Thank you all for your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying that story! Here's chapter 4. I wanted to cut it in two parts but I told myself I needed to stop being evil lol. So here we are, hopefully, you'll enjoy it!
Also, Angie, I had no intention to mention what you told me but you gave me the idea so thank you :p.
Once she put her hands on the gas container, Jo headed toward the only empty place where her father dropped that jaguar 12 years ago. She sighed at the memory. She always had to cover her father for his bullshit until the day she couldn't anymore and had to put him behind bars. She was still a newbie as a detective when she had to do that and this has been following her ever since. She was somehow blaming herself for not being able to stop her father to kill that man and ruining his life because he was still her father but she had a choice to make. This explained why she never drew her sidearm on anyone within 10 years in that job, expect the day she faced Mark Bentley but it was self-defense. But today, there was nothing more than she wanted but choke the one who was framing Henry for a crime he didn't commit. She could feel her blood boiling at the thought of that person quietly walking away in the streets of New York while Henry was wasting his time in jail. She hated that feeling.
It was starting to be dark and truly a bit cold as well. This wasn't exactly the best time of the year. But Jo didn't mind. She was focusing on only one thing, and her determination to succeed was beating any other feeling.
She walked on a lost rails way that hasn't been used for a good 40 years, somewhere around Harlem. No one was coming around here or just people doing drugs or anything that could be illegal. Still, her father perfectly hid the car and nobody could have found it.
After walking for like seemed forever especially with her gas container, she reached the end of the rails way and let out a huge breath. She maybe was a cop, but she was no Hulk.
This was the place. No one could have guessed because there was a lot-lot of bushes covering some kind of wood cave and it simply appeared like a tree in the middle of the forest.
She found the lock and picked it without any trouble. She checked if no one was around but she knew that area was pretty quiet until a certain hour.
She coughed when she walked in because there was a lot of dust and not like it was surprising. She turned on her light and bumped into the car that was still in perfect condition but covered with dust. She rolled her eyes. Her father wasn't exactly the tidiest one.
She blew on it and coughed once more.
- Damn Henry! The things I'm doing for you! You'd better put a ring on my finger afterward.
She blinked and wondered if she really did think out loud. Luckily for her, she was alone in that cave.
She managed to open the door even if it was still a bit stuck. She took place in the driver's seat and looked for the key that her father hid in the gloves box. He has done it on purpose so no one could open the car from the outside except her and he knew it.
She knew the car wouldn't move but she had to be honest with herself, even though it was stolen, this was a great car and she knew Henry had a weakness for them.
She exited the car to fill it up. Once her business done, she went back inside and started the engine and let out a satisfying smile when she heard the sound.
- Here we go! No error allowed tonight!
A few hours later she found herself at Lucas's place and waited for him outside. He quickly exited his building and remained dumbfounded when he saw the car Jo was in. He took place in the passenger's seat and raised a brow.
- What? – she asked
- Where… Where did you get that car?
She sighed
- Lucas! You really need to stop asking questions! Remember earlier my visit to the prison?
He nodded
- Well, that car is a part of that long story I don't have time to tell you about but just bear with me, okay?
- Okay! I guess it would have been stupid of me to think you would have come to get me with your own car.
She chuckled
- Like I'm that dumb! They would have traced me down in a matter of seconds and I wouldn't even have time to put Henry to safety and we would all be in troubles.
Lucas looked all over the car and nervously squirmed
- Does it have a license plate?
Jo shook her head
- Nope! And even if it did, I would definitely remove it! Luckily for me, I don't have the best dad in the world.
She looked down as Lucas wanted to know more but she cleared her throat and checked the time
- So are we good? You're not going to freak out there and ruin our only chance, are you?
Lucas wondered if he was such a chicken for her to state something like this
- Come on Jo! Am I the kind to freak out that easily?
Jo looked at him with an obvious look. Lucas melted a bit on his seat and groaned.
- If you're referring to that time, Henry asked me to catch the rats… I mean in my position you would have been scared too, you don't know what kind of disease they can bring.
Jo pursed her lips in a fine line
- And what about that time with the computer?
