Authors: Tim Miller
Chapter 3
When Darren got home, Jenny was waiting for him on the couch. He could tell she’d been crying, but she was trying to keep herself composed. Despite the tear stains on her cheeks, she still looked amazing. Her long, red hair was draped over her shoulders. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of his boxers. The white of the tank top brought out the freckles on her fair skin.
He sat down next to her, she buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed for several minutes. He held her tight and stroked her hair. It was hard to ignore the stifling heat. The power had been off less than an hour and it was already like a furnace in their small apartment. No way could they stay there without power.
“I called Michael after I talked to you,” she said leaning back, wiping the tears from her face. “He said we can stay with him for a little while.”
“Michael? Isn’t he in jail?”
“He got out a few months ago. He has a job and his own place. It’s not much, but we can’t stay here
,” she said.
“Wasn’t he in for dealing drugs or something?”
“That was one of the charges. He’s clean now. He did ten years. But he’s not like that anymore. He was just with the wrong crowd.”
Darren had met Jenny shortly after Michal’s arrest. He remembered the emotional hell she went through as her brother waited on court dates, visited him in jail
, and sending him money until he finally got a plea deal. He ratted out some of the bigger players in his crew and in exchange he was given ten years. It sounds like a lot, but he was facing a lot more. Darren had only met him once, he seemed like a punk, but that was back then. Who knows? Maybe he had changed.
“Okay, I guess we don’t have much choice
,” Darren said.
They packed up as much as they could carry and headed to Michael’s. They didn’t say much until they arrived at his place.
They stood next to each other outside Michael’s door as Jenny knocked. Darren towered over her. She was just over five feet tall, while he was six-foot-two. He liked the way she fit in his arms perfectly. It was as if they were made for each other.
“Jen!” Michael said as he opened the door. He was a short, rat-faced guy. His hair was dark, bushy and unkempt. Guess he hadn’t gotten used to grooming since being released. They hugged and exchanged niceties as Michael let them in.
“You remember Darren, right?” Jenny said.
“Oh yeah, of course! Good to see you man!” Michael said as he shook Darren’s hand. “Sorry the place is kinda messy. I just have the one bedroom. You guys can sleep in there and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Oh no, we couldn’t put you out like that,” Jenny protested. It was the polite thing to do, but deep down, Darren wanted to sleep in the bed.
“No, it’s no problem. I’m used to sleeping on hard surfaces. My couch is pretty comfy
so I’ll be fine.”
“Well thank you Michael
. We appreciate that,” Jenny said. They put their things away and got settled. Once they were settled in, Michael prepared a huge pot of spaghetti. They sat around the living room eating with the TV on in the background.
“So, you lost your job today Darren?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, unfortunately. It was a shitty job, but it paid. Now I don’t know what I’ll do. No one wants to hire a forty year old corporate burnout. What do you do?”
“Oh this and that. Lots of odd jobs, But I try to make what I can where I can. Don’t worry, it’s all legal. I’m not gonna go back to prison
,” Michael said.
“Well that’s good to know,” Darren said as he stood. “I think I’m going to get some rest. It’s been a long day. Thanks for letting us crash here Michael. Hopefully we’ll get on our feet soon.”
“Sure man, don’t mention it.”
Darren put his plate in the sink and headed to the bedroom. He used the adjoining bathroom and stepped back out. He undressed and lay down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The air conditioning felt good. The apartment wasn’t much, but at least it was cool. He sat up and dug through his bag for his water bottle. Once he found it, he took a drink and went to set it on the night stand.
One of Michael’s duffel bags was on the stand. Darren picked it up to set it on the floor, but was shocked at how heavy it was. The bag wasn’t very big, but felt like it had a brick inside. It was Michael’s stuff, so he shouldn’t be going through it, but he noticed the zipper was open anyway. He pulled the bag open and inside saw a semi-automatic handgun. Darren dropped it to the floor and shot back onto the bed on his back.
Why would Michael have a gun? He just got out of prison. For one thing, it was a felony just for Michael to be in possession of a gun, or anywhere near one for that matter. Second, it was there in a bag as if it had been in use recently. Darren started to wonder about Michael’s “odd jobs.” Though maybe he was onto something if he could get away with it. Being a tax paying, law abiding citizen sure wasn’t paying off. His entire life, Darren had done all the “right” things.
He graduated high school, went to college, got a good job and got married. They hadn’t had kids, but that wasn’t his fault. He did all
of the things to pursue the American dream, yet there he was, broke and living in his brother in laws shitty apartment. Not what he had planned for his life at all. Maybe it was time to do the wrong thing for a change and see how that pays off. Before he could think much further, his eyes grew heavy as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 4
June 10, 2013
Darren pulled into the garage and closed the door. They climbed out with their gear and the money. He popped the trunk, to find Dunca
n curled up in a fetal position and shaking.
“Please! Don’t hurt me!”
he cried.
