“Was it really necessary to shoot the phone?” I asked, letting those listening to the microphone hidden under my shirt know what was transpiring in the office since I didn’t know how much they could see.
“None of this would have been necessary if you would’ve minded your own business. But you can’t seem to help yourself when it comes to me, can you?”
“I’m doing my job, Pamela. If you don’t want me to get involved, stop breaking the law.”
“I’ll be sure to get right on that. As soon as I get my money.” She tapped on the desk with the barrel of her gun. “That means you. Get moving.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said shakily and crawled out from under his desk with his hands raised in front of him. “I need to go to the vault to get it.”
“We’ll join you. Lead the way,” Pamela instructed. She didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned that I still had my gun trained on her as we moved to the vault. She likely knew I wouldn’t risk shooting her and setting off the bomb, but her confidence irritated me.
While we were waiting, she pointed to a nearby phone and told me to call off my team.
“You do realize it’s not just my team. By now, the local police have been alerted and are on scene.”
“Then I suggest your buddies make sure they know to stand down.”
I picked up the phone and called Dave, quickly relaying Pamela’s plan. He, of course, had been listening and was well aware of what was going on.
“Local police are on standby and have been instructed not to interfere. We’ve located her vehicle and placed a tracker on it in case it gets that far. I’m working on another option. You’ll know it when you see it. Don’t hesitate. Now say something so she doesn’t think we’re formulating a plan.”
“I don’t care what the police chief says. This is our case, not theirs. They will follow our lead,” I said, hoping I sounded convincing.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Dave had up his sleeve. I hated winging it. I’d much rather have a solid plan in place, but I didn’t have much of a choice in that instance. I trusted my team with my life, and I hoped with every breath of my being that they didn’t let me down.
Once the duffel bags were filled with cash, Pamela gestured from me to the bags. Reluctantly, I returned my gun to the holster on my side since I would need to carry one in each hand.
Suddenly, Pamela put both hands on the manager’s chest and shoved him into the vault, slamming the door closed and locking him inside. I felt a slight bit of relief knowing he was out of harm’s way.
“Let’s go,” she chirped and headed for the back door.
She motioned for me to move in front of her. “You go first and make sure the coast is clear. If there’s a trigger-happy cop out there, I’d rather it be your head that gets blown off.”
I slowly pushed the door open and poked my head out to survey the area. Cars were driving down the road, and several people were milling about here and there, but I honestly didn’t see any of my team members or any other police officers around.
“Seems clear to me,” I told her.
We stepped outside and walked down the sidewalk to the corner, where we waited for a break in traffic to cross the street.
I was on high alert, carefully watching everything so I didn’t miss whatever Dave had planned. Because I knew I couldn’t get in the car with her if I wanted to live to see another day.
Suddenly, an armored truck turned onto the street and barreled toward us at a high rate of speed. As instructed, I didn’t hesitate. I dropped the bags, shoved Pamela as hard as I could, and dove for cover.
Pamela’s body pitched forward and collided with the front of the truck, exploding on contact. The truck rolled onto its side and slid several yards before it crashed into a concrete barrier and came to a stop.
I jumped to my feet and ran to help whoever was in the truck. I knew it was someone from my team, and I prayed they weren’t seriously injured.
Hoisting myself on top of the truck, I reached for the handle right as Dave pushed the door open. He climbed out, cradling his arm, but he had a huge grin on his face. “We got her.”
“We sure fucking did,” I smiled. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I think my arm might be—” His words were cut off when his body jerked, and the sound of gunfire filled the air.
I pulled my gun from my holster and turned toward the sound. Searing hot pain ripped through my shoulder, then my chest, stealing my breath from me. I managed to get two shots off before I fell to the ground, gasping for air.
17
ASPEN