“I think we need to rob a bank today.”
Bracey’s attention was pulled away from his thoughts and back to the pair. “Why?” he asked nonchalantly of Andy. “Our next robbery isn’t for another couple of weeks. We have orders to keep a low profile until then.”
“I’m bored. Besides, I got word from someone I trust that this particular bank will be an easy job.”
Honestly? In this business, there was really someone Andy thought he could trust? Bracey knew that although Vince had been Andy’s partner-in-crime for years, the two men didn’t trust each other, either. Through an informant, Bracey had gotten word that a file with the names of some of the mob’s key players had been on the hard drive of the computer in this house. After their last robbery, when Vince and Andy had passed out after celebrating a little too hard, Bracey had managed to do some digging. When he found what he was looking for, he copied the file, then sent the names to the Bureau.
Everything had to be timed perfectly for the upcoming takedown, and he was hoping nothing went wrong. The stage was set for the Feds to catch the thieves red-handed at the next bank robbery, exactly two weeks from now. When the perps left the bank, believing they’d engineered yet another successful heist, both federal agents and local police would be waiting to apprehend them.
“I say we stay put, Andy,” Bracey said, knowing an impromptu bank robbery in broad daylight was definitely a bad idea.
“Nobody asked you, Bracey. I agree with Andy. If we do a job on our own, we won’t have to turn anything over to those bastards in the mob. We can keep everything for ourselves.”
Bracey took a sip of his whiskey. He hated the stuff, especially so early in the morning. Most of the time, he only pretended to drink it as part of his tough guy façade. “You can’t betray them. That’s a death sentence.”
“I don’t care,” Andy snapped.
“And neither do I,” Vince echoed. “I’m tired of being pushed around. I’m my own man, not the boss-man’s flunkey.”
Bracey didn’t say anything. He knew Vince was doing his best to goad Andy into making a suicidal decision. But why? What was in it for Vince, other than money? Both were hardened criminals, with rap sheets a mile long. Andy was more in control of himself than Vince, although he usually didn’t think things through before acting. Vince, on the other hand, was definitely bad news. Haddison knew his history. The man was a cold-blooded killer and the Bureau intended to lock him up for good this time. He was on their most-wanted list and had eluded law enforcement for years. Not only was he a loose cannon, but worse, he was a threat to those around him. The Bureau was uneasy about Vince being in this gang because the man could be so unpredictable — in the worst sort of way. He had a knack for negatively influencing people. Haddison could already see how easily he’d manipulated Andy.
“I agree. Let’s do it,” Andy said.
When the room got quiet, Bracey said, “Sounds like you two have made up your minds.”
“We have,” Vince said, smiling. “Now the question is, old man, are you with us?”
Yeah, he guessed he was an old man to them, since he was thirty-eight to their twenty-five. And most days, he felt the thirteen-year difference when dealing with them. They took chances most people wouldn’t think of taking. The thought of getting caught and serving time again didn’t seem to faze them. “What the two of you are planning to do is crazy.”
“I don’t give a damn what you think about it,” Vince said. “My question is, are you with us or not? Or will you snitch to the boss-man?”
Andy shook his head. “Bracey won’t snitch,” he told Vince. He then looked at Bracey. “I heard you got a good cut from your last job with that mob out in Vegas. Although some people got caught, and that cartel toppled over, you and a couple of others got away with some of the stash.”
Bracey didn’t say anything. Andy had heard just what the Bureau had wanted him to hear. As a routine, before sending him in anywhere, his bosses always carefully built up his reputation, using his last assignment. He was surprised no one had ever noticed that he never got caught. He would reappear a year or so later as the same person with a more devious reputation. And thanks to the FBI, he’d have an even more disreputable and dangerous past that could be traced, if necessary.
He’d only ever run into trouble once. Four years ago, during an assignment, Bracey’s duplicity had been uncovered. That’s when he had infiltrated the East Coast Connection, an organized crime syndicate that had set its sights on Vegas; specifically, the Grand MD Hotel owned by Lee Madaris and DeAngelo Di Meglio.