“Shut up, get out of there
,” Darren said as he pulled him out by the jacket. “Get inside.”
“You took your masks off? Are you going to kill me?”
“I will if you don’t move your ass! Now go!”
They got inside the house which was empty. He dragged Duncan to the corner and sat him down.
“See if there’s any duct tape or anything to subdue him with,” Darren said.
“Where? I don’t think there’s anything here
,” Jenny said.
“Can you just look?”
“Are you sure this place is abandoned? No one is gonna show up by surprise?” Jenny asked.
“I’m positive. I scouted this place for weeks and looked up the property records. The owners live out of state, they haven’t been here in years.”
Jenny started looking through drawers and cabinets as Darren removed his jacket and gloves. He opened the bag of money and looked through it, awestruck by the amount of cash.
“Jesus Christ, that’s a lot of money
,” he said.
“You hit us right after our armored car delivery,” Duncan said.
“They had just filled all of the teller drawers.”
“Well good timing for us I guess.”
The sound of a car pulling up startled Darren.
“Jen? Who is that?”
he called out.
“I don’t know, no one knows about this place.”
Darren grabbed the shotgun and ran to the window, but the car had pulled behind the garage. He pointed the gun toward the back door and pushed it open. As he moved around the back of the house, he heard a car door slam. He pointed the gun at the edge of the garage as footsteps approached. A man came around the corner as Darren pumped the shotgun.
“Jesus Christ!”
the man yelled as he jumped. It was Michael.
Darren held the gun in place.
“And where the fuck have you been?” Darren yelled.
“I heard the sirens, so I got out of there. I knew you’d find a way out. Our getaway route would have been sealed off.”
“Bullshit! You fucking hang us out to dry, now you show up for your cut of the money?”
“No! It’s not like that.”
“Who did you tell about this place? Who knows we’re here?”
“No one man! I swear!”
“Darren! Put the gun down!” Jenny yelled from behind him.
“He set us up Jen, I can feel it.”
“No I didn’t! I wouldn’t set up my own sister! What the fuck?” Michael said.
“Look, he just got scared, ok?” Jenny said. “Please, babe, put the gun down.”
Darren looked at her, and slowly lowered the shotgun.
“He doesn’t get a cut of the money
,” Darren said.
“I’m the one who planned this whole thing,” Michael argued.
“Look! We can sort it out later. Let’s get inside,” Jenny interrupted.
Darren turned and looked at Jenny.
“Where is the hostage?”
“Oh shit
,” Jen said.
“What hostage?” Michael asked, but Darren was already running back into the house.
When he got inside, Duncan was gone. He looked out the window and saw the man lumbering down the dirt road. He hadn’t gotten far. Darren took off after him and caught up to him easily, striking him in the back of the head with the shotgun, sending Duncan sprawling face first.
“Nice try dipshit. Get up,” Darren said.
He jerked the man to his feet and dragged him back to the house. Darren was frustrated he had underestimated the little man. Duncan was short, slightly balding and a little pudgy. His face was doughy and clean shaven. Not someone you’d perceive as a threat, or even with the slightest set of balls. Once they got inside, Michael began to lose his shit.
“You took a fucking hostage? Are you nuts?”
“I killed a guy in the bank too. Some old guy took a shot at me. We had to take a hostage after you bailed on us.”
“Jesus fucking Christ! This was supposed to be a quick, in and out robbery. Easy! Not shooting old people and kidnapping people
,” Michael noticed Duncan’s nametag. “Jesus, you took the fucking branch manager? They are gonna have everyone looking for us.”
“Why did you come out here? You bailed. Speaking of which, you left before we did. Where exactly have you been? You should have beaten us here
,” Darren asked.
Darren dragged Duncan back to the corner and pulled his suit jacket off. He undid the man’s tie.
“Put your hands behind your back,” he ordered. Duncan did as he was told as Darren tied the tie around his wrists, cinching it into a tight knot.
“That’s too tight!” Duncan complained.
“I don’t give a shit,” Darren said, “Now sit.”
Duncan did as he was told
and then looked up at Darren.
“Please don’t kill me,” he whimpered.
“Shut the fuck up already,” Darren said and kicked him in the leg.
“Jesus, Darren! You don’t have to be so mean to him!” Jenny yelled.
Darren’s head was starting to hurt. The stress and adrenaline of the day was starting to take its toll. Not to mention everyone bitching. He was surprised by his own roughness since the robbery, but something about robbing a bank and blowing a man’s head off takes a toll on a non-sociopath.
“God!” Darren yelled. “Will everyone just shut the fuck up? I can’t even think straight.”
Darren walked into another room and sat against the wall. He sat the shotgun down and put his hands on top of his head.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”
he said.
Jenny walked in and sat next to him and put
her arm around him. Michael stood in the doorway looking at the two.
