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Part III: The Heist
"Dude, what did you think was going on here? Study practice?" Dom rolled his eyes, "Fuck it. Let's go!"
He drove right through the barrier, sending scalded metal flying every which way and stirring up a chorus of honked horns.
"Ooh," Dom grimaced, "Think I took out a headlamp."
They moved unevenly down the slope, kicking up dirt and silt to either side of them, which was pretty shitty for visibility, but Dom wasn't really paying attention to things like that anyway.
"River's coming up!" his knuckles whitened around the wheel, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..."
He put on the brakes, the water getting closer, and closer, and still closer...
They came to a stop bare inches from water's edge. Dom let out a sigh of relief, shoulders slackening, "Am I the best, or am I the best?"
-Dom
Clyde slurred, "Wait, I don't have a seatbelt..." but it was too late as they breached the barrier and cascaded down the slope. As the basketball star was tossed this way and that in the back, Clarissa's nails dug into her seat as she sat back, heart in her throat...
...and nearly out her mouth as Dom brought the van to gentle stop.
Clarissa smirked, turning to Dom. "I think you're pretty good POLICE CAR!" She interrupted her thanks with frantic panic as she saw perhaps the most dedicated cop car tumble down the slope and in their direction. Clarissa blurted something resembling, "Drive!" commanding Dom to get them out of the way as fast as possible.
-Clyde and Clarissa
"Why do these shitheads care so much?" asked Dom, "Every penny of this crap is backed up by the full Faith and Credit of the United States Government! It's like we never did shit!"
He started them off-road, moving along the river's edge.
"Any other ideas?"
-Dom
The tumbling squad car missed its mark, and ended up waterlogged in the river...but there WAS ONE MORE BEHIND IT! And it was able to make the decline and turn by the river.
Clarissa tried to think up yet another solution, when...
BANG BANG PTANG!
More gunfire. Absolutely exasperated, Clarissa took a can of Monster and lugged it back at their pursuer.
"Aw, go suck it, pal!" She exclaimed as she spiraled the can out of the van...
...and into the cop's windshield with such force, it penetrated the glass, causing him to swerve off a tree, over a rock and upside down in the river.
Clarissa was stunned. She didn't think she had that good of an arm.
She put her excitement on halt as she anticipated some new threat to arrive...but it didn't.
Astonished, Clarissa looked from Dom to Zoe to Clyde, breathlessly uttering words she never anticipated would come out of her mouth. "We did it," she said, her words laced with awe. "We robbed a bank." Then, with some laughter coming through, she repeated, "We robbed a bank!"
Clyde started laughing too, clapping along and singing (with a tinge of delusion), "We robbed a bank. We robbed a bank. We robbed a bank."
Clarissa tapped along on the dashboard, cackling. Taking a Monster out of the glove compartment, she shook it like it was champagne and opened it, causing it to fizz everywhere. She then realized she hated the stuff, so just passed it over to Dom as a celebratory gesture.
Her heartbeat was still pounding, her hands shaking, her mind swarming with moral quandaries and developing regrets of what they had just done. The innocent people they had robbed, the cops who were felled in their escape, the possible reality that they were just selfish people satisfying a power fantasy born out of their insecurities and inferiority complex...
But then Clarissa remembered how she had lived before this, in a dead-end job with no respect, always on the fringe of getting fired, always getting underpaid, always getting reprimanded even when she tried her best. She was always meticulous in her planning, devoted to her work, determined to see it through...
...and only now, after all that work, did Clarissa see some payoff.
It took a series of felonies but Clarissa Seep was alive. Not only that, but she had risen from the ashes, baby. The fire was lit once again.
-Clarissa and Clyde
"That's it, baby!" Dom whooped, getting a mouthful of loose Monster for his trouble. Impulsively, he leaned forward, putting an arm around Clarissa's midsection, "Hail to the fucking Chief."
He drew her in for a kiss.
-Dom
Clarissa was so in her own celebration, she didn't resist Dom taking her in for a kiss. Not that she'd admit but...she didn't want to, either. Even Clyde from back seat lumbered over and patted her on the back, saying something along the lines of, "That's the way, el Presidente!" She was too euphoric to really understand.
All Clarissa knew was that in this moment, she was the Chief, the Presidente, the boss--these were her people...
...and that was enough for her.
***
They pulled over in a field once they deemed it was safe to stop and catch their bearings. That is, counting the money, splitting it, and going over what happens next.
Smoking a well-needed cigarette, Clarissa left Dom and Zoe to count the money as she walked over to Clyde, who was sitting against the side of the van. He had recovered his energy from before, the fatigue being replaced with sweet, sweet satisfaction.
