That's the end...

That is as far as I can go with The Heist right now. I will try to write more later, but the ending is just not working for me. I have started a couple of other stories. I have the first part for a new one to publish. This is really my problem. Things seem to go and on for me and I can't wrap them up and bring good closure. UGH! Probably because I don't make an outline and I don't know how the story is going to develop until I actually write that part. I hope you enjoy this next story.

The Heist

Frank started walking toward the group. He has known that Smalls would be here since he sent him an anonymous tip about Les walking. Smalls didn't care if Les walked, but he did care if he walked with his share of the money. When Frank mentioned that, Smalls had almost choked on the food he was eating while they were on the phone. Frank thought he was going to have to call 911 for the big man.

He had also known that this would be the best way to get Les out of the tunnels. To make sure he knew where he would be. Frank still needed to go down into the tunnels and figure out the next move. He wasn't ready to totally walk away yet, he just wanted everyone to think that he was.

"Les, Indigo, what is Smalls doing here? I thought that you were out of the country until the job was over?" Frank said.

Les dropped the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it to ground it into the pavement. He waited to answer Frank. He knew that waiting would cause Frank to grow impatient. Impatience and anger were the only things Les had on his side right now.

Les took a deep breath and looked from Indigo to Smalls and then to Frank. He paused again and began to speak. "Frank, I think it is time to walk away. I called Smalls and got him on a plane early this morning. We always said that we would know when to walk away. I think that this is the job we need to pass on to someone else."

"I think that would be a mistake..." Indigo interrupted.

"A big mistake. Especially since we have others waiting to be paid," Smalls said.

"The other guys will be fine with walking away. They trust me and won't..."Les said.

Frank cleared his throat to interrupt. "We are not walking away. We are going to do this job and follow it through, but we are going to do it my way. I am in charge of this crew and the jobs that we take. Les you need to take a walk. We all appreciate everything that you have done, but I will take it from here. You will get your share, just after the job is over. We will meet at our usual place to do the split."

"How can I trust you? If we go through with this job I will be a part of it from beginning to end. I will not walk away without everyone."

"Then you will let me take the lead and take a step down. I am in charge now, and the two of you are just along for the ride. I make all the decisions, or I walk away with my crew."

The Heist

"Where is he?" demanded Les as he got out of his car.

"I don't know. He said he was on his way!" Indigo yelled over the noise in the warehouse parking lot.

"Damn it. I have wasted a whole day waiting on people. He better show up. He didn't tell you what he wanted to talk about on the phone?" Les demanded again.

Indigo was more than irritated. People just didn't demand things from her, and especially not Les. She was in charge of this job. She had brought him in on it.

"Look, you need to get yourself under control. It is not doing anyone any good for you to lose your temper. If he doesn't show I will send someone to track him down and eliminate him. We don't need him anymore and you were planning on doing at the end of the job anyway. This will just expedite the process," Indigo said.

"No, you look. You will not eliminate him. That would only bring suspicion from everyone else working the job. He has got to show back up or the plan is ruined," said Les, a little calmer than before.

The longer Les stood there, the more he thought that it was time to walk away. There were too many things going wrong and he still couldn't shake that uncomfortable feeling. Now they were waiting on Smalls to show up and he had some kind of problem with what was going on.

Just then Smalls' car pulled into the warehouse parking lot. He skidded to a stop right in front of them. He got out and and slammed the door.

"I demand to know what is going on," Smalls said.

"I don't know what you are talking about! We are getting ready to pull the job. Either you are in or you are out. If you're in then you need to go along with the plan that we all agreed to."

Just then Les looked up and could see Frank turning down the road leading to the warehouse. What the hell was going on? Frank was supposed to be down in the tunnels today. The last thing that he needed was to deal with Frank and Smalls. How was he going to explain why Smalls was there at the warehouse.

"You have to get out of here. Right now." Les said as he started shoving Smalls back into his car.

"I am not going anywhere. I brought this job to you and I want my share, and I want to know what is going on." Smalls insisted.

"What do you mean?" Indigo asked.

"I got a call this morning saying the job was off. The guy was "anonymous" party with some kind of stake in the job." Smalls said.

Just then, Frank pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse. All three looked up and saw Frank get out of his car and start walking toward them. Len knew it was time to walk away.

The Heist

Les walked all the tunnels in about an hour and twenty minutes. He was able to find where the bank was located. He also found a good hiding place to wait for Frank. He had been waiting now for about an hour. He was starting to wonder if Frank was actually going to come down today. He had managed to keep his anxiety under control, but if he didn't get out of here he was going to lose it.

Just then his phone lit up the tunnel he had been waiting in. He looked to see who it was. Damn, Indigo. He was hoping to avoid her until the meeting tonight. She was always able to mess with his head.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Where are you?" she asked insistently.

"Why?"

"We have a problem here at the warehouse," she answered.

"What...a problem?" He asked

"Yes, Smalls is on his way here."

"He is supposed to be on a vacation." Les said.

"I know...that's the problem. What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Who is there with you?"

"Carlos is the only one. He came by this morning to do some work." Indigo answered.

