To: Dex (9:52 PM)
Are you in position?
From: Dex (9:53 PM)
Yes. Car's ready to go.
"This is going to work," Valentin said, looking in the mirror. He dusted off the arms of the white lab coat he wore, glasses perfectly fitting his head. The nametag clipped to the front pocket shined under the bright lights, Ivan LeBlanc, M.D. in perfect black on the laminated card, "This will work."
He was grateful that he didn't have to brief Dex on the full mission, that he didn't have to brief the man at all. He's not sure how Sonny trained Dex to be so aware, vigilant, and proactive, but he knew to give the kingpin his kudos should the mission work out.
Anna's phlebotomy appointment was at ten sharp. Valentin waited in the exam room for her and the police officer escorting her. He slightly adjusted his glasses every few seconds, secretly hoping time would move faster as a result. A sense of relief filled him when the door opened.
"Doctor," the officer, a tall man with a lanky build, walked in, Anna's left arm tight in his grip.
"Yes," Valentin nodded, responding in a somewhat thick French accent, flashing Anna a small smirk. She gave one of her own, "Please give my patient and I some privacy, yes?"
The officer released Anna and exited, shutting the door behind him and obstructing the window. The pair faced one another as Valentin rolled up the sleeve of Anna's Pentonville shirt.
"How'd you pull this off, hmm?" she asked as he pulled out a syringe.
"Sonny," he replied, beginning to extract blood.
"You called him? And he picked up?"
"I'm as surprised as you are."
"What did he agree to?"
"He has one of his guys in the parking garage. Once the officer takes you down there, he'll drive you to a safe house."
"We're staying in one of Sonny's safe houses?"
"Temporarily. I know you'd like to go elsewhere."
"Who's the guy Sonny offered up?"
"Dex Heller."
"His new recruit?" Anna raised an eyebrow, "Sonny trusts him to do this?"
"Apparently," Valentin capped off the small vial of blood, placing it in a cart by the door, "Well, that's done with. I'll call Dr. Finn to have him come get it."
"I'm assuming Dr. Finn also let you borrow a few things?"
"Only a few," he smiled, "The name tag was all me."
"Right," Anna grinned before opening the door. The officer turned to face her, and she faced Valentin in return.
"Thank you, sir," Anna nodded.
"You're welcome," the man donned the accent once more, "We'll get you your results once they're in."
Anna left Valentin another wide smile before being dragged off towards the elevator. Valentin waited until they disappeared to book it from the room, racing down the fire escape stairwell and out to his SUV. He looked around the parking garage, seeing neither hide nor hair of Anna and the officer. He eventually got into his vehicle, and once he was out of the garage, he booked it down the road, heading towards the designated waiting spot.
Dex's head perked up when he heard the sound of screeching wheels against the concrete. He stood by the prison transport van, dressed in muted blues and grays with a black cap on his head. The sound of muffled groans caught his attention, looking at the man he bound and gagged at the near corner of the lot, stripped of his jacket and cap.
"Sorry, man," Dex approached him, looking down, "I needed these."
The driver yelled at him, his words completely muffled. Dex frowned at him before walking back to the van, arriving at the driver's side door when he saw the officer and Anna appear from around a somewhat distant corner. He stood at attention, hands behind his back as they got closer.
"Officer," Dex nodded, keeping his eyes hidden.
"I'm glad you're here," the man said, looking at Anna, "She's ready to go."
"Excellent," Dex opened the back door, helping Anna into it. She sat down as the officer stood by, the sound of a phone ringing in his pocket.
"Hold on," he said, pulling out the device, "I have to take this."
Dex and Anna watched the guard walk off, facing each other once he's out of earshot.
"You're Dex, aren't you?" Anna asked.
"Yes, ma'am. And you're Anna," he gently shook her hand, "it's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Anna let out a sigh, "Where are we off to?"
"Sonny has a safehouse ten miles to the east of the prison. Valentin's parked right by the dirt road there. I'll take you there and drop you off."
"And then what? What about the actual driver?"
"He's been taken care of."
"And this van? What will you do with it?"
"I'll-" the sound of footsteps cut him off, the officer returning. Dex scrambled out of the van, standing straight.
"Sorry about that," the man said, "it was the station. They need a third."
"Oh, well," Dex looked back at Anna for a moment, "we're all good here if you need to go."
"No, they need a third for Devane. With all her experience as a WSB agent, she's considered dangerous. Plus, you're just a driver. There's practically nothing you can do against her," the officer walked past him and shut the back door, ignoring Anna's startled expression. Dex gulped as he watched before climbing into the van, the officer in the passenger seat.
