The Heist (5 page)

Rubbing her brow, Michelle sat up, dropping her feet to the side of the bed. Her heart was still heavy, but her mind was clear. She would not only do what he demanded, but she would get even with Lee for thinking he could use her heart to drag her back in. Michelle went over to Pops’ closet. She reached up to the top shelf and brought down his bag. All his gear was inside. Fishing the items out, a flood of memories of her father’s lessons over the years went through her. She rose with an accepting sigh, and then checked his drawers to find his pen digital camera. She uncovered a folder instead.

Michelle hadn’t noticed it before. She hadn’t really gone through Pops’ things. She sat at the desk and carefully lifted the cover. Two news clippings detailed a heist in Florence, Italy. The police were baffled by the thieves’ success. They used an underground escape through tunnels, then boats. Pops had circled the photograph and written a name: Bill Dwyer.

***

Sasha jerked forward. She woke to another hard tug on her arm. “What’s going on?” Squinting then widening her eyes, she saw a white man with a huge coil of chains in his hands.

“Shit, it won’t give!” grunted another behind her. She looked back, frightened. “What are you doing?”

“Shut up!” the one in front of her snarled. “You cried like a baby for rescue, the boss told us to come up with a better plan.”

“Yeah, the boss told us to,” the one behind her echoed. Then her hands dropped free, and she wanted to run, shout for help, but she was so exhausted and terrified, she couldn’t manage either. Instead, she rubbed the soreness from her wrists and breathed out big breaths. “Thank you,” her voice croaked.

“Yeah well, you ain’t free yet, sexy,” he told her through big chomps of his gum. He grinned. Sasha fixed her skirt; it was pushed up to her hips. Embarrassed, she wondered how these two assholes had handled her when she was tied down.

Sasha’s eyes followed the long silver links to the end bolted to the center of the floor. Confused, holding her wrists, her gaze returned to his for an explanation.

“That’s right, cry-baby. We will give you enough slack to—”

That was all she needed to hear. She leapt to her feet but her rubbery legs nearly betrayed her. She refused to give up. Pain shot up her spine as she raced for the door. She was out of it and running as fast as she could before hands snatched her tangled hair and yanked her back. The force nearly lifted her from the ground. She gasped in pain then went wild. She fought with every muscle she could summon, scratching the taller guy's face and clawing at his eyes. He slammed her onto the floor. She nearly lost consciousness as darkness covered her vision.

“Bitch! You bitch!”

“Chill, Manny! Don’t hurt her, the boss said—”

“Fucking bitch.” He grabbed her up by the arm and shook her awake. Sasha blinked at him terrified.

“I oughta break your jaw!” he snarled in her face.

“Go to hell!” Sasha said and rammed her fist under his chin to force him to bite down on his tongue. He gagged in reflex and released her; she kicked him between the legs. The one the other referred to as Manny dropped to his knees. His partner made a grab at her, and she gave him a karate chop to the throat. With her teeth bared, she lunged at him but Manny was able to yank her back. She screamed like a wild cat.

“Hey! Let her go!” another voice demanded. Dazed and in pain, Sasha’s head dropped. But her focus returned when she realized it was Kumar. The animal handling her let go, and she fell to her knees.

“Step away from her or I’ll get Lee on the phone and tell him what I walked in on!” Kumar glared at both of the men.

“Screw you and fuck her!” Manny barked, storming out. “You tie her ass up then, since she’s your pet!”

“Yeah, you tie her up then, since she’s your pet,” the other replied, hurrying off behind Manny. Kumar raced over to Sasha. He cupped her face. “Did they hurt you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I think so.” She winced.

“Here, lean on me.” He threw her arm over his shoulder and helped her rise. Sasha looked across the empty warehouse at the men who attacked her. “I won’t forget you. I promise you that.”

Kumar helped her until she pushed him away and walked back inside by herself. He noticed the chains on the floor, and then looked back up. “What was that about?”

“They’re assholes, that’s what!”

Kumar picked up the chain cuffs. Sasha shook her head no.

“No way in hell, man, I’m not going to be chained to the floor like some kind of animal! No fucking way!”

“Listen to me, you don’t want to mess with these guys.”

“To hell with them! You said yourself, Lee ordered them not to hurt me!”