"Okay, I will be there shortly. If he shows up before I get there stall him outside. The last thing I want is for Carlos to know he is there. Keep him outside, do you hear me, outside," Les yelled into the phone.

"Calm down...I will keep him outside. I had already planned to do that anyway. Get here as soon as you can."

Why was Smalls changing the plan. They had made this plan months ago. That feeling of dread was coming back. He was starting wonder if they should walk away from this job altogether.

The Heist

Parker looked down and saw that Frank was calling back. He sat and thought about what he was getting ready to do. He wasn't sure this was the right thing to do or not. He knew he was going to have to decide quick. His phone got to the fourth ring and he picked it up.

"Parker here."

"Parker, Frank. What's going on? I got your message...is there something wrong that we need to discuss? I have a very busy day ahead of me."

"Frank, I don't want to talk about this over the phone. I need to meet with you now, before you go down into the tunnels," Parker explained.

"OK, where are you right now?" Frank asked.

"I am at my apartment downtown. Can you come here?" Parker asked.

"Yes, I am only a few blocks away. I will be there in about ten minutes."

Frank hung up and his mind started to run wild. Why did Parker need to meet with him? And why must it be before he went down in the tunnels? He walked the five blocks to Parker's apartment building in record time.

He stood across the street at the coffee shop an watched for a few minutes. He wanted to make sure that this was not a trap. He didn't see any sign of anyone else at Parker's or staking out his apartment. He also had not caught a glimpse of his tail all morning.

He climbed the 16 flights of stairs just in case he had missed his tail. He glanced down at his watch and realized that it had taken him 15 minutes to get to Parker's apartment. He was still wondering what this was all about when he tapped on the door. He was anxious and wanted to get out of the hallway. Parker answered the door and ushered him inside quickly.

"Hey, Frank. What some coffee?" Parker asked as he stepped in the door.

"Nah, I'm good. What's up? I need to get to the tunnels. I have a lot to do today before we meet this evening."

"Sit down. This will take a few minutes," Parker said as he gestured toward the nearest chair.

Frank sat and began to listen to the story that Parker was telling. Most of it he already knew. Parker told him about how Indigo, Smalls, and Les had been meeting before the job. Then he told him about their plan to eliminate everyone but him before the job was over. This only confirmed what Frank had feared. Then Parker told him that Les was down in the tunnels right now waiting for him. He was going to hide out and confront him down there today.

That last piece of information took Frank by surprise. He knew the big man was irrationally afraid of closed in spaces. He found it difficult that he would be able to wait for him to show up down there. However, he also knew that if Les wanted him gone bad enough he would do anything.

When Parker finished speaking he waited for Frank to speak. He could tell he was taking it all in and deciding on his course of action. He was afraid that maybe Frank did not believe him.

"Well, that is an interesting story," Frank finally said. "I am especially entertained by the part that Les is down there in those tunnels right now waiting for me. I think I will make the big man wait."

Parker looked at Frank and tried to figure out what he thought about his involvement. He had once been very close with Frank, but it had been a long time since they had really spoken about anything but the weather.

"Parker, why are you telling me all this?" Frank asked.

"Well...I started thinking about what was going on and I had a crisis of conscience."

"I don't believe that is it. I think you know that they are not going to let you walk away from this job either. In fact, I think you know that Les is planning to be the only one to walk away from this job. Where do you think Bones stands on all this? Do you think they have spoken to him as well?"

"I am not sure, but I don't really think so. The only reason they pulled me in was because they all needed clean papers to leave the country. What are you planning to do?"

"Well, I need to talk to Carlos and Bones. I am also not going back down into the tunnels today. I walked all of them yesterday anyway so I know the ins and outs. I am not going to give Les his shot today. He is going to have to be a little more creative. We have a meeting with everyone tonight at 7:00pm. I will contact you later about a meeting later tonight. I will caution you that I have had a tail since the job started. Be aware that you probably have one too. Stay here as much as you can. I will see you at seven." Frank said and turned and walked out the door.

Frank descended the stairs at a good clip. He needed to get somewhere that he could think. Parker hadn't ask him about the manila envelope he was carrying. Maybe he was not going to need its contents after all.

The Heist

Les got a haircut and headed over to the tunnels. As he descended the stairs to the underground labyrinth his heart began to beat faster and faster as though it was going to burst out of his chest. He could feel the walls closing in on him already. He had not even made it all the way down to the tunnels yet. His claustrophobia was getting ridiculous. When this job was over he was going to have to see a hypnotist or an acupuncturist or someone to help him get rid of this problem.


Les set the timer on his cell phone for two hours. He figured that Frank would be here by noon, and it was already ten. He needed to cover a lot of ground in the next two hours. He tried to concentrate on the job and how he was going to pull it off in the next week.


While Les was walking around in the tunnels trying to feel his way through in the darkness, Bones was upstairs in the lobby of the bank getting ready to unlock the doors for the morning. Feeling slightly edgy he decided to make his coffee a little Irish that morning. He had been up way too late last night. He could feel the last 48 hours in his entire body. He wondered what the next 48 had in store for him.