"Hey, speedster," she said, bending down to face him. "You holding up okay?"
Clyde grinned at that. "I'm holdin', and then some." He laughed. "A few thousand dollars will do that."
"I bet, I bet." Her tone becoming serious for a moment, she added, "You were good out there. We wouldn't have gotten as much out of there in as little time if it wasn't for you."
"Hey, I just ran laps. You told me where to run and how." Clyde tapped his head with his finger. "Big brain shit, man. You got it."
Clarissa shook her head, hiding the fact she was actually flattered. "What are you gonna do with your share? I know you have that basketball scholarship lined up, so tuition won't be..."
"Spend it," Clyde responded with a smirk. "I'm gonna spend it."
Clarissa cocked her eyebrow. "You're not even going to invest?"
"Are you?"
Clarissa sighed. "My situation's different. I gotta catch up on rent..."
"You don't own your own place?"
"No."
"But you're the President of Schools."
"Yeah, well my pay goes to the students' future. Or that's what I'm supposed to believe the next time they cut my salary." Clarissa looked off towards the setting sun. "But this should keep my head above water for a bit, give my life some stability, pay for some repairs to my car..." She leaned in and jokingly whispered to Clyde, "I think your pal ripped me off."
"I dunno," Clyde responded with a smirk. "From what I saw in there, you're getting compensated pretty okay, in my book."
Clarissa would usually yell at that but for once...she was in a good mood. "Alright, Carter," she said, slapping him on the knee with a smile. "Enjoy you Monster juice."
"And spend some of that money!" Clyde called after her. "Maybe on a bottle of wine for your next date! You'll thank me later!"
Clarissa ignored him, taking a puff of her Newport as she circled round to the back of the trunk where Zoe was counting the cash and...Dom was watching Zoe count the cash. Classy.
"Sorry about the ride, Dom," Clarissa said, exhaling some smoke. "I didn't anticipate things would get so, um, hectic. They've got devoted cops over there."
-Clarissa and Clyde
"Eh, my Pop's got insurance for everything at the garage. You ask me, he never pays his share anyway. You can do that when you make it big in business," he shoved his hands in his pockets, "Gotta say, I can't believe we did that. I mean, I believed we could, back at your place that night, but...well, after, I thought I maybe wasn't thinking too straight."
He cocked his head to the side, "So, what now?"
-Dom
Clarissa threw the cigarette to the ground and put it out. "You never think straight," she joked, before contemplating the answer to a serious question. "Well, we'll split the money...go our separate ways...and after that, we lay low for a while. From there..." Clarissa looked him in the eye, the glare of the sun making her squint somewhat. "...I'm not sure." It was a layered statement, what that read as "I didn't think we'd make it this far" which could be read as "we as in the group" or "we as in you and I".
For once, she wasn't sure what to expect in the immediate future but Clarissa learning that was half the fun, wasn't it?
"Well, I can think of a coupla of things I want to do," Dom nodded, "Down payment on my own place for one thing. That'll get my mother off my back. After that, who knows?"
He looked her up and down, "I had fun. It was fun."
There was an uncertain half-silence. He moistened his lips, looking away, "Guess we'll see what happens."
-Dom
Clarissa smiled, almost bittersweetly at that. Dom was there from the start of this crazy thing. He was with her all the way. Yet, past all the berating and the shouting and driving and shooting, she didn't think she ever really thanked him.
The kiss was "thank you" enough, a part of her reasoned, but Clarissa felt...off, leaving things where they were between them. Clarissa was never really good at expressing affection to begin with.
Before she could challenge her emotional capacity any more, Clarissa turned to Zoe, "Well? How much do we have?"
***
Sarah was mobbed by police and reports in equal measure for her harrowing account of the five minutes that had, evidently, changed the entire destiny of this humble community bank forever more. From the way Mr. Frank Werner was being lauded, she expected him to be canonizing First Municipal Saint any minute.
Finally, however, the crowd disippated enough to allow her to seek out one concerned face amidst the throngs on the pavement.
"Stu!" she hurried out to him, "Oh, Stu, I..."
What was she supposed to say? 'I didn't think you'd be here?' It was his workplace that got hit.
"...I'm glad to see you," she said at last.
-Sarah
"Not quite done, ma'am," Zoe replied. That was fucking FUN! Even with the task of counting all the money, she could feel the adrenaline still pumping through her, "Right now I'm at 250."
"Holy hell," Clarissa muttered, leaning in as if to check herself. "Well, now that we're out of the thick of it, what are you planning to do with your share?"
