One Last Time (Part 1 of 3)
They
closed the back door of the van, locking it carefully, trying to do it as
carefully and quietly as possible. Feelings of uncertainty and fear began to rush
through my head. Mitchell, who was sitting to my left, must have noticed,
because he kept looking at me, until he had finally managed to push the words, “Hey,
you alright man?” out of his mouth.
I
nodded, feeling completely unsure, “this is the last one, right? The big one?”
It got extremely quiet between all of us as the words left my lips, obviously
it was the one question no one knew the damn answer to. Finally, after a long
awkward silence, Tyler turned around in the passenger seat, looking mighty
confident in himself.
“It’s
going to be fine man, don’t worry. We go in poor, and we come out as self-made
men. It’ll be real easy man, just stick to the plan, and we’ll be set. You think
you can do that?”
I
nodded, taking care to remain silent, still thinking of the many doubts that
plagued my mind. Reaching into my suit pocket, I grabbed a handkerchief, wiping
the clusters of sweat that covered the top of my head, feeling slightly
embarrassed.
George,
who was sitting across from Mitchell and I started to laugh, and giving a
slight smirk as he watched me, “Take a deep breath man, chill the fuck out
already.” He just smiled, watching as I continued to receive the jitters,
worrying about the job that was to come. He sighed, “It’s all going to be
alright bro, and you've done things like this before. So, why’re you so on
edge man? You’re not a rookie.”
I
shrugged, truly not knowing why I felt so afraid, so, empty. I was used to
doing things of criminal nature, that much was true. As a child I sold drugs on
the streets, and even started robbing liquor stores at the age of fifteen. I
wasn’t the best kid, but I was skilled at what I did.
I’d
been hanging out with the guys for a while to be honest, having robbed gangs of
their profits, small time stores, and even a small county bank or two. This wasn't some small place though, this was a fucking government bank. One of
those ones with the highest of security and power, something I’d never even
dreamed of robbing.
The
plan was rather simple, Mitchell and I would go in, wait for George and Tyler
to call the heist, and then Mitchell and I would suit up and blow the vault. We’d
get around six bags of cash, and throw them in the van. Hopefully, if
everything went well, we’d have exactly one hour before the police noticed
anything suspicious.
Frank,
the driver, would sit out around back, waiting for Mitchell and me to unload
the pay. After we get the money out, Tyler and George would meet us out front.
We’d pick it up and have time to safely escape without ever feeling the heat hit
our backs.
The
job was simple, high paying, and supposedly easy. Why was I so afraid? Perhaps
it was the new experience, or the fact that we’d been in San Francisco so long,
either could have been a high possibility. Everyone else was ready, calm, hell
even excited to get this done. I was the one who had to ruin all the great
vibes.
Tyler
turned around again, being careful to address everyone in a quieter tone, “This
can get serious guys. I don’t mean to bring down any of your spirits, but this
might get really rough.” He looked towards me, pausing for a minute. “No matter
what happens, we’re a family now. We’ve always been one, and we got each other’s
backs. I want each, and every damn one of you to watch out for your brother as
you would yourself. Alright?”
Everyone
nodded, understanding that what laid before us might not be as easy as
anticipated. As we pulled up to the bank, we got ready. I put on my mask, one
that resembled a ghost, and prepared for the last job I’d ever partake in.
Hopeful, that this would be my last successful job. Little did I know, I was
half right, it was in fact, my last job.
