Hollywood Taxes: A Tycoon in TV Land

Chapter 12: The Street Racer Gathering

At eleven o'clock in Los Angeles, the night had completely enveloped the city. The streets were deserted, and in a nondescript alley that seemed unremarkable by day, various sports cars were now parked everywhere, taken over by street racers blasting hip-hop music, transforming the area into a massive party scene.

The atmosphere felt almost otherworldly.

"Ron, did you see that girl? Those assets of hers could feed the entire Wolowitz clan!" Howard exclaimed, excitedly leaning over Ron's seat. "I swear, if I had known about a place like this earlier, we'd already have kids!"

He added with a grin, borrowing a line from Leonard, "Our kids would be smart and beautiful!"

Rajesh, unimpressed, shot back, "Why did you get to choose first?"

Howard retorted, "Hey! You can't even talk to a woman properly!"

Ron was fed up with their banter: "Guys, can we at least check if those women have dates before discussing their availability? You both think you could take on the hefty Mexican guy next to that girl? Go ahead and try."

Finally silenced, they turned their attention to the alluring women outside, while Ron observed the crowd more critically. His focus, however, wasn't solely on the women.

Though the racers appeared chaotically scattered, dancing and mingling to the music, Howard and Rajesh were wide-eyed, as if they had never seen such a scene before.

Ron noted that the crowd seemed to be divided into three factions: a group centered around two hefty Mexican men, another around an Asian boy with a girl on each arm, and a mixed group of Black and White individuals. The mixed group appeared to be the largest, indicative of the charisma that Dom Toretto held over them.

Before Ron could step out of the car, a green Mitsubishi Eclipse RS pulled into the alley and parked right beside him.

To his surprise, Ron recognized it as Detective O'Conner's vehicle!

"If you two want, feel free to wander about and see if you can charm a few girls, or you can sit like kids in the car waiting for me," Ron suggested as he opened the door and stepped out.

"Hey, Detective O'Conner, what scheme are you planning tonight?" Ron whispered into O'Conner's ear during their embrace, appearing to outsiders as just close friends.

"Ron, please, don't interfere with my operation," O'Conner requested softly.

"Of course, but in return, I want all the intel you have on the Los Angeles drug market. Otherwise, I'll go tell Dom about you."

"Don't think I don't know your target is Dominic, right? It's about the recent truck heist, am I right?"

O'Conner was taken aback, and Ron couldn't help but smirk inwardly, realizing O'Conner was still a rookie with little composure.

Was it hard to guess? Not at all.

It was well-known that the U.S. had a shocking level of tolerance towards drugs, so the rampant drug issue in Los Angeles had not received adequate attention, aside from the DEA. Ron's superior wasn't genuinely interested in waging a war on drugs but was merely looking for a way to collect some taxes from the lucrative trade.

Even an FBI agent had once mentioned that if they cleared out all the drug dealers, new ones would pop up immediately, so it was better to deal with familiar faces.

This had formed an unspoken understanding; had it not been for Toretto's reminder, Ron might not have realized it.

Checking the latest news would reveal that the only case truly troubling the FBI was this one, especially since Ron had the advantage of past memories.

"We really don't have any information on Heisenberg, I swear. What can I do to ensure you don't expose me?" O'Conner was desperate, certain that Ron couldn't know his mission, as his superior had warned him not to disclose anything given Ron's close ties to the target.

Ron pressed, "I was clear about what I want: all the drug-related intel you have on Los Angeles. Your agents may be incompetent, but I can analyze the information myself. I know you have an undercover in their midst, right?"

O'Conner had no choice but to concede, "Tomorrow, I'll have my superior contact you with everything you need."

"Have fun tonight, but if I don't receive what I want tomorrow, you know what I'll do. And stay away from Toretto's sister. I don't want to see you trying to hit on her again."

Even though Ron had already broken up with Mia, he didn't want this annoying guy pursuing his ex-girlfriend, or rather, his former 'friend with benefits.'

With a smile, Ron attracted the attention of several Asian girls nearby, dressed in sexy, almost provocative JK uniforms paired with thigh-high stockings, which happened to be his favorite. He whistled smoothly and approached the beauties.

"Hey, lovely ladies, would you do me the honor of taking a ride in my car? You might discover I'm just as good at other things as I am at driving."

With a flirtatious eyebrow raise, he received an enthusiastic response as one of the girls placed her hand on his hard chest.

In Ron's car, Rajesh whispered to Howard, "Do you think Ron will introduce us to those girls?"

"Even if he did, do you have the guts to talk to them?" Howard replied, exasperated.

"No need to talk; they'll be enchanted by my soulful gaze," Rajesh said, dramatically gazing into Howard's eyes.

"Rajesh, no woman will be swayed by your puppy-dog eyes," Howard retorted.

"Hey, are we really going to sit in the car all night like kids? I want to go for a walk," Rajesh complained.

"Then go ahead. Let's see if those tough characters outside won't turn you into mush," Howard challenged.

"I can blend in with that group," Rajesh pointed towards the Mexicans. "My skin color will help me fit in."

"Go for it! Let's see if your Indian accent can convince them you're one of their own," Howard teased, mimicking Rajesh's accent.

Just then, two unfamiliar faces caught the attention of the crowd. A hefty Mexican stepped out and approached O'Conner's car.

"Hey, what kind of gear do you have in this ride?" the Mexican asked, making himself at home. "Want me to explore it myself?"

O'Conner chuckled, "Sure, go ahead."

"Brave man! I'm Hector. I have a last name too, but it's too hard to pronounce, so…"

"I'm Brian," O'Conner replied, using his undercover alias.

"A typical white name, you get what I mean?" Hector winked at O'Conner. "See that car over there? That's mine, but I'm not racing tonight because I want to participate in a proper race, like a drag race. Have you heard of it?"

"Of course."

Noticing the commotion, Ron approached after giving the girls a playful pat. But before he could reach them, a guy with dreadlocks stepped in, likely one of Toretto's crew, interrupting their conversation. Ron took the opportunity to eavesdrop, but the talk was trivial.

As they chatted, the roar of engines announced the arrival of three sports cars, receiving the kind of attention reserved for celebrities.

It was Toretto and his crew.

Like true stars, they greeted and embraced the crowd, with even two girls daring to flirt with Toretto in front of his jealous girlfriend, Letty, who quickly warned them off.

"Whoa~ I smell trouble; you better leave before I make my mark on your face," Letty warned.

"Letty, we're just chatting," Toretto replied, hands raised in surrender.

Ron knew it was time to step in: "Hey, Dom, Letty! Long time no see! I was just saying the other day I had burgers with Dom."

Upon seeing Ron, Toretto seemed even more overwhelmed and shouted, "Hector!"

"Boss, what's up?" the guy chatting with O'Conner turned around.

So this guy was part of Toretto's crew? Ron noted his appearance carefully.

"This is Ron, my… good friend. He might need your help with something. I'd like you to assist him as you would me."

"No problem, boss." Hector promptly moved to Ron and exchanged phone numbers.

Ron knew Toretto wouldn't be dismissive about such matters, and he readily agreed on a meeting time for the next day.

He planned to see if he could find a breakthrough through the underground connections.

More than half of the racers had some involvement with drugs, so following the leads from them shouldn't be too difficult.

After Toretto had a good laugh at O'Conner, he started organizing the night's races. Just as everything seemed to be settling down, two voices interrupted the harmony.

"I want in too!" echoed from both O'Conner and Ron.

(End of Chapter)