25th August- Berlin, Germany
Carlos' Mansion
Gisele's POV
"So what do you think?" Han asked as we sat in the car watching the house. We'd been in Berlin for two weeks when we saw the heists on the news. Initially we were going to leave thinking Hobbs would make an appearance thinking it was us but after staying a week watching and laying low Hobbs never showed so we stayed.
A week after that we heard talk of a man named Carlos searching for another team to help with a job so we began to keep an eye on the man. It was our fourth week here when we were approached and asked for our services. We said we'd think about it and for the past week we'd been following him. He had another team on the job but from the Intel we could gather they weren't very good and weren't getting the results he wanted. Hence his need for a second team.
"He seems legit enough. We're already on the world's most wanted list may as well keep going. Only thing is we need some more people for the job." I smiled as I thought about the team.
"They'll be up for it, except Mia maybe even Brian if Dom has a say in it." Han added.
"Rio was supposed to be the last job." I said quietly as I continued to watch the house as people came out and moved towards their cars driving off.
"In our lifestyle the money doesn't go far I bet if I called Rico and Tego right now they'd have nothing left." I smiled knowing he was probably right about the boys, though the money bit was just an excuse.
"Our money is fine." I stated smiling at him. He sent me a sheepish smile on being caught out.
"I have a feeling."
"I do too." I said seriously.
"A good one or a bad one?"
"Good, you?"
"Same." We were silent both of us watching the house again even though the subjects of attention had left.
"So do we make the call to Dom?" I asked.
"Yeah I'll call him when we get back to the hotel." I nodded as we too pulled going our own way.
25th August- Tenerife, canary Islands
Brian and Mia's house
Dom's POV
"Han twice in a month, you miss me or something?" I joked as I answered the phone with one hand while my other arm was busy holding Alexis as she stared up at me wide awake.
"Maybe a little. Anyway I'm ringing on business." I raised my eyebrows at the news.
"Business huh? Why do I not like the sound of that?" I asked quietly as to not disturb the happy baby in my arms.
"Gisele and I got offered a job here in Berlin."
"A job?" I sighed as I made sure Mia wasn't around.
"Look we've done our homework on this it seems like a good clean job. I mean let's face it Dom we did Rio seven, nearly eight months ago how much have you got left?" I frowned realising where he was going. I had spent quite a bit of my eleven million, one million to Brian, a bit on my car and my house that I rarely ever stayed at, and then there were the constant trips I made to Elena in Rio and back and much to Mia's displeasure spoiling Lexie.
"From you're silence I'd say it's starting to dwindle like ours."
"Well not really…" I said but a feeling came over me wanting to know what the job was.
"Well you know how Rico and Tego are." I rolled my eyes those two were hopeless with money.
"Yeah I guess they'd be starting to run low."
"I mean hey we could all probably last another couple of years but that's about it. This job has a big pay off, more than Rio it will certainly keep us going for at least another ten or so years and then by then we'll have set ourselves up properly and really be able to retire."
"Yeah I hear ya. Well Mia and Brian are out. Though if we do this I don't think anyone would mind them having a share either." I said firmly.
"Nah not at all but I was kinda hoping we could use Brian. Being an ex-cop and all we'll need him." I sighed angrily I knew once Brian found out about the job Mia would want to tag along as well and I didn't need my sister and my niece caught up in this mess again.
"We could have Mia and Alexis stay with Rosa and Nico." He must have sensed my thoughts, I thought about it Rosa still lived in Rio I didn't want to put them anywhere we'd been before.
"No, we'll have to set up somewhere in Berlin and she'll have to stay there. Brian wouldn't leave her here alone and as much as I trust Elena I wouldn't send Mia there either."
"We have our apartment we could set up base elsewhere."
"I'll call around and see if anyone's keen. I'm assuming you rang me because you need a team?"
"Yes. Don't you want to know what the job is?"
"You can fill us all in when we get to Berlin. Gather as much Intel as you can but don't agree to anything."
"Okay see you when you arrive." I shut my phone and looked down at Alexis.
"You're mum's going to kill me." I said as she stared up at me happily making gurgling noises.
"Yes her mum is going to kill you." I turned to look at Brian who was leaning against the door frame and frowned at him.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you it's rude to eaves drop O'Connor?"
"Mia won't sit here waiting like you think she's going to." He stated ignoring my comment.
"She will if you don't tell her." He rolled his eyes at me and reached to take Alexis. She squirmed a bit at first but settled again.
