Vanguard Security

by S. J. Bishop

  I shook my head. “What would be the point? No, they went for something bigger, and I’m going to figure out what. Move,” I ordered.

  “I don’t know how much I like this new Ned.” Cruz nonetheless got up from his desk.

  I sat down and got to work, looking over the system logs, looking for anything suspicious. “If they broke in using my credentials, then that means they probably used my login to do some snooping. So let’s find out what I’ve been up to since I’ve been unconscious.”

  Cruz and Franklin both looked over my shoulders as I fell into the rhythm of work.

  “That’s it!” I shouted, pointing at the screen. “The prisoner logs. They were looking for someone. How did you miss this, Franklin?”

  “You’re losing your touch,” Cruz teased.

  “Shut up and just tell us what you’re getting.”

  “Oh… this is bad.”

  “What is it?” Cruz asked, moving closer to the screen, trying to decipher the mess I had created on his computer.

  “They want Shadow.”

  “So… that means…” Franklin started. “First Century Bank is updating their security system this week… it would be the perfect time for a heist. And London’s most wanted bank robber strikes again!”

  Suddenly, an idea hit me. “What if we’ve been going about this all wrong? We always assumed that the X-Gang would have been led by a man – someone with a history – with a record,” I mumbled, trying to explain my thoughts as I viciously typed away. “But what if it’s being governed from the inside? Shadow’s giving someone commands, and who better to follow them than his girl?”

  I pulled up a picture of a rugged looking woman with choppy black hair and a septum ring. “Leticia Black,” I said. “They were married ten years ago when they were both serving their time for petty crimes. She’s never been convicted of anything since then. She’s the one. She’s the puppet master behind this whole thing. The real Shadow.”

  22

  Stacey

  Oh god. Everything hurt. I tried to move, but it was impossible. Not only were my muscles tight, but I had been tied up, my hands behind my back, my waist cinched to a cold metal pole.

  I blinked but still, I could not see. I was blindfolded.

  Panic threatened to overwhelm me. Where was I? What had happened to me? All I could remember was sitting on the park bench and then this woman had approached me, talking about Emil and how he had duped her. I had actually been falling for her lies, and when I’d realized the truth, it had already been too late. So now, here I was.

  Why hadn’t I just stayed with Lisa like I was supposed to?

  Desperate to escape, I rubbed my wrists together, hoping to free myself, but all I managed to do was chafe my skin against the coarse rope.

  “Don’t bother,” a deep, husky voice whispered into my ear.

  Suddenly, the blindfold was torn off.

  A bright light flooded into my eyes. I squeezed them tight, gulping back the pain. When I finally managed to open them again, I was surprised to find Emil squatting beside me. His face was stern, but behind his cold expression, I could have sworn I saw regret.

  “Emil… why are you doing this…?” I started, my voice already choked up. “I…”

  He pressed a finger to my lips before leaning forward. I shivered, feeling his warm breath against my ear. “Shh… don’t talk,” he said. “I’m sorry about what I did. I know an apology won’t do much at this point, but I want you to know that I never wanted to treat you badly. It just… happened. My temper has never been something I can control…” His fingers tightened even as he spoke. “I’m going to try to get you out of this mess.”

  I didn’t know if I should believe him or not. Even when we were dating, he had been prone to mood swings, but nothing this drastic.

  “But… what are you doing? Why did you kidnap me? Please… just let me go… I won’t say a word.”

  “I thought I told you to stay quiet,” he growled, his hand gripping my thigh in an almost violent manner. “Do you want to get us both killed?”

  The word killed shook me to my core.

  Of course I didn’t want to die. At least, not here. Not now. I needed to get back to my baby – back to Ned. One way or another, I needed to survive this.

  “So just shut up and do exactly as I say, got it?” Without another word, he placed the blindfold back on my head.

  I struggled against it, an inkling of claustrophobia welling inside of me, but somehow, I managed to keep it under control. I breathed in deeply, trying to keep myself calm. I would survive this. I had to.

  We drove for a while. The jostling of the van soon became familiar to me. It almost seemed like we were driving around in circles, but I was probably just imagining things. For all I knew, we were probably already in the heart of Wales.

  Suddenly, however, the car stopped. I jerked forward, the rope painfully digging into my skin.

  Doors were opened and closed. A gust of wind blew in, followed by the sound of heavy boots approaching.

  I tensed up, sensing danger.

  The blindfold was once again pulled away. This time, I looked up at Leticia; her eyes were fierce. “Good to see you’re awake because you’re about to be part of the biggest bank heist of all time.”

  My eyes widened. “Bank heist?”

  Suddenly, her hand flew out, slapping me across the cheek.

  My head spun.

  “Rule number one, you won’t speak. Rule number two, you do exactly as we say because if you don’t, I have no issue with paying your friend Lisa a nice little visit and slaughtering every last person in that house, including your precious little baby.”

  “You won’t!” I screamed. “Don’t you dare touch my baby, or I swear you’ll regret it!”

  She laughed. “You’re not in much of a position to threaten me.” She stepped closer, gun in hand. “If I wanted, I could end this right now. Blow your brains out, and I’d have one less headache to deal with, but as it so happens, I need you.”

