Offset From the Beginning (Eighth Update, Brother Zi Mu’s Ten Thousand Reward Update, Please Subscribe!)

Rachel didn’t say anything further after that.

After all…

Rachel didn’t want to say much about that scumbag ex-husband, and more importantly, Ray was already dead.

Yes.

The local police report stated he drowned.

The exact time of death wasn’t clear, but it was within a month after Lake and Rachel got together. Ray’s body was found in a pond by the local police.

After testing, Ray’s body contained excessive alcohol, and his lungs had water, confirming he drowned. The police conducted a brief investigation and closed the case.

Cases with such clear causes of death weren’t worth wasting police resources on.

In any case, Ray wasn’t the focus. The real question was whether Dominic Toretto had returned to his old ways and was involved in any shady dealings. That was the main point.

As they drove, Rachel’s expression was grim, her teeth clenched. Lake had no doubt that if Dominic Toretto said something to upset her, Rachel would slap him.

About half an hour later.

Lake slowly parked the car across the street from a building with a sign that read "Toretto’s Snacks and Coffee Shop."

He turned off the engine.

He got out of the car.

Lake glanced at a brown sedan parked ahead and a red pickup truck, then closed the car door, grabbed Josie, who had gotten out from the back, and followed Rachel, who was already walking ahead.

Under the awning outside the small shop, a customer was already sitting, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

Inside, a man with short, curly blonde hair, wearing a black t-shirt, was seated.

"Mia!"

"…Rachel?"

Mia, who was behind the counter, heard the voice and looked towards the entrance. Upon seeing Rachel, her face lit up with joy. She tapped on the glass door and shouted inside to a bald man with his back to them, then walked out from behind the counter and hugged Rachel at the entrance.

Brian O’Conner, who was at the bar sampling a tuna sandwich that hardly anyone ever ordered, also turned his curious gaze towards Rachel, who was hugging Mia.

Then.

His gaze shifted directly to a bald, rugged man walking out from inside.

This was the primary target for federal undercover agent Brian O’Conner.

After Dominic came out, he also hugged Rachel.

Rachel looked at Lake, who had followed them in, and then signaled to him with her eyes.

"Lake."

"Mia."

"Dominic."

"My boyfriend."

"Hello."

"Hello."

Lake shook hands with Mia. Like everyone else, he surveyed the layout and decor of the shop and said to Mia, "It’s a very unique little shop, with a bit of an Italian flair."

Mia thanked him.

Lake then shook hands with Dominic.

Their hands met.

Dominic subtly felt the texture of Lake’s palm before letting go.

A little later.

Josie was also introduced to Mia and Dominic.

Mia then took Josie to the beverage counter to let her choose her favorite drink.

Rachel, meanwhile, went straight to Dominic and pointed to the lounge area inside: "I have some questions for you, come in."

Dominic followed her in.

Lake didn’t go.

He pulled up a high stool and sat down.

"So…"

Mia, with Josie, walked directly behind the counter. Josie drank her beverage, while Mia, with great interest, asked Lake what he wanted to drink. While getting the bourbon, she curiously asked, "Lake, are you a reporter too?"

Lake shook his head. "No."

Mia handed Lake a glass of bourbon and studied Lake, who was wearing a suit but didn’t seem to be sweating at all. She thought for a moment. "From Wall Street?"

Lake laughed. "Do I look like I’m from Wall Street?"

Mia frowned, thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up. "Are you from Washington?"

Lake shook his head again, let out a laugh, and took out his ID from his pocket, handing it to Mia.

Mia took it.

And opened it.

Her mouth fell slightly open, then she looked up at Lake, "Department of Homeland Security?"

With a bang.

Just as Lake was about to nod, a customer who had been silent the whole time dropped the coffee cup in his hand.

Mia quickly returned the ID to Lake and took a towel, handing it to Brian, who was getting up.

Brian took it, apologized, and used the towel to wipe the coffee off.

Inside.

After Rachel and Dominic went in, they got straight to the point: "Have you gone back to your old ways?"

Dominic looked a bit stunned: "What, how is that possible."

Rachel’s expression was serious: "Don’t lie to me."

Dominic laughed: "I haven’t done that for many years."

Saying that, Dominic looked at Rachel curiously: "Where did you hear that?"

"Lake said it. I heard some of his colleagues talking about you."

"He?"

Dominic’s gaze went through the glass, and he glanced at Lake: "Your boyfriend said it?"

Rachel said directly: "Lake is a senior executive at the Department of Homeland Security. Do you think I’d believe him or you? If you want me to believe you, fine. Tell me right now, in front of me, that you haven’t gone back to your old ways."

