Wanted In More Ways Than One (Closed for raiguy)

[celestialdragon]

Gwyneth Clark was speeding down the highway, trying to get out of Texas as fast as she could. It was dangerous for her to come home, it really was. Too many people knew her, and that wasn't a good idea for a fugitive.

She couldn't believe how deep of a hole she dug herself in the past five years. Petty theft, fraud, identity theft, murder, drug possession. . . Yeah, she was in deep.

Really, everything went to shit once her abusive ex fiance from college took it too far. She had done it to survive, originally, and now, she was intoxicated by doing crime. She loved it. It gave her power, control, something she rarely had in her rather young life.

She heard sirens, and looked up into her rearview mirror to see a cop car chasing her down. Swearing, she obliged, taking her time to do so. Once she was in park, she pulled out a driver's license and insurance, under one of her many aliases, and donned a thick scarf and a black haired wig.

"Hello officer, can I help you?" she asked, adopting a thick Southeastern accent. She didn't look up at the cop at her window.

If the cop searched her car and person, they would find the guns she's stolen; the drugs she's been selling for extra cash; the knife she used in the murder; and all of her different aliases. She would go down before anything even happen.

 

[raiguy]

Tay Jameson cruised along the highway, before finally settling behind a billboard to set up his speed trap. He knew that this stretch generally had a few cars going fast enough for him to ticket them, although most would be cutting it close.

As he settled back into the seat, he couldn't help but think about how things had worked out. His ex had run off when he had thought about marrying her. Instead, he entered the academy and had finally been allowed to go out alone at the start of the month. It had been a big step for him, as it finally meant he was being trusted to do his job.

His radar beeped, drawing him out of his thoughts. He looked down, blinking. He flipped his sirens on, before pulling after the car that was doing nearly 15 over the speed limit. If this worked out, he could actually get some credit at the precinct.

As the car stopped, Tay reviewed proper procedure, searching the plates as well, before pulling his hat on and stepping out of the cruiser. He made his way to the driver's window, noticing it was a woman right away. Something seemed to be off about the woman though.

"Afternoon ma'am. Did you know you were going 15 miles over the speed limit?" he asked politely, before squaring up. "May I please see your license and registration?"

 

[celestialdragon]

"Sure," Gwyn said, handing it to him. "And no, not really. Thought the speed limit was higher. My mistake."

Her heart pounded in her chest. If she got caught. . .

I'm such a stupid idiot, she thought. The simplest mistake is what's going to get me caught, and it turns out to be speeding. I fucking hate my life right now.

She drummed her fingers lightly on the steering wheel, waiting for him to check the alias out so she could go. She REALLY needed to get out of town. Now.

 

[raiguy]

Tay noted how impatient the woman looked, before walking back to his car. As he got back, he saw that there was a notice on the license plates. He sighed, before checking them. Great, the plates were out of date. So he not only had to ticket her, but also write a citation for having expired plates.

He checked her license and registration before seeing everything else clear. He couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that something wasn't right about this situation. As he was walking back to give the woman her ID and registration back, he saw something that immediately put him on notice.

"Ma'am, would you please step out of the car." he said, handing her license and registration back. He had his hand on his weapon, making it clear that she needed to follow his directions, and immediately.

 

[celestialdragon]

"Why do you need me to step out of my vehicle?" Gwyn immediately asked, looking up at the officer for the first time. She noticed his hand on his weapon and sighed. She reluctantly opened her door and got out of the vehicle. Had she used an alias that had a red flag on it?

She thought about drawing her own weapon and shooting him, before taking off, but she dismissed the idea. Cops were fiercely protective of their own, and she would for sure get the death penalty.

She read the last name on his uniform. Jameson.

Please Lord, don't let it be Tay, she thought to herself.

 

[raiguy]

Tay smiled softly at the woman, trying to let her know he wasn't trying to be threatening, but he had to do his duty, and this was the way he had been taught to make sure he didn't end up as a murdered cop.