  I wanted to ask her a million and one questions, but I feared what would happen if I spoke out of turn. So I bit the inside of my lip, forcing myself to stay quiet.

  She smirked. “You’re learning.” She turned toward Emil. “Alright, break her loose, give her a gun, and then it’s show time.” Her cackle echoed loudly as she jumped out the back.

  This woman was completely insane…

  What the hell had I gotten myself into?

  23

  Ned

  Alright… let’s see if Emil is going to help me here…” I mumbled to myself, pulling up the tracking program. “Eureka!” I smirked. “You’ve got to love it when someone always uses the same old jacket but never bothers to check the pockets.”

  “Oh, that’s brilliant,” Franklin smirked. “You’re really outdoing yourself this time, Ned.”

  “There’s a lot on the line,” I answered, thinking of Stacey. I had no idea where she was or if she was even alive, but as long as I had that faint inkling of hope, then I would go through hell and back to hold her in my arms again. “Let’s get these bastards.”

  Franklin and Cruz didn’t need to be told twice.

  Even though I still felt a little foggy headed, I followed them to the garage, jumping into the backseat.

  The sudden turns and acceleration of Cruz’s driving threatened to make me sick, but I managed to keep myself together. I had to. Stacey was depending on me.

  We rode in silence, all three of us mentally preparing ourselves for the worst. It was broad daylight. People would be out and about. This could easily turn into a very chaotic and potentially deadly situation. If our enemies became desperate, there was no telling what they’d be capable of.

  Especially Leticia.

  Leticia.

  The name haunted me. I felt like I knew it from somewhere – somewhere outside of work – but I just didn’t know where.

  Leticia Black.

  Where did I know that name from?
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  I tried to think, but my worry for Stacey was making it hard to concentrate. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was making sure I got Stacey back safe and sound. That was my number one priority.

  “Alright, we are almost there. I’m going to park a few streets over, and we’ll walk the rest of the way on foot,” Cruz said, driving past the bank at a normal speed. The last thing we needed was to draw suspicion to ourselves.

  From what we could gather, nothing was amiss – yet.

  Ding!

  The sudden sound of my phone going off startled me.

  I looked down to find a text message from an unknown number.

  With a sense of dread already settling into my chest, I unlocked my phone. Cruz looked at me through the rearview mirror, but he didn’t bother to ask who it was.

  Ned. Long time no see. Why don’t you come into the bank, and we can have a touching reunion?

  I stared at the text in confusion.

  Don’t bring your friends. If you do, I’ll cut the bitch’s throat, and you’ll get to see her choking on her own blood. Won’t that be a lovely parting memory? Lol.

  My fingers tightened around the phone so hard they turned white. “Stop,” I growled.

  Cruz stomped on the breaks. “What is it?”

  “Leticia wants to see me.”

  “But you can’t go in there,” Franklin interjected. “It’ll be nothing more than a trap to get you killed.”

  “I don’t care. She has Stacey.” I was already halfway out the door.

  “She could be lying,” Franklin continued.

  “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

  They started to get out of the car to follow me.

  “No,” I barked. “Don’t. If you do, she dies. Stay here. I’ll handle it.”

  Cruz shook his head. “I can’t let you do that.”

  “Well, then you might as well fire me because this time, Cruz, I’m not taking orders, and if you follow me in there, I will never forgive you.” My voice seeped with venom. I was shaking with rage, my temper threatening to take control. “This is my fight, and I’m the only one who can get her out of this mess.” Without another word, I headed for the bank.

  Deep down, I knew this was a trap. It had to be.

  Ding!

  Another text.

  Time’s ticking. You better hurry if you want your precious girlfriend to survive.

  I broke into a jog.

  Soon, I was in front of the bank. It was still early, a few minutes before the bank officially opened. From what I could tell, there was no one behind the counter. No security guards. The place was completely deserted.

  Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the door handle and yanked it open.

  Inside, my footsteps echoed as I proceeded with caution toward the safe, which was wide open.

  Whoever this Leticia woman was, she was good – too good.

  Step by step, I got closer and closer until I was standing in the doorway, looking in.

  To my surprise, I found Stacey pointing a gun at me.

  “Stacey…?” I whispered, tilting my head in confusion. “What are you doing? Why do you have that gun?”

  There were tears in her eyes, and yet she cocked the gun, still pointing it straight at me.

  What the hell was going on?

  Had she conned me this whole time? Had she been a part of this giant scheme from the beginning?

  “Stacey… tell me what’s going on.”

  “Don’t come any closer… or I will shoot.” She was shaking, but I could tell her threat was legitimate.

  I didn’t know what to make of this. To be frank, this came as such a shock that it felt like I was in some stupid nightmare that didn’t make any sense. “Why are you doing this?”

  No answer.

  Subtly, I looked around, searching for clues. There had to be an explanation for this. Stacey would never double-cross me. Would she?

  And yet, there she was, ready to kill me.

  I should have known she was too good to be true…

  24

  Stacey

  I can’t do this. I can’t shoot Ned.

