Line of Fire (Book #1) GirlXGirl

ONE

I felt the first trickle of sweat inside my light bullet-proof vest. Even when we were on a night job Derik still made us wear one, and I understood why. There had been instances where I hadn't expected the unexpected, nearly costing me my life. Those were the times where procedure had saved me. Not that I probably didn't deserve to die, because by no means was I the perfect person. But it had given me the gift of tomorrow. I considered the vest good luck.

Peeking my head around the corner I checked for night guards, but as expected the bank reeked with an eerie quietness. All was still, and I could hear my heartbeat in my head. My breathing was shallow and my hands shook. The adrenaline soared through my veins. The smell of floor cleaner filled my senses, and when my eyes fell to the tiled floor I could faintly see my reflection staring up at me.

Good thing the janitors already passed. That was one less thing we had to worry about. It was enough we were stealing. The last thing I wanted to do was come face to face with someone innocent. Gliding my hands over my sides, the coldness of the .45 wedged in my gun holster kept me calm. I inhaled a deep breath, counting the seconds on the clock in front of me.

This was crunch time. All had gone well so far. No tripped alarms, no guards to mess things up, but the last few moments were the most crucial.

Then our hacker, Vic, cut through my earpiece, "Time's up. Five minutes to get out."

I answered through the mic connected to my collar, "Copy."

Derik and Willi took no longer than a few seconds to emerge from the bank vault.

"Let's go," Derik ordered.

I focused on the padding of my feet, the rubber soles gripping against the tile. I nudged Willi and whispered, "How much?"

He looked at me and smirked, "About a million, not bad eh?"

"Not bad at all." I grinned at the amount of our prize.

After Victoria and the driver got their cuts the rest would be split between us three. If my math was right, we'd each get about two-hundred thousand each.

I vividly remembered my first bank break-in, back when I was on the edge of nineteen and in a dire need of cash. Derik, whom I had known since I was a kid, had been aware of my financial situation and offered up a position on the team. I hadn't hesitated to accept. Three years had passed and I was already performing my third bank heist.

This score had been the biggest one yet, at least in personal experience. My first two jobs hadn't been nearly this much, so the money was always gone before I could enjoy it. And this would be the score that wouldn't be wasted on my mother's negligence or bills due to untimely sickness. Third times the charm, I guess.

"Guys," Vic cut through our ears, the tone of her voice startling me.

Derik grabbed his mic, "What is it?"

"Are you in the stairwell yet?"

"Opening the door now." I watched his hand hesitate, as if he knew something was wrong.

"Hurry, a guard's in the parking lot and heading for the back door."

I glanced at the clock above my head and trembled. There weren't supposed to be any guards at this time. Why was he coming back an hour after his shift ended? Was it a different worker? Had we missed something?

"If he scans his key card it'll set off the alarm," Vic hissed. "You guys need to get out. Now."

"What's our window?" Derik asked, guiding us through the stairwell with haste.