Stu ran almost as soon as he saw her, meeting her halfway and taking his wife into his arms, holding onto her tightly, as if letting her go would mean losing her forever.
"Sarah...Oh geez, I was so worried!"
He said as he cradled the back of her head with his hand. Taking in a deep breath as he pulled away from her only slightly so that he could get a good look at her.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Well, first thing is first. We need to figure out a believable story for how we acquired this much cash," Zoe said, not looking up, "Because I have 3 little letters for you: IRS."
If they could get Capone, they could get anyone.
Oh my God, he was worried about you.
Of course he was. What kind of idiot was she to be surprised at that? She may have known there was (relatively) no danger to her in all this, but as far as he knew she was almost killed today.
God, you've really done it now.
"I'm...I'm fine, Stu," she said shakily, "Just...just a little shaken. Really, I..." she cleared her throat, "I don't think it's really sunk in yet. What happened, I mean. I'm just..."
She realized with a start that there were tears in her eyes.
Of course there are. You were just the star of a hostage crisis.
"I don't know," she said at last, leaning against him.
-Sarah
"Well, for one, don't go on any spending sprees, Clyde," Clarissa leaned over to the side of the van where the athlete was, but he was too busy chugging Monster to listen. "And don't deposit all at it once either. Hide the cash in a good spot, and spend and deposit it little by little. Nothing to extreme, got it?"
-Clarissa and Clyde
"Fair enough," Zoe said, before she put the last of the money down.
"300 and change."
He held her once again, whispering an almost silent prayer.
"Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, ha-gomel l’chayavim tovot she-g’malani kol tov." (Blessed are You, Lord our God, ruler of the world, who rewards the undeserving with goodness, and who has rewarded me with goodness.)
He kissed the side of her head, and wrapped an arm around her, and began to guide her to the car.
"I'll make you some Matzah. Everything's gonna be okay."
Clarissa smirked. "$300,000. So sixty each."
Clyde peeked around the side of the van. "But there's four of us?"
"Four of us here." She looked between her three accomplices. "Don't forget about Sarah. Her Oscar-winning performance helped buy us time, keep the masses under control. Not to mention she had inside knowledge of the place. Just wish she was hire to celebrate with us now." Taking out her phone, Clarissa added, "In fact, I'm going to inform her of her share right now. She can pick it up from me."
The text was quick. A succinct, "We got out OK. 60k each." She sent it immediately.
"So," Clarissa continued, pocketing her phone. "Let's take our cuts, Dom will drop us off, and...yeah, I guess we'll see each whenever."
Clyde piped in cheekily, "What, you don't wanna do this again?"
"As much as I'd like to think we're master bank robbers, we got real lucky," Clarissa countered. "And luck runs out pretty quickly."
Clyde got to his feet and started rubbing his hands. "Yeah, but I'm quicker. Now cut up the dough and let's head out of here!"
Clarissa gestured for Zoe to get started. However, she needed to get something off her chest, "Hey, Dom," she pulled him aside. "Can I speak with you?"
-Clarissa and Clyde
"Oh, Stu..." Sarah said softly, "Right," she smiled, "Right. It will be."
She had to believe that as well.
After all, it wasn't for nothing. It was for them, her and Stu, and Fiji...
Their happiness. Their future. She was securing their future.
So why was she so frightened?
"Sure," he walked a little way off, put off at once by her softer-than-usual demeanor, "What's up?"
-Dom
Without a word, Zoe began to divide up cuts for each of them.
They were rich. Filthy rich.
"I wanted to thank you," Clarissa said sternly, brushing some hair from her face. "You were with me from the beginning. You helped me assemble this...merry band. And your driving saved us from more than a few tight spots." She sighed, giving what she was going to say next a lot of thought. "And about that kiss..."
"Hey, think nothing of it," said Dom, "I wouldn't have helped out if I didn't think we had it in us," he smiled, "And, look, uh...I get it. You're a mature woman and all that shit, and I respect it. If I didn't, I wouldn't have gone along with this barrel of monkeys. So if, uh, don't want this to be a thing, then..." he snapped his fingers, "Hai presto."
-Dom
"Well, that's the thing," Clarissa looked down, her face slightly reddening (though she didn't want anybody to see it). She didn't know how to see what she wanted to without falling on her face or seeming pathetic or whatever, so she asked, "You Italians make good food, right?"
"The best," he beamed, "I wasn't kidding about my Ma's chicken parm. I could, uh, bring you a plate sometime...if you like."
-Dom
"I'd like that," Clarissa replied softly. "You know where I am." She walked over to him and gave a quick kiss on the cheek. It was brief and strange and new to Clarissa. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy or content or excited about anything. Everything felt new and different and she saw potential everywhere. It took 37 years but it seemed life was finally starting to open up for Clarissa Seep.
