The Crane and the Falcon
Chapter X
"I'd say we've got ten minutes, tops."
"Boys! We have a situation. Mike, Jimmy, lock up whatever you've got in the warehouse. Everyone else, load the rabbits back on the truck and get everything to the second drop!" Sakura barked, dragging herself and Jonathan over to the men busy unloading the trucks. She pulled over a nearby thug, "Chris, I need you to strip Mr. Crane's plates," she said into the man's ear. He nodded his head and hurried away to do as she asked.
A twinge of anger made Jonathan wince as he heard himself being referred to as 'mister' again. "Actually, I am a doctor," he said, tapping Sakura on the shoulder. She whirled around with a quirked eyebrow.
"Amazing. I'm ecstatic for you. Now, if you don't mind, I have to get nearly a dozen men out of here, yourself included, and will probably have to buy myself a new back windshield to my car before the night is through." She took a breath and dipped her head, extremely pleased with herself, and stalked away. Sakura checked her watch and tapped her boot, "Okay, everyone, shut up and listen! Gotham's finest are waiting to raid just behind that warehouse, so I strongly suggest you drop what you're doing and leave now!"
Jonathan could see the fear flicker in the men's eyes as they hastily shoved the last of the boxes back into the truck before rushing to their own cars. The blare of sirens began to sound over the hill and Sakura could easily see the flashing red and blue of the police cars. They were closing the distance fast, but the trucks were already onto the highway and well on their way to safety. "Okay, it's up to us to keep them away from the trucks," she muttered.
"Us? What do you mean us?" Jonathan exclaimed, raising his hands in exasperation. But Sakura replied by grabbing him by the hand and pulling him to her car.
"Get in!" she yelled, slamming the door to the car. Seeing no other option, Jonathan complied and slid into the leather passenger seat. The engine hummed to life as Sakura backed it further into the darkness. Slowly, all they could see was red and blue lights and the swarming of half a dozen cop cars. "I suggest you buckle up," she added, lowering her voice to a whisper. Jonathan hastily did so, not knowing exactly how Sakura hoped to get past the fleet of police and outrun them as well.
"Hey, we got a car!" an officer yelled, gun raised as he inspected Crane's abandoned Lincoln.
"Numbers?" another replied.
The first officer swore loudly a kicked the back tire. "Bastards stripped them. No ID inside either."
"Warehouse is locked tight. We'll need a warrant to get in there. If only that Falcone hadn't seen us, we could have her at the scene."
Crane could almost smell Sakura's smirk, "Idiots," the woman breathed. Out of the corner of his eye, Crane could see her slowly pull on a pair of leather racing gloves. He rolled his eyes. Very cinematic. All they needed now was some macho theme music. She continued moving slowly and lit herself another cigarette. "I hope you like Bon Jovi," she whispered, sliding the Slipper When Wet CD into the dashboard.
The silhouettes of the police grew sharper as they drew closer to the car shrouded in darkness. Sakura quietly shifted gears, her heeled foot still hard on the brake. "Hey, hey, sergeant!" the outline of a cop stopped short a few yards in front of the car. Jon tensed and he could see Sakura tighten her grip on the wheel. "Is that a-?"
But the roar of the engine and the sudden, blinding beam of the headlights stopped the man short. "You Give Love A Bad Name" screamed from the stereo and Sakura smiled. "Hold on," she yelled before slamming her heeled foot down on the gas. The Aston Martin lurched forward and the police were forced to dive out of the way. Within seconds they had passed the stunned officers and the car was accelerating past sixty miles an hour. Sakura let out a whoop of excitement as the car screeched around the corner of the warehouse and the police began to give chase.
Badly aimed gunfire sounded in Crane's ears as it blew past the car and the woman in the seat next to him squirmed in delight, "The tires, men, shoot the tires!" she called out the window with glee, a maniacal smile on her face.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jonathan yelled over the roar of the stereo, his eyes wide and glasses askew.
She laughed loudly, one hand on the wheel and the other clutching her cigarette between two fingers. "Are you kidding? They need all the help they can get!" She clamped the cigarette between her lips and turned up the stereo as far as it could go, "I hope you like Bon Jovi!" she yelled over the trilling of the guitars.
"You said that already," Jonathan growled through clenched teeth, but Sakura didn't hear him. She was bobbing her head with the music and laughing with every cracking gunshot. He had seen this behavior many times, in Arkham nonetheless. The junkies. He didn't deal with them anymore. But Sakura surely seemed as if she was on something mind-altering. "Adrenaline," he cursed under his breath. In his career, he had only attended to several, but they were some of the most dangerous of any of his patients, though more a danger to themselves than anyone else.
"We're going have to chance it in the Narrows. Cops won't follow!" Sakura called, making a hard turn to the right. Jonathan slid in his seat, his shoulder crashing into Sakura's. She turned her head to find his face merely inches from her own. Her face relaxed and for a moment the loud music seemed drowned out by the beating of her own heart. It seemed that he leaned into her for a moment, closing the gap.
"Watch the road," he breathed in a throaty voice.
His breath tickled her ear, but Sakura turned back quickly, her long earrings jingling. "Sorry," she muttered, mostly to herself. But she had nothing to apologize for. She had made the run from the Falcone warehouse to the Narrows dozens of times, once blindfolded even. Up ahead, she could see the leaning brown buildings of the Narrows leering at her from beyond the bridge.
"Let's hope they don't raise the bridges," the man next to her muttered. He seemed to be adjusted to the high speed and Sakura's erratic driving, but inside his nerves leapt every time she avoided curbs and cars alike by centimeters.
Sakura laughed, but this time it wasn't one fueled by adrenaline. "They wouldn't dare."
Luckily, for both our villains, the latter was correct.
Jen! Welcome to the fic! Thanks so much for taking the time to review, I really really appreciate it. You make me feel warm and fuzzy. Hope you liked, and don't be afraid to share opinions! I luuuurve them!