Lee’s wife, Carly, had been taken hostage and Bracey’s identity had been compromised when he’d helped her escape from her captors. The FBI had quickly reworked the narrative to make it seem that it was someone else and not Bracey who’d been the FBI’s mole.
That job, infiltrating the East Coast Connection, was to have been his last undercover assignment. However, the death of a fellow FBI agent, who’d been working undercover in the Connection, had changed the game for Bracey. Though it was risky, he’d been determined to find out who’d ratted out the FBI agent who’d lost his life in Miami, leaving behind a widow and two fatherless children. Especially since it appeared to have been an inside job. And sure enough, he’d discovered that there was a fellow FBI agent working for the cartel. In the end, the agent had been arrested and was now serving time.
After wrapping up the situation with the East Coast Connection, Bracey had taken a two-year leave of absence from the Bureau to determine if he was truly ready to leave the agency for good, or if he was just burned-out and needed some time off.
Those two years on leave from the Bureau had shown him just how exhausted he’d become. It was then that he’d decided to do one last assignment, and that would be it. So here he was, revising his role as Addison Bracey, a criminal more ruthless and deadlier than ever. But once this operation was over, and all the paperwork he needed to complete was done, he would walk away from the Bureau and begin living a normal life. He meant it this time.
“You think you know so damn much about me and my business,” Bracey finally said, snapping at Andy.
The man only laughed. “Hey, I heard you would turn on your own mother if the price was right.”
“Whatever,” he said, knowing he was giving them the impression that he would.
“So, are you in with us?” Vince asked, eyeing him crossly.
He waited a beat and then another, before saying, “Yeah, I’m in.”
“And just so you know,” Andy said, “I’m not waiting for tonight. I want to hit the bank today, in broad daylight.”
Broad daylight. That wasn’t Andy and Vince’s normal mode of operation. This wasn’t good. There could be people put in harm’s way. He needed to alert the Bureau with details the first chance he got. “Why?”
“That way the mob won’t link the hit to us when the robbery makes the news. As far as they know, we only work at night.”
“Are you crazy, man?” Bracey asked, knowing he had to talk them out of such an insane idea. “There will be cameras all over the place. There’s no way you won’t be identified.”
“I’ll take care of the cameras, as always. Besides, we’ll be wearing ski masks,” Vince said smiling.
Bracey wanted to slap the smile off the man’s face. “If we knock off a bank during business hours, there will be people inside.”
Andy shrugged. “Nobody will get hurt if they do what they are told.”
“And if they don’t?” Bracey asked. “I don’t particularly feel like killing anybody today,” he said, making his voice cold, as if taking another person’s life meant nothing to him.
Vince chuckled. “Speak for yourself. I don’t mind killing anyone. Hell, let me at it.”
Bracey reached for the coffee pot sitting on the table and poured some into his cup. He then took the plastic stick and stirred it up a bit, giving the impression he was considering the men’s proposition. Then he looked over at
them. “Then count me out,” he said, narrowing his gaze at them. “I don’t like it when things get messy for no reason. I still got a price on my head with the Feds. You guys don’t.”
Bracey knew they wouldn’t count him out. They couldn’t risk him going back and telling the boss anything. And even if they had ideas of getting rid of him, they wouldn’t risk that either. He hadn’t just popped up on their doorstep one day without a purpose. The boss had sent him. That meant if any craziness happened, there would be a price to pay. And Vince and Andy knew it. If someone ever got caught betraying the boss, they wouldn’t live to tell about it. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind that in essence, he was doing that very thing.
“No one gets killed as long as they do what they are told. Agreed?” Andy asked in an agitated voice.
“Agreed,” Vince said quickly. Too quickly for Bracey’s peace of mind.
Bracey eyed the two men for a while before finally saying, “Agreed.”
Andy smiled. “All right, then,” he said moving to the table where Bracey was sitting. “Here’s the plan.”
