Mind (the) Game

by Kelly Shade

  Jane was so deep in thought that she didn’t saw Erik sprinting towards her.

  “Jane!” he shouted and closed to her. The cops were about to stop him but Hunt yelled from behind “Leave her to say goodbye to her friend!”. The two policemen let Jane make a few steps away from them, towards Erik.

  “Jane, I don’t know what to say! Why is this happening to you?!” Erik said loud enough, so everyone around could hear him.

  “Sometimes we can’t beat the system, Ricky!” exhaled Jane “But the truth will come out! It always does!”

  “Good luck!” sighted Erik “Nancy wished she could see you, but she couldn’t come. Her son, Kyle, you must remember him, is in LA celebrating his anniversary with his wife in the restaurant they had their first date. Cute! Anyways, he couldn’t drive her so Nancy is not coming.” Erik finished.

  “Send her my love!” Jane said sadly.

  The guards were getting anxious and Jane knew it was time to go. Erik hugged her tightly and Blake felt he put something in the back pocket of her jeans. Then he said quietly “It looks grey now but soon it will be fine! Don’t give up on yourself!” Erik winked and walked away.

  Moments later Jane was alone with the cops at the back door which was the exit to the parking lot. She looked around, it was deserted, empty as never before, as if on purpose.

  Blake felt the grip of the nasty looking guard wasn’t that tight anymore and soon his hand was down. Jane paced forward and faced both guards.

  “I guess Evans told you to let me run so you can shoot me with a reason?” Blake said.

  “Go, Blake, don’t make it hard on yourself.” Said the plump one.

  “I promise, you won’t feel a thing!” said the other with an ugly smile, while getting his weapon out from the holster.

  “Why isn’t Evans here? She is afraid of me even when I’m in cuffs?” Blake wanted to make them talk more while she was making slow steps backwards and searching for the thing Erik put in her pocket.

  “Victoria would love to put a bullet in your brain but she has to be clean. Don’t flatter yourself, you have no idea what Evans can do! You are nothing compared to her!” the ‘nice’ one got angry.

  “Oh, we have a secret admirer!” Jane used his anger to buy herself more time. She found the paper clip Erik had left for her and now, with hands behind her back, she was trying to unlock the handcuffs.

  “Why do you think she would ever look at you? She has a boyfriend and he is like a Greek God compared to you, pumpkin!” Jane laughed. She had almost freed herself from the cuffs.

  “That clown Lee?” laughed the “policeman”.

  “That’s enough talking!” his partner shouted and turned to his colleague and said in a low voice “We have job to do!”

  “If you wanna kill me, you will look me in the eyes!” Jane’s hands were free but she didn’t show them she was without the cuffs, she walked quickly towards the guard with the pointed gun.

  She pushed her chest at the barrel, with her hands still behind her back. Jane looked into the man’s cold eyes. He froze when her glowing with hate narrowed eyes met his. That millisecond of hesitation was enough for Jane to grab the gun from his hands and point it at him. The plump one reached to his gun, managed to take it out panicky but Jane kicked it off of his hand with a swift move and immense strength.

  “Never give time to a con artist!” Blake said with satisfaction and cuffed their hands together.

  “Morse will find you! You will suffer, Jane Blake!” said the short one with hatred while Blake was slowly backing up but still keeping them on gunpoint.

  “Maybe I’ll find him first!” Blake yelled back.

  “He will cause you pain you never felt before, Blake! You will regret you were born!” he shouted.

  Blake was far enough to make a run for it. She lowered the weapon and ran as fast as she could. She knew they were about to chase her and she needed to hide somewhere immediately. Blake crossed the street and entered the park she used to go in for a smoke every now and then. This time, it was a beautiful afternoon and the park was full of people, kids, dogs. Jane couldn’t risk so many lives, she knew the two men were behind her, she saw them on the opposite street. She ran out of the park. The men were closing behind her and she had nowhere to go without endangering other people’s lives.

