Page 39 of Gang of Roses: Dice

“Well, ain’t you sweet.”

“You already know I got you.”

“Mm-hmm.”

That was all I could offer because what exactly was I supposed to say? I'd only known this negro for two months, and if his generosity matched the way he'd been treated the kitty. I almost felt bad about what was coming.

Almost.

He grabbed his phone, and it wasn't long before mine chimed.

$200 Received

“I wish I could send more love, but like I told you, I gotta stop by the bank in the morning.”

“It's all good. This is more than enough.”

This was lipstick money, but I’ma let you make it.

I slipped my phone into my purse and smiled one last time… a smile that he would have to file away for memory.

By this time tomorrow, he’d think he was heading to work doing his pick-ups as usual, unaware that a storm was in the forecast.

Let me get the hell out of this man’s house. We had less than twenty-four hours.

“Let me know when you land.”

“Will do. Thank you, Greg.”

Those words held more weight than he could ever imagine as I headed to sit low in this small-ass Altima.

Downtown traffic was thick as hell, which was exactly what I wanted. Folks were honking, cussing, cutting each other off, and trying to get wherever the hell they were going. Meanwhile, me and my girls blended right in, cruising these ugly-ass throwaway bikes while staying just far enough behind the armored truck not to raise suspicion.

We’d upgraded our helmets a few months back after one too many jobs went sideways because somebody missed a hand signal or couldn’t hear over the roar of the engines. Now the three of us could talk to each other clear as day while we rode, which made pulling jobs like this a hell of a lot smoother. Crow wasn’t patched into our channel, though. Rebel handled all communication with him through a separate encrypted earpiece tucked beneath her helmet while he worked his tech magic from wherever the hell he decided to hide out. If Crow had something to say, it came through Rebel first, and that was just how we liked it.

Lord, I missed Badass Bessie. These little bullshit bikes wasn’t doing it for me, and judging by Rebel running her damn mouth through the headset, she felt the same way.

“These ugly ass motors ‘bout to piss me off. I’m a sexy tomboy on my gold, but I look like a damn boy on this smoked-out shit here.”

“Tell me about it. Every time I ride past a building, not seeing my Green Goblin, is making a bitch cringe,” Kash complained.

I laughed.

We’d been stuck riding these throwaway bikes longer than our usual jobs because this mission was different. Every time we went over the plan, it reminded us exactly why folks didn’t fuck with robbing what black folks called The Money Truck. There were four armed guards. Two riding in the front and two holding down the back. Bulletproof truck, bulletproof vests, and all packing heat. Cash bags were chained to the guard once they exited the bank. Watching Greg get dressed some morning on FaceTime or listening to him brag about being top-flight security had finally paid off because his ass unknowingly gave me every piece of information we needed. Armored trucks took different routes so that you wouldn’t know the pattern on any given day. That’s why, most of the time, if one went down, it was labeled an inside job, but all we needed was the location to start, and keeping an eye on them with three skilled robbers on bikes was a breeze.

“Second bank ladies, keep your eyes on the truck.”

“Got it,” Rebel said.

“In sight,” Kash said with a check-in.

“Rebel, hit Crow. Let him know we will be headed to the third bank. That’s when we will make our move.”

“Copy.”

My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest, but no fear was in it. The only thing that crossed my mind was making sure we were safe and no one got hurt. We wouldn’t survive another funeral. Rose was enough. Kash had to make it back to her family, and I had to make it back to Revv.

A secret I wasn’t ready to share.