by A. J. Norris
Rico and Derrick came into the office. Melanie slipped through the closing door. What the—?
Bandit cleared his throat.
I hoped she wouldn’t get the text or would’ve stayed the fuck away. I sent a stiff nod her way, which she pretended to ignore. Shaking my head, I cursed under my breath. Why was she here? I knew everything she planned. Clearly, she chose not to trust me. My teeth gritted and I bit my tongue. Ow.
“Thanks for showin’ up. Ya’ll know what’s expected, so I’m not gonna go into all the details. But there’s a new drop-off point. Max and Rico have the directions.” Flynn looked at Bandit and tossed him a set of keys. “You’re takin’ a different vehicle. I don’t like the idea of ya’ll using the same ride all the time. We gotta change shit up now and then.”
My partner shrugged and spoke with the chillness of a freshly sated lion. “Doesn’t make a difference to me. As long as it moves from point A to point B, s’all good. What are we driving?” He glanced at the key. “Chevy.”
“It’s the dark blue Suburban out there.” Flynn pointed over his shoulder at the shop area.
Max clapped his hands together. “Let’s roll!”
All of us marched out of the office. Bandit unlocked the doors to the SUV. Rico hefted a duffel bag left outside the office onto his shoulder and got into the back seat. Melanie slid in after him. Derrick popped himself into the front passenger seat. There was third row seating but screw that shit. And where had Max gone?
Through the windows surrounding The Cowboy’s office, I found Max talking and shaking his finger at the man. I couldn’t hear what was being said. Whatever the topic, Flynn didn’t look happy. I went to the door and poked my head inside. “We doing this or what?”
Max whipped around. “Yeah. And guess what? You and I are riding together.”
“Let’s go, then. What the fuck are we waiting for?” Releasing the doorknob, I waited with my hands on my hips.
Turning back to Flynn, Max said, “This situation must be dealt with and you know it.”
And what situation was he talking about? I could think of at least half a dozen.
Max marched past me and out of the office. I watched Flynn for a moment before leaving. He ran his palms down his face, revealing bloodshot eyes. The man looked undeniably miserable. “You good?” I asked him.
He waved dismissively. “Go on. Get out of here.”
I joined Max behind the Suburban. He banged on the back window and the vehicle pulled forward out of the garage. We got into a silver Mercedes, which I guessed had been stolen, because why would you drive a $130,000 car to a jewelry heist?
“What’s your story, man?” I asked Max. “What’s with the separate vehicles?”
“It gives you and me a chance to get to know one another.” The tires squealed as he hung a left out of the short driveway. I grabbed the dash, keeping myself from sliding all over the leather seat despite having fastened the seatbelt.
“You got expensive taste. What’s this, an S-class?”
“I dunno, but I’ll miss her.” Max smoothed his hands around the polished wood part of the steering wheel.
“You can always pick up another one, can’t you?”
“For real after this job.”
I chuckled. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Niiiice.” I so don’t like you. “How’s the handling?”
“You’ve never been behind the wheel of a Mercedes, have you?” Checking his blind spots, he switched lanes. We were now two cars behind the Suburban.
“Not yet. But there’s always time,” I said.
“For most of us.”
“I don’t get your meaning.”
“Unfortunate accidents happen on the job, if you get my drift.”
“That’s a damn shame.”
“Sure is. It’s tragic, but bad situations must be dealt with.”
“How many bad situations are we talking?”
“Sometimes the race is over, and a filly needs to be put down.”
I whistled even though my stomach rolled. “She’s a fine thoroughbred.”
“Yeah, I figured you jockeyed her to the finish line.”
The rest of the ride to J-Zen was spent talking about nothing of any significance. When he parked the coupe down the block in a lot behind a shopping plaza, he paused before exiting the vehicle. “We cool about the filly? I didn’t know if she was yours.”
“Naw. Bad situations must be dealt with.”
He held out a fist and we tapped knuckles. “Glad we understand each other.”
