Watch Out for the Big Girls

by J. M. Benjamin

  “Bitch, I’m impressed,” Felicia announced and she thoroughly was.

  Monica let out a light chuckle. She knew Felicia was studying her the entire time. She deliberately missed the main target a couple of times, careful not to draw suspicion about her accuracy. She lowered the Glock .40 and turned around. She removed her protective goggles. “It was a’ight,” she said modestly.

  She knew had it been a real person instead of a firing range target sheet, they wouldn’t stand a chance. She had been handling guns for quite some time now and had studied some of the best marksmen around.

  “Not bad.” Felicia revealed how surprised she still was behind Monica’s marksmanship. She had expected to see bullets whizzing all over the place and then, once Monica was done, she’d step in and show her how a pro did it. Despite Monica’s pretty decent performance, that was still Felicia’s plan. “Now it’s my turn.” A sinister grin appeared on her face.

  Just as she put on the protective glasses and was about to take position, her phone went off. Unexpectedly, Monica’s phone went off a second later. Felicia and Monica retrieved their iPhones at the same time. They both stared at their screens and then looked up at each other.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Careese was happy to stroll back into work. She entered with a smile plastered on her face the way she always did as if nothing had ever happened. She paid no attention to the dropped jaws and surprised looks on some of the faces she strolled by. Some of her coworkers looked as if they had seen a ghost. Her boss, Mr. Harry, was the only one who knew of her return. She made sure she looked awesome in her white two-piece Oscar de la Renta pantsuit. She went right to her post and relieved the temporary teller who had been filling in for her during her brief absence. She recounted her drawer and got set for a busy day. She hoped the time would go as slow as it wanted to. She needed time to settle back into the swing of things. She mustered up a welcoming look when she saw Olivia quickly making her way over to her.

  “Are you all right?” was the first thing Olivia asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine.” Careese smiled.

  “I missed you,” Olivia whispered to Careese. She looked around before she brushed her hand gently across Careese’s arm.

  “Me too,” Careese replied. Even without looking into her eyes, Careese knew that Olivia had fallen for her. Her reaction to her return only confirmed what she had already known. Poor Livie, Careese thought, knowing the feelings weren’t mutual. She had used her coworker for what she had needed and she had served her purpose well.

  “I’m glad you’re back,” Olivia chimed.

  “Yeah, it was just a case of mistaken identity. I’m glad to be back too.” Careese flashed a fake smile. Although she had no interest in her personally, she was still appreciative for the call Olivia had made on her behalf. Had she not, Careese knew things may have turned out totally differently. The two detectives had really worked her over and had her up against the ropes. There was no telling what would’ve happened had Diamond not shown up when she did.

  “What do you say we do lunch?” Olivia asked, bringing Careese back to the present.

  Careese shook the thought out of the forefront of her mind. “Sure,” she agreed just to get rid of her so she could concentrate and forget about all that had happened.

  Olivia smiled. “See you then.” She scurried off as both of the lines began to grow.

  It was business as usual and the day seemed to go as smooth as normal. Careese checked her watch. It was nearly time for lunch. She dreaded that she committed to lunch with Olivia. She did a quick scan of her line versus Olivia’s. She hurried and withdrew money from her register to cash the check of the elderly lady who stood in front of her so she could service the other four people in line before her lunch break. She intended to place her LINE CLOSED/NEXT WINDOW PLEASE sign up purposely to direct traffic Olivia’s line so that their lunch date would be impossible.

  “Would you like large bills?” Careese looked up at the elderly woman with a smile and asked. Her smile was immediately replaced with a frown as she became wide-eyed.

  “Don’t nobody fuckin’ move!” were the words that echoed through the bank and sent customers and employees into a panic. The thunderous boom that rang out into the air was enough confirmation for everyone to let them know the robbers meant business. Careese froze. She could see one of the five masked men in expensive business suits subduing the security guard by the entrance of the bank by relieving him of his weapon. People screamed when they saw the robber butt the security guard in the head with the huge weapon, which sent him crashing to the floor.