Kumar dropped the chains. The two of them faced off with the twisted metal links coiled between them.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

“Do you know how many accidental deaths are given as reasons for the loss of a kidnap victim? There are a lot of ways to get around Lee’s orders. Trust me on this, okay?”

Sasha rubbed her wrist. “Can I at least use the bathroom and freshen up?” Defeat was in her voice.

“Go ahead, but hurry.”

Sasha dashed for the bathroom. She locked the door behind her. Behind the closed door, she felt a sense of freedom. Dropping her back against the cool frame, she searched for something. An escape or a weapon would be handy. There was nothing but a rudimentary toilet, sink, and rusty tiled walls of a shower. No windows, no cabinets, no nothing.

Crying, she did the best she could at freshening up.

***

The pen camera’s flash was barely detected from the inside of her hand. Michelle slipped it in her jacket pocket, double-checking to see if anyone saw her take the pictures. She tilted her head back to study the beam that ran above. The only way in had to be that way.

“You like ceilings?” a sultry voice from behind her asked.

She turned.

It was Lee.

Michelle offered no outward show of emotion, though she was quite irritated to find him there, watching her. He strolled over. “I figured you’d be here today, doing your homework.”

She opened her mouth just as a troop of third graders came running in, all talking at once, a flustered tour guide chasing them. The children went to the roped display of jewels, gawking and pointing at the magnificence of the stones. Lee took her by the elbow. He led her away.

“I had three days,” she snapped, snatching free.

“You still do.” He smiled.

“Then why the hell are you following me?”

“I came to see my investment as well. What do you think?” He cast an appreciative look at the glass casing where the colorful assortment of diamonds glistened. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”

Michelle sighed. She was more interested in the beam that ran thirty-feet high over their heads. Lee followed her line of sight. Amused, he nodded. “You into skydiving?”

“You saying I can’t pull it off?” She started walking. He matched her stride. The two of them appearing to be just mere tourists admiring the arts.

“I got a guy that can wire the place any way you need.”

“I make my own plans, so until you hear them, spare me the ‘I got a guy’ speech,” she mumbled. “In fact, why don’t you spare me your presence as well?”

Michelle headed off. The wall of glass before her reflected Lee. She noticed how he admired her backside in her jeans as she walked off. A glance back over her shoulder at him confirmed that he was indeed staring. Her cheeks warmed and heart fluttered. Damn him, she would not allow herself to even consider the powerful pull he still had over her. He shook his head, wiped his jaw, smiled, and went the other way.

***

Sasha was reluctant to leave the bathroom. Eventually, she had no choice. She found her kidnappers had returned. The two carried an army cot for her to lie on, along with blankets and pillows. Kumar instructed where they were to leave them. Dropping everything, Manny whirled around, angry. “Do it yourself! I don’t work for you, pencil dick!” He snorted, walking off.

“Yah, do it yourself. We don’t work for you,” Pitt echoed, then continued his game of ‘Follow the Leader’.

“Are those two for real?” Sasha frowned.

Kumar ignored her, dragging the cot.

“I can help,” Sasha offered.

Kumar shook his head. “No, you’ve been through enough. I have it.”

Sasha took a long look at him. He was unlike any man she had known, but more importantly, he seemed out of place with the thugs guarding her. She wondered how he fit in with Lee’s organization.

“Where you from?”

“A village outside of Bangladesh.” He retrieved the pillows and blankets.

“Wow, how long have you been in the States?”

“I’ve been here over ten years. Lee brought me in.”

“He did? He brought you from India? Then that means you have a talent. What is it?”

“Enough ‘Twenty Questions’.” He turned on her. “I would try to get you some clothes, but I don’t think you’ll be here that long.”

“You don’t? Have you seen my sister? Do you know if she’ll do the job?”

“Job? What job?” Kumar asked, narrowing his eyes on her.

Sasha swallowed. “Whatever job Lee is holding me for. There has to be one, right?”

Kumar nodded. “Yeah, but he’s not mentioned it to any of us yet.”

Sasha watched him retrieve the chains. Thanks to his kindness and the way he had saved her from those animals, she felt relaxed enough to allow it. He shackled her feet and her wrists, leaving a long chain between them.

