As I’m riding with Joseph on our way to his hideout, I can’t help but think of all the things that we went through together. And how it might have all contributed to where we are today. I guess I was thinking out loud, because Joseph interrupts my thoughts.

“Samantha, you did have something to do with why I constantly rob banks.”

“Joseph, I want to help you. And I’m curious. What did I do? What did I do to make you start robbing banks?”

Joseph’s answer shocks me. I mean it really shocks me. And not a lot of things shock me, considering the fact that I am a Federal-Agent-In-Training.

“You left me, Samantha. You said that you loved me, and that you would always be there for me. But then you left. And I couldn’t find you. I was confused. I didn’t know how to process someone like you being in love with someone like me. I found myself unworthy. I was a fool to not have come after you when I had the chance. But after you left, I knew that I had totally blown my chance of ever being with you.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything? Even before I left?”

Joseph stops the car, pulls a piece of my auburn hair behind my ear, and looks into my eyes. I stare deeply into his, enchanted by every feature of his face. From the firmness of his jaw line, to the deepness of his dimples. The way that his hair was swept perfectly to the left side and hung low over his eye. Then he speaks again. “How could I have said anything? You make me out to be this super-strong guy with this awesome body, great academic grades, and no cares in the world. But in reality, I am the anti of everything. You have no idea what I went through. I was expected to be everything that I’m not. You were the only one that kept me sane. And when you left… I just snapped. I couldn’t take it any more. And I had no way of letting out my anger that didn’t result in a bad way. I just want to know that I can be protect—.”

I didn’t let him finish. I pulled him into me and kissed him long and hard. I could feel all of the tension and stress that had built up inside of him. His pillowy lips released a story to me, and suddenly, I could feel his pain. With each kiss, I felt all of his worry going away.

“I can protect you. You just have to trust me. But the first thing that you have to do in order to feel better is to turn yourself in. Maybe if you do that, then they won’t imprison you for long…”

Joseph gets an unreadable look on his face, and I can tell that I just said the wrong thing. “Samantha,” he starts, “ I can’t do that. Do you know of the severity of what I have done? I have robbed banks. I have stolen more than 15 million dollars from a series of banks. If they catch me, I’m going to die. Don’t you care about me?”

I shed a tear before continuing. “Of course I care about you. Joseph, I love you. But justice needs to be served. You know that what you have done is wrong. And you know that you are going to get caught.”

“They’ll never catch me. I’ve been doing this for years.” He starts the car and continues driving, his hands holding the steering wheel in a death grip. “They’ll never catch me.”

“Yes they will, Joseph. Because they already have.” Time for the moment of truth. “Joseph Robert Jaeger, I am Agent Jones of the F.B.I., and you are under arrest for robbery and obstruction of justice.”

“Are you kidding me, Sam?”

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law.”

“Samantha, I thought you loved me. What the hell are you doing?

“You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford your own attorney, we will provide one for you.”

“I’m not taking you to the hideout. You’re not kidding are you?”

I can hear the panicking in his voice. I have a clear shot to put handcuffs on him and call for a squad car, but then he turns the car around and starts heading back to Wal-Mart. I try to grab the wheel from him, but he’s too swift for me and he throws me over his shoulder into the back seat. Next thing I know, we’re going down he wrong way on a one-way street.

“Joey, stop! You’re going to kill us!” I scream.

“Why should I care? You’re trying to kill me!” he shouts back.

We were way over the speed limit. Try an average of 120 miles per hour! My stomach is about to come out of my throat, and I can see my 18-year-old life flashing before my eyes. Before I know it, we’ve pulled into the Wal-Mart, and Joseph is out of the car running toward the loading dock. Now past the loading dock. Now…oh great. I think I need backup. Slutty voice time.

“Hey Tristen. I need you to help me with a teeny tiny little thing.”

“Yes, sweetheart. Anything for you. Where are you?’

“Chasing out culprit behind Wal-Mart. I need you to make an advance and start chasing him in the car.”

“On it. Love you. “

“Um… and you are the McMuffin of friends.”