“I fucked it all up,” Darren said. “Like everything else I try to do for us. I fuck it up. It never goes the way it’s supposed to.”
“Oh, honey. It’s not your fault. We still got the money. I’m sorry you had to kill that guy. But we’re almost there. We just need to hang tight for a few days and we’ll be home free,” Jenny said.
“Yeah,” Darren said. “Home free.”
Chapter 5
Two weeks earlier
“Rob a bank? Are you fucking insane? Darren said.
“Just hear him out. Ok?” Jenny pleaded.
“I can’t believe you’re even entertaining any of this.”
“Look,” Michael said. “I learned all about this when I was inside. The problem with most bank robbers is they get greedy. They go into the vault and take way too much time. We will just get the cash drawers. In and out in about two minutes. By the time the cops get there, we’ll be long gone.”
“That simple huh?” Darren asked.
“Yeah. If we hit a few hours after their armored truck delivery, the drawers will be full. We could easily walk out of there with around five hundred grand.”
“You learned about this in jail you said?”
“Yeah, a guy on my cell block, his crew used to knock off banks.”
“And he was in fucking prison. Shouldn’t that tell you something?” Darren said.
“That’s because one of his crew went and bought a new house with the cash the day after the robbery. They caught him and he ratted everyone else out. We’re not that stupid. We’ll get the money, lie low
, and then we’ll be set.”
“God, this is insane.”
“Baby, maybe he’s onto something. How much have we busted our asses for years? I’m still paying student loans on my fucking accounting degree and I can’t find a job,” Jenny said. “Besides, how rich are these fucking banks? They keep all of our money, charge us stupid fees; they make billions. The money is insured with the government anyway.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m just thinking
that if we get caught. We are looking at twenty or thirty years in prison. Not something I want to do,” Darren said.
“Not if we do it right. This is the right way. Trust me
,” Michael said.
Darren got up and walked into the other room and sat on the edge of the bed. Jenny followed him in and sat next to him.
“Did you know he was going to suggest this when he had us move in here?” Darren asked.
“What? No! How could you say that?”
“It just all seems so convenient. We have been here barely a week after our lives continue to unravel. And suddenly he has this perfect plan?”
“Maybe he had it in mind. He said he learned about it in prison
,” she said.
“I honestly can’t believe you’d consider this. What if something went wrong? Like one of us getting shot by the cops, or accidentally killing someone?”
“None of that will happen. We’ll be in and out.”
“
And you don’t have a problem with robbing and stealing?”
“Not from billionaire assholes. Not when we are starving and near homeless
,” she said.
He looked at her and thought about early in their marriage when things had been better. They bought their first house together. It was a nice, three bedroom home with a big yard. They had hoped to have children, but the children never came. Turned out he had a low sperm count. They thought about other methods, but time had slipped away from them. He thought of all the ways he’d failed her through the years. Losing his job, losing their home, not being able to give her children.
On so many levels he felt like a failure. Guys his age he’d gone to college with were all thriving. They all had nice houses, some even had vacation homes. On Facebook they constantly post pictures of all the trips they go on and exciting places they see. Darren was happy when they could eat something other than Ramen or peanut butter.
“Ok,” he said. “We’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.
There’s a lot of things we can do with that money. Can finally stop living like animals.”
“We don’t have it that bad,” she said.
“It feels that way sometimes. When we can’t even eat a real meal. I hate that I haven’t taken good care of you.”
She put her hand on his leg.
“You’ve always taken good care of me.”
“You’re parents sure don’t think so. They think I’m a loser.”
“No they don’t.”
“Then why does your dad keep asking when I’m getting a real job? Shit isn’t like it was when he was forty.”
“I know,” she said. “He doesn’t understand it. Just ignore him. I don’t think you’re a loser. I think you’re amazing.”
“I’ll feel more amazing when we are on a beach in Mexico bathing in our own cash.”
“That’ll be nice,” she laughed. “Maybe I can make a bikini out of hundred dollar bills.”
“Fuck the bikini, your ass is gonna be naked,” he said as he tackled her onto the bed. They rolled around and kissed as they undressed each other. It was strange how just a few moments ago he was angry and even depressed. Suddenly the prospect of robbing a bank had him extremely turned on.
Their lovemaking was much rougher than usual. She actually told him to slow down a few times. After they finished, she rested her head on his shoulder while he looked up at the ceiling.
“Well that was different,” she said.
“Yeah. I guess I’m not myself lately.”
“I liked it, just scared me a little. It’s like you were angry.”
“Maybe I am. Maybe this whole bank thing will be good for us. We’ve played it safe for so long. It’s time to just say fuck it and do something insane.”
“That’s what I was thinking. I don’t think we’ll get caught. You’re smarter than most people
,” she said. “Most crooks are dumb. Even Michael isn’t the brightest. With you there, everything will stay under control. Just two minutes until our problems are solved.”
“That sounds nice,” he said. “I just hope it’s that simple.”