Lucas sighed
- Fine! I freak out easily but this won't happen tonight. You have my word. I want Henry out as much as you do.
Jo smiled. She was teasing him but she knew when it was about his friends, Lucas was very devoted too.
- Well, if we're both ready! Let's go then
###
Their trip led them to the Manhattan detention complex. Jo had the schedule of all the guards, and tonight it was a woman's turn along with the one in charge of the video surveillance and two were posted outside.
It was midnight! In 30 minutes or so, the guards would go on break for at least 15 minutes. Jo knew the guard in charge of checking the video surveillance would go to the vending machine in the hall and let his coffee at this working place. As for the female cop, she would go to the girls changing room to make a call. This would be her opportunity.
Jo looked at the building, her hands were contracted on the steering wheel.
Lucas tried to cool things down
- Is that a jaguar?
Jo startled
- What?
- The car! It's a Jaguar, isn't it?
Jo nervously nodded
- It is! Why?
- Nothing! Just, Henry will be delightful to see that.
A small smile crossed Jo's face
- I know! That's my luck.
Lucas slowly put a hand on her shoulder and she relaxed some bit
- Jo! Everything will be fine! I rehearsed that plan all over again for the past two weeks. I tried so many times and it always worked, so I don't see how it's going to get wrong but we'll have a limited time to do what we need to do.
She agreed
- Yes! We can't miss that one, it's now or never.
They waited for the 30 minutes to pass and once the time was up they're both slowly got off the car and walked toward the building like two cats in the night.
Lucas was tall so he had a better view of what was going on inside.
- Clear! No one's around. I just need to get in the surveillance's room and do what we talked about.
Jo got on her tiptoes and noticed the female cop she was supposed to get.
- She's going toward the changing room. We have to act now, or we're all screwed.
She dug into her pockets and removed one sleeping pill.
- Here! Don't miss that Lucas. This one rests on you, if we miss it, we miss everything.
Lucas rolled his eyes
- Stop worrying! I got it! This is gonna work. Give me that.
As per usual Jo picked the lock with such a facility, Lucas gulped, thinking that one day if she wanted to expose him she would get into his home like nothing.
They were lucky because it was a quiet night, meaning there was basically no one on the prison except the female cop and the guard from the surveillance's room. There was also no one at the reception to prevent any undesirable visitors. Jo whispered
- I never saw a prison with lack of staff like that! I mean, who am I to complain.
Lucas asked
- It's Wednesday, isn't it?
- Yes! But what does it have to do with everything?
- I don't know! Henry once told me Wednesday was the day when it was less watched and with less staff and that's why most escapes were happening that day. Also depending on the prison but that one isn't a big one so I guess that's why.
Jo shrugged
- Well, maybe! I never worked in a prison so I can't tell you! Not surprise that Henry knows that stuff but could be right. And yes, that prison doesn't hold big criminals. They put Henry in there only because it was closer to the 11th and I feel like because even themselves aren't really sure if he's guilty or not but they would do anything for us to stay away from him.
They spotted the guard leaning against one of the vending machines, checking his phone and eating a snack. Lucas and Jo looked at each other
- Go! I'll cover you if he goes back.
Lucas quickly stepped into the surveillance's room and was amazed by the many screens and the different rooms of the prison it was showing. He was able to spot the hall Henry was in and obviously never indented to try and get out. Couldn't blame him.
He dropped one pill into the coffee and exited as fast as he came in.
- Is it done? – Jo asked, surprised he acted that fast
- Yes! Now we'll take care of your friend and that's where the toughest part begins.
Jo frowned
- In my opinion, that is currently the toughest part. Not being caught.
- Yes, but we have to hope none of the prisoners are going to talk.
Jo felt tense
- You are so full of optimism tonight!
- I'm just saying
- Well, in that case, just shut up! You're gonna jinx on us.
They hid behind a large wall when the guard headed back to his place. Lucas had dropped a tablet with a surveillance's app and they were both watching what was going on his phone. Jo kept looking at the time and sighed.
- I hope he's not going to take forever to fell asleep because that girl won't take that much time in the changing room and I need to get in there ASAP.
