by Kara Hart
“And what would I want with that money? I already have money.” She retorted.
“I don’t care. Do whatever you want with it. Go to Thailand, open a charity organization, become the leader of your own cult. For god’s sakes, we’re talking about millions of dollars here. All for you. Hide it from your men if you want to.” I smiled. I could tell she was about to budge.
“You think I wouldn’t pay my men that money?” She asked angrily. “You don’t think I’m honest with my crew?” I stayed silent. “It does sound nice though, doesn’t it? Enough money to leave…to start a new life somewhere. Alright, Rose. We have a plan.”
Chapter 26
“You'll wear this wire.” She told me, lifting up my shirt. I was totally exposed.
“Hey!” I yelled, covering myself.
“Calm down.” She applied the wire, taping it onto my skin. It felt cold and awkward, and I couldn't help but feel ashamed for having sunk this low. “You head to the cabin first. You say you're sorry, tell him you love him, and go through with the plan. If at all during this phase you try anything, I'll have my men descend into the forest and hunt you down like dogs.” She said, pointing her gun at me. “Got it?”
I shivered against the cold and slipped my shirt back on. “Got it.” I said. I still had one question. “Brianna?”
“What is it?” She asked coldly.
“What will you do to me after you have Adam?” I gulped down what little saliva I had.
“Don't waste your energy thinking about trivial things, Rose. It doesn't look good on a woman to worry.”
But she was the one full of worry, I could sense it. All her life she had wanted to be a part of something bigger. Now was her chance. But would she screw it up? Was the plan solid? I smiled at this realization. She was going to try and kill us, but there may be a way out. Her sliver of doubt reassured me of that.
We pulled a few blocks away from the forest entrance and I felt my heart skip a beat. Adam! In just a few moments I would be in his arms, in my own personal heaven.
I got out of the car and felt the gaze of Brianna and all her men stare me down. They had removed their masks at this point and some of them I could recognize as part of Jorge’s gang. They shook their heads at me. “Don't fuck this up, Rose. If you do, it's your funeral.” She looked at her crew and nodded. “Come on. Three of you, into the forest. Find that cabin!” She screamed. “See you on the other side.” She said to me, walking towards the bank.
One of the men was left to watch over me and make sure I didn't run the other direction. He was tall and handsome, covered in tattoos, and looked like he carried a heavy sadness within him. The words, “Courage” were tattooed on his arm, same as Adam.
“You…” I whispered.
“Shh…” He carefully put his finger to his mouth. He pushed me forward and I kept walking, though I was confused. Was he a part of the Courage MC?
He took out a small cylindrical device and pressed a button. The top rotated and emitted a low high pitched frequency. “Okay.” He whispered. “We can talk safely now…”
“Who are you?” I asked quickly. “How do you know Adam?”
“The name’s Avery. None of that matters now. We don't have much time. Adam sent me in as a mole to spy on Brianna. I've come to protect you, Rose. Just do what I say and you'll be fine.”
“How can I believe you? This could just be one of Brianna’s tricks…” None of this made any sense. Then again, it didn't from the beginning.
“It's either me or death. Do you really want to see what happens if you bring Adam to her?” I shook my head. He was right, I didn't have much of a plan. I figured Adam could get us out once we were captured. He always had a way with escaping. But it was never a sure thing. I decided to listen to what Avery had to say.
“Listen, if you don't believe me, let me convince you. Adam sent me a message less than a week ago. He told me to give it to you. It said, ‘I love you, lucky devil.’ Does that mean anything to you?”
We need a phrase. In case we get compromised…
“Oh, Adam…” I whispered.
“He lied to you for a reason, Rose. Don't listen to Brianna. She's an evil bitch from Hell. Take it from me. I was there at the bank that day. She left us all to die.” He looked at me and I noticed that he had a large scar across his face.
“You were the one who didn't escape. You were the one Bruce and Adam mentioned…” The realization dawned on me. He had been a ghost since the day of the robbery.
“You're a smart kid, Rose. Now I'm going to need you to listen up. You do this job, grab the money from the tellers, and run to the back. When you get to the vault, you're going to leave it untouched. You detonate the back walls and leave out the back. Brianna will never see it coming. I’ve got a guy who will make sure the bike will be out back. You get on and go. You ride for your lives. I have a guy in a delivery truck waiting for you at the next light. Hop off and get the fuck in. You close the doors and escape. It's the best plan we got.” He hesitated. “Make sure this works. Make sure Adam follows through. Adam has been a brother to me all my life. He's not a traitor, Rose. He's a tough motherfucker who's willing to put it all on the line for his family.”
I felt my heart warm up my entire body. He was right, of course. How could I ever think badly of Adam? When all this was through, I'd drop to my knees for him and open wide…
I blushed and laughed. “I think I know that now. I'm lucky.”
“Alright, there's the cabin.” He said. Sure enough we past through the tall trees and found ourselves in a clearing. In front of us was Daryl’s cabin. I breathed in deeply and grew dizzy. This was it. “Okay, I'm shutting this thing down. Any more silence and Brianna will get suspicious. Good luck.” He turned his contraption off and pushed me forward. “Get in there.” He said with malice in his voice. I smiled and walked up to the door.
