1. Fate


    Date: 9/11/2015, Categories: Historical, Author: SITTING, Rating: , Source: LushStories

    first. “D’you like what you do?” He answered without hesitation. “Yes.” “You ever hurt anybody?” “How’d you mean?” “Well, you walk in with guns and everything. Ever killed anyone?” Harry stared at the ceiling. Murders didn’t count if people got what was coming to them, did they? “I’ve never murdered anyone,” he said. It was a truth in his head but marred by the fact it’d be a lie in anyone else’s. Belle opened her mouth to speak again but he kissed her before she could. “D’you like working for your brother?” he asked, to change the subject. “No. I always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.” “But?” “But life keeps getting in the way.” “Sounds familiar.” He rolled over and looked at her pretty face and dark hair and an idea suddenly came to him. “Wanna come with us to a bank tomorrow?” “Isn’t it too soon?” she asked. “No. We go against expectations. Everybody’s recovering from today, thinking about better systems to stop us. We go in before those systems are completed.” She frowned. “Why’d you need me?” “Today took too long,” Harry said. “We need to be in and out as quickly as possible. The managers always fumble with the vaults. We need the vault open before we go in.” “How am I gonna open a bank vault?” “You go in with some cash. Tell the manager you want it safe in the vault. He opens it. We come in. Simple.” Bella was unsure but the next day, they went ahead with the plan and it worked. Things had run so much more smoothly with her there. Catching flies with honey. The ...
    diversion. The perfect anomaly. The next two days, they did the same thing and never saw a single cop. She was perfect. But as the days went on, she talked more and more about her brother. “I gotta go home,” she said as they were driving away from a stick-up on a Wednesday afternoon. “I can’t hide from him forever.” “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want.” She couldn’t look at him. “I’m sorry, Harry. He’s my brother. We’re family. He’s all I have left.” “He only wants you to do his dirty work.” “He’s always looked out for me. I know how you see him but I can’t forget all he’s done for me. I owe him.” “You don’t owe him a damn thing.” She looked away. “I’m sorry. I know I was useful to you at the banks, but-” “I don’t give a damn about the banks, Bella!” he snapped suddenly. “I want you . I’m crazy for you. Why d’you need him when you got me?” “I don’t need him. But he needs me. I’ve known you for a few days. He’s been there every day of my life.” “What you gonna do? Go back to selling liquor?” She shrugged. “Maybe he’ll change. A few months back, he said he’d let me go the Ann-Reno school. Teacher’s training. 309 West 87 th Street.” Harry stared at her. “He was lying.” “How would you know?” Her eyes met his and he stared at her, unable to say all the things he wanted. He knew guys like Johnny. He knew she’d spend the rest of her life running around after him and at the same time he knew there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. In the backseat there was silence. The ...