𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 & 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐡𝐞𝐦 || 𝐉𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐥 (𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐈𝐈)

13 - Jeonghan

"Are we good to go?" Soonyoung says from the passenger seat.

We're about a block away from the prison. It's late at night, and we only have about thirty minutes until shift change. Once the earlier shift goes home, we have to move. We have a small window to get in there, turn everything upside down, and get out.

Seokmin is going to go in the visiting area and act panicked and say his friend is in labor. Joshua is going to get behind the wheel of the truck and drive away, so when the officers come out to take a look, the car is going to be gone. Seokmin will panic even more, and the officers will be sidetracked enough to look away from the jail for a minute.

In the meantime, Soonyoung will go to the control panel of the jail and cut the power and steel doors. Jihoon will get inside the jail and find Seungcheol, telling him to go out the back door. I will be standing by the back door, and by the time Seungcheol gets out, I'll be waiting for him, everyone will be back in the truck down the road, and they will take us as close to the border as possible.

Jihoon hasn't forgiven me, and he certainly hasn't forgiven Seungcheol, though we're a team. We don't do this alone. We've always done things together. Blood, sweat, and tears, and we aren't going to stop now.

The people at the jail will be so bombarded with everything that has been going on, they shouldn't notice Seungcheol missing for at least enough time to give us a head start.

Who knows if it will work. If even one thing goes wrong, we'll be screwed. We could all be behind bars in only a matter of hours, or we could be on our way to the border.

"I'm ready," I breathe, clutching onto the coat Soonyoung grabbed for Seungcheol.

However difficult this mission is going to be, he'll need a coat to get through this winter.

"Good to go," Seokmin says from the back seat.

"Let's do this," Joshua breathes from the driver's seat.

"I'm nervous at shit, but I guess I have no other choice," Jihoon grumbles.

We all hop out of the car across the street and around the corner of the prison. Joshua, with a fake belly underneath his hoodie and a wig on top of his shoulder length hair, sits in the driver's seat. Seokmin hops in the passenger seat, dramatically placing his hand over his belly.

"We've got this, Momma."

Joshua's face wrinkles. "Shut the fuck up, Seokmin."

I let out an unsteady breath, shaking out my arms and fingers as I hop onto the sidewalk.

"Just stay by the back door. There's a dumpster back there, so if you hear any noise, hide under it. Not behind it, but under it. Got me?" Soonyoung levels me a look.

I nod, watching him closely. "Got it."

We pause on the corner beside an oak tree, and Joshua pulls off the side of the road and makes his way across the street, to the visitors' entrance of the prison.

"Fuck, this could go so wrong," I groan, watching Joshua park off to the side of the entrance.

Soonyoung reaches out and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. I glance up at him, and he's watching me with an assuredness I didn't realize I needed.

"We're going to get him out of there, Jeonghan. We'll get him back for you."

I squeeze his hand, emotion bubbling in my chest, but I refuse to let it free. "Thank you, Soon. For everything."

He nods, pinching his lips together. "Anything for you, Hannie."

The truck is shifted into park, and Seokmin steps out, running his fingers through his hair about a million times. He gives a thumbs-up to Joshua, and I can't help but crack a smile as a whole new persona overtakes him. He looks like a distraught father-to-be as he slouches a little bit, moving his hands erratically as he races to the entrance.

"Holy shit, he got ugly quick," Soonyoung grumbles.

I chuckle, curling my toes in my boots as I wait for the go-ahead. Joshua waits a few minutes, and then I watch as the taillights light up as he shifts into drive. He pulls around the parking lot and gives us a thumbs-up through the window as he drives around the side of the building.

"I'm going to go. I'll see you guys on the flip side," Soonyoung gives us a nod before darting across the street.

I turn to Jihoon. "I better go too. Wait by the back door. Will you be okay?"

Jihoon stares at me a moment before giving me a single nod. "I'm going to head across the street, wait for Seokmin to bring them out here and distract them and I'll slip inside. I'll see you in a bit?" Jihoon is cold, which I feel is completely valid, but it still hurts to see him not the friendly, bubbly boy he used to be.

"Yeah. I'll see you in a bit," I mumble, and then I pull my hood over my head and dart across the street. I go in the opposite direction of Soonyoung, making my way toward the backside of the jail.

Once I make it to the door, I crouch down beside it, my entire body coiled tight as I wait to see Seungcheol.

I only saw him this morning, but it feels like I haven't seen him in ages. I miss him, and I want him to be okay. I want him to know that I'm okay.

We'll be okay.

Please be okay.

To be continued...