The only thing he needed to understand was that if he touched Melanie, I would put him down.
CHAPTER 30
Melanie
I was relieved “Lincoln” rode separately with Max. Flynn had placed such doubt in my mind, I didn’t trust anyone. And certainly not a man who claimed to be a cop but hadn’t provided any solid evidence to back it up.
J-Zen closed early on Fridays. I adjusted the brim of my baseball cap down low and slipped into the store five minutes before closing. Only wisps of my hair stuck out from underneath the hat. One security guard was on duty. He stood by the door and dipped his head and mouthed, Nora. I nodded without thinking. I did a double-take, and he grinned. This must be Flynn’s inside man he talked about. The fact that this wasn’t a relief wasn’t lost on me. God, I wanted to be anywhere except here.
A salesperson I had seen on one of the visits with Lincoln came toward me, carrying a set of keys. “We’re closing,” she said like she hoped I’d take the hint and leave.
“I’ll only be a minute,” I said, covering my face as best I could with my hand without appearing suspicious.
A couple with a yellow plastic Jewelry Zen bag left the store. Sales gal locked the door behind them. “Is there something I could show you?”
“Can I just browse for a minute?” And, yes, I was stalling. Why did I think I could do this?
“Sure. Take your time. Let me know if you want to see anything from the cases.”
“Thanks.”
Outside, Rico and Derrick loitered like shadows of dancing tree branches waving against a window at night. Dark and ominous. A forewarning of something frightening to come. Originally, I was led to believe we would break in while no one was here. Derrick informed us otherwise on the ride over. God, if this woman died...please don’t let her die.
It was up to me to get this woman out of here before someone on the crew became antsy and got stupid.
Tears stung the back of my eyes. I whirled around. “Uh, there is something that you can help me with.” I pulled my Sig out of my hoodie and aimed it at the woman, keeping my finger away from the trigger. A tidal wave of nausea sloshed around my gut. The words ‘armed’ and ‘robbery’ were something I never thought would be associated with me. I looked at the exit, wondering what the chances were of making it out of here alive.
She was writing in a book of some kind, her head down. She lifted her head with a smile that quickly evaporated. The color drained out of her rosy cheeks. Swallowing hard, she glanced at the guard, who had stepped to the side and leaned against one of the counters.
Clearly, she realized the guard wouldn’t help her. “Please, I have a son,” she pleaded.
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly, and shrugged. “Is there anyone else in the back?”
She shook her head.
“Good. Put the keys on the counter and go.”
“I have to unlock the door first.” The woman ran for the door, fumbling with the ring of keys. Managing to find the correct one, she unlocked the door, tossed the keys on the floor, and fled.
The security guard was smiling. “That wasn’t smart.”
Rico came into the store holding the salesperson by the wrist. Dragging her inside, he made her kneel on the hard floor. Derrick came in behind them with the duffel bag. She sobbed and begged him not to hurt her.
“What are you doing?” I asked Rico. “Let her go.” I aimed my gun at him with a shaky hand. My hea
rt raced and sweat prickled my back. “You promised no one would get hurt.”
He gave me a nasty look. “You think this is my idea?”
With my attention diverted to Rico, I didn’t notice Max and Lincoln coming through the door until the cylinder in the lock on the door rotated with a clank.
* * *
Jayce
What did I just walk in on? Melanie was pointing her gun at Rico, who had his gun on a woman on her knees. I reached around to my lower back and palmed my Glock.
“Let her leave,” Melanie spat.
“Whoa, filly,” Max said.
“You said nobody would get hurt.”
“Did I say that or did you assume? We needed her keys.”
Melanie glanced at the woman, who had terror in her eyes. “Let her go!” She shook the gun at Max. He stepped toward her, putting the barrel to his chest.
“Shoot me.”
“I’ll do it.” Tears formed in her eyes and ran down her face.