"Ma'am, it looks like your trunk has been jimmied. That, along with the expired license plates, requires me to ask if it is alright to search the vehicle in case it is stolen," he said, remembering what his sergeant had said.

As he walked with the woman, he couldn't help but notice the perfume she was wearing. It brought back memories, and without thinking about it, he softly said, "Gwyn," before walking back to the trunk.

 

[celestialdragon]

Gwyn heard the cop whisper her name and her mind searched as she tried to figure out how he knew it was her. . .

The perfume. A rose scented perfume her godmother had gotten her hooked on. Tay loved it. . .

It had to be Tay. It was the only person, unless she was single, that she wore that perfume for. . .

She had to run. She had to. She was only about five miles away from the Texas/New Mexico border. There, she could steal another car, get some more drugs, drive to Utah. . .

She took off running when his back was turned.

 

[raiguy]

Tay heard the footsteps before he realized what was happening. His mind suddenly registered what he said, before he took off after the woman, who he realized suddenly had to be Gwyn.

He was lucky that the precinct demanded physical fitness tests monthly, as it made sure he stayed in very good shape. The 10 pounds of equipment he packed hardly bothered him nowadays, as he sprinted after Gwyn.

He quickly caught her, before nearly tackling her over the edge of the highway, into a grassy area cut off from traffic.

He looked at Gwyn, before shaking his head. "How bad is it?" he asked, his tone telling her not to lie to him this time.

 

[celestialdragon]

Gwyn swore when Tay caught her, but didn't struggle.

She was caught. She was going to jail for the rest of her life. Or die within the next few years.

She heard his question and she shook her head. "It's real bad, Tay. Real bad." She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "Please. . . let me go. You don't have to tell anyone. I'll disappear, I always do. Please. . ." Her lower lip wobbled, but she wasn't going to let him see her cry. "I will make sure that no one knows that I was here. Please, Tay."

 

[raiguy]

Tay shook his head. " I can't do that Gwyn. After the dashboard can saw you run, I'd be suspended for letting you go. If it's as bad as you say, maybe having a friend on the inside isn't such a bad thing, is it?" He asked, letting Gwyn sit up.

He didn't want to just his ex. Hell, if he was being honest with himself, he still loved her. He sighed before thinking. "What are the charges you're being faced with, and what could be knocked down to something else?" He asked.

 

[celestialdragon]

Gwyn rocked herself back and forth. "Theft. . . Drug possession. . . Arson. . . . Murder. . . Fraud. . . Identity theft. . . Nothing I have done can be reduced. . . I'm going to die. Somehow. I'm either getting life, no chance of parole, or I'm going to be on death row. There's no way out for me, except to run."

She missed Tay. A lot. He was the only one of her boyfriends who actually took care of him. But she was a flight risk, she wasn't used to him being gentle and sweet and such. So she left him, and had a string of

She fumbled for a joint and lit up. She was already in a shitload of trouble, smoking a joint to calm her nerves wasn't a big deal.

 

[raiguy]

Tay shook his head before pulling the joint and snuffing it. "No more breaking the law. Now the , let's think. Was the murder in self defence, or could it be construed that way? Do you well drugs for an organization, or not. If you can say yes to both of those honestly, we might be able to do something about that and get you out of what you're doing," he said with a soft smile. He did want to help, but he needed more info before talking to his friend at the DA's office.

 

[celestialdragon]

Gwyn nodded to the murder question. "An ex got violent," she mumbled quietly. "I had enough. I pulled a knife and stabbed him. The drugs I've been doing on my own. The murder was slightly premeditated, though, so I don't know how you're going to get a self-defense plea out of that. I stabbed him over 30 times, Tay, they're not going to see it as self-defense." She buried her face in her hands. "I fucked up majorly, Tay. There's pretty much nothing you can do, except maybe attend my execution. I hope they do the lethal injection. I've heard hanging is a pretty painful death."

 

[raiguy]

Tay nodded. "The fact that the ex got violent let's self defense stand. Who do you buy the drugs from?" He asked. He needed more info if his friend was going to have any chance at helping her out. He sighed softly.