“Walk around.” He pointed toward the door to the bathroom. “See if you can manage.”

She nodded and walked with ease. She entered the bathroom and made it all the way to the sink, then came back out, relieved. “I guess it’ll work.”

Kumar smiled. “Hungry?”

“Burgers? Ah, no thanks.” She touched her stomach. It groaned from the cheeseburger.

“Bagels and coffee. Be right back.”

Curious, she watched him rush off then went to the door and peeked out. She saw him get the things he brought with him. Why was he being so nice to her? Did Lee pay him to do so? When he headed back to her, she backed away from the door, the chains clanking as she dragged them with her. He carried a morning treat along with some magazines.

“Wow, thanks for this. Did Lee make you do it?”

“No, I did it because I knew Pops and respected him. A lot.”

Sasha’s heart dropped at the mention of Pops. “You knew my daddy?”

Kumar nodded. “Did some work with him. Pops was one of a kind, never met anyone like him.”

The coffee was a godsend. She sipped, savoring the blank chalky taste as it warmed her tongue. Whenever Pops needed a second wind or to clear his head after a binge, he would choose a cup of coffee, black. Sasha planned to keep alert and aware from here on out. She moved a little sluggishly, her side bruised from earlier. She sat down on the cot gingerly. He grabbed a chair, turned it, and sat as well. He popped the lid of his coffee. “So what’s your story?”

“I’d rather you share the one with you and Pops. Please.”

Kumar’s brows lowered. “No story. He helped me out of a bad spot. Like I said.”

“How? Pops spent money as soon as he got it. Lord knows me and Michelle couldn’t stop him from gambling. And he didn’t have any friends, other than Lee, and their relationship was weird mostly.”

“We had things in common,” he mumbled.

“Like what? Gambling? Oh, thieving?”

“Why did Lee take you?” Kumar asked.

Sasha drank her coffee. She sucked her tongue, grimacing over the bitter aftertaste. “I told you, he wants my sister, not me. I’m just a means to an end.”

To her dismay, he nodded in agreement. “Lee is tough, but he’s fair. If he says—”

“He’s a jerk! Scum! A serpent!” she spat out, then averted her eyes.

“You don’t deserve this,” he agreed.

“How do you know that? You don’t anything about me.”

“Where I’m from, we believe in what you call an aura. The people in my village would come to my family to read them. I was told I could see them. I can tell you’re a good person.” He winked. Sasha blushed and ran her hand over her hair. Her chains clanked as she did so.

“How about I get a TV and some DVDs? We can watch them together,” Kumar offered.

“Why would you do that?”

“Oh…I—”

“No, it’s nice, I mean yes. I’d like that very much.”

“I have equipment in my van. I can wire it up and find a way to pass the time for you.” He put the coffee down and rose.

“Kumar?”

He looked back from the open door.

“Thank you, for all of this. You’ve got a good aura, too.”

“You aren’t alone, be right back.”

She watched him go then stared down in her coffee musing on his words.
Alone
. Pops always said,
Strange the people you meet when you’re traveling alone
, whenever he met someone new. She never understood why, but sitting there with the guilt of betraying her sister and placing her own life in jeopardy, she felt like she had no one but herself to rely on. Or blame. She finally understood what he meant.

***

“Oh, ick! Did he just take off his head? Eeeewwwl! He did! He did.”

Kumar laughed, drinking his soda. “Best horror movie ever made.”

“What? It’s gross!”

“That’s art!” Kumar objected.

“Art? A woman tied down, and a monster takes his head off and uses his snake tongue to lick her tits? Are you kidding me?”

Kumar laughed. “The cinematography, that’s phenomenal.”

“Boy, you need to get out more. What kind of freak geek are you?” She laughed but he didn’t. Sasha looked over and saw she had hurt his feelings. “Hey, I was kidding.”

“It’s cool…. I should be going.”

“No! Wait! Please don’t go. I’m retarded. I mean, I say things before I know it. I really like hanging out with you. I really do.”

Kumar smiled. “I have to go. But I got some good movies in the bag for you. I’ll try to check back tomorrow.”

Sasha was desperate to keep him; she nearly leaped to her feet and ran after him. “Kumar, I…when will you be back?”