He laughed without humor. “You don’t have what it takes. Put the gun down before you hurt yourself.” When she didn’t right away, he lowered her arm, which she resisted until he overpowered her. A slick maneuver later, he gained possession of the Sig, grabbed her around the neck from behind, and put the barrel to her temple. “Listen, careful, filly. I’m in charge here, no one else. Do you understand me?”
Melanie nodded.
“What was that? I didn’t hear you. Who’s in charge?”
“You are.”
Max pushed the steal into her temple. “What am I?”
“You’re—you’re in charge.”
“That’s right. Now look”—he cranked her head around by the chin—“see that door over there?” She whimpered. “Good. Go and open it like you told everyone you could.” He shoved her toward the back room door. She careened into a display counter, sprawling over the top. Her hands squeaked over the glass.
Bandit squawked in my ear from out in the Suburban, followed by a response from the SWAT leader. I wasn’t tracking either of them.
“What are you looking at?” Max snarled.
“Nothing,” I said.
He glared at me for a pregnant moment. The tension between us charged. “Keep it that way.”
The woman on the floor made a noise and slumped to the floor, obviously from being hit on the head with the hilt of a gun. Rico went to where Melanie was working on the keypad, trying to open the door to the back room.
Derrick picked up a large ring of keys from the floor by the front door. The security guard followed him, carrying a black leather briefcase. He set the attaché on the counter that the other man was working on unlocking. Due to the construction of the glass cases, the crew needed the keys to get into the displays. No amount of force was going to be effective, or at least efficient, enough to get into them.
Rico swore triumphantly when Melanie got the door to the back room opened. He told her to keep the door propped. She shook her head at me. What? I mouthed.
I received no response from her. What the hell happened? And I really wished she hadn’t brought a gun. The gun Max now had.
“Heads up,” Derrick yelled. I glanced up as the keys flew at me and I caught them. “Start unlocking.”
Flying into action, I jumped over the counter and matched the codes stamped on the keys with the locks. The codes of the cases followed in numerical order around the store.
The SWAT leader’s voice resounded in my earpiece. “Give us—” A drill started up in the back room, cutting off any chance of me deciphering the message—“...ready.”
Ducking behind the counter, I whispered, “Ten-nine, over.” Waiting for a response, I unlocked the last case on the side against the back wall of the store. Derrick and the security guard moved from the adjacent counter to where I was. They were about fifteen feet away. “Can you—?”
“Talking to yourself?” Max asked, peering over the counter.
—repeat that? “Yep. Calms me down.”
“You’re a weird dude.”
“Thanks.”
“Whatever, man. You’re done here.” He stepped back. “We’re out in five.”
I stood to my full height. “What about the safe?” No sooner did I ask than the drilling stopped.
“Rico’s on it. We go out the back door.”
Derrick and the security guard started shoving jewelry into what appeared to be a bottomless briefcase, until I saw Max holding the first one.
“Anytime now,” I said, hoping SWAT heard me. Flipping the hem of my hoodie, I checked the cell Velcroed to my bulletproof vest. Just as I tapped on the screen, I glimpsed Max grabbing Melanie’s arm in my peripheral vision.
“Get off me,” she yelled, yanking her arm out of his hold.
“Quiet, bitch.” Hauling his arm back, he slapped her across the face. The force of the hit knocked her head to the side and her body off balance. She screamed and fell.
I lunged for the back door, catching the metal panel before it shut. “Now!” For fuck’s sake, Bandit better have at least heard me and gotten his ass moving. I had no clue if the stupid hi-tech bullshit was even working.
As I barged into the back room, Rico swung the vault door wide. Shoving the safe-cracking equipment aside, he loaded royal blue pouches into the duffel bag. Undoubtedly, they contained loose diamonds and gems. He left the large stacks of cash. But none of it made any impression.
I was after Max. And Melanie was scrambling away from him toward a bathroom on her hands and knees.
“Where are you going, filly? I hear you’re a fine thoroughbred,” he taunted.