  “Don’t talk to him. If he walks into the safe, then you shoot him or else you will never see your baby again.”

  The woman’s vile voice came in through my earpiece. It made my skin crawl. This couldn’t be happening. This sort of thing only happened in movies and nightmares.

  “You must be wondering why I’m doing this. I could have taken the money and made my getaway by now and this would be all over. But, what’s the fun in that? Pitting you against your man is too much fun. You can say that I hold a grudge but, if you ask me, payback is the sweetest dessert.”

  My fingers shook. This woman was insane. What was she saying?

  “He rejected me once, you know. Never quite got over it.”

  What? That’s what this was about? A rejection?

  This had to be some sort of sick joke.

  What was I supposed to do? My baby’s life was on the line, but at the same time, would I be able to kill the man I loved?

  As deranged as this woman was, I knew she wasn’t playing around.

  I broke down in tears, my vision blurring.

  “Shoot him!” Leticia shouted. “Shoot him now!”

  My finger was on the trigger, but I just couldn’t pull it. I couldn’t kill Ned.

  “Kill him. You fucking idiot, kill him!”

  Suddenly, Ned charged forward, startling me. My finger tightened on the trigger.

  Pop!

  The blast shot me back, slamming me into the shelves and knocking the wind right out of me.

  My eyes widened.

  Had I killed him?

  Fear tightened around my heart, making it hard to breathe. No… Please, God no…

  Before the smoke could clear, Ned appeared, snatching the weapon from my hand. He then spotted the earpiece as well, tossing it to the ground and crushing it underfoot.

  “Ned!” I fell into his arms, holding on tight to his body – clinging to it.

  “Are you okay…?” he whispered, looking me over for injuries.

  “She’s going to hurt Missy!” I yelled, terrified for my baby.

  He shook his head. “That was just a way to get you scared. I have Lisa’s house fortified with VanGuard men. There’s no way in hell she could get in there and hurt Missy. Don’t worry, Missy is safe,” he assured me, looking into my eyes. “She’s okay.”

  I nodded. I trusted him. “But… what are we supposed to do?”

  “We need to track her down and stop her.”

  “I think I know exactly how to do that.” Franklin appeared in the safe, towing Emil behind him.

  Ned turned, his eyes narrowing, his features instantly painted with rage.

  Feeling that he would lunge forward at any moment, I held him back.

  Ned, however, jerked away, letting a punch fly in Emil’s direction, throwing him onto the ground.

  Another man, who I had not yet met, stepped forward, keeping Ned back. “Now’s not the time. He’s agreed to help us.”

  “Help us? This fucking bastard is probably trying to lure us into a trap.”

  Emil got up, wiping the blood from his lip. “Well, do you have any better options? I’m just trying to help.”

  “Why the hell would you want to help us?” Ned was still shaking, trying hard to keep himself composed.

  I came up behind him and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. He relaxed a bit, his shoulders slumping down. My thumb rubbed the back of his hand, which seemed to help even more.

  “Look. I never chose this life. It was the only one I could have under the circumstances. Fighting was the only thing I was good at. The only way I could protect the ones I loved. You and I aren’t that different,” he said, squaring up to Ned.

  “Oh, I think we are much, much different.”

  “Are we?”

  “Yes. Yes, we are. I would never think of abandoning a woman like Stacey –
or leaving her to fend for herself when she has a baby that isn’t even a month old – or coming back and hitting her – leaving her for dead in the bathroom. I will never be scum like you.”

  “Now’s not the time, Ned,” Franklin said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “He’s the only chance we got. As good or as bad as that is, we can’t really afford to be picky.”

  I stepped forward. “How do you plan to help?” I asked Emil. At this point, I would never consider getting back together with him, but I was willing to give him a shot at redemption. After all, everyone deserved a second chance.

  “I know where she’s going.”

  “Tell us,” Ned ordered.

  “Old Stairs. West side of the Thames, across from the London Eye. She’s meeting up with her boyfriend or something. They are going to use the money to get out of London.”

  “Shadow,” Ned growled. “She’s meeting Shadow. We have to hurry. Franklin, bring Stacey back to Lisa’s house and make sure she stays there this time.”

  “No. I’m not leaving you.” I planted my feet in the ground, refusing to budge. “I’m going with you.”

  “Don’t be daft. These are high-level criminals. They won’t think twice about killing you at this point.”

  “Same thing goes for you,” I shot back. “I’m going.”

  “You’ll only be putting yourself in danger.”

  “I’m going.”

  “I don’t think you’re going to win this one,” Franklin butted in. “Let her go.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Ned interjected. He then took me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes. “Please… Stacey… I can’t afford to lose you.”

  “And I can’t lose you. Please. Just let me go with you.”

  “She’s stubborn. You aren’t going to win,” Emil agreed.

  Ned sighed. “Fine. But you absolutely cannot get out of this car.”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  “Alright. Let’s go then,” the darker-skinned man spoke up, tossing the keys in Ned’s direction before shoving Emil forward. “And you’re going to tell us exactly where Leticia is.”