"Gwyn, I'm going to have to take you I. I can mitigate everything so that you are out of there today with nothing but a speeding ticket. From there, we need to have a serious talk if you want me to help you," he said softly, before looking at her and waiting for her response.

 

[celestialdragon]

Gwyn shook her head, her face still buried. "I don't know. I contact him whenever I need supplies and they're always dropped off in a secure location," she said. "Tay, you can't help me. . . I fucked up too big this time. . . They have my prints from the murder, and they have video of me throwing Molotov cocktails into a busy street. . . I've been fingered by several people who have bought drugs from me. . . They have most of my aliases, I don't even know how many I have anymore."

Her body trembled. "And now, of all things, a fucking speeding ticket. A SPEEDING TICKET is what got me caught. . . All because I need to get out of here. . ."

 

[raiguy]

Tay smiled suddenly. "That's it. The murder was actually self defense, and the drugs are due to either the cartels down here, or the gangs that seem to be moving in down here. From the sound of it, it sounds like you are dealing with the Mexican cartel. If they are threatening you, we can use this to possibly get you into witness protection to hopefully help bring this down. After that's over, we can deal with the self defense. So at most, you're facing charges you did to keep yourself safe. The drugs can be used to turn you state and they'll probably push that aside. The murder was self defense, especially if the ex had a history of violence, he said, suddenly seeing a way to help Gwyn.

 

[celestialdragon]

Gwyn sighed. "If you say so," she said softly. She finally brought her face up to meet Tay's eyes. Tears streamed from her own. "Look." She dug into her shorts and handed him $500. "Here's the money for that ticket. Paying in advance. Don't even have to go to court. . . again. . ."

Her hands shook as she brought them up behind her head and interlocked her fingers as she spoke, though, knowing that he wouldn't take the money and let her go.

 

[raiguy]

Tay shook his head, chuckling slightly. "No need to pay. The only reason why I'm taking you in is to say your car broke down, you were a friend, and that something ended up blowing away. It'll look like that on the camera anyways, so we can go from there. Once we are done with the ticket, I'll write it off and we can go talk," he said, hoping she'd just work with him.

 

[celestialdragon]

Gwyn nodded, trying to calm down. For Tay's sake if not her own. "Okay," she whispered. She could do this. If she went into Witness Protection, she didn't have to worry about crime.

But she loved it so much. . . How could she leave this lifestyle? She loved being in control, doing things on her own time, being her own boss. . . How could she give that up?

"Where will I stay for the night?" she asked softly.

 

[raiguy]

Tay looked at her as he walked them to his cruiser. "With me. Your car broke down and you're with me. That's all it is. We will talk, relax, and figure out a plan. That's all there is to it. Then we need to get you off of your adrenaline junky habit," he said with a smile before starting to head towards the station.

 

[celestialdragon]

Gwyn nodded. She felt uncomfortable in the police cruiser. It reminded her exactly how disreputable she was. But she trusted Tay. . . to a point. She knew he truly had to help.

"What about my stuff in the car?" she asked. "Are you going to get rid of it? 'Cause. . . there's a lot of things in there that could destroy me. . ."

 

[raiguy]

Tay smiled. "We will take care of it. Right now I at least need to get out of this car. Then we can come back and dispose of everything. Stop worrying and let the cop pe a cop," he said with a chuckle.

 

[celestialdragon]

Gwyn ran her fingers through her hair. "Right, let a cop be a cop. If you were being a cop, I'd be in handcuffs. And we both know it. You're being a friend right now. There's a difference. I have spent the last five years evading cops. I can't turn off that thinking right now."

 

[raiguy]

Tay shrugged. "I could always actually arrest you for resisting arrest, or something like that, if you wanted me to be a cop," he said, his tone lacking the comical edge from earlier. He wanted to help, but knew that if Gwyn wouldn't let him, then he couldn't help.

 

[celestialdragon]

"You never said that I was under arrest, Tay," Gwyn said dryly. "Look, I really need a friend right now. You're the only person left I trust at the moment. It's just going to take me some time to adjust. Five years of being a fugitive, remember."