The doors to the warehouse fly open as Bauta strides in. Arlecchio’s behind him carrying the hold-alls from the robbery, and she dumps them down onto a table where one of the Voltos is relaxing back in a plastic chair that’s one strong gust away from collapsing.
“Did you get it?” Bauta asks. “Please tell me you got it. I can’t take another one of these shitty stores.”
“We got it.”
Wait, a fifth voice?
Blinking quickly to clear my vision, I frown deeply and focus on Bauta. A silver phone reflects light in his hand and from there, the fifth voice rises up amidst the cheers from the Voltos.
“Don’t fuck with me,” Bauta replies. “You got on the ship?”
“Yes sir.”
“And you got all of it?”
“Fuckers don’t even know we hit them because they were too distracted by you lot. We snuck on that bad boy and took everything. There are so many diamonds here, I don’t even know where to start counting! There’s shit here I don’t even know what it is, but it’s fucking shiny.”
Bauta immediately cheers and throws his arm around one of the Voltos, drawing him in for an excited hug. “We did it, boys! We’re gonna be fucking millionaires!”
Wait… these fuckers were just a distraction?
Shit.
3
ZIRA
As Bauta deals with the call about the other heist, I excuse myself and make it back outside with my mask off just in time to throw up. Bile pulls through my gut like the blade of a knife and I hurl onto the ground in three hot, desperate spasms. By the time it’s over, I’m sweating and shaking with no hope of calming down.
We did it.
We actually did it.
This was the third robbery Harris forced me to be a part of and that phone call about the ship means it’s over. It’s all over. Peter will be free and we can go home and… and deal with the fact that I led these assholes to my store and robbed the place where I work. Facing those people again is going to be beyond brutal.
I breathe deeply, letting the cool night air invade my lungs, and then I hold it as if the sensation will help soothe my trembling or the guilt knotting up my stomach. It doesn’t, so I release my breath in a cloud and groan softly.
I need a drink.
Back inside the warehouse, I cover my face with the mask and glance around for Harris. Both the mysterious Voltos are near the table poring over what we stole from the store while clapping each other on the back for a job well done. It doesn’t make any sense to me how they can’t even feel a little bit of guilt for what they’ve stolen or the people we’ve traumatized.
Speaking of, our captive is near the back wall, hunched over with blood running down the side of his face. Seeing them kick the shit out of him when I walked in makes me feel even worse since I chose him, but as long as he goes home to his wife, that’s all that matters.
Searching the warehouse, I find Harris in the remains of the old office and tear off my mask. “Give me Peter.”
Harris sets his mask down on the old, rotten table and removes the lit cigarette from his mouth as he turns to face me. “Excuse me?”
“I want my brotherback.”
“Why?”
“The fuck do you mean why? I did my part in this, okay? Your heist was a success because of me. You have more diamonds than you can dream of, more money than you’ll ever see again, plus the jewelry and gems stolen from my store. That pays Peter’s debt tenfold, so give himback.” My chest heaves as I speak, and another wave of nausea crashes over me like water against a rock. Fighting the sensation makes me gag a little, but I keep my chin up.
“Is that all you have to say to me?” Harris meets my gaze steadily.
“What else is there?”
“Come on, Zira, don’t be like that.” Slow steps bring him closer to me until he’s a foot away, and I stand as tense as a board.
