Garrett stepped over to the side of the vehicle where Chance was struggling just to breathe. Parked in the back of the lot, under the shade of low-hanging trees, the showdown was obscured from sight by anyone that might be looking their way. No one was going to help Chance out of this. He was completely and utterly alone. Smirking at his discomfort, Garrett leaned into Chance’s face. “You have something to say for yourself?”
Garrett nudged Reggie in the ribs and Reggie loosened the pressure against Chance’s throat. Chance inhaled a painful breath, grateful for the blessed, burning air. “Okay, I lied, I haven’t conned her yet, but it’s still on…I can still convince Makayla—”
Garrett poked him in the chest, cutting him off. “Fuck the girl! I’m done with this subtle crap. We’re going in there right now and taking what’s ours!”
Chance struggled against Reggie, pulling down his arm so he could speak. “What about the score? What about the diamonds? If you really want to bust in, let’s wait and do it Monday night? I can beat the alarm, I know I can!” Chance’s voice was getting faster with each frantic word he sputtered. He was losing his calm, showing his tells. Garrett wasn’t stupid, he saw right through Chance’s lies.
“There are no diamonds…there is no big score. You were fucking with us so you could keep fucking your girl.” Leaning into Chance, he sneered, “I’m sure she’s a talented little whore, but my payday is more important to me than your—”
Anger flooded Chance and he released his hold on Reggie’s arm and struck out. Since Garrett was so close, his wild swing connected with his jaw. Chance didn’t have the strength behind it to hurt him, but it stunned Garrett into silence. It also prompted Reggie to slug Chance in the gut. Chance crumpled, his ability to stand gone. Reggie let him sink to the cement and Chance dry-heaved a couple of times. Luckily, he hadn’t eaten anything today.
Panting, he looked up at the thugs. “This is stupid…going in during broad daylight? You’ll get caught.” And someone in the bank could get hurt…if things went wrong.
Garrett smirked, rubbing his jaw. “Your concern for our well being is touching…truly.”
Chance hoped to at least delay Garrett long enough to give Adrian time to get here. Two against two odds were better than what they were now. Garrett, however, was done with delays. Reaching into the backseat of the vehicle, he came out with something Chance abhorred—a gun, and not just any gun…a shotgun. That would certainly make a mess of Chance at this range. Garrett handed it to Reggie and he immediately pointed it at Chance. Chance stayed where he was on the ground, wondering how the hell he was going to get out of this now. Garrett reached back into the truck and handed Chance a pair of generic boots, a plain white shirt and a plain black jacket. “Put these on,” he ordered.
Staring up at the gun in his face, Chance narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
Garrett smirked. “Because you’re coming with us…and we’re all going to look alike. The fewer features the witnesses can use to tell us apart, the better. We need to be as plain as possible…nothing flashy.”
Chance cringed; it was a decent enough plan, if they were really going to do something this stupid. Pulling off his jacket and shirt, Chance asked, “You’re going to trust me to go with you?”
Garrett pulled out another gun, shrugging with it. “Well, you wouldn’t want us to get all crazy in a bank full of innocent people, would you?” He twisted his thin lip, his brown eyes full of menace. “Especially when your little plaything is in there?”
Chance swallowed…he was so screwed. “Are you going to trust me with a gun, or am I supposed to hold up the bank with a candy bar in my pocket?” He tugged on the offered boots; luckily they fit. Chance hated guns, but he was in a bit of a mess here. Maybe a weapon could work in his favor, somehow…
Reaching back into the fully-stocked vehicle, Garrett pulled out yet another gun. He started to offer it to Chance. Chance’s heart rate spiked. Could he turn it on them? Could he shoot Reggie before he lodged a bullet in Chance’s head? Smirking, Garrett stopped halfway through handing the weapon over. Pulling it open, he slowly removed every single bullet. Closing it, he finally gave it over to Chance. He cocked an eyebrow. “Did you think I was that stupid?”
Chance sighed, taking the hated object. So much for that plan. Gingerly holding it in his fingertips, Chance turned the metal over and over. Garrett broke through his musings. “Now, you are going to come with us, and you are going to help us to the best of your abilities. If you don’t…” He paused and Chance looked up at him. Garrett held a finger to his head and mimed pulling the trigger. “I end your whore’s life…understand?”
Chance swallowed and gritted his teeth. Yeah, he understood…that was clear enough for even the dullest mind to comprehend. Feeling firmly and completely locked into a position that he’d never wanted to be in, Chance rose to his feet and tucked the unloaded gun in the waistband of his jeans. “Fine…you have something to hide our faces with, so we can at least pretend that we might actually get away with this?”
Garrett chuckled, then pulled the remaining piece of the puzzle out of the truck. Chance caught a black piece of material that Garrett tossed his way. After unfolding the knitted wad of fabric, Chance wanted to groan. A ski mask? God, how cliché. He could have at least gone the more interesting route and gotten them all Halloween masks. Looking back up at Garrett he drawled, “Now what…boss?”
Garrett smiled and gave him the corniest line that any thief could give. “Now, we make some money.”