Dominic asked: "Department of Homeland Security, is that real?"

Wait a minute.

How did I get involved with the Department of Homeland Security just for stealing a car and robbing something?

There’s no reason for this.

Rachel didn’t intend to let Dominic change the subject and said again: "Tell me, you haven’t gone back to your old ways."

Dominic looked at Rachel: "I haven’t."

Rachel looked at Dominic expressionlessly, staring deeply into his eyes as they met, and after a while, she nodded: "You better not have, because this time, don’t expect me to help you."

After saying that, Rachel turned and pushed the door open, walking out.

Dominic, meanwhile, was brainstorming in his mind why he had been targeted by people from the Department of Homeland Security.

When Rachel came out, the customer Brian O’Conner, who had coffee spilled on him, had already left.

The big boss of the Department of Homeland Security in New York State had suddenly entered the picture. He needed to report this matter to his superior quickly.

Brian O’Conner had just joined the FBI. Like all FBI agents, to become a formal agent, one had to complete an undercover operation. This was an ironclad rule set by the FBI bigwigs back in the day.

Moreover, new federal agents had a faint aura about them, making it suitable for them to undertake undercover operations at this time. Thus, it had become a tradition.

The federal agent responsible for Brian O’Conner was Bill Kings, a federal agent of African descent.

Upon hearing Brian’s report, Bill Kings immediately told Brian to pause. Then, after hanging up the phone, he contacted his superior to confirm the information.

After all, although Bill Kings’ rank allowed him to lead a federal operation, his rank was still a bit too low to confirm a senior executive from the Department of Homeland Security.

After a while.

Bill Kings’ supervisor confirmed that the private jet of the big boss of the Department of Homeland Security in New York State was indeed parked in a hangar at Los Angeles International Airport.

Brian looked confused: "So… what do we do now?"

Bill Kings asked in return: "What do you mean, ‘what do we do’?"

Brian mentioned that there would be a street race in Los Angeles tonight, which might be his best chance to get close to Dominic: "Should the operation continue?"

Bill Kings thought for a moment and said: "Continue."

This was a federal case, not a Department of Homeland Security case. If a big boss from the Department of Homeland Security intervened, he had a fifty percent chance of getting a promotion and a raise.

And the other fifty percent?

It would be a high-level power struggle, and he’d be demoted.

Bill Kings felt it was worth a gamble.

At the very least, there was a fifty percent chance it could directly transform him, turning a bicycle into a motorcycle, making him a senior agent.

In the evening.

Lake and Rachel returned to the hotel.

Mia had also come along at Rachel’s invitation.

Lake originally wanted to take this opportunity to greet his last target, but Rachel had no intention of giving Lake time to go out.

Rachel directly sat Mia down on the sofa and asked Mia the same question: "Has Dom gone back to his old ways?"

Dominic’s first two syllables sound like Dom, so Dom is the nickname abbreviation for Dominic.

Just like Chuck and Charlie are nicknames for Richard.

Mia was obviously confused by Rachel’s question: "What?"

Rachel repeated the question and then said to Mia, "Mia, you’ve been a good girl since you were little, so I believe you. Tell me, Dom hasn’t gone back to his old ways."

Mia blinked her eyes and then said with some suspicion, "I don’t quite understand, why would you think that?"

Rachel directly told Mia how Lake knew about Dominic.

Lake, who was not far away with Josie, was also a bit confused.

"Good heavens."

"Does this count as me, although I haven’t intervened in the plot, I’ve completely derailed it?"

Lake thought to himself, but he didn’t have much of a reaction to Rachel’s words. He didn’t intend to get involved in this so-called Fast and Furious; he was here on vacation and to find his car.

And as he said before.

With Lake’s current influence, getting involved in Hell’s Kitchen was already beneath him, let alone something as trivial as this.

Mia immediately looked at Lake.

Lake shrugged and said nothing. This was Rachel’s family matter, and he wouldn’t interfere unless Rachel asked him to.

Mia had seen Lake’s identification, pursed her lips, and fell silent.

"Fine."

Seeing this, Rachel raised an eyebrow, took a deep breath, and said with a sense of disappointment in her brother, "He really has gone back to his old ways. Hasn’t three years in prison taught him anything?"

Mia quickly looked up: "It’s not like that."

Rachel said expressionlessly, directly interrupting, "Then what is it? Because of interest? Because of a hobby?"

Mia opened her mouth.

Just then.

The door was knocked.

"Mr. Edwin, we are from the FBI."

"…"

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