Vince came over to the table, as well. As Bracey listened to the two men, he knew he had to find a way to notify the Bureau immediately. He had a bad feeling about today. A very bad feeling.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN you can’t approve me for a car loan?” Kennedy asked the man sitting behind the huge desk. The name plate on his desk identified him as Keith Harvey, the bank branch manager. And he had the nerve to look at her with an annoyed expression, as if she had no right to question what he’d just said.
“Your credit rating isn’t up to par, Ms. Bennett.”
She frowned. “That’s crazy, Mr. Harvey. I have perfect credit. I pay my bills on time and I earn a good salary. You must have run the report on someone else by mistake.”
He gave her an even more annoyed look. “We don’t make mistakes. Besides, Kennedy Bennett isn’t a common name.”
She leaned forward in her chair, trying to rein in her temper. “Anyone can make a mistake. The report is wrong. I suggest you run another.”
“That report was just run this morning, Ms. Bennett. You only get one. Another will cost you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And you think I give a royal damn. I will pay for it, and then when I prove you wrong, I expect the bank to reimburse me for the charges.”
“That’s fine, but unfortunately nothing can be done today. I have an eleven o’clock appointment with a very important client. You’ve gone past your allotted time.”
Her allotted time? So, she wasn’t important? She might not have millions in this bank, but she should still be treated as a valued customer. She’d never heard of such foolishness. Surely, a bank manager should have better customer service skills.
“Look, Mr. Harvey, I can’t come back at another time. I have a job.”
“Then I suggest you use the Internet. We have a customer-friendly website where you can apply.”
“I don’t fill out applications for anything online. Besides, the issue isn’t the application — it’s the wrong credit report. That’s something we need to clear up now.”
Kennedy couldn’t believe this. After reading her horoscope that morning, she’d been ready for a rough start, but this was ridiculous. Still, if it ended up being the best day of her life, it would be okay. In fact, she intended to buy a lotto ticket when she left here. That had to be it. Her winning lotto. Millions. Then she wouldn’t need an auto loan because she would pay cash for her car.
“There is nothing to clear up, Ms. Bennett,” the man interrupted her thoughts. On top of that, he gave her a look that probably left his tellers shivering in their shoes, but it wouldn’t work on her. If her dad’s deadly looks didn’t bother her, no man’s would.
“Like I said, I have another appointment,” the manager said, standing, as if dismissing her.
She was about to tell him that they weren’t finished discussing her business when his intercom buzzed. He tapped it. “What is it, Ms. Collins?” he asked in a gruff tone.
“You are wanted in the lobby.”
“I’ll be right there,” he said curtly.
He moved around his desk. “My next appointment has probably arrived. I’ll walk you out.” Then he walked to the door, as if he expected her to follow.
She held back, silently counted to ten and tried convincing herself that making a scene now wasn’t worth it. She was past that stage in her life, and she should be the professional that she was and leave. And then she’d file a complaint with his boss. However, another part of her, the one that just couldn’t hold back the Kennedy Bennett temper today, frowned deeply and followed him out, fully prepared to give him a piece of her mind, regardless of who heard her.
She walked quickly to catch up with him. “Wait up, Mr. Harvey. We haven’t finished talking yet.”
It seemed to her that the man quickened his steps. Once they entered the lobby area, she caught up with him. By now, she was furious. “Mr. Harvey, did you hear what I—?”
“Hands up, everybody. This is a robbery. If you do as you’re told, you won’t get hurt. So no heroics, do you hear?” A man’s deep voice filled the lobby.
Kennedy jerked around to stare at the three masked men. And they had guns.
After announcing their intentions, Bracey scanned the area, quickly sizing up the place while trying to keep an eye on Andy and Vince. There were three female tellers, as well as six customers — a middle-aged man, an older woman, two other women who appeared to be in their mid-fifties, a younger woman who was walking with the man he guessed to be the bank manager, and a security guard, who wasn’t even wearing a gun.
Of their own accord, his eyes returned to the young woman standing by the bank manager. Unlike the others, she didn’t look the least bit frightened. In fact, she seemed totally peeved. And her next words proved it.