  Blake saw a woman parking her car and she knew that was her only shot. Jane ran towards the woman and with a lifted gun she whispered “Give me the keys and keep quiet!” The woman froze and dropped the car keys on the ground. “Run!” Jane ordered and kneeled to get them. When she was standing up, she felt a bullet fly just a few inches away from her head. The men were feet away, both firing. Blake ran to the driver’s seat, shooting blindly at the guards. She managed to start the car but the skinny one was way closer than she wanted. Jane pushed the gas pedal and drove away. Bullets were flying around her, she kept her head down to avoid them. Blake thought she was far enough and lifted her head but sharp pain make her tug in and almost lose control over the car. Blake touched her waist’s left side and she felt it was wet. With fear Jane looked at her hand and saw it was covered in blood.

  “Shit! Not again!” exclaimed Jane when she realized she was shot.

  Chapter 20

  The insider

  Maybe Jane didn’t feel when the bullet pierced her because of the adrenaline or maybe it just scratched her and didn’t went in at all. Blake had no time to think of it now, so she pressed the wound with her left hand and kept driving. She wasn’t sure if she understood right what Erik had said, Blake didn’t know for sure if that was a hint at all but she had to try. Now that she was hurt she needed all the help she could get.

  Blake headed to the restaurant where she and Collins had their first date. If she was right, Kyle was supposed to wait for her there. Three blocks before the small diner she had to visit, Blake left the stolen car on the side of the road and kept going on foot. She put the sunglasses she took from the passenger seat of the car. It was around eight pm at that moment and Jane had luck that numerous people were walking on the street and she would easily blend in with the crowd.

  Jane walked by a clothing shop and snatched a hat and a wide dark shirt. She quickly put them on and now she was sure that no one would notice the blood. Blake walked fast but the pain was getting stronger. Jane had no idea if the bullet was in her body or not and she couldn’t check. Not until she was somewhere safe.

  One more street and she was in front of the little restaurant where she and Kyle spent three hours talking and laughing. Jane was at the entrance and the hostess welcomed her with a grimace. Blake was all in sweat and she looked like she haven’t slept for days, which wasn’t far from the truth. Blake walked in and saw Kyle waiting for her at the most hidden and distant table. When he saw her, he just smiled but didn’t stood up. She paced to him and after ordering a coffee she turned to Kyle.

  “You can lose your job over this!” Jane said worryingly.

  “I can lose you and this is what freaks me out!” Kyle said and held her hand “How are you?” he asked when he saw her make a grimace.

  Blake showed him the wound and told him what happened at the parking lot. Collins wanted to check how bad it was but Jane didn’t let him. She was worried that someone may see them and right now she didn’t need the attention.

  “How did you find Erik?” Jane asked to change the subject. She had mentioned Erik but she never introduced him to Kyle.

  “I met him in front of the Station, talking to Gray. It turned out that Gray called him so he can visit you while you are still there. We talked and we came up with a plan if the things don’t work out. Good thing we did!” Collins said quietly.

  “So Ryan is in?” Jane couldn’t stop herself asking about Ryan.

  “Nope, me and Erik only. We decided it is not safe to involve other people.” Kyle said with a serious expression.

  Jane felt as if she was betrayed. She knew it wasn’t true at all but somehow she felt bad from t
he fact that Ryan didn’t even show up when she had to be transferred. He didn’t come to say goodbye.

  “Did you want him here?” Collins noticed Jane’s expression.

  “No, it’s just that,” Jane thought of an excuse “they are my team. You know how it is.”

  “Yeah, I get you.” Kyle relaxed.

  “What now?” Jane asked, trying to hide in how much pain she was.

  “Now we wait for Erik and you two are driving to Texas. Nancy is waiting for you there.” Collins smiled sadly.

  “How do you know about Nancy?” Jane was amazed by how much information Kyle gathered.

  “Erik and Tylor helped me with that.” Kyle said.

  “Tylor is in?” Jane asked with a high pitched voice.

  “Yeah! Why are you so amazed? Didn’t you know they all care about you? A lot!” Kyle said with surprise.

