Chapter 50: First Heist

DRAVEN’S POV

The eight of them were lined up like they were about to march in a parade.

Meet the Mafia wolves of Valdris ... Dante, Nico, Dorian, Viktor, Rafael, Camila, Gia, and Mia.

Every single one of them looked strong. Ready to throw hands at any second. The kind of people who didn’t flinch when things got ugly.

The one I’d almost beaten to death was Dorian.

He’d recovered enough to stand, but stitches still lined his side and his movements were stiff. He wasn’t fully healed ... not even close.

"Don’t look at him like that. He’s still following us on the next mission," Rex said, catching me staring.

What? I thought.

This man had to be wicked. Truly, genuinely wicked. Dorian was still recovering, and Rex was going to drag him out anyway like it meant nothing.

"Bring out the plan, Camila," Rex called.

She stepped forward and unfolded a fully mapped layout ... clean lines, entry points, exit routes. Everything calculated.

"We’re going to rob a bank," Rex said.

My heart skipped a beat.

Rob a bank.

The words bounced around in my skull like an echo I couldn’t shake. I’d never robbed a bank before. I had no business being on this mission. I was the wrong person for this.

"Rex, I..."

"I know, I know. You’ve never done it before." He slapped me on the back like that was supposed to settle it. "This will be your first time. Simple."

Before all of this, I’d been a weak man. I looked the part ... tall, built, intimidating on the outside ... but when it came down to it, I couldn’t do shit. The fearless, daring people I’d seen in my life had trained for years to get to where they were. That kind of nerve didn’t just appear overnight.

But here in Valdris, it felt like they were sending me on a suicide mission.

"So Draven ... you’re coming with us. Clear?" Rex asked.

I nodded. I didn’t have a choice anyway. These people had pulled me from the edge of death and given me a new life. I owed them that much, whether I liked it or not.

The plan was laid out. Roles were assigned.

It was scheduled for 11 AM ... broad daylight. Rex would be the one going in to take the money.

"We’re taking guns. Just to be safe. Anyone who stands in our way gets shot. There’s no room for empathy here," Rex said flatly.

I sat there listening, imagining all the ways I was going to die. I just hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much.

Dante slid up beside me. "We’re only doing this because we’re low on cash," he said, lowering his voice. "The bar’s been yielding low income lately."

That didn’t make it any easier to swallow. Knowing the reason behind it didn’t change the fact that I was about to steal ... and possibly take a life.

"Draven, you’ll keep watch outside with Gia. The rest of us go in and handle our business," Rex announced.

Nico started distributing guns. Everyone got heavy artillery. I got a pistol.

"Let Mia teach you how to use it," Nico said.

They continued planning while I drifted to the back of my own head, eyes landing on Jade across the bar. She was wiping down the counter, her blonde hair catching the light. Beautiful. She looked more beautiful every time I saw her ... like something in her was glowing brighter by the day.

I must have stared too long because our eyes met.

She looked at me and smiled.

I blinked. I expected her to look away ... most people did ... but she didn’t. She held it for a second, then went back to her work.

I snapped back into the room before I missed something important.

Dorian ... injured as he was ... would be driving. Rafael was on supply run, picking up the remaining gear including tear gas.

"We move in one hour," Rex said. "Get the supplies, and Mia ... thirty minutes with Draven on the pistol. It shouldn’t be that hard."

He pointed at both of us, and that was that.

We headed to the back of the bar where target boards were set up against the wall. I’d only ever seen gun training in movies. Now I was the one standing in front of the target.

Mia did not go easy on me. Not even a little. She moved with military precision ... commands sharp, corrections instant, no patience for hesitation. Watching her, I almost forgot she was a woman. She handled herself like she’d been through a whole boys’ academy and come out on the other side meaner for it.

Damn.

By the end of it, I had working knowledge. Not confidence ... but enough to point and shoot without embarrassing myself.

"Meet me outside after you get ready. Move quickly," Mia said, stepping out with her boot straps locked tight and her glocks already seated in place.

I stood there for a moment staring at the pistol in my hand.

We could all still die. That thought hit me every time I started to feel calm. Every single time.

I sat down to tie my shoes when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.

Jade.

"You’re gonna be good," she said softly, with that same smile from earlier.

I stood up. She was holding something in her hand ... a pair of shoes, better fitted than what I had on.

"These are for you," she said, handing them over.

I took them, genuinely grateful, and told her so.

"Honestly? I don’t think I can do this. I don’t think I’m going to make it." I let it out before I could stop myself. "I just..."

"No." She shook her head, cutting me off gently. "Plenty of people have been weaker than you and they’re still very much alive. You just have to survive. That’s all. Your instincts will move you away from danger ... every time." She demonstrated with her hands, simple and certain.

She always did that. Said exactly what I needed to hear. There was something about her words that settled the noise in my chest.

"Thank you," I said, and I looked at her a beat too long.

"Wear your shoes and go already," she said, catching it.

Right.

I really needed to learn how to bounce my eyes. I could try keeping them off her face ... but how the hell was I supposed to keep them off the beauty of her heart?

I stepped outside in my new shoes. The vehicle was loaded and ready.

We got in and moved out.

On the road, Rex launched into a motivational speech ... the kind meant to steel your nerves before you did something you couldn’t take back. It almost worked. Almost.

I was still tense.

Gia reached over and held my hand briefly. "First time is scary. Second time is easy."

I nodded.

We pulled up to a corner, a block from the target. Everyone went quiet. By the count of twenty, we stormed out of the vehicle. Rex shot the security guard at the front entrance. The rest of them poured inside.

Gia and I stayed outside.

I pulled out my pistol and cocked it. Gia did the same beside me. Then we heard shots being fired inside ... a burst of them, sharp and loud ... and then silence.

I peeked back just long enough to see everyone dropping to the floor inside. I snapped my focus back to my post.

The dead security guard was still on the ground in front of me. It turned my stomach just looking at him.

"Shift him to the side," Gia signed to me.

I moved him, cleared the space, then returned to my post and held it.

Fifteen minutes later, they came rushing back out.

Nico and Rex emerged carrying two heavy bags. The bags hit the floor of the car as we all piled in, and Dorian floored it before the doors were fully shut.

Thirty seconds down the road, police sirens wailed behind us.

The mission was already a success.

Rex threw his head back laughing, slapping high fives around the car like we’d just won something.

Maybe we had.