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THE STREETS OF CENTRAL CITY was oddly quiet. The birds chirping from the nearby park and the silent hum of the car engines making their usual commute to work were soothing for Detective Wu. She should have seen this as a warning that her life would soon change.

Detective Wu and her partner Detective Golding stepped out of the police car parked outside of Jitters. Their morning ritual. Coffee and a pastry from Central City's finest coffee chain.

"We have to make this one quick today," said Detective Golding.

"He's still pissed?" she asked him.

Golding sighed.

"It was bad," he pulled the front door of the establishment open and held it for Detective Wu, "she got away."

Wu's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I don't get it," she confessed. "Why can't you guys charge her again? She clearly did it."

The pair waited in line. A couple fine with PDA and a nerdy forensic scientist stood in front of them. The forensic scientist, the detectives recognized as Barry Allen, gave them a nod in acknowledgment to which they returned.

"Probable Cause," replied Golding. "She cleaned up pretty damn good."

"I'm sorry...but isn't Dottie Carrington a mobster?"

"Vanessa..."

"Is she not?" Vanessa asked.

"She is, but she isn't."

Vanessa looked at her partner with a raised brow.

"What does that even mean?"

Golding sighed.

"It means, yes, she is, but the public doesn't know that because there's no concrete proof that she is. So she is but she isn't" Golding clarified.

"So..." Vanessa paused for a moment, "we know but were not supposed to know?"

"Exactly."

"That's ridiculous."

"Oh, absolutely, but we can't do anything about it," Golding explained. "She has people everywhere that can take the fall and clean up crime scenes. Some say she even has some people inside CCPD."

"Do you believe that, Ezra?" Vanessa asked Detective Golding.

Ezra gave her a look that summed up his belief quite well. His phone began to ring the moment they reached the register. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the number.

"I gotta take this. Do you mind getting this one?" he asked Vanessa. "I'll get the next one."

"Yeah, yeah," she said as she motioned him away with her hands.

Vanessa watched as Ezra slipped out the door and passed by a gentleman in a leather jacket. The man looked familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The mysterious man caught the attention of her partner; however, who eyed the man's movements while he was on the phone with Captain Singh.

The man entered the jewelry store next to Jitters.

Vanessa turned to the barista.

Another familiar face.

Iris West smiled at Vanessa.

"Your usual?" asked Iris.

"Please," said Vanessa.

"$10.50."

Vanessa paid and Iris carried on with their order.

Vanessa grabbed a couple of extra sugar packets. She glanced out the window to find Ezra gone, but she assumed he was waiting in the car.

"Here you go," said Iris as she handed her a tray with two coffees and a small bag filled with two cheese Danish.

"Thanks."

"Any time."

"Hey!" Iris called out to the detective before she could exit the establishment. "Tell my father to take it easy? He's working so hard on this case. I'm afraid it's gonna take a toll on him."

Vanessa gave her an empathetic smile.

"I'll tell him, but you know your father."

"Yeah, I know."

Vanessa placed the tray of coffee on top of the car and unlocked the car door. She placed the bag of pastries on the dashboard then took both coffees out of the tray and placed them in the cup holders. She tossed the tray in the trash beside the front doors of Jitters.

Vanessa got into the driver's side of the car and waited for Ezra.

"Where the hell is he?" she mumbled to herself.

Suddenly the passenger side door opened.

Expecting Ezra, Vanessa said, "About time. I was gonna leave your ass."

Before she could look to her right, Vanessa felt the cold barrel of a gun press against her temple. Her heart skipped a beat. She snuck a peak at the culprit from the rearview mirror. It was the mystery man from earlier.

"Where is my partner?"

"That's not how this works," said the man with a smirk.

"What do you want?"

"Glad you asked," he said then shut the door and locked them.

"You're gonna take me to the warehouse on sixth."

"Okay..." she said anxiously as she attempted to slyly reach for her radio.

It was stupid.

She knew that, but she was desperate.

The man chuckled.

"I wouldn't if I were you..." he said.

From the rearview mirror, Vanessa noticed the brown sack filled to the brim with jewels and other diamonds. The ringing from the store alarm has now gone off. The man grew a bit nervous at the sound. He pressed the gun harder into her temple that it could've given her migraine.

"I rigged that store with explosives with your partner fast asleep inside," he warned her, and she exhaled a gasp. "Don't make me make his slumber permanent."

"Okay...okay."

"Drive."

"NOW!" he shouted and Vanessa stepped on it.

The police car sped down the streets of Central City. The honking of horns and the screeching of tires of innocent civilians attempting to dodge the getaway car echoed in her ears.

"You know you don't have to do this..." said Vanessa.

"I know, but I want to," the man replied.

His smirk never faltered.

"Is it a loved one?" Vanessa asked him. "Someone you care about is sick or in desperate need of money? Gonna lose a home or behind on payments?"

"No," the man shrugged. "I just love money."

His honesty took her aback.

"Ever heard of a job," she retorted.

Before the man could counter, the sounds of sirens in the distance caught their attention.

"Detective Wu!" said the voice of Captain Singh through the radio. "What the hell are you doing?"

She reached for the radio when the man snatched it. The man smiled and grabbed one of the coffees. He took a sip.

"Asshole," she muttered.

"Good morning, Captain," he spoke into the radio. "It's me, Leonard Snart. Hope the family's well. Here's what's gonna happen. You will stop your pursuit or I'll blow Detective Wu's brains out all over the dashboard."

Her eyes widened, and the radio grew silent. The sirens soon stop and the police cars become the size of ants in her rearview mirror.

Snart smirked.

"What do you want?" said Singh

"Going radio silent," replied Snart as he shut the radio off.

The rest of the drive is silent.

Vanessa pulled up to the warehouse and Snart removed the gun from her temple. She turned to him, finally getting a better look at the infamous criminal. He had eyes almost as blue as the sapphires in his bag. His skin was pale with a hint of a tan. His leather jacket clung to his biceps.

"So, you're Leonard Snart?"

"Always pleased to meet a fan," he replied and she scoffed.

"I guess you're not as smart as they claim," she said as he got out of the car.

"And why do you say that?"

"Because I know where you are now," she answered with a smirk of her own. "I'll be back with more officers."

Snart leaned on the open window.

"I don't plan to be here when you get back," he countered. "I guess you overestimated yourself, Detective."

"Or maybe you underestimated me?"

"I guess we'll see."

"I guess we will."

A/N:

Terrible first chapter 😭
Sorry guys