Knock, knock, knock…
Chapter 27
“Rose?” The familiar deep voice rang in my ears. “Holy fuck! It's Rose!” He picked me up over his shoulder and kissed my tender belly.
Daryl laughed and slapped the top of the table. “You don't know how much this piece of shit has missed your ass.”
“Hey, that’s not all I've missed.” Adam slapped each cheek with force. “Come here…” He leaned over wrapped his strong arms around me, pushing my body close to his. I instantly smelled his handsome scent of motor oil and cologne. I breathed all that I could in and held onto him tightly. And then I looked up at him and said, “I love you, lucky devil.”
The passion in the room stopped and I felt my stomach drop. “What was that?” He asked me.
“I'm so happy to be in your arms aga—” he cut me off.
“No. Before that…” he crossed his arms and stood towering over me. I began to shake.
“Adam…” I whispered, trailing off. It was in that moment he realized, all had changed. The mission had been compromised. And yet, he broke out into a smile, shaking his head. “I am a lucky devil, aren't I?”
“Where'd you run off to?” Daryl asked, while reading the newspaper.
“Stayed at a motel nearby.” I muttered. “I realized I might’ve made the wrong choice.” I tried to sound as bashful as I could, realizing it was a pretty big lie to tell. Though Adam knew something was up, Daryl had no idea. I couldn’t just go running my mouth with a wire taped to my body.
“Gone an awful long time…” He said, eying me. He was still holding the paper, shaking it as if the text would reveal the truth to him. I looked at Adam and pressed my lips tightly together.
“Hey Daryl. Drop it. She’s back. That’s all that counts.” He said, clasping his hands around me one more time.
“S’ppose so.” He replied back. He went right back to reading the front page.
“I sat down at the table and eyed both of them. Adam’s face suddenly turned very serious. “Same plan.” I said, eying him cautiously.
“You sure about that sweet-peach?” He as
ked me.
“Sure as I ever was.” I nodded. I grabbed the paper from Daryl and wrote down the plan, adding “C4 to the back wall. We escape out the back…” He nodded.
“What the—” Daryl said.
Adam turned around and glanced at him heavy. “Get to work, Daryl. We don’t have much time.”
He hobbled out of his chair angrily and grabbed his cane. “Alright, alright. Don’t have to tell me twice…” He mumbled. He swung the door open and turned around. “Here’s to my retirement fund.” He saluted and smiled big. Since I met him I hadn’t seen him smile that large. It was heartbreaking to see. I looked at him, worried about our plan, but he consoled me with his heavy hand.
“Here, here.” He saluted back. Daryl shut the door and all was silent.
Chapter 28
I grabbed the pistol and held it in my hand. The heavy metal actually felt lighter than normal. I cocked it back and released the safety.
“It’s time.” Adam said, holstering his gun. “You ready?”
“Ready as I can be.” I said. Oddly enough I was calm. I had been through too much to let this phase me. We grabbed two masks from the pile and fitted them on.
“Alright. Let’s show them how it’s done.” He said.
We ran out the door and hopped on the bike. “I love you, Rose. I’ve lied to you in the past, but I’m gonna’ make it up to you. I promise. Ain’t no one as sexy as you.” We lifted our masks and gazed into each other’s eyes.
“You’re everything to me. Just give me the world like you promised.” I said. He leaned forward and I felt the warm magic of his kiss wash over me. His tongue wrapped around mine, while his heavy hand caressed the back of my head. As he pulled his head back, he bit down on my lower lip slightly, and kissed my cheek.
He nodded and stepped down on the dirt bike, starting its engine. “Let’s go.” I held onto his abs tight and felt the bike move forward in an instant. We zipped through the tall trees, headed towards our destination. Memories flooded my mind – the first time we met, the first ride on his motorcycle, the party where I met Jorge and Brianna… So much had changed. So much had been revealed. I had gotten my wish to lead a free and adventurous life. I had better get my wish to settle down with the bad boy of my dreams.
We busted through the exit of the forest and Adam jumped the bike onto the curb of the sidewalk in front of us with ease. “Here we go!” Adam yelled.
We came to a halt near the bank doors and hopped off the dirt bike. “Keep your head up and be sure to follow my lead!” Adam said. His muscles were practically ripping his shirt at the seams. I was ready to follow him to the end of the world and back.
“I’m ready!” I yelled.
When he opened the bank doors the sound in my ears went out. My vision blurred. All seemed…angelic and serene. It was as if I were destined to do this all along. I gave a smile as Adam walked up to the front and casually jumped onto the teller counter. “ALRIGHT YOU MOTHERFUCKERS, DOWN ON THE GROUND!” He screamed.
I pulled the semi automatic out and aimed it, spinning around my monster mask. “Did you hear him? He said DOWN ON THE GROUND!” With a gun in each hand I watched as each and every person, including Daryl in the corner, quickly get down on the ground. Adam leaned over the counter and grabbed the tie of the teller.
“What’s your name?” He asked. The young man stuttered out of fear. “I SAID GIVE ME YOUR FUCKING NAME!”