Parker had stayed up all night making papers for Indigo, Les, and Smalls. He had decided that he would just lay low after the job. The others were going to get out of the country, but since he wouldn't be on the front lines no one would be looking for him. About 4am he started to feel a little guilty about agreeing to keep secrets from Frank. Frank had always taken care of him. He was the one that recommended him for the group. He stood up for him with Les and Indigo at different times. He had decided about 6am that he was not going to be able to go through with what they had asked him to do, even if it did mean he would get Frank's share.

He picked up the phone and dialed Frank's number. It went to voicemail. He didn't know what to say so he didn't leave a message, the first time. The second time he called he left a message for Frank to call him. He hoped that he would hear back from him before his 2:00pm meeting with Les and Indigo. They were supposed to discuss their plan of action for the rest of the job. He needed Frank on his side.

As Frank left the cafe he felt his phone buzz with a voicemail. He looked down and saw that it was Parker who had called. He wondered what Parker had to talk to him about. He dialed his voicemail and waited to hear the message. Parker wanted to meet with him right now. He dialed his number and waited while it rang. Once, twice, three times.

The Heist

Frank went into the office for about an hour that morning. He needed to pass off the things in his inbox so that he could concentrate on the job, and what he was going to do. He had been up all night thinking about his plan. He had a very good idea of what had happened to Gary all those years ago, and realized that he very well could have ended up in the same situation. Thankfully, he had gotten his emotions under control this past year and was able to seek out the help from Carlos.

He had put a tail on Les after seeing the pictures last night. He also knew that Les would head down to the tunnels this morning. After Frank finished up wrapping up the loose ends at the office he was going to meet an old friend for breakfast. After breakfast he planned to head down to the tunnels. He wanted to give Les some time. He had no desire to run into him down there. If Les said the wrong thing to Frank it would be all over with. Frank knew he had to play it cool. He had to lay low and keep himself under control.

"Betty, I am going to be out of the office for at least a week. Could you please make sure that Tim gets these papers?" Frank said to his secretary.

"Sure, Frank. Is everything all right? Is it your mom again? Please give her my best. I have really missed talking to her these past few months," Betty said.

"Yes, she has missed talking to you. The home just doesn't give her the privileges that the apartment did. It is really a shame. No she is fine. I really just need a vacation," Frank replied.

"Good for you! You haven't had one of those in two years! See you when you get back. I will hold down the fort here. If anything urgent comes up I will let you know, otherwise you won't hear a thing from me!" Betty said genuinely smiling.

"Thanks, Betty! I will see you soon." Frank said and really meant it. Betty was one of his favorite people. She really cared about Frank and so many other people. If he could he would take her away from all of this and show her what it was like to really live.

They had spent so much time together at work that Frank felt like her knew better than anyone else. He had never let anyone get too close. Gary was the closest, and then Les, but both of them were kept at arm's length. Betty knew almost everything there was to know about Frank. This was his one little secret that he kept from her. After this job he planned to quit this job and ask Betty out to dinner. Once this was over maybe he could finally start living as well.

Frank walked out of the office building into the blinding California sunlight. He could smell the honeysuckle that was growing in a pot by the front lobby doors. Honeysuckle always reminded him of his childhood. Every spring and summer the honeysuckle would grow wild on his parents' farm in Kentucky. Oh how he missed Kentucky in the summer time. Blackberries, fresh tomatoes, running around barefoot, and the smell of sweet honeysuckle permeating everything. Those days were long gone though and it didn't do him any good to focus on the past. He had to stay in the moment and get this job done.

He walked north to meet his friend at the cafe down the street from his office. This was where they always meant, but today was a little different. He had known Mike for too many years. Mike had introduced him to a life of crime back in the day. They had stolen their first pack of cigarettes together. Now they meant every week just to keep in touch. Usually, they did not talk business because they ran in different circles, but today was definitely going to be different.

Frank saw Mike as soon as he opened the door to the cafe. He was drinking his third cup of coffee and smoking his third cigarette. Frank knew this because Mike was always thirty minutes early. He liked his cigarettes and coffee.

"Hey, Frank," Mike said as Frank slid into the booth across from him. He extended his hand and Mike took it and shook it like the old friends that they were.

"Were you able to get them?" Frank asked.

"Yes, I got all the papers you will need once the job is done. And they are clean. I had Karen run them through just to make sure. No one else knows about this. Just the three of us, and you know we can trust Karen." Mike answered.

"Great! I really owe you one, man." Frank said solemnly.

"Nah, you don't owe me man. I have owed you for years for saving Karen's life. I don't know what I would do without her. Are you going to tell me what's going on, or are you going to make me guess?" Mike asked.

"Mike, I would tell you, but I think that you guys will be better off not knowing. In this case ignorance really is bliss. I will get in touch with you when I am out clean. I will be back in a matter of months. I just want you to have deniabilty in this situation." Frank explained.

"I trust you man. I just wish I could do more to help, " Mike said.

They spent the rest of the time they had together eating and reminiscing. Frank was going to miss Mike. They had never gone more than two weeks without seeing each other since they were sixteen. Frank really hoped he had made the right decision.