“Hands up? You’ve got to be kidding me,” she snapped, looking every bit like an angry yet beautiful she-cat who would slice someone with her claws if they got too close. “Of all the times to rob a bank, you pick now. I don’t have time for this.”
Bracey knew she would have continued on her rampage if Vince hadn’t shouted at her, “Shut up, bitch!”
Bracey figured the sound of Vince’s voice, not to mention the gun pointed at her, would have convinced the woman to close her mouth and hold up her hands like the others were doing. Hell, one guy had already dropped to the floor on his stomach with his hands and feet spread apart, as if he assumed that would be their next command.
Bracey could feel Vince’s edginess, and he knew the man was just itching for an excuse to fire a bullet off in somebody. And this woman would be his first target if she didn’t keep her mouth closed. But he had a feeling that was wishful thinking.
Bracey growled in a low voice to the two men at his side. “I meant what I said — no bloodshed. Let me deal with her.”
Then he gave the woman his full attention. The moment their gazes connected, his chest tightened and his stomach began doing somersaults. Even madder than hell, the woman was more than beautiful. She was breathtaking.
Dressed professionally in a dark pencil skirt and a plaid jacket, he figured she was about five eight. She had dark-brown eyes, a pixey nose, full lips, a honey-brown complexion, and a mass of dark brown curly hair that flowed around her shoulders.
“Well, are you going to deal with her or not?” Vince snapped angrily, making Bracey realize just how long he’d been standing there, just staring at her. That wasn’t good. She had made him forget where he was and what he was doing. Knowing that Andy and Vince were watching him, he moved across the room in slow, measured steps with his gun pointed at her. But when he came to a stop directly in front her, he wished he hadn’t. Damn, she even smelled good.
“If you want to live, you will keep your damn mouth shut, lady,” he said, his tone ruthless. God, he hoped it worked on her.
Kennedy swallowed deeply. Wasn’t it just a few minutes ago she’d thou
ght no man’s looks would make her shiver? Then why was she shaking from head to toe at the way this man was glaring her down behind the ski mask, as well as the coldblooded tone of his voice.
But she wasn’t shaking out of fear, although she felt a degree of that, she had to admit. However, she also felt something else. An attraction…and it hit her harder with every word he’d spoken.
For a criminal? For Pete’s sake, something had definitely happened to her mind. There was no way a good girl who lived on the right side of the law, who had never gotten so much as a speeding ticket in her life, who paid her taxes on time, could be attracted to this…menace to society. And given the way he had that gun pointed at her, he was letting her know he was a killer, too. If he pulled the trigger, that would be the end. By all rights, she should be more afraid of him than the other two robbers.
So why wasn’t she?
“Okay, you tellers — get a move on. Start filling these bags with money. Bills. No coins. And make it quick,” one of the robbers said. He hadn’t spoken until now, but his tone let everyone know he expected his orders to be obeyed.
“Raise your hands high above your head like the others.” This sharp command came from the man standing in front of her, and nearly made Kennedy jump. The temptation to tell him to go to hell died on her lips when she stared into a pair of dark eyes that had gone from showing male interest to intended cruelty. Her chest tightened.
Knowing she’d said enough already, more than anyone with a lick of sense would have, she decided that the smart thing to do would be to keep her mouth shut from here on out. What was going down was real. As real as it could get, she thought, raising her hands up as she broke eye contact with him. But still, nothing could erase the heat she suddenly felt all over with him standing close to her. It was the kind of heat generated between a man and woman — the intense, sexual kind.
She felt totally disgusted with herself and she forced herself to concentrate on the scene playing out before her. Tellers were pulling money out of their drawers and quickly placing it on the counter in front of them. Real fear was in their eyes, and she wondered what could possibly make someone do this. To forcibly take what didn’t belong to them. The more she saw them in action, the angrier she got. She turned and glared at the backs of the two other men who were making sure the tellers were following their orders.
THE BENNETTS' WEDDING (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 5) Page 2