“John!” He screamed, voice cracking.
“John. Like from the Bible. Well, John, today is your lucky day! LISTEN UP EVERYONE, YOU’RE GOING TO FILL THIS BAG WITH CASH OR JOHN GETS IT RIGHT IN THE SKULL!” The tellers hesitated. “I DON’T THINK I STUTTERED!” Adam cried out, threatening them with his gun.
He turned and looked back at me. He yelled, “20 Seconds!” We only had a little more than a minute left. I spun around, making sure everyone was on the floor. I looked outside and saw three black SUV’s parked a block away, past the construction. Somewhere behind the tinted glass sat Brianna, watching and listening to our every moved.
“Hurry up!” I called out. The tellers fumbled the money into the bags and Adam jumped from the marble counter onto the badly carpeted floor.
“Alright, let’s move!” Adam called out. We ran as fast as we could toward the door to the back, but out of the corner of my eye there was movement of some kind. I turned around to see a barrel in my face.
My.
Heart.
Dropped.
Time had slowed down. Adam turned and screamed, “No!” But all I heard was garbled sound. This was it. The end of my story.
Chapter 29
I wasn’t going to give up that easy. I put up my hands in a futile attempt to block the bullet. Of course it wouldn’t work, but I had no other options. Suddenly, I felt Adam’s familiar hands against my shoulder. And suddenly I was falling to the floor.
BANG!
Time sped up. I looked to my right and Adam was on the floor, hardly moving. There was blood. I aimed the gun at the man and did what I had to do. I fired at his leg and he fell to the floor next to Adam. I ran over to him and hit him with the back of my pistol. He was out for the time being. “SHIT!” I cried. “Uh, EVERYBODY STAY ON THE FUCKING GROUND!” With what strength I had, I lifted Adam up.
“Oh Adam…” I cried, tears streaming down my face. I felt his warm blood spill out onto my shoulder.
“50 seconds…” I heard him mumble. He’s alive! I practically screamed. I grabbed his face and slapped his cheeks. He woke up and smiled.
“Am I dead, kid?”
I lifted his shirt up and examined him. There was a bullet hole in his bicep, right through the words “COURAGE.”
“You’re not dead yet. Get up. We gotta’ move! The cops will get here any second!” I screamed. He pushed himself off of me, regaining his balance.
“Shit! I haven’t got shot in years.” He said. We rushed past the tellers, making our way into the back. Through the hall and down the stairs, we ran until we found it. “The vault.” Adam whispered. “Alright. Let’s do it. Detonation time.” He winked.
I reached into his bag, pulling out the C4. I looked him in the eyes with hesitation. It was now or never. Police sirens could be heard in the distance. In a minute, we would be surrounded. “Once they’re placed, we gotta’ move into the other room. The explosion will be big enough to kill anyone in here.” I nodded.
“Alright. I’m ready.” I breathed in deep and placed the explosives on each corner of the wall, right at the foundations. “Other room, let’s go!” I screamed. Sirens were everywhere now. My heart felt as if it would explode.
We made our way into the hallway and ducked down, underneath a desk. A man was shivering underneath, scared as ever. “Don’t shoot!” He said. Adam took one look at him and hit him with the side of his gun, effectively knocking him out. “I won’t.” He smiled.
I grabbed the detonator and turned it on. I waited for the green light to activate. Once it did, I looked up at Adam for confirmation. “Kiss me.” I said. He grabbed the back of my head and pressed his lips against mine. His 5 o’clock shadow scratched against my face and I breathed in his scent. Before he let go, I pressed the “Detonate” button. BOOM!
Fire shot up all around us. Screaming filled the building. People were panicking upstairs. Adam wrapped his arms around me, shielding me from the blast. “We gotta’ move, kid.” He picked me up and ran through the smoke. I could see sunlight shining through the rubble. The vault remained virtually in tact, a feat we never got a chance to conquer.
Upstairs I heard doors crashing open. The cops! Outside was a brand new motorcycle, shining brightly in the sunlight. “Our saving grace. Well, hallelujah!” Adam screamed, hopping on with me. “Hold on tight, kid!” He revved the engine loudly as I ripped the wire from my body. Brianna would now know her plan had been foiled. This was the real test.
We took off. I had one arm wrapped around Adam, while the other was wrapped around the steel of my gun. Adam�
��s semi-automatic was placed over the handlebar. “Adam! At the next light will be a delivery truck parked with its back open. That’s where we’re going. Hurry!” The cops had yet to see us, but time was running out.
“Got it! I see one in the distance.” Sure enough, in front of us sat a white delivery truck. The truck was wide open with a big plank coming out the back. “Brace yourself…” He muttered. He drove the bike straight into the back, jumping up the plank, and landing safely inside. The bike fell over and so did we.
Adam slid and closed the door. We had made it. “YES!” I screamed. Adam punched at the walls, screaming and hollering. His cries were untranslatable, simply sounds from a massive rush of adrenaline. We threw our masks onto the floor and grabbed each other. In a heat of passion, we wrapped tongues excitedly.