Lucas looked at Jo and looked at his phone
- Then go! I have the phone and the tablet and once he's out, I will do what we planned.
They both knew there was still two guards outside but that's the thing, they were behind the prison and couldn't see what was going on inside but they would have to act later anyway.
- Okay! – Jo conceded – I'll go. Oh boy, I really hope everything will turn out fine.
They heard a loud thud, and they checked the phone. They looked at each other and burst into laughter.
- It didn't take long for that pill to work.
- Something tells me that guy is a heavy sleeper. I got it from here. Go in that changing room.
- Be careful though!
- I will
Jo quickly ran in the opposite direction and heard a feminine voice coming from the changing room.
She hid behind the door and looked at the feminine figure who was back to her. She never did that before, not even with a suspect but this was for a good cause.
She quietly walked behind the girl, removed her sidearm and knocked the girl off with the hook
She fell down with a loud thud and Jo moved her to put her on the bench
- Sorry – she whispered – this is not against you but I have no choice.
She removed the girl's badge, her gun, and her whole outfit, leaving her in nothing but her underwear. She draped a blanket on top of her and kinda felt guilty about leaving her in that state. She would have a hundred questions running through her mind once she wakes up.
She sighed and whispered to herself
- I hope I knocked her hard enough for her not to wake up anytime soon.
She hated this she really did but she couldn't leave any proofs behind her so she took the girl's bag and folded her own clothes on it.
- Oh my God! I'm really sorry! I promise I will go to church more often if we can get everything right.
She exited the room at a pace she didn't know she had and quickly sent a text to Lucas asking him if he was ready because she was about to get in the prisoner's hall.
He told her Henry was in the hall 4 and the last cell but she needed to wait for the signal before going in. Which she did, by leaning against a wall and pretending she was just doing her rounds.
Lucas could see her with all the cameras. He was also able to check outside to see if the two guards weren't coming in. They would but right now they needed that first part to work.
He looked at the red button next to the keyboard
- Well, we only live once. I mean for most of us! Bring it!
He pushed the button and an emergency alert started to ring loudly and as planned the two guards who were outside, walked inside. And spoke with Jo who kept a straight's face.
- What happened?
- Have no idea! But we need to secure the prisoners.
So far the plan was working so they needed to keep it that way. Lucas exited the room for a few seconds and lighted up a cigarette next to the smoke detector. Everything happened fast, the emergency alert and the smoke detector both rang together and the slight fire could be smelled from all along the halls. The two guards that were wondering what to do, looked at Jo.
- It's a fire! Evacuate now!
Lucas went back to his surveillance's room and watched the guards, opening all the prison cells to bring the prisoners in the backyard until they could figure out the origin of the fire. Jo pretended to be part of the game and quickly ran away from the two guards once she was out of sight. She ran to hall 4 where no one except Henry was in and no one obviously had any intention to release him even for a short period. She picked up the lock and walked into the cell.
- Henry!
She was the last face he was expecting to see and quickly got up and they shared a very needed hug
- Jo? What are you doing here?
- Save it for later! I need to get you out of here!
She pulled on his arms and looked all over them and sent a text to Lucas saying they were clear and she was heading toward the exit.
- Excuse me? Jo, you can't just…
- Henry, please just for once shut up and run! Do you really want to remain in here forever?
He didn't know what to say so he just shook his head
- That's what I thought! Now run!
Lucas has received Jo's text and not like he couldn't see them with the cameras.
He smirked and said
- Well! Didn't see anything, didn't know anything. No one was there.
He unplugged all the cameras and quickly manipulated the last files saved on the computers. He deleted all of them including the ones that didn't concern them but better safe than sorry. He deleted everything on the bin so no one would look for the files and made sure no hacker or whoever would ever put their hands on them so he went into the computer's settings and entered a programming code that restored the whole machine like it was new. He smiled. He felt really proud of that move.
- Now we're talking! It's so fun breaking up the law.
With all the mess, they created and the guards unable to keep the prisoners to remain calm, Jo, Henry, and Lucas had everything they needed to run the hell away before someone catches them and get them all in troubles, troubles they would obviously remember their whole life because they were going to lose their right to ever work on their career.