*************
I was never a really good runner, but I guess I had motivation, since I could see only blurs of trees as I was running past him. But then I came to an abrupt stop. Is the law really more important than the friendship that I have with Joseph? I thought. Well, it’s not like I can bring him home to dad. I mean what would I say? “Look dad. I’m marrying one of America’s Most Wanted.”? I really do love him. But is he worth it? I looked up and saw Tristen on the move. He had a look of determination on his face, and I could tell that he had an ulterior motive. I had made up my mind. “Joseph, you are worth it. To me, that is.”
I got a sudden burst of adrenaline, and started running at top speed. I had to get there before Tristen, or else Joseph’s life would go down the drain because of me. I ran even faster. The thought of seeing Joseph made me go at silver bullet speed. Within ten minutes, I had made it past an elementary school, a private jet hangar, and a Dairy Queen, until I get to Cy-Creek High School. I knew that this would be Joey’s main place of comfort, because this is the school that he went to before he met me.
I heard Tristen’s voice in my ear. “Samantha, they’re having a show in the cafeteria. If he were smart, then he would be in there. I’m going to stake out the entrance.”
I’d finally caught up with Joseph, and I could see that he was smart—smart enough to not only go in with the crowded area, but to disguise himself as a performer. I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the side.
“Samantha! Get the f*** off me! I swear to God I’ll scream rape. Let me g—.” I pulled him into a kiss. He squirmed for a while before finally settling down. When we parted, I gave him a run-over of what had happened on the run over here. I told him everything. And as I finished, he just looked at me. But it wasn’t an I-don’t-believe-you look; it was more of a can-you-have-my-children look.
When the silence was too much to bear, I started talking. “I might love the law, but I love you more. And I can’t believe that for even a second I thought that it was more important to me than you are. I guess that since I had been brainwashed into thinking that justice was everything, I forgot that you were my everything. I am so sorry that I forgot. But being with you today made me remember. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
I could tell by his eyes that his emotion had changed. They had gone from pale blue to a ravishing sky blue. “Sammy, I love you more than words can explain. My heart just about died when you revealed yourself to me. And when you insisted on arresting me, I couldn’t believe that you were serious. But now you have your partner ready to arrest me, and kick my ass, and here you are ready to keep me from wasting my life away in a jail cell. Not to mention giving up your career for me.”
“Don’t forget that the Chief of the force is none other than my dad,” I added.
“S***, then you’re double screwed.”
“Yeah. But you’re worth it.”
“Joey, do me a favor.”
“Like I said, anything for you.”
I grabbed him for one more kiss, but then let go. “I need you to run right in front of Tristen, my partner, tell him that you love me, kick him in the balls, and run under a table. I’ll have a surprise for you later in the show.”
Joseph looked at me like I was on drugs. Though I couldn’t really tell, because with the rays from the setting sun framing his face and creating an aura, he looked divine.
“Trust me,” I said. “The reward will be completely worth it.”
He looked unsure about whether to go for the challenge at first, but then he slowly warmed up to the idea. “Okay, I trust you. But this had better be a really good surprise.”
I kissed him good luck and watched the show unfold. From what I could see, Joseph had gone directly up to Tristen, laid it all on the line, kicked him in the nuts as Tristen’s eyes got big from processing the information that had just been given to him, threw me a thumbs up (which I returned with a blown kiss), and went inside.