  Blake only smiled. She didn’t realized that so many people would risk everything for her. They all knew that Jane would be all over the news as a dangerous criminal, a murderer, who had escaped and still they wanted to help her. But there was one question that bothered her. Why Tylor, Kyle, Erik, Nancy but not her team? Blake thought she can count on Ian, Nick, Hunt…Ryan.

  Erik came, and it was time for Jane and Kyle to say goodbye. Collins had to be at work tomorrow and to answer questions about Jane’s escape, he couldn’t leave without raising up suspicions on himself.

  Blake and Erik had to drive through the night. Luckily, Erik was a great driver and Jane was able to patch up the wound. It turned out that the bullet just scratched her and it was going to be fine. Blake had to deal with the pain but that was okay under the circumstances.

  The trip was going to be a long one and Erik had prepared food, water and coffee. Blake couldn’t believe how confident was he, how grown up he looked. When she first saw him in Chile, almost a year ago, he was just a kid, but now he was looking like a young, capable man. Jane was proud but a little sad, she felt she was ruining Erik’s future and she didn’t want that.

  Erik drove for more than ten hours straight and Jane was able to get some sleep. When she woke up she saw his puffy eyes and exhausted expression and since she was feeling better, she offered to drive for a while. He gladly accepted to switch with her and at the moment he sat on the passenger’s seat, he fell asleep.

  Soon they arrived at Nancy’s house in Forth Worth, Texas. Agnes welcomed them with cookies and coffee and a wide smile. Even though she was worried about Jane, Nancy was glad to see her. Blake was also enjoying the company of Agnes but she didn’t want to be there, she wanted to be with her team in LA.

  Agnes showed Jane the basement, which was like an apartment, furnished and with all the needed appliances. This was Jane’s new home for a long time. Blake wasn’t fascinated by the idea that she had to keep it down and leave the others to fix the mess she was in, but she needed time to think and recover.

  Jane settled in her new place, changed her clothes with the ones that Nancy had prepared for her and put a bandage over the wound. It was still very painful but Jane refused to take painkillers, she was afraid she might lose the control over her mind again and now she had to stay sharp.

  “You are on the news!” Erik walked in.

  “Great!” Jane said sarcastically. “Where are you sleeping?”

  “I’m not staying here Jane, I have to go back to LA.” Erik said.

  “Why?” Blake said with a grimace. She hoped, that at least Erik will keep her company for a while.

  “You know, I have work and stuff.” He answered and looked down.

  “This is not all.” Blake caught the lie.

  “It is.” Erik said but his eyes were giving him away.

  “It is not, Ricky!” Blake smiled.

  “The less you know, the better. Just trust us, okay?” Erik gave up.

  “Us?” Jane lifted her eyebrow “So you are going to try and solve the murder case with my team? Or is it Kyle?” she suggested.

  Erik stayed quiet and determined not to give her any information.

  “Okay,” Jane said slowly “let’s play a game. I’ll ask a question and you will answer me with your eyes. Kind of like a game of poker. How good are you at poker, Ricky?”

  Erik put the most serious and unexpressive face he could manage. He was standing before Jane with his hands behind his back, hoping she won’t read him.

  “Are you going back to work?” Jane asked and looked straight into Erik’s eyes. A second later she nodded “Mhm, no. I thought so.” Then she continued with the questioning. “Are you going to try and solve the murder case?” An almost invisible nod was enough for Jane that he was indeed going to do that.

  “Is my team involved?” Jane continued and after another short observation she murmured “That’s a yes.” And she kept asking. She started with “Ryan?” then she waited for confirmation and then she said the names of everyone on her team one by one with a little pause after every name. Erik was staying silent and he still thought she can’t know the truth.

  Blake finished with Kyle’s and Tylor’s names and it seemed that was enough for her.

  Erik left the room as fast as he could, hoping that Jane didn’t get the truth. He quickly walked to the car and drove off to LA.