  “Shut the fuck up!” another one of the masked men bellowed as he let off another shot into the air. Screams turned into murmurs and silence.

  Everyone instinctively dropped to the floor. In an instant, four of the gunmen were at the tellers, while the first one stood over the guard. Occasionally he peered out the window and glanced at his watch while he listened to a police scanner. “Six minutes!” he yelled to his partners.

  “Fill ’em up!” one of the masked men yelled to a trembling Olivia as Careese and the other two tellers followed the same order. A large black duffel bag sat open at each of their feet.

  One of the masked men made his way to where Harry, the bank manager, sat. “You.” The gunman waved his weapon at Harry. “Get up!”

  A wide-eyed Harry slowly rose. Apparently he had not complied quickly enough. The gunman yanked Harry up by the arm. “Give me a reason,” the gunman threatened. He had his M16 pressed up against the back of the Harry’s head. “Now move.”

  Careese studied Harry’s face nervously. She hoped he didn’t have anything stupid in mind. Harry escorted the gunman to the back vault with his hands held high. A large light had switched from red to green.

  “You got one chance to get it right or you die where you stand,” the gunman warned.

  The one thing Harry had in mind to foul up the robbery was immediately erased by the robber’s threat. He wasted no time punching in the correct security code to the vault without triggering off the alarm.

  The gunman smiled. “Good boy. Now, get in there and fill this bag up.” He smacked Harry in the chest with the black duffle.

  Harry entered the vault and began reaching for stacks of bills to stuff in the duffle.

  “No, muthafucka, use the money on the left,” the gunman ordered. “Down there.” He pointed. “Small bills, none of those exploding dye packs and none of those black light specials that’ll make my hand glow.” The gunman was letting him know he was a professional. He stood over Harry and watched him close. “No! Those numbers are in sequence. Mix ’em up good! I know that trick, too!”

  Once Harry was done, the gunman glanced at his watch. Perfect timing, he thought. Within minutes the duffle was filled to a T. “Thanks.” The gunman snatched the bag from Harry and then cracked him on the side of the face with his weapon. Harry was unconscious from the blunt force trauma to the head. He fell hard onto the some of the vault’s money. The blood from his head flowed into some of the stacks. The gunman exited the vault just before it reclosed.

  “Time!” the gunman up front yelled after hearing the radio dispatch letting all officers know there was a robbery in progress. The masked robber noticed his crime partners standing and waiting for him as he appeared from the back.

  “Relax, folks, your money is safe. It’s still in the back. I doubt y’all came to withdraw this much. So consider the rest ours. Thank you for your cooperation. You’ve all been lovely,” the gunman slyly remarked before they attempted to make their getaway.

  Careese finally let out a sigh of relief. She lay face down on the floor shaking her head in disbelief. Just my luck, she thought. She was glad that the robbery ended without any major incident. She couldn’t wait to report the incident to her Double G sisters. Careese’s thoughts were interrupted by the sudden presence of a figure. She hadn’t heard anyone walk up, but she noticed the shadow that hovered over her. Before she
could turn around to see who stood over her, two rounds were pumped into the back of Careese’s head followed by a note that landed on her back. The impact of the bullets caused her gold hair clamp to explode into pieces. Loud cries rang out as the gunman who had doubled back into the bank after forgetting why they had really chosen that particular branch to rob, quickly made his exit. He gave his crime partners the thumbs-up and then hopped on the Kawasaki that awaited him outside. Sirens could be heard wailing in the distance. The oldest of the Spaulding brothers popped a wheelie and pulled off, as his four brothers followed suit.

  Chapter Forty

  The unexpected knock at the door startled Loretta Douglass. Her eight-year-old daughter Cameron happily ran to the window hoping it was her father, who hadn’t been home in two days. She was sad to see the two women in business suits on the doorstep. “It’s for you, Mommy,” little Cameron announced.