After going into asthma-attack-creating hysterics, I went around the side of the school to gain entrance through the back door. When I was in, I found my way toward the stage and took a look outside the curtains. I easily spotted Joey under the table. It’s not hard to spot a five-foot-seven criminal with a fruit hat on his head hiding out under a table in the front row. Which is why I found it funny when I saw Tristen in a frantic search holding his frijoles.
Before curtain call, I made my way to the dressing room, and pretended to be a common performer. Only two minutes till curtain. I found a peacock costume and put on the wide array of gold. Then some fishnet stockings and the feather headdress, which pulled my hair into a flowing ponytail. Next, some faux eyelashes and a little glitter golden eye shadow. I thought that I would look ridiculous, but in all retrospect, I looked pretty hot. Not even hot. Inferno blazing sexy.
As I walked out on stage, I could feel all eyes on me, all of them thinking the same thing: Where did this new chick come from? And where is our original dancer? Well, if you must know, I came from my mom and my dad, and the original is stuffed away in a closet, tied up with a sock taped over her mouth. But that’s beside the point.
While the curtain rose, I took my position. When the music started, I looked around and followed the steps to a “T”. When I looked out into the crowd… I froze. Not only was Tristen there, but so was my dad, and all of the N.Y.P.D. Joseph was right when he said that I was screwed. I immediately ran off the stage and motioned for Joseph to follow me towards the back door. I called for the car to meet us back there. Joseph and I pushed our way through confused by passers. Within eyeshot was the light at the end of the tunnel—the back door. We could have made a clean escape, if it wasn’t for the whole brigade meeting us outside the door.
“Agent Jones, what’s going on?” my dad asked.
“Well, it may look one way, but it’s not that way. You see, I was just about to escort Jaeger down to the precinct, when—.”
Chief put up his hand as to cut me off. “Agent Kent has already informed me of the circumstance. Samantha, how could you? You made an oath to this force to keep the streets free of injustice. Yet here you are about to single-handedly let off a convicted felon. One charged with over five accounts of robbery, no less. I thought your mother and I raised you better than that.”
“Dad, I love him. Though he might deserve what’s trying to be imposed on him, can’t we just forgive and forget?” I tried.
“Yes we can. We can un-forgive him, give him a lethal injection, and forget about him,” he shot back.
“Make your decision right now. I love him and am taking him with me. Like it or not. So we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. But either way, I’m walking away with him. So what’s it going to be?” I challenged.
My dad got a sad look in his eyes. But that immediately changed to one of fury. “Agent Jones, you know how much the N.Y.P.D. likes a challenge,” Chief started. This got him a round of chuckles from the force. I made a gagging look.
I pulled my gun from inside my costume. Joseph pulled out his, in addition to a fifty-caliber machine gun and two A.K. 74s. He tossed me one and I caught it with ease and cocked it. “Thanks, babe,” I said.
“No problem,” he replied.
Every person on the force pulled out their gun, as well as Tristen and my dad, who both looked like they were intended on giving Joseph headshots.
Chief pulled out the bullhorn and gave us our options. “Okay,” he said, “Here’s what can happen: You can put your weapons down and come to us slowly with your hands on your head, and not shots will be fired. Or you can go the route that you’re going now, and shots will ring for miles around. Which do you choose?”
I looked to Joseph. Is this really what you want to do? We can still walk away. But no matter what you choose to do, I’ll be by your side all the way.
The look in his eyes said: I’m sure. You ready?
Lets do this.
“EAT LEAD, SUCKERS!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Within deci-seconds of me saying those three words, Joseph fired at least two rounds of shots and hit more than five people. I was stunned at first, but then went into action mode, letting the jolt of the A.K. 74 power each shot. I had rage and fury on my face and fire in my heart as I hit each of my targets. I see that Tristen is making an advance on Joseph. I pause for a couple of seconds to see what’s going on. But before I have time to focus my eyes, I hear a couple of deafening shots and the thumping of a body.
“Oh my God. Tristen!” I run over to where he lay, and looked into his eyes. “My sweet friend. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. You should never have gotten dragged into this. I owe my life to you. You can’t die on me. Not right now. Please don’t do this to me,” I cried.
“Samantha. You said that you would hold yourself personally responsible for this. Good luck telling mom,” he says.
I chuckle. But then I cry as I hear his moans of pain, his blood pooling around him.
“Tristen, I always loved you. You will always be my number one guy.” I kiss his lips as his eyes slowly close. “Wait, Tristen. Don’t you dare die. Don’t do this to me, Tristen. Tristen, I forbid you from dieing. Please, Tristen, I need you. I love you.”
Joseph calls for me, and while I look to him, I think of everything that I went through with Tristen. And how that can’t stop me from going on with my life. I run over to Joseph and fire a couple more rounds of shots.
“No sympathy, Samantha. It’s easier that way,” he tries.
“Then lets take out these no-good sons of bitches.”
“That’s my girl. Ready to make a run for it?”
I take one last look back at Tristen’s dying figure. “Lets go.”
We start firing while running toward the car. I make a couple of advanced shots at some people that are up on the surrounding buildings. Joseph and I jump into the car, and start revving out of the parking lot. We have to duck down on account of people trying very hard to kill us, but we make it out whole, or so I thought.
We are almost out of the parking lot, when a last round of shots are fired, one scraping the side of my stomach, barely missing any vital organs.
“Ugh!” I scream.
“Are you hit?” Joseph asks.
I look and see that I’m bleeding pretty profusely, but nothing fatal. “No, just a graze. But it still hurts like a mother.”
He takes a look and winces. “Hold on sweetie. We’ll get you some help as soon as we can.” We’re now on the freeway, heading to Somewhereland, U.S.A.
“By the way, I’m impressed by the way you handled things back there. You’re pretty good,” he compliments.
I blush. “I had some pretty strong motivation,” I say.
“Hell yeah, you did. Let me warn you. The criminal life is a pretty hard one. Are you sure you can roll with me?”
I think of the day that I had today, and wonder if it’s all worth it. Then I recall what I thought earlier: Joseph is worth it. “To the death,” I reply.