Lucas joined them on their way out and Henry's eyes went wide
- Lucas? What? You're in that too?
They were running toward the car and Lucas just waved at his boss
- Hi, doc! Well, the how and why are all up to Jo but at least you're getting out of here so just be grateful and for once, shut up!
Henry felt a bit insulted, wondering why everyone was telling him to be quiet all the sudden. It's not like it was his own escape and they were taking risks for him, huge ones and he didn't want them to be even in deeper shit because of him.
Jo could read his thoughts and rolled her eyes
- Stop thinking! I'll explain everything!
She was holding to his arm because she knew if she wasn't doing so, he would just walk back to his cell because that's how he was.
Once they reached the car they sighed with relief while all the alarms could still be heard in the prison and also the firemen's siren coming their way.
- We don't have much time anymore! Get in – Jo ordered to Henry who was now standing in front of the car.
She didn't even let him make a decision nor look at the car, she just pushed him on the back seat and jumped on the driver's seat while Lucas joined her on the passenger's seat.
She started the engine and quickly drove far away from the prison
- Henry, you may want to lie down until I drop Lucas to his apartment! It's late at night and I know there are a lot of patrols on the street and it's not time to ruin that plan that perfectly worked until now.
He opened his mouth but Lucas turned his head toward him and just nodded so he sighed and didn't ask for more but obviously those two had a lot to explain.
While keeping her eyes on the road, Jo added
- Good job Lucas! You were able to keep a cold blood and I appreciate the effort you've made to keep us away from them.
Lucas felt his head swelling
- I told you everything would have been okay! I never did hack anything before but truly I think I nailed it. I deleted everything, they're not even going to find their latest files, actually, it would take them a lot of time because I restored the computer.
Ever since they've planned that escape, Jo smiled widely. Henry in the backseat shouted
- You hacked the prison's computer?
Both Lucas and Jo sighed
- We did that for you, doc, so don't lecture us, thank you.
- Thanks, Lucas, you took the words out of my mouth.
Henry groaned
- You two… You're…
- You're welcome – they both said
After crossing paths with a lot of patrols, probably because of the alarms at the prison, Jo finally reached Lucas's apartment. They looked at each other while Henry slowly sat down.
- So you're home! You know what you need to do from now on.
Lucas nodded. Jo traded her phone for an untraceable one that Lucas handed her. Henry was completely confused and wondered if the lack of sleep was freezing his brain.
- We're all going to work on the case from where we are. Once anyone finds something, anything that could be in Henry's favor, we call each other. Right?
- Loud and clear!
Lucas looked at Jo and back at Henry and he smiled, before adding
- Now I'm a bit worried about the Lieutenant. If the FBI doesn't put me down, she will….
Jo pat his shoulder
- Don't worry! I'm sure you'll find something.
In different circumstances, Lucas would be thrilled to see the two of them taking a trip away from New York but in that case, he was hoping nothing bad would happen to them but Jo seemed to have her idea.
- You two be careful and hope we can close that case soon enough. I won't stop working on it – he turned toward Henry who was awfully quiet – I will do it for you, doc because we need you at the station.
Henry shared a look with Jo, trying to communicate with her but she just kept a straight's face, not giving away anything.
Lucas squeezed Jo's hand and before he exited he asked
- Wait! But what about Hanson?
- Don't worry about him, I just texted him, he's going to be fine!
###
- What the hell Martinez? – Hanson groaned when he read the text that woke him up
He obviously shouted louder than he thought because Karen who was sleeping beside him, turned on the light and asked
- Hey! Honey, is everything alright?
Hanson rubbed a frustrated hand on his face
- I don't know… It's Jo, she went nuts…
He sat back on the bed to look at his wife
- You remember when I told you Henry has been arrested and Jo wasn't going to let it go?
- Yes, of course! I mean in her position I would have done the same.
Hanson frowned
- Including planning an escape?
Karen remained silent before smiling
- Well, if you were to be put in jail for something you haven't done, I would fight for you. And that's exactly what Jo is doing with Henry, she's fighting for him so if escaping was the best issue right now, she picked it. She's the kind of woman that would choose the man she loves before anything else.
