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When Lawson escorted a conscious Mia out of Mercy Hospital, he briefly crossed paths with Brian walking in.
Bradford actually brought Brian to Mercy Hospital for treatment. Even with LAPD health insurance, that was pretty solid of him.
However, to maintain Brian's undercover cover story, the guy was still handcuffed, officially remaining in police custody.
It would likely take a few days before Brian was quietly released due to "insufficient evidence."
Lawson shot Brian a look, and after confirming the kid was okay, he left with Mia.
Mia absolutely couldn't go back to Toretto's Cafe right now. The place was highly likely under heavy surveillance.
Since Francis Ricci's massive setup failed last night, he was definitely hunting the Toretto crew to finish the job and completely silence them.
If Mia went home, she'd likely get snatched again.
So Lawson decided to stash her in a safehouse for a while.
His old apartment and Blake's mother's apartment leases had both expired. Fortunately, Svafa owned massive amounts of real estate across LA County.
After paying a certain physical price, Lawson managed to borrow an apartment to stash Megan Kelly and Franklin Clinton.
Lawson decided to put Mia in the same apartment so the three of them could look out for each other.
"Jesus, how much longer are we going to be trapped here?"
The second Lawson walked in, he heard Megan Kelly complaining.
"What's wrong? You don't like the accommodations?"
Lawson's voice made Megan stutter. She hadn't expected him to hear her complaining.
"No, it's just... being locked in an apartment all day is incredibly boring."
Lawson shifted his gaze to Franklin. The black teenager was hugging a massive bag of snacks and watching soap operas, looking completely relaxed. He actually looked like he'd gained a few pounds.
Clearly, not everyone hated being a shut-in. Svafa's apartment was actually highly solid; a mid-tier place like this easily rented for two or three grand a month.
Plus, all their food and expenses were completely covered.
Megan was just a massive workaholic. The moment she had nothing to do, she became intensely irritable.
"Introductions. This is Mia Toretto. She's also facing threats from Francis Ricci, exactly like you guys. She'll be crashing here for a few days."
Megan had actually noticed Mia immediately. Hearing Lawson's introduction, she instantly felt highly sympathetic.
"Hi, Mia! I'm Megan. And that's Franklin. You can call him Frank."
"Hi, Megan. Hi, Frank."
After introducing Mia, Lawson prepared to leave. He had a massive amount of work to do.
But right then, Megan suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Lawson, I need to talk to you about something."
"What is it?"
"Let's go into the other room!"
Mia watched Lawson and Megan pulling at each other with intense curiosity, suspecting the two had a special relationship.
Even though Mia explicitly said this morning she didn't want to think about what happened between them, that was purely an impulsive reaction. There was absolutely no way she wouldn't think about it.
In the bedroom, Megan spoke with intense worry on her face.
"Lawson, a friend of mine told me some Mafia guys have been hanging around my parents' place. I'm incredibly scared!"
Lawson frowned slightly.
"Guys running surveillance? Are you absolutely certain?"
"100%. Guys in black suits with heavy Italian accents."
Lawson rubbed his chin, falling deep into thought.
It was obvious Francis was growing increasingly bold. The massacre at the Korean restaurant last night proved it perfectly.
Initially, Francis had been highly cautious, which gave Lawson plenty of room to operate.
But over the past few days, Francis had suddenly gone completely psychotic. Lawson had no idea what triggered it.
"Megan, don't worry. I'll find a way to redirect Francis's attention so he doesn't have time to mess with your family."
Megan let out a heavy sigh of relief, then suddenly threw her arms around Lawson.
"Thank you, Lawson! If it wasn't for you, I have no idea what would have happened!"
To Megan, Lawson was a literal hero who crashed into her life and pulled her out of absolute danger.
So, completely subconsciously, Megan had developed a strong dependency on him.
"Don't stress yourself out. I'll have this whole mess cleaned up soon. Once it's done, you can use the video of Little Martin's murder to become a massive star anchor."
Lawson patted the blonde anchor's back to comfort her.
"Really? Then can I interview you when it happens?"
Megan pulled back and shot him a wink.
"Maybe next time!"
Downtown LA, FBI Field Office.
This building was one of the few highly visible skyscrapers in LA County.
It couldn't be helped. California sits exactly on the collision zone between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, placing it right on the Ring of Fire.
Massive earthquakes hit every few decades, and smaller tremors are highly frequent.
Because of this, buildings in LA County are generally low-rise. Skyscrapers are incredibly rare, meaning the city lacks the massive metropolitan feel of a place like New York.
Right now, a meticulously dressed, middle-aged man in a suit was talking confidently in front of Nathan Neal.
Neal's expression showed intense irritation, yet he clearly didn't dare lash out.
Sitting completely relaxed with his legs crossed on the other side was Johnny Tran, looking highly smug.
"Mr. Neal, I firmly believe the FBI has absolutely zero evidence and zero legal justification to detain my client for 48 hours."
"Mr. Goodman, we are not detaining Mr. Tran! We simply asked him to assist with an ongoing investigation!"
"What kind of 'assistance' requires sitting in an FBI interrogation room for 16 hours? From a legal standpoint, you are actively restricting his freedom. You are detaining him!"
Neal felt a massive headache coming on. He knew Johnny Tran was dirty. Hiring a high-end shark lawyer like Saul Goodman cost an insane amount of money.
(Saul Goodman)
There was absolutely no way Johnny Tran could afford him on a restaurant owner's salary. Only the people backing him could foot that bill.
But Saul Goodman was a master of twisting logic and blurring lines, leaving Neal completely unsure of how to counter him.
All Neal could do was grit his teeth and hold the line.
"FBI protocols perfectly comply with all laws and regulations! We absolutely do not illegally restrict freedom or detain citizens without cause!"
Saul Goodman checked his watch, then flashed a highly malicious smile.
"Is that so? Well, I happen to have invited several friends from the press. I'm completely certain they'd be intensely interested in hearing exactly how the FBI forces an 'innocent citizen' to 'assist' them for 16 straight hours! Oh, and this innocent citizen happens to be Asian. I'm sure we can spin an angle about racial profiling in there too."
Neal's expression changed instantly.
(Megan Kelly)