Of course, he’d use my words. Why wouldn’t he?
“No. No, I’m not.” Her voice cracked.
“That’s not what Lincoln tells me.”
She stopped and turned over. “What do you want from me?”
He aimed her own gun at her, finger on the trigger. “Goodbye, Mel—”
Derrick or the security guard yelled. Glass shattered out in the store front. Max shifted in his boots, his attention diverted for a split second. I dove for her, shielding her with my body. The bullet meant for her struck my back. Although bulletproof vests protected vital organs, nothing stopped the pain. Oxygen whooshed from my lungs, making it hard to breathe. I curled around her smaller frame. We slid across the polished floor.
His second shot hit me, not the vest. A white-hot searing agony ripped through my shoulder.
More shots rang out. Shouting. Lots of shouting. Chaos, which I could only hear, not see, ensued all around us.
CHAPTER 31
Jayce
“Were you hit?” I asked Melanie when the shooting finally ended.
“No. I dunno.”
Well, her response was reasonable considering all the bullets that had been flying around. I lifted my head. “I need to know. Are you hurt anywhere?” My arms felt like they were permanently wrapped around her.
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think so.”
Bandit knelt next to us. He placed a hand on my uninjured shoulder. “Jayce, you’re gonna have to let her go.”
My eyes blurred and my limbs wouldn’t respond to what my brain was telling them to do. “I’m trying.”
“You’re losing a lot of blood.” He pried me off the floor by the waist and I lost my grip on her. The water in my eyes made her appear fuzzy. I reached for her.
“Is she all right?”
One of the SWAT team members stood over her. She nodded and he pulled Melanie to her feet.
We stepped over something on the floor. What it was didn’t register until Bandit told me to sit on a gurney. I realized Max’s body had been the “it.” I continued staring at Melanie, but my eyes weren’t functioning properly. “Why can’t I see right?” I asked everyone and no one at the same time.
“You’re crying,” I heard someone say. Oh, it was Bandit.
“I had to let her go.”
“I know, buddy.”
A person moved into my line
of vision, blocking my view of her. “Move!”
“They have to look at your shoulder.”
“No, move out of the way!” Why wasn’t anyone listening to me?
Bandit grabbed my face, pulling my head in the opposite direction. “Calm the fuck down. These people are trying to make sure that GSW in your shoulder doesn’t turn into a death sentence. Focus.”
I jerked away from his grip. Melanie was being led out the door of the storefront by a man in a SWAT uniform. Her hands were hooked behind her back. “Wait...no!” I tried getting up, but I was held down by straps and Bandit pushing my shoulders back. I hollered, “Motherfucker!”
I panted through the pain. Sweat dripped down my forehead, stinging my eyes.
The gurney rolled backward, and my partner and a couple of EMS workers walked alongside me. “I’ll meet you at the hospital.” After I was loaded into the back of an ambulance, my best friend shut the doors.
Drifting in and out of consciousness, I’d barely registered the ride to the hospital. But now, more than twenty-four hours later, I was fully aware and pissed at the world. The IV in my arm annoyed me. The ambient noise from the hallway sounded loud as fuck. Every time I moved the slightest bit, my shoulder throbbed. And I’d already been told I couldn’t have any more morphine for at least an hour.
Raising the bed to the sitting position, I found Bandit lounging across the room on a chair under the window.
“What happened to her?” I asked.
“And the ‘her’ is?”
“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly who.” Granted, I should’ve been asking about the salesperson, Max, Rico, Derrick... And the asshole security guard who was clearly Flynn’s inside man. His intel. Yet, I gave zero fucks about any of them.
“Melanie has been taken into custody.”
I swore under my breath.
“You knew this would happen.”
“She didn’t understand what she’d gotten herself mixed up in.”
“Look, I know and I’m sorry. Everyone that was still alive was arrested by the FBI. It’s not like I could tell Harris you were banging one of the suspects—let her go.”