"C'mon," Clarissa moved past him and towards the van. "Let's get our share and head out, before your friend takes an extra ten percent for himself." And so she moved to their plunder, feeling at peace with herself for the first time in years.
"Right," he ran a hand almost tenderly through her hair, lowering his arm to close around her waist as they walked back together, "Every man gets his share," he whispered, "I'm not too big on 'sharing' though."
***
MEANWHILE, IN AN OLD BUILDING IN CENTRAL CITY, NEW ORLEANS...
"Yes...I see...Well, I don't care how hard it is to do, you'll find out who did it and you'll apprehend them immediately...I'm already going to tell him, goddammit. That's dangerous enough...That's not my call...Yeah, I'll see you." The Shark hung up the landline and took a deep, beleaguered breath. Seeing the top dog was tough enough on its own. Seeing him with bad news? Well, his wife already had his funeral plot picked out when he joined this profession. Slicking back his hair and adjusting his blazer, he headed up the stairs, past his many cohorts. He had most of their respect. A few new guys were left out, but they'd catch on soon enough.
He gave the nod for the two sentries by the don's office to beat it, to which they complied with expedience. Nervously playing with his pinky ring, the Shark tried to muster up the courage to go in there. They said sharks go where there's blood in the water. But...what if it was its own blood?
Finally, he entered.
"H-hey, boss," the Shark greeted, already sweating up a storm. "Y-you been watchin' the news?"
The don remained silent, cloaked in the shadows, stapling some papers had on his desk.
"Williamson Community Bank," the Shark blurted out, as if trying to get the words out as quickly as possible. "The place was r-robbed today by a few m-mooks."
A weighted silence. Just the clicking sound of staples. "And?" His voice was calm, deep, but carrying little patience.
"Williamson was one of the joints we stored one of the lockboxes in, cause we thought no one would look there and we have a guy on the inside a-and..."
The figure leaned forward only slightly, the sound of leather upholstery creaking in a way that sent shivers up the Shark's spine.
"Long story short, our insider phoned in and said that one of things that got snatched was..." The Shark swallowed, about ready to collapse. "...the lockbox."
Another silence. "Which one?" Click. Click.
The Shark winced as he answered in awkward French, "La Glace Chaude."
Quiet. Deadly quiet. Click. Click.
"But don't worry, boss!" The Shark tried to lightened to the load. "We'll find the punks who did this and we'll get the bloodstones back no prob..."
A stapler to head hurts like hell. The Shark always figured that but now he knew for sure, as one was thrown to his head, causing him to stagger back. He didn't have time to readjust his vision when a blur came rushing forward, punching him square in the face, then in the gut, causing him to heave over. Tossing him up to the ceiling was no problem for the don, while about a dozen or so for the Shark. A few broken ribs, a busted noses, his arm definitely wasn't supposed to bend like that...
The don was done playing with his food. He stomped, stomped and stomped again on the Shark's skull, one for each repulsive word that rat dared utter in his presence just now.
Soon enough, the Shark was chum, and the don was left only with new problems galore.
"Frog." He summoned one of his sentries from outside his office, who immediately game running in. "Contact our inside man in Williamson. I want to know everything there is about what happened today."
"Yes, don," he answered.
"And I want whatever surveillance footage you can find from the bank, the streets, and every nook and cranny of the backwater town. Understand?"
"Yes, don."
"Any information about these thieves--who they are, where they live, their jobs, where they went to school, their families, the cars they drive, their first pet--is to be given directly to me."
"Yes, don."
"And you will apprehend them and bring them to me as soon as possible."
"Yes, don." The Frog turned to leave before recalling, "Don?"
"Yes, Frog?" He purred, hands behind his back.
"Do you want them dead...or alive?"
The don turned to face his new second-in-command. He gave a knowing smile.
***
Clyde finally got home and threw his bags with his share on the bed. His parents didn't question much. They just figured it was his workout gear. What it really was, though, was his booty.
He opened the bag, and found Benjamins on top of Benjamins on top of...the true prize that caught his eye. That studded box with flowers etched on.
Edging to see what was inside ever since he found it, Clyde tried to open it...only to find that was locked behind a complicated puzzle system.
Fuck that! He smashed it against his nightstand a few time, busting the lock (if not damaging the finish just a tad), and finally seeing his prize: rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. Some of the most expensive hunks of rock Clyde ever did and likely ever would see. Glistening in his room's lamplight, all he could do was grin like a kid.
"Jackpot."
-The Shark, The Don, The Frog, and Clyde