.

They walked along a winding path, occasionally cutting through booths before they finally reached Twinkie's chosen target. Approaching the racks, Twinkie lifted two sets of tires down before motioning for Sean to do the same.

"C'mon man, we'll take these for now and then hit the next booth afterwards."

Sean grudgingly hoisted another set onto his shoulder and began to follow Twinkie back towards the trailer.

Suddenly, he heard the low purr of a motorcycle engine, a Yamaha YBR250 if he wasn't mistaken and then a blinding flash of light slashed across his vision, sending spots dancing in front of his eyes and causing him to drop the tires, as he threw up his arm to cover his eyes.

The engine stopped humming and he heard the crunch of boots against concrete coming closer to them. Twinkie's heavy breathing told Sean that the smaller boy hadn't bolted yet, but that whoever was approaching them had Twinkie scared, really scared.

"Tyrell Pearce," the person chided. "I thought you were past this petty thievery crap. Y'know they call it an honest days work for a reason..."

"Aw, c'mon," he heard Twinkie whine slightly. "How's a playa supposed to make money otherwise? I mean, I could be dealing drugs or somethi-"

"You're not that stupid," the voice cut him off. "Besides you know Rome would kick your ass if he heard you were trying to pull shit like that."

Sean's eyes were watering but he was finally able to blink away the spots that had been blurring his vision. Focusing on the source of the unknown voice, he blinked a few more times until their face came into view. The owner of the bike was a pretty Asian girl, with long bangs that fell into her eyes and dark hair that was tied into a bun beneath a bandanna. Tight black and green racing leathers clung to her slim frame and a pair of dark jeans hugged her long legs before disappearing into heavy boots.

Placing one hand on her hip, she raised an eyebrow in Twinkie's direction and stared him down.

"So what's it gonna be, Twinkie? Are you gonna put that stuff back or am I gonna have to kick your ass here and now?"

Twinkie stared at the ground, but Sean heard him mumbling under his breath.

"Damn Mac," the younger boy whined. "Why you always gotta bust my balls like this?"

"Now, Twinkie."

Twinkie collected the scattered tires and turned back in the direction they'd come from, Sean jogging quickly behind to keep up.

"So that's Mac? The girl that you said Han was in love with?"

"Yeah and if she's here, its not gonna end well..."