Pivot, Dex thought to himself as he slowly made his way out of the parking garage, pivot, pivot, pivot!
The drive through the city, while keeping up with traffic, was slower than intended. Dex kept glancing between the road and Anna, who looked up at him with slight apprehension. She sat close by, seeing them through the crossed metal window.
"So, Devane," the officer cleared his throat, "how'd you do it?"
"I'm sorry?" she asked.
"Lucy Coe. How'd you do it?"
Anna didn't respond.
"It's such a shame," he said to Dex, "I don't know how familiar you are with her, but Lucy's a pretty well-known person around town. Her real estate business, Deception Cosmetics, not to mention the Nurses Ball. She does a lot."
"I see," Dex averted his eyes, focusing on the road.
"Yeah, she actually helped me and my family move into where we currently live. We got a good deal for it too. Too bad someone took it upon themselves to kill her."
"I didn't kill her," Anna muttered under her breath.
"Have you met Lucy Coe?"
"Me?" Dex asked, "No."
"Too bad you won't be able to."
After a while, buildings turned into trees and asphalt concrete turned into dirt. Dex kept a tight hold of the steering wheel, his knuckles a ghostly white. The officer kept his head turned towards the passenger window. Silence filled the van for a moment before the shrill sound of a ringtone filled the void.
Crap, Dex swore internally, feeling his back pocket vibrating, that's mine.
"Hm," the officer checked his device, "not me."
"It's me," Dex choked out, trying not to be loud.
"Who would be calling you?"
"Not sure. Could be my boss, could be my girlfriend, could be anyone. I'm not going to worry about it right now."
"If it's your boss, you probably should answer it."
"It's fine."
"He's probably calling about the transport, wondering why the hell you drive so slow. Pick up the pace."
"I can drive, thank you."
The officer ducked his down ever-so-slightly, catching a quick glimpse of the side of Dex's face, "Do I know you?"
Dex remained quiet.
"I was told I was riding with Hodgins for this. Brown eyes, brunette, stocky build. You're none of the above."
"They changed guards. Hodgins couldn't do it."
The officer narrowed his eyes before settling into his seat. Tension built up as the ride progressed. Anna glanced between Dex and the officer, waiting for the proverbial bomb to explode. Eventually, she turned away. It was only a few minutes later when her expectation was fulfilled.
"You missed the turn."
Dex looked over at the officer, speechless.
"Pentonville is down that dirt road to the left," the man pointed backwards, "You missed it."
"We're taking a different route," Dex said.
"There's no other way to the prison. Turn around."
"Trust me on this-"
"Like hell I will; turn the van around!"
"No."
The officer glared hard at Dex, who did his best to avoid eye contact. He kept his focus on the road, reassuring himself of the distance: I just need a few more miles, I just need a little more time. Please…
The sound of metal clicking immediately snapped him back to reality.
"Turn. The van. Around," the officer pointed his gun at Dex, aiming for his right cheek. Dex stole a look at the weapon, waiting a moment before grabbing it. The two men wrestled in the front seats, Dex's one hand on the gun versus the officer's two. The van jerked back and forth swerving on the dirt road while barely inching forward. Anna jostled around in the back, her shoulder and head slamming against the wall.
"What's going on?" her question was lost in the scramble, "Hey-"
Bang!
The chaos of the drive came to a halt as soon as the gun went off, a yelp barely cutting through the sound of screeching tires. The van swerved off the road, slamming into a nearby tree, knocking all three occupants out.
The sound of the slam, though faint, caused Valentin's ears to perk up. He sat in his SUV, waiting for the van to pull up. He turned on the radio, wired into the police scanner, waiting for the name of the transport to appear.
"Come on, come on…" he grumbled, hearing nothing but static.
"Prison Transport #1015," a raspy female voice spoke up, catching his attention, "do you copy?"
Silence.
"Where are they?" Valentin asked, his voice low.
"Prison Transport #1015," the woman repeated, "do you copy?"
Nothing.
"Requesting available units to Route 31 towards Pentonville Penitentiary. Prison Transport #1015 is overdue and not responding to communication."
"Damnit," Valentin started his vehicle, looping around the opening of the road and heading south towards the prison.
Smoke filled the air as the van's engine was smashed in against the tree. Dex was slumped against the steering wheel while the officer rested against the door. Anna laid against the wall, and eventually, she was the first to wake up.
"Mm…" she hummed, rubbing her head. She blinked a few times to clear her vision before unbuckling the seatbelt.
"Dex?" she called out, looking through the bars. She hit her handcuffs against the metal to get his attention, "Dex, Dex!"
"Ugh…" he groaned, slowly sitting up. He hissed at the sharp pain in his side, but managed to regain enough consciousness. He turned towards the back of the van, seeing Anna looking at him, "Anna?"