They climbed into Garrett’s darkly tinted SUV and drove to the exit of the lot. Chance was nervous, but if he was being completely honest, he was excited, too. The thought of the upcoming rush gave him butterflies. It was a thrill that he’d never get working as a security guard. It was a charge that he was trying to forget about, so he could have his happily-ever-after with Makayla. But that had never been going to happen…it was just a dream.
Looking around the car, bouncing his feet in anticipation, Chance was saddled down with his reality. This was who he was, who he’d always been, and who he’d probably always be. But he didn’t have to burden anyone else with his life. He could end this today, and take Reggie and Garrett with him. He could still bring them all down…he just had to figure out how to do that with no one else getting hurt.
Garrett waited for a spot to open on the street right in front of the bank doors. When it did, he darted for it, nearly cutting a car off in the process. Chance held onto the door as they made their sharp corner. Maniac. The sooner this was over, the better.
Parking the car, Garret left the engine running. Chance wondered if someone might notice an abandoned car idling and phone in a tip to the cops…maybe the euphoric girl walking up and down the street dressed as a giant mattress. But, honestly, most people were too concerned about their own lives, and they probably wouldn’t think twice about it. It took gunshots and screaming for the general populace to be roused from indifference.
Chance yanked on his ridiculous mask and prepared to open his door. Garrett twisted to look at him. “Reggie will cover the door, I’ll cover the lobby. You get your girl and force her to open the safe.” He smirked then pulled on his mask. “Think you can handle that much, con man?”
Chance rolled his eyes and pushed his door open. “Don’t you worry about me. Let’s just get this over with as quick as we can…”
Garrett chuckled. “That’s the spirit!”
Stepping out, Chance added, “And don’t forget about the guard in the surveillance room—down the hall, first door on the left. Since we’re doing this during the day, he’s going to be a top priority. We don’t need him calling the cops on us.” Not when that could result in a hostage situation that might endanger Makayla even more.
Garrett smirked and nodded, like he wasn’t an idiot. Chance disagreed, but said nothing more.
The next few moments were a blur to Chance. They swarmed into the bank like a deadly plague, blocking the startled customers from t
heir exit, Garrett rushing off to break into the guard room before he could phone in the robbery to the authorities. When the excitement of the moment peaked in his belly, Chance locked gazes with Makayla. Her pale eyes were wide with shock… and her trembling hand started reaching down.
Chance ignored the flash of pain across his heart. Knowing her sense of justice, remembering her mentioning a silent alarm button at her station, he growled out, “Don’t be a hero,” and swung his empty gun around, pointing it right between her beautiful breasts. Guilt and pain extinguished any thrill he’d had walking into this place, as he watched her warm eyes fill with fright. Pushing the emotion back, Chance kept his voice low and husky, his natural, southern accent at bay as he firmly commanded her to comply. Hopefully, she actually listened to him for once. “Hands up.”
Makayla grudgingly raised her hands, the other tellers following suit. As he kept his gaze on the love he’d never get to keep, Chance almost wished she’d pressed the button. As Chance approached her station, Makayla’s eyes narrowed. Color flushing her cheeks, she looked like she had when she’d stood up to Garrett—righteously pissed. Pride flashed through Chance at her courage, even as he raised his empty gun to her head, pointing it squarely between her eyes. “Money, in the bag, now!”
He tossed her the bag from his jacket pocket while he listened to Reggie gathering the customers’ belongings. Cell phones were the first thing they’d take…didn’t want anyone getting up the nerve to call for help. Makayla’s anger shifted back to stark terror as her gaze shifted from Chance’s face to the barrel filling her vision. He wanted to assure her that she wasn’t in any danger, from him at least, but he had to maintain the illusion that he was dangerous…for her safety.
Once she was filling the bag, Chance heard Garrett return with the guard. Hopefully he’d gotten to him before the man had called the cops. Chance glanced at the bruised but intact guard, then took a second to look over at Neil. He’d promised Adrian that he’d keep him safe if he could. Neil was eyeing Garrett with wide eyes; his fingers trembled as he held them in the air. Neil didn’t look like he was going to do anything brave and foolish, and Chance hoped he didn’t. Chance’s gun might not be loaded, but Garrett’s was, and he wouldn’t hesitate to unload it.
Chance was still staring at Neil when a bag full of money hit him in the chest. Startled, he jerked his vision back to Makayla. Her eyes were as wide as they could go as she stared at him open-mouthed. She clearly expected him to shoot her for her panic-filled move. Chance narrowed his eyes and shook his head. God, Makayla, don’t make things difficult for me now. Just be a good little hostage so I can get the two maniacs away from you.
Makayla blinked in surprise at his mellow reaction. He would have laughed, if he wasn’t in such a damn hurry. Chance kept his eyes on Makayla as he reached down for the loot he had to somehow get Garrett caught with. Makayla’s eyes watched his hand. Then her brow bunched and her vision snapped back up to his. Chance saw the flare of recognition as her gaze narrowed to icy pinpricks. He locked gazes with her, terrified. Chance wasn’t sure how she’d figured it out, but it was clear that she had. She knew who he was…she recognized him.