  ◆◆◆

  Ryan and Ian were at a café near the Station, waiting for Erik to arrive.

  “Do you think Lee is going to be okay with this plan?” asked Valdez worryingly.

  “Even if he isn’t, we go for it!” Gray said. Ryan looked exhausted. For several days he was trying to solve William’s murder with no success. Gray was giving every second of his time to that case but nothing popped up. Every clue, every evidence was leading them back to Jane being the killer. Ryan thought he won’t see her again and that thought was keeping him awake in the nights and on the edge through the days. He didn’t care about the fights he had with agent Barlow, he didn’t care that she was in charge of that case and she was the one who put Jane on the most wanted list. Ryan was aware of the fact that he, Ian and Erik would be locked up as Jane’s accomplices if someone catches them investigating that case and especially for hiding Blake.

  Nick Lee showed up at the café’s entrance and searched for Ian and Ryan with eyes. He noticed them at the table in the far corner and walked to them with a smile.

  “What’s up guys?” Lee asked cheerfully.

  “You are in a good mood, huh?” Valdez said.

  “Yeah, Victoria and I are planning a vacation together next week. She invited me to meet her parents.” Nick settled next to Ian “Things are getting serious!” he added with a wink.

  Ryan and Ian exchanged worried looks.

  “About her…” Gray started uncertainly.

  “Don’t tell me you trust Blake on that! Why would Victoria want to poison Jane?” Nick’s good mood vanished.

  “Who else then? You? Me? Ian?” Ryan said quietly “Jane was in the Station almost 24/7. She barely eats and when she does, she usually orders food from restaurants around the Station.” Ryan started explaining his theory “But she drinks a lot of coffee and most of the times Evans brings it to her!”

  “After the blood results came out, Jane stopped drinking the coffee Evan’s gave her and soon this murder happen. There is a connection and you are smart enough to know it.” Ian joined in.

  “By the time of the murder Victoria was with me! She stayed at my place that night! She can’t be the killer!” Nick said angrily.

  “Okay, but…” Ryan hesitated.

  They all fell silent for some time.

  “Then at least I can ask you is to think about it.” Valdez turned to Nick with a serious expression. “Just help us prove if she is part of this or not. That’s all we ask!”

  Nick took a deep breath, thinking. Evans was the first woman he had a real connection with, she was the first serious relationship for Nick and he didn’t want to ruin everything.

  “Are you sure Blake didn’t do it?” Nick asked with fear in his
voice.

  “Yes!” Erik had arrived and crept behind Nick without anyone noticing him.

  “Oh, you are in too?” asked Nick when he saw him.

  “Is she okay?” Gray looked up at Erik with hope.

  “Yeah, kinda.” Erik said. “She has to recover for a few days but she will be fine.”

  “Why?” Asked Valdez, while moving to the side, so Erik could sit next to him.

  “A bullet grazed her waist, it is not serious but as far as I can tell she is in pain. She doesn’t want the painkillers Nancy gave her, and she didn’t let me or Nancy fix the bandage. You know Jane, she is all about ‘I can do it alone’!” Erik imitated Jane’s voice unsuccessfully which brought smiles on the others’ faces.

  “Okay, what do you want me to do?” Lee returned to the topic.

  “Just go on a date with Evans and keep her as long as you can. We will go in her place and try to find some evidence.” Ryan said. “Can we trust you on that?”

  “Well, in two days we have a reservation at a restaurant downtown.” Nick said “We should be there at eight. Do what you want to do then. Okay?” he finished with dislike and irritation.

  Ryan, Erik and Ian nodded. Nick stood up and went away, he didn’t like this operation and at this point he didn’t like his colleagues very much.

  ◆◆◆

  “I’m telling you, Nancy, they are onto something!” Jane said while she and Nancy were drinking coffee at the table in the basement, that Jane called home now. She had spent the last several days in there and she was already flipping out. She hated, when she was powerless to do anything at all, especially in this case.

  “What if they are?” Nancy was worried sick about Jane “They are all trained cops, they are doing their job!”