  Loretta stood up embracing the last line of the news reporter’s words about the bank robbery and cold-blooded murder before speeding up to the door. She was stressed out behind the fact that she didn’t knowing whether her husband would ever make it home. They had spoken earlier and he had claimed to have worked out a major deal with the Feds. He also stated that he had given them a useful lead already, which looked good on his behalf. The test was just a waiting process. She hated that he had gotten himself in such a mess. She became angry all over again just thinking about it. Her train of thought was broken by the sound of the doorbell ringing for a second time.

  “Just a minute,” she yelled out as she made her way to the door. Loretta peered out of the small window and then opened the door. She cracked it as much as the chain would allow her to peek her head through the open space, while her daughter Cameron squeezed between her legs and did the same.

  “Well aren’t you just adorable,” the first woman declared while bending down to meet her face to face before standing upright and introducing herself. Loretta studied the two women who appeared to have come from the black Impala with tints and a siren behind the front windshield. They were both in black pantsuits and had the usual navy blue windbreakers with the large, high yellow FBI letters on the back.

  “Yes, may I help you?” Loretta asked hesitantly.

  “Yes, I’m Special Agent Marianne Peters and this is my partner, Violet Canan.” The woman who introduced herself as Special Agent Marianne Peters smiled. She flashed held her gold badge up to the chained door. “We’re from the Bureau.”

  “Oh, yes, please do come in.” Loretta Douglass removed the chain from the door and opened it.

  The two women stepped inside. “Thank you, ma’am. We’ve been sent here on behalf of your husband’s sensitive case. We’ve come to interview y’all for the witness relocation process.”

  A sigh of relief swept through Loretta Douglass’s body. “Okay, no problem, but how is he? Is he all right?” she wanted to know.

  “Yes, he’s fine. There’s just some personal information that we need in order to properly provide a new identity for you and your family.”

  “Sure. Can I offer y’all anything to drink?” Loretta asked as Cameron sat on the sofa and started playing with her doll.

  “Coffee would be lovely, straight, no sugar, thank you,” Violet Canan stated.

  “Same for me, thanks,” Marianne Peters declared.

  “Coming right up.”

  Within minutes, Loretta Douglass was back with two cups of joe.

  “We’re sorry to show up so unexpected, but we’ve been very busy. The funeral for our fellow agents is being held as we speak. It’s actually live on television and then we got caught up with that bank robbery. Wasn’t much we could’ve done there, so we felt that the safety of you and your daughter was more of a top priority. The outcome of the other two situations already played out. This is our prevention process right here. The women your husband is helping to take down are very powerful and will not be underestimated,”

  “It’s perfectly understandable. Thank you,” Loretta expressed.

  The three women all smiled at one another. “So, Mrs. Douglass, did you have any knowledge of your husband’s criminal activities at all?”

  Loretta Douglass took a deep breath. “None,” she replied. “He hid it all from me well. Although, I did used to wonder where he would get certain things from, like his new car. He claimed it was a bonus from the department. He told me it was one of those seized vehicles from a drug sting that was up for auction. I found it kind of odd until his partner showed up with one too, making the same claims. So I let it go.”

  “Did he ever mention the organization that’s causing all of this trouble? The Double Gs, as they call themselves?”

  “Occasionally, like when something strange on the news popped up, he would associate it with them, speculating to himself. That’s about it,” she honestly recollected.

  “And what did he tell you about the deal that’s on the table for him now? The one that’s going to bring y’all back together?”

  “Just that he was being cooperative the best he could and we would be starting a new life far away.”

  “Did he go into details about the information he was providing?”

  “None,” she stated.

  “You do know that what he is doing is very dangerous and very risky for the three of y’all. We have to tell you that it’s no walk in the park. These women are professionals and very dangerous. Heartless if you ask me,” Agent Peters proclaimed staring at her watch again.

  “I’m learning as much, lately. Most of what I’ve heard was actually unbelievable. You just don’t figure women to be so relentless,” Loretta claimed. The interview was interrupted and Loretta Douglass’s attention was drawn to the ringing house phone. “Will you excuse me?”

  “Sure.”