As they stared at each other, Chance felt his heart cracking into a million pieces. His world started to crumble around him. This was it. She recognized him. She knew that he was robbing her. She knew that he’d just pointed a weapon into her face. The con was over. In a split-second every warm, loving memory that he had of her flooded his brain—their first flirting, her approaching him at the grocery store, their first date, their first kiss, their whispered words of affection, trust, and hope, her trailing Adrian to come to his rescue, the first time they’d made love, the way she’d comforted him, protected him, believed in him…waking up by her side.
It was over. Everything was over…they were over.
His eyes stinging so bad that he knew he might lose it soon if he didn’t harden himself, Chance did what he had to do. Reaching across the counter, he pulled her hair, forcing her face to come closer to his. She cried out in pain, then glared at him so hard he expected laser beams to burn him to cinders at any moment. “You’re going to take me to the safe, and you’re going to open it…got it?”
When she looked about ready to refuse him, Chance shifted the gun to point it at Neil. She looked over at her best friend and her face lost all color. Again, Chance wanted to tell her that the gun wasn’t loaded, but he couldn’t…not at the moment. She looked back at Chance like she didn’t even recognize the man before her. Chance swallowed, hating himself more than she did. As Garrett barked out orders and gave the other tellers bags to fill, Chance grabbed his and leapt over the counter to keep a firm grasp on Makayla…so she wouldn’t do anything stupid, now that she knew who he was.
Wishing they’d had time to disable the cameras, since they wouldn’t have time to erase the footage currently recording, Chance looked down and avoided them as much as he could. Luckily there was nothing about him that really stood out, especially with the matching clothes Garrett had provided and the atrocious ski masks. Really, the only distinguishing feature he had was his tattoo, and that was concealed behind his—
Chance looked down as they got to the hallway leading to the back. Cursing, he adjusted his sleeve with his pant leg. It had risen up his arm a bit when he’d reached for the bag. Once out of earshot of the whimpering customers in the lobby, Chance sighed. “It was the tattoo, wasn’t it? You saw it, didn’t you?”
Glancing over at the surveillance room, Chance noticed the splintered wood where Garrett had used the butt of his rifle and the weight of his body to break through the door’s shabby locking mechanism. If this bank were more modern, the door would have been solid steel, and Garrett wouldn’t have been able to do that. He would have had to waste precious time picking the lock, and the guard would have had the few seconds he’d needed to call the police. As it was, the phone was off the hook and a dial tone was pulsing in the air. He’d almost made it in time.
In front of the manager’s door, Makayla spun and pointed her finger in his chest. “What the hell are you doing?”
Knowing this wasn’t the time or the place, Chance opened the door and shoved her inside. She stumbled a little at the force he’d used. Once inside the empty office, the manager obviously “out” on one of his many questionable errands, Chance ran a hand down his knit-covered face. “I don’t have time to explain, Makayla, but I’m doing this for your safety.”
She flicked her hand at the gun in his. “My safety? Are you kidding me?”
Needing her to move things along, he pointed the gun at her. “Just open the safe,” he murmured, his heart not in the words.
She glared at him, but did as she was told. Removing a large, garish picture from the wall, she quickly twisted the dial on the front to the correct combination. “I can’t believe I ever trusted you.” Cracking open the safe she growled, “I can’t believe I ever shared myself with you.”
Chance sighed. “You and me both, Makayla.”
Watching her heart harden right in front of him, Chance handed her another bag from his jacket pocket. Between the two of them, they emptied the long, deep safe in a matter of seconds. Not wanting her to use any foolish heroics on him, Chance made Makayla carry both bags while he kept the gun trained on her back. Surprisingly, she didn’t fight against him. She didn’t rant and rave either. She just silently did as she was told. As they exited the room, Chance almost wished she’d yell and curse at him. It would be better than the cold look of distance she was giving him. God, he’d messed this up so badly.
They hurried down the hall. Chance grabbed her elbow right before they got back into the lobby. From over Makayla’s shoulder he could see Garrett shoving his gun right into the face of a beautiful young teller. She was crying as she filled the bag for him as quickly as she could. Reggie was keeping an eye on the few customers in the room—an elderly woman and a buxom gal who sort of resembled Makayla. The guard was hunched on the floor
between the two robbers, the bank staff that had already emptied their tills sitting on their knees beside him. Neil was pale white and his eyes locked on Makayla’s as she stood at the end of the hall. Chance wondered if Neil suspected what Makayla now knew.
Jerking on her elbow, Chance brought his mouth to her ear. “I’m begging you to not start anything. Just sit with Neil and let us leave.”
Makayla stiffened in his hold. “If you think you can just walk out of here—”
Grunting, Chance jerked her body against his. She inhaled, maybe out of habit, maybe out of irritation. “I’m trying to keep you alive, Makayla. Don’t give Garrett a reason to kill you!”
Her mouth dropped open and she slightly turned towards him. “Your brother? Is that why you’re doing this? Some twisted sense of family loyalty?”
Knowing he had no more time to waste, Chance slumped against her, pushing her forward. “No…I already told you…I’m doing this for you.”
Just as she sputtered, “That doesn’t make any sense!” Chance shoved her into the lobby.