Hanson felt uncomfortable hearing that out loud. He knew Jo had feelings for Henry, he wasn't that dumb but men were men and they weren't talking about how they felt.
- So I guess I should encourage her? I mean, it's not like both their careers are in danger of doing what they did.
Karen chuckled
- I'm sure Jo knows what she's doing but if it's the price to pay to be with him… But I wouldn't worry about her, she's a smart girl and she just needs your support while she's working out on a theory with his help.
Hanson sighed and looked at his phone. Jo didn't text him with her usual number and he couldn't even reply because this was an unknown number. She really did think about everything and he wondered how he hasn't noticed anything. She was very good when she wanted to. The perfect fit with Henry, obviously.
- I just hope they're going to be safe and this isn't going to get worse from there.
Henry had moved on the passenger's seat since Jo told him she would take the tiniest and longest roads so no cops would be around or unlikely.
They didn't talk much since they dropped Lucas's home but now Henry couldn't hold it anymore
- So where are we going exactly?
- You'll see! I've got a place! No one will find us there. Until everything can come back to the way it is, this will have to do.
She was deeply serious and he hated that feeling. He never asked for anything. He was ready to accept his fate. Not the first time he was being put in jail for something he hasn't done. Only time would have been able to solve all of this. Though he understood her determination and he couldn't believe what she's done for him.
He felt his heart beat faster. The last time someone made a sacrifice for him, she died and he didn't want anything to happen to Jo and yet here they were, running God knew where to someplace only she knew and would get him safe until they had the last word on that case.
He sighed
- Jo…You didn't have to do this…. I… What about your career? You know you could…
- I don't care – she cut off
She quickly glanced at him and noticed the astonishment on his face. He was speechless. She added in a quieter tone.
- Henry, as important is my career you are more important. And I won't let anyone drag you away from… From the life, you built.
She blushed at her last words and tried to focus on the road. They had a long way to go. Henry kept looking at her and thought she was crazy but again, he would probably have done the same for her. He had no idea where they were heading but he hoped they would solve that case together and obviously with the 11th.
His hand looked for Jo's, on the gear and he entwined his fingers with hers. She glanced again at him and they smiled at each other, feeling their heart beating down their throat. They knew as long as they were together, everything would be okay.
- Thank you – he whispered
She just smiled and tightened her grip on his hand
- One last thing – he added
Jo knew she wasn't done hearing him talk all along the road
- What is it?
- Is that a Jaguar?
She laughed
- I know you wouldn't miss that one. You love them way too much.
- Indeed I do! I couldn't help but want to get behind the wheel when I saw it but I barely had time to take a look at it.
- You'll have time later!
He didn't want to ask but this beat him
- My apologies, I am really annoying but how did you get that car?
She didn't reply. She knew as a cop, this was a bit embarrassing to admit. But this didn't take a lot for Henry to do the math.
- Does it have anything to do with your father?
She pursed her lips
- I guess I still can't hide anything from you, can I?
- Oh! I just assumed since you told me he was…
She gently cut him off
- I know what I said, Henry! It's just awkward to say it belonged to my father, I mean belong isn't the exact term, if you know what I mean.
Henry nodded
- I see!
- Taking my own car would have been much too risky.
They haven't let each other's hand go since they were in the car and Henry just squeezed it
- I get it, Jo! I get it! Thank you for your wonderful friendship. You are a gem, detective.
She cringed at the "wonderful friendship". Really, he could be still so naïve sometimes. But she had hopes that adventure was going to turn into something more because she knew there was something, they both knew it. Just had to make Henry admit it.
She whispered
- You should try and rest some bits. We have a long road ahead of us. I will try to take some breaks but short ones. We can't risk too much of our time on the roads, as clear as they are.
He nodded and leaned his head against the window. He didn't want to think about what tomorrow would bring them, he didn't want to think about everyone's faces once they would find out he wasn't in his cell anymore and he didn't want to think about what Reece would say about Jo's behavior. He quickly drifted off to sleep without being aware of it. Jo looked at him and felt a lump in her throat for different reasons.
Now they were all by themselves.