"Yes and how is that going to work if I'm with you?"
"You won't be I'll find another way around it. You're a father Brian you ain't getting messed up in this shit again."
"And what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Mia would never forgive you if you didn't come back and could you bare to be away from Lexie? You're worse than Mia, you've been with her nearly every day since day one and when you do leave your back a few hours later because you miss her." I frowned and looked over at Alexis. He was right, she was five weeks old and though it had been hard at first I had barely left her side. I couldn't bare it to be honest, every time I left I'd leave for a couple of hours and then had to come back. I was scared she wouldn't be here if I was away too long, I didn't want to make the same mistake twice. Mia thought it was cute that I had to be near Lexie all the time and Brian thought I was getting soft in my 'old' age but deep down they knew the reason. They just had the sense not to bring it up ever again after the hospital incident.
"Han has an apartment in Berlin they can stay there, they'll be safe. We'll find somewhere else to work out of close enough to still be near them." I said quietly giving in but my eyes never left their spot on Alexis' small frame.
"I thought Rio was supposed to be the end." He said as I moved to sit on the lounge spreading my legs out on the lounge as well.
"Think about it Brian we could use the money to set us up longer until we work out a long term arrangement." I fed him the same bullshit lie Han had fed me. I had a feeling and I needed to see it through.
"I guess." By the tone of his voice I knew he called me out but said nothing. We sat in silence before Mia called out for Brian and he handed over Lexie before leaving the room.
Smiling at Lexie I brought my knees up and placed her laying up my legs keeping a hold of her still. I watched as she happily kicked her feet and waved her arms around a little. Sitting there staring down at my niece I never thought I'd take to her this much. Not after that day at the hospital where I sat out on my car and cried because I'd messed up my own chance with Letty and our baby. I started distancing myself from them after that, I visited a few times before they went home reluctantly might I add, but that had been it.
It had been really hard to be around her. At that point I had seen her three times since she'd been born. I called Mia on the morning after her first night out of hospital and asked her how it went not that I really needed to I could hear Alexis screaming in the background. It was her second night home and neither Mia or Brian could settle her. She'd been crying for two days straight and neither of them had slept so they'd rung me to help. I reluctantly raced over in the middle of the night not entirely sure what I could do to help but I went anyway. The minute my foot was in the door Mia had forcefully placed Alexis in my arms and she was silent almost instantly. They just stared at me, Mia had a worn out look on her face and Brian looked stressed. I remember standing awkwardly holding Alexis as she just laid there quietly calming down before drifting off to sleep.
"See this is what happens when her uncle tries to distance himself. She needs you and you need her, so deal with it."
They were the only words Mia had said before she and Brian went to bed. I'd looked after her through the night letting Mia and Brian sleep as I stayed awake thinking and watching. After spending the night bonding with her I found a way around the pain of being around her. Mia had woken me up the next day at around lunch time both Lexie and I asleep on the lounge together, her resting on my chest.
"It was like she knew you didn't want to be around her." Mia had said as she carefully took a sleeping Alexis and handed me a plate of food in return.
Frowning slightly I knew I couldn't leave her here. It was selfish in a way but I'd realised that night the truth in Mia's words, that I needed her as much as she needed me and I had barely left since. I tried that night after I had stayed and got half way through getting fed up with tossing and turning before I got up and headed to Mia's. Mia had been waiting at the door for me with a smile on her face which had gotten bigger as she watched as I walked straight into the nursery and slept in the spare bed.
Shaking my head I noticed she'd fallen asleep and relaxed a little. I looked up as Mia walked in and I knew by one look on her face she knew everything. I sent a look at Brian but he shook his head which means she too must have overheard.
"So are you going to ring everyone or not?" she demanded.
"Mia…" I started in warning.
"Don't Mia me; I won't stay here alone Dom and Brain already pointed out that you won't make it long without Lexie. I'll stay out of it, I'll do what I can to help you without actually being in harms way but we're coming too." I sighed and caught sight of Brian's smirk. I glared at him and he just continued to smile.
"Pass me my phone and I'll ring." I said giving in and the smirk on Mia's face showed she knew who won.
"Just because I'm allowing this doesn't mean I like it." She nodded as she handed me my phone.
"I know." Was all she said.
"I'll call Tego and Rico." I said.
"I'll call Roman and then Tej." Brian said as we both put our phone to our ears.
'This feeling better be worth it.' I thought silently looking down at the sleeping baby in my arms as I waited for them to pick up.