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Uh…yeah…are you?"
"Yes," she lifted her handcuffs, "Can you get me out of these?"
Dex opened the driver's side door, stumbling out of the vehicle. It took more strength than necessary to open the back doors, helping Anna out and unlocking her restraints with the key in the jacket pocket.
"Where are we?" she asked, stepping out into the road, "Are we at all close to the dropoff point?"
"I don't know," Dex took a deep breath, the sharp pain in his side persisting. He gritted his teeth when Anna turned away. After a few more minutes, they saw headlights approaching them, coming from the north. The vehicle stopped a few feet away, the silhouette of a man stepping out of it.
"Valentin?" Anna asked loudly as the man moved closer. She sighed in relief when she saw his face, hugging him when he rushed to her, "Thank God."
"Anna, darling," he held her tight, "are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she answered, "I just have a headache."
"What happened?"
"The…officer," she took a breath, "hitched a ride at the last minute and it just…caused problems."
"I can see that," Valentin looked to Dex, "How'd he figure you out?"
Dex shrugged in response.
"It's not Dex's fault," Anna said, "He didn't do anything wrong."
"We can worry about who screwed up what later. There are other officers coming over here."
"How do you know?"
"The police scanner."
"They found out the transport was down?"
"I'll explain on the drive, my dear, but we need to go now."
"Okay," Anna put her hands up to stop him, "just…one moment," she approached Dex, resting her hands on his shoulders, "Thank you. Truly."
"Of course," he flashed a smile before a sharp jolt in his side dropped him to his knees.
"What?" Valentin groaned.
"N-Nothing…"
"Wait," Anna crouched down, pulling back the right side of the jacket. Blood stained the shirt Dex wore, a hole in the fabric, "he was shot."
"Shot?"
"The officer's gun went off when the car barreled into the tree," she wrapped her arms haphazardly around Dex, "Come on."
"Come on?" Valentin repeated, "He's coming with us?"
"I can't leave him here. He's injured and bleeding and I don't want him caught by the PCPD."
"But-"
"Please, Valentin, we need to go."
Valentin took a deep breath before going to Dex's left, draping the young man's arm around his shoulder. The pair guided Dex to the SUV, with Anna getting in the back and helping him lay across the seat, his head on her chest. Valentin rushed into the driver's seat and turned around, driving off just as police sirens were within earshot.
Anna tried to ignore Valentin's scowls as he drove on the dirt road past Pentonville. Dex looked up at her, eyes barely open as his body shook from the pain. She frowned at the sight, and while Valentin had a million reservations about the decision to bring him along, she knew she wasn't going to leave him behind.
"You're going to be alright," she cooed, trying not to wince at Dex's pain-filled face. His heavy breathing and occasional groans filled the silence of the car, "Sh, it'll be okay."
"Things would be better if he didn't screw up," Valentin hissed, his eyes on the road.
"It's on the officer," Anna shot back, "He pulled out a gun on Dex, what would you have liked him to do?"
"Not crash the car?"
"He was shot!"
"And we could've left him behind and let him be Sonny's problem!"
"I couldn't do that," Anna shook her head, a firm gaze on Valentin, "Leaving the poor kid injured in the woods with the police on our tail? Too risky."
"Keeping him is too risky."
"We're going to Sonny's safe house. Once we're there, we call Sonny and let him know. After that, Dex is out of our hands."
"I hope so," Valentin sighed, half-heartedly shaking his head. Anna sighed herself, looking back down at Dex. She took off her blue Pentonville shirt and balled it up, pressing it hard against his wound. He hissed at the contact before whimpering, his breaths shallow and quick. Blood swiftly soaked the material, his body still in pain from the bullet wound. She felt her heart break in two, catching each and every line in Dex's face that showcased his agony.
"Anna..." Dex huffed out softly, cupping the hand of hers applying pressure. He felt cold against her knuckles, "I...ah..."
"It's okay, Dex," Anna said gently, running her other hand through his coiffed dark blonde hair, "Just breathe. Relax. Once we get to the safe house, you'll get help."
"I...I'm sorry..."
"Don't be."
"Shot...I was...shot-"
"Rest."
"Less you talk, the better," Valentin spoke up, looking at them from the rear view mirror. Dex shut his mouth, heavy breaths leaving his nose before his eyes fluttered shut. Anna continued running her fingers through his hair, softly humming to him. The SUV finally turned the corner it needed to, going down a gravel road. The appearance of a house on a small yet somewhat visible cliffside caught both Valentin and Anna's attention, their destination in plain view as, though chaotic, their plan ended up being a success.