Hunter wasn't lying; he had less than ten thousand us dollars on him.
Not long ago he'd stolen two safes from Steve.
They should hold the nearly one-ton hoard of gold bars Steve had skimmed for himself.
But for the moment Hunter couldn't open those safes, and the cash he had definitely wasn't enough to get Dominic and the others out of trouble.
After listening, Mia smiled.
"Will three hundred thousand us dollars cover it?"
Her big brother was the most famous driver on the West Coast and a perennial champion of underground street races.
And for several years now Dominic had led a crew.
On California's highways they hijacked pricey electronics shipped out by Silicon Valley tech giants.
Over those years they'd raked in at least a hundred million us dollars.
Of that ill-gotten fortune, more than twenty million had ended up in Dominic's own hands.
Most of it went into modifying cars, buying into auto shops, and keeping up a lavish, chaotic lifestyle.
But as Dominic's only sister, Mia had received plenty of pocket money from him.
The allowance he gave his sole sister far exceeded what most of her peers ever saw.
She'd saved almost all of it.
Unlike most American girls her age, she wasn't obsessed with brand-name makeup, jewelry, designer clothes, or luxury handbags.
And so she'd quietly piled up more than three hundred thousand us dollars.
Hunter looked at her in surprise—he hadn't realized the girl in front of him was a little millionaire.
He didn't waste time envying or second-guessing.
He simply nodded. "Hiring a tough, well-known lawyer will run about thirty to fifty thousand us dollars."
"If the FBI haven't cracked them and found evidence, the worst they can be charged with is racing illegally and dangerous vehicle modifications."
"Bail should be around thirty thousand each."
"Three hundred grand should be enough."
Hunter had actually looked into this stuff before, so he knew the basics.
Seeing him lay it all out so clearly—and come up with a rescue plan so fast—Mia finally felt the anxiety that had gnawed at her for a day start to fade.
"So when do we hire the lawyer?"
Hunter could see the worry on her face; she wanted her brother out as soon as possible.
Looking closer, he noticed bloodshot eyes and faint dark circles—clear signs she hadn't slept well in two days.
His heart ached at the sight.
He pulled her into his arms again and pecked her cheek. "Leave it to me."
"In a bit I'll go with you to get the money, then you stay home and rest."
"I'll find the lawyer and handle everything."
"If things go smoothly, Dominic and the others should be out on bail by tomorrow at the latest."
Mia was still young; it never crossed her mind that Hunter might run off with her cash.
She only hesitated, wanting to tag along.
After some persuasion she agreed to go home and rest.
Together they returned to the place she shared with Dominic.
Once Hunter had the bank card holding all her savings,
he patted her hand with a smile. "Rest easy at home. I'll come back tonight to keep you company—might be late."
"This afternoon I'll line up a lawyer and try to get him to see Dominic and the others tonight so they're all on the same page."
"We can't let anyone crack under interrogation."
Knowing time was tight, Mia nodded and reluctantly saw him off.
Hunter spent the whole afternoon running around.
Lately he might be turning into a bit of a scoundrel with women, but he hadn't sunk to swindling them out of money—bodies and hearts were another matter.
He called the hacker Lyle and asked him to find the lawyer with the highest win-rate—and the biggest pain-in-the-ass reputation—in Los Angeles.
Over the past half-month, Hunter had pretty much gotten chummy with Charlie's ace hacker, Lyle.
He would drop by Lyle's place every few days, listening to him brag about how insanely good he'd been with computers back in college.
While he was at it, he'd milk Lyle for every programming trick and application tip he could get.
Lyle was a chatterbox and a shut-in to boot; under Hunter's deliberate flattery he dispensed advice freely and gradually began treating him as a friend.
So when Hunter made a small request…
The computer-savvy Lyle ran a quick search online and picked out a perfect target for him.
Scott Lyman, an Irish-American lawyer.
One of the most notorious star attorneys in Los Angeles, and also one with the highest win rate.
He's never heard of fairness or justice, and he doesn't give a damn about the dignity of the law or any moral bottom line.
In Scott Lyman's eyes, as long as the money shows up, he can turn the dead into the living.
He once even bailed out a murderer by exploiting loopholes in U.S. law with consummate skill.
'Sir, I'll prove to you that your hundred grand will not be wasted.'
Hunter walked into Scott Lyman's law firm and let money pave the way.
Without an appointment he succeeded in hiring this notorious attorney.
To serve as Dominic's private counsel—along with that of three equally unlucky underlings who'd been arrested.
Spurred by the stack of hundred thousand in cash, Attorney Scott Lyman gave Hunter a real eye-opener.
With just a few phone calls he confirmed that Dominic and company were being held at Los Angeles Police Department, not the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.
What came next was much simpler.
Scott Lyman promptly drove Hunter over to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Because he wasn't a lawyer, Hunter couldn't see Dominic and the others for now.
But as their private attorney, Scott Lyman could.
Hunter had him pass along a few extremely cryptic messages to Dominic and company.
As a result, he only had to wait outside the station a little over an hour.
Before he saw Scott Lyman stroll out wearing a relaxed smile.
'Sir, I told you—your money will not be wasted.'
'Your commission is complete.'
'Tomorrow afternoon you can come pay and process the bail.'
'Except for Mr. Toretto, who needs fifty thousand dollars, the other three only need thirty thousand each.'
'And, seeing as our first collaboration has been so pleasant…'
'Let me give you one more piece of news.'
'Mr. Toretto and company seem to be under FBI review as well.'
'So after they're bailed out this time…'
'They'll be temporarily barred from leaving Los Angeles and will have to check in with LAPD every twenty-four hours for a while.'
'I trust you understand what I mean—please arrange things properly.'
Watching the stamped bail-application papers fluttering in Scott Lyman's hand, Hunter gained a fresh appreciation for both the U.S. legal system and the mighty magic of U.S. dollars.
----------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 40 new chapters on Patreon!
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead, feel free to check it out.
Your support truly means a lot to me!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
Thank you so much for being here!
And if you're having fun with the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone for me!