  Loretta Douglass made her way over to the phone and picked it up. It was another collect call from her husband. “Oh, here he is now.” She beamed. “He probably wants to know if you guys got here yet,” she assumed as she listened to the recording. She pressed the number five on her touch tone as instructed. Her smile widened to its full extent.

  “Hey, dear, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again,” she announced. “No, everything’s fine,” she assured her husband, still smiling while fiddling with her thin chain. “Honey, I don’t know why the guard would’ve told you it was an emergency and to call home. In fact, I couldn’t be more safe. Two of the female agents are here interviewing me about your witness protection deal right now.”

  Her husband’s reaction to her words startled Loretta Douglass. Before she could ask him what was wrong the cry of her daughter caused her to spin around. Loretta Douglass nearly fainted at the sight of the gun pointed against her daughter’s head and the one pointed directly at her face. She immediately dropped the phone. “Please don’t hurt my baby,” Loretta Douglass begged. Tears spilled out of her eyes as her daughter Cameron stood there with her doll clenched to her chest with tearful eyes.

  “Mommy,” Cameron cried out. She tried to break free of the hold, but was yanked roughly by the woman who was introduced as Agent Canan.

  “It’s okay, honey,” Loretta Douglass assured her daughter. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

  The woman known as Agent Peters kneeled down and picked up the phone. The first thing she heard was Officer Douglass’s cries. “Fuck you crying for now, pussy?” she mocked. “Isn’t this is how you wanted it? For y’all to be somewhere together, far away in a beautiful place, with new identities.” She let out an insane laugh. “I hear heaven’s nice this time of year.”

  “No, please. I’ll do anything, anything,” Officer Douglass pleaded.

  “Anything?” she asked.

  “Yes! Anything.” He put emphasis on his words.

  “Okay, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to suffer, suffer from knowing you caused this, and then I want you to wish you were dead with them and I want you to actually die, you cheese-eatin’ rat motherfucka!” she spat. “Un
til then, what I want from your snitch ass is to never forget. Never forget this.”

  Douglass heard the phone being set on the counter. The next thing he heard were screams followed by two muffled shots, and loud thuds.

  “Thank you for your cooperation, Officer Douglass,” was the last thing he heard before the call was disconnected.

  Chapter Forty-one

  The televised funeral was intensely emotional. Speech after speech were being delivered by the loved ones and colleagues of each victim. Most of them were about the journey of each. It all deepened Agent McCarthy’s guilt. He still felt responsible for each death. Even Agent Kelly’s because he felt that he should’ve been there instead of Agent Reddick. It was his show, his operation. There was so much innocent blood on his hands. It stained. Never to be washed off. There was no going back in time. This would stick, forever. It would always affect his future decision making. Federal agents weren’t supposed to feel. They were supposed to do. Do what it took. It was the exact same thing he instilled in his deep undercover agent posing as a Double G member. What if she began to feel? Could she get the job done? Could she do what it takes? No. It was the only truthful answer. So his mind was made up. It was time to pull her back out, before it was too late.

  Right then and there, live, on national television, Agent McCarthy’s convicting thoughts were interrupted and so was the entire funeral.

  Agent McCarthy’s daughter, Charlie’s, eyes had rolled into the back of her head and she fell out of her seat, face first into the grass, and right in front of the three caskets.

  Everyone gasped as they watched. Agent McCarthy and US Attorney Linda dropped to their knees, trying everything within their power to revive their only daughter whose pulse was dangerously faint and spaced far apart. Her eyes couldn’t open and she definitely wasn’t breathing. Agent Donahue tried CPR as Agent Constanza held her hands up screaming for medical assistance. They evaluated that an ambulance would never make it in time, but they were too scared to move her. The entire funeral came to a complete halt. Even the twenty-one soldiers rushed to the aid of the little girl. She was turning brighter shades of purple by the second and she still wasn’t breathing. Agent Donahue continued to pinch her tiny nose and blow air into her lungs as Agent Constanza stood up from her knees and cleared the immediate space. Too many concerned people were closing in on them.